During a person’s lifetime, there is a certain set of questions which confounds the poor brain of a man.
Who created the Universe? What was there before the Earth was created?
Does God exist? What is the purpose of life? What is life after death?
Why is my life so short when my curiosity is boundless?
Depressed, the man stops caring about such questions. They will see to it when they die.
“For all I know, there is no heaven or hell. Just an eternal sleep under cold dirt.”
But then there are others who would simply not give up. They must map out the entire geography, philosophy, and the judicial system behind both realms. Some great examples would be the Babylon, Dante Alighieri’s - The Divine Comedy, the Zarathustra, and the list simply goes on and on.
There are the non-believers too, we simply cannot ignore them. They are truly admirable for wanting to keep their daily lives simple.
So… Does Hell exist?
“. . . . . .”
If yes then what does it look like?
Back in the late 1700s, when he was still alive, Zhang Xiyu held these questions deep down in his brain. In 1770, Zhang Xiyu was born to a noble family which had their entire generation serve as scholar-officials of the Royal Palace. The men held great positions in the government as censors and ministers while from time to time, women of their household would become consorts of the King or the Princes.
So was the case for his generation too. Hong Taiji, the first king of the Qing dynasty believed in fostering both martial prowess and literacy in the candidates. With time, being fluent in both Chinese and Manchu language also became an underlying condition.
Zhang Xiyu took the imperial examination when he was twenty-one. Not only did he pass the exam but he was also the first ranked scholar who received the title of Zhuàngyuán. This did not create any waves within his family as it was naturally expected given the resources he had since childhood. While the Zhang clan were ethnically Han, they still exercised great influence under the rule of Manchu.
From renowned poets to veteran generals, Zhang Xiyu was exposed to all kinds of literary talents since he was a child. One could say that the Zhang family were putting all eggs in one basket. While they kept diplomatic relationships with the Manchu, they still held a strong patriotic soul that yearned to make their country great.
In fact, in the beginning there was barely any discord between the Zhang family and the emperor, but the appointment of Zhang Xiyu would soon unravel every bitter feeling.
Zhang Xiyu was now among the Jinshi Jidi (distinguished advanced scholars). Given his family background and his outstanding performance, unlike other candidates in the Qing Dynasty, his appointment could by no means be settled with an empty title or delayed by a long period of waiting time. Which meant by the age of twenty-two, Zhang Xiyu was already an academician of the Hanlin Academy.
On the other side, globalisation was on the rise. West was meeting the East with offers one couldn’t refuse. But so was not the case for the Qianlong Emperor. For years, the ageing emperor steadily resisted the pressure from the European powers that demanded increased foreign trade.
In 1793, King George III finally sent a large-scale envoy to the emperor in Beijing, which was headed by George Macartney.
As Macartney began his journey, a visitor awaited Zhang Xiyu in his study.
“Yo bèndàn (dumb egg), to what do I owe this visit?” he grinned.
The man’s smile faltered as he looked away.
“I apologise, General Qi. It is kind of a habit-”
“It’s okay- just. Just take a seat, man.”
He feigned a surrender and sat across the long low table.
“This time, it’s the Britishers.” General Qi sighed.
Zhang Xiyu poured him a cup of tea and said, “Given the disastrous outcome with the French, I don’t think he’ll even look at the British.”
General Qi took a sip. “Do you think he will reject them due to some underlying loyalty to the French?”
Zhang Xiyu smiled, and then couldn’t hold in his laughter.
“Loyalty to the French…...it is far from it. Did you not hear about the revolution in their country?”
General Qi leaned back with his eyes narrowed. “What about it?”
“Don’t you think that there might be……some fear?”
“Fear? The Qianlong Emperor?” the General was confused.
“Yes. Fear of what happens to him if he continues to associate with another power like the French. Well fear wouldn’t exactly be the right term. How about this is the most rational decision he is making as a king? “
Zhang Xiyu took a sip of his own cup and said, “But is ignoring the European powers a good action to take in the long run?”
He sharply gazed at the General who made an unannounced visit. Surely, he is not here just to drink tea, eat pastries, and have a merry time.
His arrival also lines up perfectly, right before the arrival of the envoy, who would coincidentally come with a ship full of commodities.
