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, globalization 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 feign 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 armor.
"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.
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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.
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"The king thinks that this little machine gun is 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' behavior. "
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 ink stick 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?"
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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?" a man dressed in green referred to George Macartney's second meeting on that day.
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 mistake...…
"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 a 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 unfounded stress. Even after witnessing such imprudent behavior 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 harbors such traitorous thoughts!"
Silence ensued endlessly.
Traitor. What a dangerous word to use in such a 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."
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