But the bright moon shines on the ditch

Chapter 12

Xu Zhiliu seldom studied the Four Books, but he was familiar with the Five Classics. At the age of six, he passed the county school and prefecture school examinations and became a child student. That is, when he was selected as a scholar in the college examination, his family suffered a sudden change.

His father, Xu Yourong, was a lord of Juren and belonged to an official. He was falsely accused of raping a woman, which was equivalent to a felony.

This incident caused an uproar, and the news spread throughout the surrounding counties overnight. Afterwards, the Fuliang County Government ruled that the crime was true, and it was reported to the imperial court.

At that time, Xu Zhiliu's family was lonely, and the Xu family had little power in the local area. Facing the slander of witnesses and the wrong judgment of corrupt officials, they had no power to resist.

Watching his father die unjustly under the tiger's head like this, young Xu Zhiliu's chest was full of great anger and injustice.

But he was powerless, even though he guessed that the black hand behind it was to fear that he was young and successful, that Xu's family was full of talents, and that his father Xu Yourong was upright, whether there was any collusion of interests, he would be able to figure it out, but he was still powerless.

He can only swear in the bottom of his heart that he will exhaust everything in this life, pass the imperial examination, and wash away his father's grievances.

Establishing a heart for the world, establishing a life for the living and the people, inheriting the knowledge of the past, and creating peace for all generations are the most precious visions he puts deep in his heart.

Although his family is in decline and things are counterproductive, he has been in the business for ten years and has never changed his mind.

Later that night, when Xu Zhiliu opened the door, a gust of cold wind poured into the room.He saw the young man standing upright in the courtyard, with a stubbornness in his eyes, very much like a man from their Xu family.

The huge iceberg in his heart seemed to be melted by the spring, turning into a trickle of snow.

"Anan." He said softly, "It's cold outside, come in and warm yourself by the fire."

Afterwards, Mrs. Xu didn't know what the two brothers said.Only this year's New Year's Eve, the family was finally reunited.

It is also a blessing to be able to reunite once a year.

Knowing Xu Zhiliu's plan, Mrs. Xu vaguely looked forward to the day when he would return home.She even planned that when he returned to Jingdezhen during this trip, she would find a master bricklayer to renovate his home, repair and clean his original house, so that he would not live in a comfortable way when he returned home.

With such a plan, day by day, he will get married and have children, and his children and grandchildren will be around his knees. How happy it is.

But she didn't know that changes in the world often happen overnight.

That night, Yaoli Village, a hundred miles away, was peaceful and quiet, but in Jingdezhen, at the end of the lights of thousands of families, there was a scream.

The next day, Liang Peiqiu accompanied Wang Yu and his son to entertain relatives at home.

The relatives saw that since Wang Yu accepted him as an apprentice, he seemed to have become a member of the Wang family. Not only did he live in the Wang family, but he did not go home during the New Year's Eve.

Only compared to Wang Yunxian, it is still a lot worse.

Who made Wang Yunxian the only one left in the Wang family.

This is an old matter, Wang Yu didn't allow his family members to discuss it, so everyone kept silent.So they were congratulating each other and saying auspicious words for the New Year, when they suddenly heard noise in the street outside.

Wang Yunxian joined in the fun No.1, grabbed Liang Peiqiu's hand without saying a word, and jumped out, just like a monkey.

Liang Peiqiu was staggered by him, but fortunately he slowed down to avoid falling.She poked Wang Yunxian's arm angrily, and Wang Yunxian stuck his tongue out at her, looking so cheap.

She didn't want to be bored talking in the house, so she followed her out the door with a half-pushed half-push.

Wang Yunxian also said that it was lucky to have him here, otherwise her butt would have collapsed.

Liang Peiqiu laughed at him for exaggerating.

He also jumped up and made gestures. The two were talking and laughing. When they reached the door, they saw a group of people walking by.

One at the head and one at the end, carrying a stretcher.On the stretcher was a dark-skinned young man, apparently seriously injured, with no flesh intact, and his clothes were so tattered that he could barely cover his body.

Everyone was watching and sighing, wondering who would do such an immoral thing during Chinese New Year, when they saw another group of people coming from behind, also one person at the head and one at the end, carrying a stretcher.

There was also a young man on the stretcher, soaked all over, his eyelids turned upside down, and his lips were swollen and white.

Someone next to him said: "It was just salvaged from the moat, and the body has not yet soaked. It must have happened last night."

"Damn it, look at the half-grown man, who made the cruel move."

"Who knows, didn't the big guys all eat dumplings at home to keep the New Year's Eve yesterday? My baby fell asleep after being excited all night. It's too late to sleep. I didn't let him see this scene. Hey, it's too bad luck."

"Did you find out? Whose house is it?"

Wang Yunxian was in a daze when he saw Liang Peiqiu walking forward.

He snorted and followed closely, but saw her stop abruptly, her gaze fell directly on the person carrying the stretcher away.

"what happened?"

"See what they're wearing?"

Wang Yunxian frowned.It seems that I have seen it. There is nothing unusual about ordinary cotton padded jackets.

Liang Peiqiu said, "It's from Hutian Kiln. There are small characters on their skirts, embroidered with Xu."

"Have you seen all this?" Wang Yunxian jumped.

Liang Peiqiu ignored him, and hurried back to Wang's house to report the matter to Wang Yu.

Now that the magistrate of Xin County has not yet taken office, it is the time when there is no demand, who would have the guts to kill someone on New Year's Eve?
Who else but the eunuch!

Liang Peiqiu said bluntly: "I am worried that Xu Zhiliu will be in danger."