Commodities that would include an advanced level of weaponry.
General Qi had known Zhang Xiyu since they were children. He knew Zhang Xiyu well enough to not even have a faint surprise when Zhang Xiyu became the Zhuàngyuán. How could he not know that he just got found out by his dear friend over there?
All he could was keep his head down and sweat uncomfortably under his armour.
“The ministers will chew my head off at the slightest hint of my suggestion.” Zhang Xiyu sighed helplessly. He had been thinking about doing it for a while but he did not act on it as he knew that the court would be unhappy with it.
But now that both his father and General Qi were backing him up, he had to believe that it was worth a shot.
A few days later, George Macartney finally reached the port of Beijing. His embassy, which constituted almost 600 members, had finally ended their month-long journey.
The embassy was determined to show its wealth as it boasted a crew of illustrators, a watchmaker, a mathematical instrument maker, and translators among many others. They all came with commodities loaded on five ships. In hopes of increasing trade and decreasing the British trade deficit, Macartney came with clocks, watches, pottery, and even amber & ivory.
This will show him what our great country has achieved.
But Macartney only got an audience a month later after his arrival. Moreover, the goods he had intended to sell were misjudged as tributary gifts to the emperor. While Macartney tried his best to strike a deal as equals with the emperor, the Qianlong emperor took one good look at the “gifts”, declared them low-quality, and believed that such trivialities could only be here to show the British empire’s submission towards China.
The room was dead silent. Macartney was on one knee towards the monarch while the emperor sneered at this act. The translator whispered in his ear.
“I refuse to do this ‘kowtow’. I just told you.” And there came another misunderstanding.
While Macartney was taken aback by the fact that China already had most of the items he brought, he could not just give up. While his previous meeting was disastrous, he has another chance to make up for it.
The Qianlong Emperor’s 82nd birthday.
“The king thinks that this little machine gun is the somehow the pinnacle of military technology.”
General Qi said while he smoked on his clay pipe. It was not something a civilian could get by legal means at that time.
“What does it shoot? Twenty-five? Twenty-eight? I personally think that is very impressive.” Zhang Xiyu sat by the pond, feeding his fish.
“Twenty-eight. Of course, you are impressed, a simple scholar that spends his days in a small dark room.”
Zhang Xiyu smiled and didn’t retort,
“That day was a disaster. I am just glad I decided to back out that day.” General Qi glared at him.
“Well, the letter is going out today though. I am sure Heng will have a field day with it.” He joked.
General Qi nodded and asked, “You know my reasons behind supporting the trade with the British, but why were you already planning on doing it? “
Zhang Xiyu stood up and looked meaningfully at the General’s pipe, “You are desperate and so is George Macartney. Did you wonder why?”
General Qi looked at him leaning lazily against the wooden frame.
“It’s because he wants to get his best-selling item in a whole new continent. An untapped market. His best-selling item is a restricted commodity in this country.”
Zhang Xiyu grabbed him by the shoulder.
“It’s Opium.”
“What?” General Qi coughed over the smoke.
“Yes. If we do not give into his demands there will be two consequences. Number one, the British will smuggle it illegally. And second, our country will not let that go.”
“This leads to the final effect. War.”
“And what were you afraid of?”
“…a war with the Europeans. With our current inventory… we will get crushed.”
Zhang Xiyu patted his back and walked back inside. It was getting a bit chilly out there.
“You can’t be sure about this!” General Qi looked at him with disbelief.
“I am not.”
“So- “
“Aren’t they still valid concerns?”
That shut him up.
“You know this can get you killed. The court already hates your guts given your ‘rebellious’ opinions. “
Zhang Xiyu sat down by the table and said, “I think so too. The goons under Heng would not let this go. This is their prime opportunity to lick the emperor’s boots and gain a promotion over my dead body.”
“But even so, I cannot just sit here and watch my country make a huge mistake. My job is to literally give out the best advice. That is why I worked hard to be in this position.” Zhang Xiyu dipped an inkstick inside the water bowl.
He smiled at the worried General and said, “To avoid much of that unnecessary drama, would you help me deliver a letter?”
Back in the royal palace, the grand celebrations had ended.
That goddamn European…….
“What a bloody fool. Did we not make it clear for him the first time around?”
