The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 107 It is difficult to be a slave and it is also difficult to die!
"Ziying, Jianchu, Palace Minister. I, what should I do? Why can't I just die? How good would it be if I died?"

Wang Kuiyi looked at the three people in front of him and tears of sadness came to his eyes.

The three men came with wine and food, and laid out a table with all kinds of food, but Wang Kuiyi had no appetite at all.

Because he had just learned that Chenzhou prefect Sun Enbao died in battle when the city was captured!

He knew Sun Enbao. The two of them had been waiting for the imperial examination in Beijing together. They had also used Sai Zhongtang's connections together, and had borrowed money from the families of two royal palaces in Beijing respectively. They came to Hunan to take up their posts with a baby in their belly.

The so-called palace family members are actually the palace’s own business, and they use the name of “family members” just for the sake of decency.

Wang Kuiyi borrowed money from the Prince Dun's Mansion, which was the "family" of the fifth son adopted by Emperor Xianfeng, and even brought a baby named Zhang. As far as Wang Kuiyi knew, Sun Enbao borrowed even more - the prefect's position was too expensive, and it would not be enough if he didn't borrow more.

Sun Enbao had lost money on a "rent-an-official loan" before, and he rented a position as a prefect, but his father died after he had been in office for a few days. He went back to observe the three-year mourning period, and after being "released", he found that he was already an adult, so he made up his mind to make a bigger deal and be more greedy. After the deal was done, he would go home to become a local landlord and live out his retirement.

Unexpectedly, not long after taking office, he died and it was an unexpected death!

However, Wang Kuiyi is now very envious of the death of Sun Enbao!
What a good death! He died a loyal hero, so he didn't have to pay the debt to the King of Hell of the Zheng Prince's Mansion.

Moreover, Prince Zheng's Mansion would not go after the loyal and brave son to collect debts. The iron-hatted prince of the Qing Dynasty demanded debts from the family of a loyal and brave minister. Was he trying to destroy the ancestral business of Emperor Xianfeng?

The Zheng Palace would never be so confused!
But Wang Kuiyi didn't have the heart to kill himself in Daozhou City, and as a result he lost his dignity and the opportunity to shirk his debt. So now it's too late for him to die!

"I, I die now. Is it too late?"

After crying for a while, Wang Kuiyi actually asked such a question.

Huang Shijie, Zhang Dingxiang and Zhang Guoliang looked at each other in bewilderment.

Of course it’s okay if Wang Kuiyi dies now!
The best "crash" has been missed, and the loyal hero of the Qing Dynasty is gone. He might even be charged with suicide out of fear of punishment.

But committing suicide out of fear of punishment is better than handing it over to the Ministry for punishment!

He will have to spend money to hand it over to the Ministry for discussion!
Although it is a dead end, when life is at stake, you have to struggle a few times.

How to struggle? Of course, spend money to get in touch with others!

Staying in prison also costs money. Of course, being in prison in the Qing Dynasty was free, but if you wanted to live decently in prison, the cost would be more expensive than staying in the best hotel in Beijing!

It costs money to behead people at Caishikou. Of course, the Ministry of Justice also offers "free beheadings", but free beheadings are not pleasant! Beheading with a blunt knife is a serious crime.

Finally, if you are in jail, it means you are in the hands of Prince Dun's Mansion!

If the people in the palace don't squeeze the Wang family dry, will they let Wang Kuiyi die peacefully?

Thinking of this, Huang Shijie nodded and wanted to tell Wang Kuiyi the answer.

If Wang Kuiyi is determined to die, then Zhang Dingxiang and Zhang Guoliang present here can help. It's just like going in with a white knife and coming out with a red knife!
"Lord Wang, you can't die!" A shout suddenly came out before Huang Shijie, and then a young man in a green robe and a small hat rushed in from outside the door, rushed in front of Wang Kuiyi, and stared at him: "Lord Wang, you can't die! If you die now, you can't be a loyal prince, and the people in the Zhonglie Palace will not let your family go!

They will still have to take out all the pawns in the house to pay off your debts, which means you will lose both your money and your life. If you don't die, you should pay off all the debts, sell what you need, and borrow what you need. The prince may be able to say something for you. It is impossible to reinstate your official position, but it is still safe to serve in the army!"

