Chapter 39 The Last Supper

  On the drill ground, public sentiment was stirred up and many officers demanded that Zhou Xuanzhang be beheaded as a warning to others.

  Li Hongzhang narrowed his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.

  Having been an official in the Qing dynasty for several decades, Li Hongzhang deeply understood a truth - when doing things, one must be meticulous and flawless; otherwise, even slight mistakes would provide others with opportunities to attack.

  Killing Zhou Xuanzhang was a small matter, but killing him in front of Weng Tonghe would leave endless troubles.

  Weng Tonghe and those Qingliu Party people are not talking now, because they have Min Ergui. Later, if there is another handle to grasp, these people will inevitably come to settle accounts after autumn, and the matter of killing Zhou Xiang today will be revealed all at once.

  If he didn't kill Zhou Xuan Zhang, the generals would be dissatisfied and Min Yu Ge Ge's face would also not pass. Moreover, he himself was also unwilling to accept it.

  Li Hongzhang was in a dilemma. Jin knelt down on the ground: "Lord Zhongtang, Zhou Xianzhang is a student of Tianjin Military Academy and also my disciple. Today he spoke out of turn and offended you and the princess. As the organizer, I am to blame for this. I request that you hand over Zhou Xianzhang to me for punishment!"

  Li Hongzhang opened his eyes and shot out two sharp glints: "This matter will be handled personally by the Academic Association, nothing could be more appropriate. It's settled then."

  Zuo Zongtang asked himself to dispose of Zhou Tianzhang, which was considered to have thoroughly relieved Li Hongzhang.

  Everyone on the hall was clear in their hearts. Li Hongzhang handed over Zhou Xianzhang to Nuo Jin for disposal, which was a plan to kill three birds with one stone.

  Li Hongzhang's greatest worry was not that Zhou Cunxian had captured Weihaiwei, but that he might have been instructed by someone to humiliate Li in public. The person behind the scenes with the most suspicion is from Shanxi.

  Li Hongzhang handed Zhou Xuzeng over to Nakin, firstly to borrow Nakin's hands to kill Zhou Xuzeng, secondly, to push his own responsibility clean and let Weng Tonghe and other Qing officials have nothing to say, thirdly, to verify Nakin's loyalty.

  In order to clear his own suspicion, Jin had no choice but to kill Zhou Xuanzhang!

  Weng Tonghe let out a cold laugh, but couldn't help but admire Li Hongzhang's cunning and slipperiness.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang sat in his cell waiting for death.

  It's already deep into the night, and the window is casting a bright moonlight.

  The cell of Tianjin Military Academy was actually a confinement room, which was originally used to detain students who had violated the rules. Zhou Xuanzhang committed the heinous crime of murder, so the academy temporarily converted the confinement room into a prison cell.

  As a death row inmate, he was shackled with handcuffs and leg irons. Around his neck, a heavy cangue was also locked in place.

  Zhou Xianzhang from the 21st century finally figured it out, in the Qing dynasty, officials can chop off the heads of civilians, and royal relatives can also chop off the heads of civilians!

  Moreover, beheading does not require a reason, nor does it need a trial. As long as the superior is enraged, as long as Gege is angry, the reason is sufficient.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang has resigned.

  He doesn't blame Jin. Today's matter, even if Jin didn't make a move, there would be others who would come to chop off his head.

  Although Na Jin was pedantic, as Zhou Xianzhang's mentor, he was also very responsible. Although he taught Zhou Xianzhang a lot of useless eight-part essays, he treated Zhou Xianzhang like a strict father, taking care of him everywhere and protecting him at all times, doing his best.

  This life is better off in Jin's hands than anyone else's.

  Zhou Xuanzhang couldn't understand why that beautiful and slender girl, with a flawless white skin like jade, could kill people without even blinking her eyes.

  Drowned in the 21st century, hacked to death in the 19th. Zhou Xianzhang only hoped that after this death, he would never again cross into the Qing Dynasty, nor become a drowned ghost.

  If I'm going to be reborn, I'd rather be reborn as a noble king or aristocrat, born into a marquis's family. Even if I were reborn as a woman, at least I wouldn't have my head chopped off again.

  With a creak, the prison door opened and Headmaster Cui burst in, followed by two soldiers with loaded guns.

  Zhou Xuanzhang sat in the corner, shook off the shackles on his body, and smiled bitterly: "Director Cui, I'm wearing armor, can't salute you."

  Chui Bao shook his head and sighed: "Zhou Xianzhang, it's come to this, do you still have the heart to joke around." Chui Bao was a kind old man, and he couldn't bear to see things like this.

  "As the saying goes, after twenty years, he's still a good fellow. General Instructor, when beheading him, please spare his life for our teacher-student relationship and make it quick."

  "You'd better go and talk to your master." Cui Bo said with a wave of his hand, two soldiers came up and lifted Zhou Xianzhang up.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was carried by someone out of his prison cell and before long arrived at the gate of the residence of Hui Banzhen.

  That was a literary man, he liked quietness, his residence was at the north of the pond, there were no high-rise buildings around, willows swayed in front of the door, and a spring water rippled with silver waves under the moonlight.

  "Director Choi, this is where you went wrong." Zhou Xianzhang sighed.

  "What's wrong with me?" Cui Bao asked with a bitter face.

  "Killing you here would splatter blood all over the place and dirty Master's doorstep."