Heng walked out of the royal palace. Trailing him was another minister of rites or as Zhang Xiyu would say, “one of Heng’s goons”
Both were in a very uncomfortable mood. Hours ago, right after the celebration had ended, the emperor called them both in his study. The emperor threw a white envelope on the table.
“Zhang Xiyu sent this to me an hour ago. I want you to go through it and let me know your thoughts.”
They tentatively opened the envelope. With each sentence their face contorted in a wide spectrum of emotions until finally they concluded,
Zhang Xiyu has lost his mind.
This letter would either be the start of a star-studded political career, or it will be the end of it. Heng closed his eyes in anticipation. If he plays this right, the one with laurels would be him while Zhang Xiyu would rot in his grave. But one miss………
“This servant strongly disagrees with this letter, your Majesty. Our country cannot be put in the same sentence with those barbarians. There is no adversity which can make our country, our emperor bow down to those Europeans.”
“Moreover, the barbarian merchants of Europe have had a definite locality assigned to them at Aomen for residence and trade. Give them an inch and they will take a yard. Regarding Opium, that is just a lucid tale cooked up by that arrogant brat.”
The emperor sighed and tapped on the table. “I thought so too. But maybe my age is catching up with me, I felt some anxiety after reading such hypothesis. It is coming from Zhang Xiyu too…. you know he is a talented one, that young kid.”
“Your servant does not see any talent in a person who dares to give you unbased stress. Even after witnessing such imprudent behaviour by that British man, he still dares to propose an alliance with them. It does not matter if he is a first-rate scholar when he harbours such traitorous thoughts!”
Silence ensued endlessly.
Traitor. What a dangerous word to use in such setting.
Heng took that gamble and kept his head low, praying to God that this does not go left. That is when his partner beside him comes in clutch.
“This servant agrees with Minister Heng.” Minister Li chimed in. Now they were all in.
“So, what do you propose you do next?” The emperor stressed on the ‘you’ in that sentence. Whatever happens, it is on you. I want no part in it, but I will not stop it.
Heng suppressed his grin and tamped down his happiness in his voice.
“If this letter gets out, the masses can get swayed by his radical theories. There will be pointless chaos in the court and the citizens might question your credibility. “
“Tomorrow he will put this edict forward publicly.”
Heng sneered, “This servant will thoroughly warn him against it.”
Late at night, the entire Zhang family had retired to bed except for one person. Zhang Xiyu sat in his study along with an unexpected guest. He put down the papers in his hand and looked at Heng directly.
“Who is this?” Zhang Xiyu pointed at a tall bearded man standing in the corner of the room.
Heng waved his hand dismissively and said, “Just a bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard? Who would want to put a hit on you?”
His voice dripped with fake concern but the mockery was evident. You are not important enough to even be on a hitlist.
This disrespectful brat……
Heng put on a wry smile to hide his displeasure and said, “He runs other errands as well. Servant would be a more apt term.”
The “servant” quietly rolled his eyes.
Zhang Xiyu sighed, “So, why are you here so late?”
Heng played with his sleeves while leaning forward. “It’s no use playing fool in front of me, Zhang Xiyu.”
Zhang Xiyu’s eyes suddenly became cold and met Heng’s sinister gaze. They stayed in this locked position, one annoyed and the other arrogant.
“The emperor told you.” He stated.
Heng chuckled, “You caught me. I come here bearing a message.”
He then rolls out a scroll and presents it proudly. “This is your life saving grace.”
Zhang Xiyu snatched it out of his hand and goes through the contract swiftly.
“Let me be clear, your recent stunt has made the emperor very unhappy. It would be in your good graces to concede with these small demands and his majesty will benevolently forgive you.”
“Small demands?” He gave an incredulous expression.
“You want me to back off on my stand, write you a letter of high commendation, surrender my property in Jiangning, give you fifty Mio. Ounces of silver and- “
“Let you marry my sister?! Are you intoxicated or did you hit your head while coming in? Why would I let my fourteen-year-old sister marry you, a senior citizen?”
He rolled up the paper and threw it on his bald head.
A vein popped up on Heng's forehead. You fucker, I am only 32.
“Stop with the jokes, you bastard. I will see your face tomorrow in court. Let me see for myself how unhappy the “emperor” is.”