It goes without saying that this young man is Wang Kuiyi's pregnant daughter, Zhang Zhongqing, an extra-staff servant in Prince Dun's mansion.

Zhang Zhongqing's situation is similar to Yan Fugui's. His ancestors were bondservants who followed Dorgon into the country, but because of their "illegal bloodline", they became non-staff slaves. Although these slaves were non-staff, they had power that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

In the previous Daozhou, Zhang Zhongqing was almost on par with Wang Kuiyi!
For many things, he could even bypass the prefect appointed by the Qing court and give orders directly to the legal advisor, asking the legal advisor to do the work directly.

However, the responsibility he bears is not light. He has to ensure that Wang Kuiyi's debt is not paid off, otherwise he will have to pay it off for Wang Kuiyi.

In order to avoid paying off this debt, Wang Kuiyi cannot die.

After Wang Kui died, Prince Dun would probably not come forward to force the orphans and widows of the Wang family. This generation of Prince Dun was Xianfeng's younger brother, the dignified fifth prince! He only cared about eating, drinking and having fun on weekdays, and didn't even ask where the gold and silver in the palace came from? It was wrong for him to collect debts for his servants.

"Your Majesty, can you speak for me?"

"Yes!" Zhang Zhongqing nodded. "After all, the prince is the emperor's brother! Sir, you have done your best in Daozhou City. Although Daozhou was not defended, you still brought out 800 militiamen from Daozhou! The emperor just ordered Sir Zeng to organize the Hunan militia. A capable militiaman like you can just help."

"Yes!" When Wang Kui heard what Zhang Zhongqing said, he suddenly felt hopeful and didn't want to die anymore.

Huang Shijie, Zhang Dingxiang and Zhang Guoliang could only sigh inwardly.

Since ancient times, the only difficult thing is death!

"In that case, let's set off tomorrow and go to the provincial capital together!" Huang Shijie looked at Wang Kuiyi with a bit of sympathy, and secretly made up his mind: What the "Anti-Scripture" said is right, we must firmly grasp the military power!
There is life only when there are soldiers!
Otherwise, you will be the same as Sun Enbao and Wang Kuiyi!

Changsha, Hunan Governor's Office.

In Luo Bingzhang's study, the two sat opposite each other. Luo Bingzhang was impeached a few months ago by Sai Shang'a, who went south to run the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was accused of lax military preparations in Hunan under his management. As a result, the incompetent Emperor Xianfeng believed the slander and fired him with an imperial decree.

Although the imperial edict stated that he would be assigned another position when he returned to Beijing, it did not say what position he would be given.
What’s even more hateful is that the new governor sent by Emperor Xianfeng, Zhang Liangji, was very slow and had not arrived in Changsha even after several months.

This really put Luo Bingzhang in a difficult situation!
As long as Zhang Liangji was gone, the resigned governor had no way to hand over his post. And Xianfeng, this idiot, didn't make it clear in his imperial edict. What kind of official position would he give him? Would he be in the military secrets? Or would he be left alone? Or maybe there was no official position at all. Xianfeng was evasive and didn't make it clear, so Luo Bingzhang was still here, and the tea was cold!
He was about to pack up and leave, and the emperor didn't tell him where to serve as an official. Moreover, the person who impeached him was the head military minister, the imperial envoy Sai Shang'a! Luo Bingzhang might have been called back to be questioned.

Who dares to get close to him at this time?
With a "click", Luo Bingzhang threw a letter in his hand onto the table. He covered his old face with his hands covered with age spots, rubbed them vigorously, and sighed deeply: "The emperor has issued another decree. It said that Zhang Shiqing and his entourage encountered a civil uprising at the border of Yunnan and Sichuan, which delayed their journey. It may take another month or two to arrive in Changsha. I am required to prepare defenses before Zhang Shiqing arrives. No matter what, Changsha must not be lost."

".But I am a governor who is about to step down. I was impeached by the head military minister and the imperial envoy. The emperor has not made it clear what position he will take. How can I raise funds for defense? The gentry in Changsha can still listen to me, but outside this provincial capital, my words are useless!
This emperor wants people to be slaves, but he doesn't give slaves power. I am now tied up, what can I do?"

As he spoke, Luo Bingzhang looked up at a middle-aged man with a round face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a thick beard sitting opposite him: "Ji Gao, you are always resourceful, please think of a way for me to deal with it!"

(End of this chapter)