  "He wants to kill you, and you still care about his door threshold!" The master killed the gatekeeper, which sounds like a great righteousness, but in fact, it's just an excuse for Li Hongzhang to find a way out, using Zhou Xianzhang's head to please Li Zhongtang. Cui Bao was very dissatisfied with this, but his position was too lowly, and he didn't dare speak out.

  Zhou Xuanzhang shook his head: "As the saying goes, one day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father. My master killing me today is also a helpless move."

  "Don't you blame him?"

  "No big deal." Zhou Xuan Zhang said: "Let's change a place to behead, don't destroy my master's lotus pond moonlight."

  "Zhou Xianzhang, you're really a freak!" Cui Bao shook his head and sighed: "Let's talk about it after seeing your master, he wants to see you off."

  "Bon voyage?"

  "It's just a beheading meal! Tonight, whatever you want to eat or drink, just say it."

  Cui said, beckoning two soldiers to push Zhou Xuanzhang through the gate.

  The residence of Na Jin was brightly lit.

  In the central hall, an eight-immortals table, on which is a pot of clear tea, but no delicious food.

  On the north wall of the main hall, a portrait of Confucius was hung. In front of the portrait, there were several incense burners on a table. In front of the incense burners, Jin Tou wore a flower-shaped official hat and wore an official uniform, sitting upright in a Taishi chair. Seeing Zhou Xuan Zhang, he stroked his beard and waved his hand.

  Chui Bao understood, took out the key and gave it to Zhou Xuan Zhang to unlock the neck lock, allowing him to free his two hands to eat.

  Jin wrinkled his brow and pointed at Zhou Xianzhang's feet, indicating that Cui should unlock the shackles.

  "Will be handled by Your Excellency, Zhou Xianzhang is a condemned prisoner, according to the law..."

  "Are you going to have my disciples wear shackles and dine with me?" Jin drank and said, "The sage says, 'Conquer yourself and return to propriety, do not look at what is not proper, do not eat what is not proper!'"

  In his view, ritual and music are order, are institutions. When attending court, one must observe ritual; when attending class, one must observe ritual; even eating, sleeping, and going to bed with a woman all require ritual. Without ritual, everything is empty talk.

  Nowadays, to have the last dinner with the gate student, the etiquette is even more strict. Jin wears a top hat and flower bell, dresses formally, and is meticulous in every detail.

  "Alright!" Cui Bo opened the shackles on Zhou Xuan Zhang's feet.

  Zhou Xuanzhang couldn't help but secretly laugh at this point. They had already reached the point of life and death, yet Jin still attached so much importance to etiquette.

  Since Jin attached great importance to etiquette, Zhou Xuanzhang did not dare to be slow and walked in front of Jin, shook his sleeves, knelt down on the ground: "Student Zhou Xuanzhang has seen Master." He said, knocking three loud heads.

  He stroked his beard and praised, "The child is teachable! The sage said that a gentleman dies, but his hat does not fall off! Xian Zhang, you are about to die, yet you can still maintain the etiquette of our Huaxia, you are indeed worthy of my teaching. I am deeply gratified. Please sit down."

  "Thank you, Master!" Zhou Xuan Zhang stood up and sat down opposite Jin.

  Chui sighed silently in his heart, that Zhou Xuan Zhang had fallen to this point, and Jin Shen became the master of the industry, with an irrefutable responsibility. However, Zhou Xuan Zhang did not have any resentment towards Jin, even when death was imminent, he still maintained his respect for his master without any relaxation.

  "Zhou Xianzhang, what do you want to eat and drink? Tell me," said Cui Bao.

  "Commoners consider food to be heaven, while gentlemen consider moral principles to be heaven. As a gentleman of his generation, Zhou Xuanzhang would not indulge in excessive drinking and merriment. Today, as we bid farewell to our teacher, how can we be as mundane as commoners? Let us not mention eating and drinking again, lest it spoil our elegant mood!"

  "Yes!" Chui Bao replied with a straight face, secretly cursing in his heart. When one is a gentleman, one can't even get enough to eat, and after dying, one will become a hungry ghost in the underworld. It seems that being a gentleman doesn't pay!

  "Tonight, I and Xian Zhang will bid farewell. You all don't need to disturb our elegant gathering here."

  That Jin wanted Cui Bo and the soldiers to withdraw, Cui Bo was startled and hastily said "Will handle it, sir. Zhou Xianzhang is a death row prisoner. You being alone with him might not be appropriate."

  That Jin is a scholar, and he's also old, with no strength to bind a chicken. Zhou Xuan Zhang, on the other hand, is hot-blooded and impulsive. If Zhou Xuan Zhang were to recklessly cause trouble and get the governor into some kind of predicament, Cui Bo would not be able to escape responsibility either.

  Jin Ji was extremely impatient: "Cui Bo, you all saw that earlier, Zhou Xianzhang's head knocked in a moderate and dignified manner. Under my careful guidance, he has transformed from an uncouth fellow into a knowledgeable and reasonable person. How could he possibly commit such an unfilial act as to assault his master? I guarantee with my personal integrity that Zhou Xianzhang would never dare to be violent towards me!"

  Cui Bo was furious, what's going on here? Even a rabbit will bite when it's desperate, and even a saint would jump over the wall if he's about to die. And Zhou Xianzhang is no saint, he's a student of Tianjin Martial Arts Academy, he knows martial arts!

  Chui Bo was hesitating, when Jin Da shouted: "Get out! Do you want to force this official to say something improper?"

  Chui Bao had no choice but to accompany Xiao Xin, and led two soldiers out of the gate.

  Only Zhou Xuanzhang and Na Jin were left in the house.