“Zhang Xiyu! You arrogant brat!” Heng’s face huffed and puffed like a fish. His complexion turning red with anger.
“You have no idea what a huge mistake you’re making by rejecting my offer!”
Zhang Xiyu rested his chin on his right hand and looked at him with bored eyes.
“Hmmm? Is that so?” he dragged his words.
Heng was rendered speechless. He wanted to curse his entire ancestral line twice and back and yet he was speechless. His mind simply blanked out in anger. He stood up and walked towards the door.
Zhang Xiyu did not pay him any mind and went back to his work.
Suddenly, Heng turns back to look at him. Zhang Xiyu raises his eyebrow questionably.
“I don’t think you will have the privilege to look at my face tomorrow.” Heng smirked.
Zhang Xiyu looked at him silently for a while as if rethinking on his actions.
Ha! Look at him! Speechless with fear!
But Zhang Xiyu simply exhaled and whined.
“Will you get out already?”
Heng slammed the door with a humph. “Haoran.”
The bearded man walked towards him. Heng looked around like a thief to make sure that no one else was present.
“Well, there you go. He refused your ridiculous conditions. What else would you expect of a first-class scholar?” Haoran scoffed at him.
“You just had to write down your demands with your head in the clouds. Honestly, you have fumbled a really big opportunity. It’s like the devil gave you such heart but forgot to back it up with a brain- “
“Enough you brute! What would you know about scheming?”
Haoran made the same expression as Zhang Xiyu had a while ago.
“That arrogant, rude, and ill-mannered rascal……...I will not let this slide. Haoran, let’s get to plan B”
“You mean….” Disbelief evident in his voice.
Heng did speak anymore. His eyes had darkened with malice as he walked away into the darkness.
It was going to be a long night.
It was way past midnight and Zhang Xiyu was still cooped up in his study. In this silent atmosphere, a painful scream pierced through. It sounded like… his sister…
Zhang Xiyu rushed to open the door. He pulled back his hand in shock. It was a little too warm.
Frantically, he kicked the door open. Sweat crept down his neck. He stepped back in time to avoid being crushed under a burning pillar.
His hands were shaking. “What…?”
Zhang Xiyu felt absolutely lost as he realized that his ancestral home was now burning to the ground.
How did this even happen?
He did not get any time to think; another wail resounded through the hot air. Zhang Xiyu rushed towards his sister’s room. Yes, he needs to focus right now on saving his family. He does not have the comfort to think about the other implications. How many people are here right now?
His elder brother was probably out in a tavern reciting poems. The ones who were left were his sister, sister-in-law, nephew, mother, father, and his grandfather. Apart from this there are also the servants. Zhang Xiyu has never been more frustrated with his life. He kicked down his sister’s bedroom door too.
“A-Yu!” Zhang Xiwei wailed.
Zhang Xiyu found her sister clutching the body of an older woman.
“Ayi…. she…. she…. she isn’t breathing.” Xiwei quivered. Black soot covered her and fat tears rolled down her delicate face.
Zhang Xiyu’s heart dropped. This Ayi, she was as close as family to these siblings. He wanted to drop down and cry just like his sister but he suppressed his feelings and hardened his resolve.
He pulled his sister up from the ground and pushed her out of the door.
“Run! And get help!”
Xiwei stood cluelessly and simply wept.
Zhang Xiyu gritted his teeth in frustration. “Run-away already! I will bring her out!”
He carried the old maid out of the room, paying no heed to Xiwei anymore. He carried her out and placed her down in the courtyard and then sprinted towards the sleeping quarters.
“Mother! Father!” he kicked the burning door away. His mother lied unconscious on the floor while his father struggled to crawl out of the room.
“A-Yu……” his father coughed. His thin frame collapsing to the ground.
Zhang Xiyu rushed to catch him. That is when he noticed a strange smell covering the entire room. Was it coming from under the Kang bed?
He put that thought in the back of his head and carried his parents out of the burning building. Zhang Xiyu could not stop coughing over the dense fumes. His breathing turned nothing short of suffocation, added on to it was the fact that he was carrying two people.
Just get it over with.
He gets them out of the house where he finds the servants trying their best to tamp down the raging fire. They stood in a functional queue which steadily fetched water from the very pond his dear fish lived in.
Oh well. At least the servants are safe.
“Second Young Master!” the steward rushed towards him and grabbed his arms.
“It- It wasn’t my Little Bai’s fault. We checked. We checked!”
“Listen Uncle Chao. I will deal with that later- “
“There was a strange sphere jammed in the smoke pipes that run under the flooring.”
“What?” The steward pulled out the deflated sphere out of his rough clothes.
Zhang Xiyu had a bad feeling about this. He moved the limp sphere in his hands to find a peculiar tube peeking out of it. The sphere slipped out of his hand.
This is……
Back at Heng’s residence, Haoran walked in with two masked men behind him.
Heng giggled creepily and slapped the desk. “Genius! Brilliant! As expected of a former army soldier! What was it exactly?”
“Have you heard of the ‘soul-hunting-fog’?” He sat down across him.
Looking at his clueless face he continued, “It is a poison gas bomb which is also a fabulous explosive. The original concoction contains Saltpetre, Sulphur, Charcoal, and lethal animal poisons. Dilute the ratios down a bit and you get an excellent flammable gas and a trustworthy poison.”
“No matter if he lives through this day.”
“The poison will definitely never leave his body.”
Zhang Xiyu had no time to spare. He had his hunches. Being with General Qi and many veterans over the years, surely gave the ability to recognise a smoke bomb.
His sister-in-law and her son were still trapped inside. He covered his face with a wet cloth but it did not make any difference.
At this time, Zhang Xiang had finally reached back home with Zhang Xiwei. He brought with him several guards and a physician, who promptly worked on controlling the scene.
“Mother…. Father….” The physician checked their pulse.
“They are alive. Just unconscious. But I am afraid they have been poisoned.”
“What?”
“The exact source is unknown for now; it could the fumes from the burning wood. But the erratic pulse suggests something else.”
Zhang Xiang’s mind blanked out as he stared straight at the fire.
“Yuxi. Xiaobo. My wife and son!” He rushed towards the flames. A guard held him back and tried to calm him down.
“Yuxi! Xiaobo!” Zhang Xiang had completely lost it. His knees buckled under him as he wailed, trying to push the guard out of his way.
“Baba?” a small voice came from behind.
“Xiaobo?” he whipped his head around and saw his baby son with injuries all over him. Even his hair had been burned to crisp.
“Xiaobo!” He hugged the boy tightly in his arms and wept with relief. “Yuxi. Where is your mother, boy?”
“She’s right there.” He pointed to his right.
Yuxi, who in daily life would look as untouchable as jade, was also not spared. She was covered in black from head to toe while her clothes had burnt away from the edges.
“Yuxi- “
She did not listen. With tears clouding her eyes, she kneeled on the cold ground and bowed down her head in guilt.
“What the hell are you doing? You- “
“Zhang Xiyu, he was the one who saved us.”
“A-Yu? He is here?! I thought he would be outside at that afterparty.”
This made Yuxi cry even more. Zhang Xiwei was starting to feel short of breath.
“Where is my brother Da Sao?” her voice trembled. Yuxi further rubbed her nose in the ground as she wept.
“He saved us and led us out of our room. When we reached the hall, he suddenly pushed me out of the way. When I looked back- I looked back he- “Yuxi choked on her sobs.
“A wooden frame had broken over him.”
“The thing burned and burned and he was still trapped underneath it.”
She wiped her face. “I reached to help him out of it but with Xiaobo in my arms I could only do so much.” Yuxi banged her head on the ground.
“Leave me! Run! I will be with you soon! Go! Go!”
Even my last words were a lie.
Zhang Xiyu felt that he was already in hell. All around him were flames that danced for his impending death. The poison had already made its way to numbness and so he calmly watched his arms burn away. The red flame travelled up his torso and made its way down to his legs. Apart from a little tingling, there was no pain. Only a fascinated focus on his burning body remained in his mind.
Eventually his mind burned away too. And so, there was no trace of Zhang Xiyu left.
Zhang Xiwei broke down in hysterics while Zhang Xiang held strong fear for what she was about to say next. It brought Yuxi too much pain to say this out of her own mouth but still, she bitterly concluded,
“Zhang Xiyu is dead. He died saving our lives.”