"How could it be? How dare he!" Wang Yu was startled, but she remained silent after speaking. Also, what would a eunuch not dare to do?Mere troublemakers, if you don't obey, you will kill them.

One or two, still can't turn the sky over.

It should be known that in Jingdezhen now, he is the sky.

In a moment, Wang Yu's face changed several times.

He knew very well that the turmoil in Hutian kiln was the turmoil in Anqing kiln. At this time, the folk kiln was integrated and there must be no internal strife. They were anxious like ants on a hot pot, pacing around in the house.

At this time, Bao inquired about Wang Yunxian, hesitantly said: "I remembered something, I don't know if it's related or not. On the day before when the Warm Kiln God, I heard that An Nineteen went to Hutian Kiln. Manager Xu drank too much, because the eunuch seemed to have an argument with Xu Zhiliu, and I heard that he almost dropped his wine glass."

"Is there such a thing?" Liang Peiqiu hurriedly asked for details.

As soon as Wang Yu patted his thigh, he seized the opportunity to scold Xu Zhong: "That guy's habitual problem is that he doesn't have a handle on his mouth, and he doesn't distinguish between serious and serious after drinking too much horse urine."

Because I couldn't hear Wang Yunxian's vague words, I asked someone to inquire directly, but it was only half a stick of incense, and someone came to bring back the news.

There was already a commotion at the other end of the Hutian kiln, and everyone said that on the day of the Warm Kiln God, Heizi and the others had no way to stop their mouths, and An Nineteen might have heard it.In addition, Xu Dadong's house arranged a reconciliation hangover, Xu Zhiliu didn't accept it, An Shijiu couldn't get angry, so he attacked those handymen.

Although it is a speculation, everyone spreads it with a nose and eyes, and it seems that it is not fake.As a result, Liang Peiqiu no longer hesitated, and immediately asked the boy to prepare the horse.

She was wearing a Xueqing painted cloud-pattern gown that had just been cut during the New Year, and a jade plaque was tied around her waist. She had a handsome figure and an elegant demeanor.

The wind was blowing all over the room, it was dark, and heavy snow was coming. She held a sword in one hand, and just walked out.

Wang Yunxian's eyes widened, and he shouted, "You know how to ride a horse? Can you also use swordsmanship?"

She has learned some of the six arts, and she can ride a horse. As for swordsmanship, she is just bluffing.If she really had martial arts skills, she would not be insulted when she first came to Jingdezhen.

She thought that since An Nineteen attacked last night, even if people went to Yaoli one step earlier than her, if they were not familiar with the road conditions, they probably wouldn't be able to get there faster than her.

And she knows a shortcut, which can reach Yaoli two hours earlier.

On the first day of the new year, Xu Zhiliu was supposed to worship the ancestors in the morning and visit the grave in the afternoon.She also knew where Xu Yourong's graveyard was, so she simply went straight there.

Wang Yu saw that she was going to succeed, so she didn't stop her immediately, but only repeatedly told her to be careful.

Liang Peiqiu nodded and left with a whip.

The person walked away, but Wang Yunxian was still in place.

Wang Yu patted him on the shoulder: "Come in, don't embarrass yourself here."

Wang Yunxian realized later that even if he wanted the servant to hitch the carriage, he would go with her.Wang Yu refused, and nailed him in place with just a few words.

"Do you want to drag Pei Qiu down?"

Of course he doesn't want to.

It's just, just, how could he let her run towards that person without a fight.

Realizing this, Wang Yunxian put his hands on his chest in a little confusion, something was beating violently underneath.

His face was on fire, and he ran away as if fleeing.

In the evening, when I got the news, An Nineteen held a grand banquet in Jiangshui Building, hosting all the kiln stewards, porcelain shop owners, red store owners Yunyun.

The Jiangshui Tower stands beside the river, playing and singing every night.This night was not much different from any other night before, only those who cared knew that Jingdezhen had changed after all.

Liang Peiqiu hit the horse halfway, the snow fell.

She picked up the coir raincoat she carried with her in a hurry, fed the horse some water and dry food, and continued on her way.After that, the snow fell harder and harder, and I couldn't see my fingers before the evening.

Snowflakes mixed with hard particles hit the face and gradually condensed into ice.

Her body was getting colder and her limbs began to become stiff, but even so, she still didn't stop.

Although the weather was bad, it was also her perfect opportunity.If the murderer is unable to act and rests here for one night, it means that this is Xu Zhiliu's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She told herself never to stop.In this way, he crossed the mountains and ridges in the dark night, and I don't know how much he fought with the horses. At midnight, he finally arrived in Yaoli.

Guessing that Xu Zhiliu must have returned home by this time, she rushed towards the village without stopping.

Ma'er was exhausted at the entrance of the village, and she refused to take a step forward. In desperation, she dismounted and kissed Ma'er's forehead lightly.

This was a birthday gift she gave to herself after she graduated from school. At that time, she thought that one day she would ride a horse back to Yaoli with a full load, and show it to those who had humiliated her;

She even thought that no matter where he goes, with this horse, she can always catch up with him, always see him, and always have hope.

"Little Bell, you have to be good and wait for me to come back." She held the horse's head, caressed it several times, and finally tied the horse's rein to the big tree at the entrance of the village reluctantly, and walked quickly towards the village.

When Xu Zhiliu dropped out of school due to his family's poverty, she once inquired about his address and came here quietly.

Several times when he was working in the field, she saw his mother bring him tea, soup and rice. The two talked in the shade, smiling with tears, showing an unyielding vitality.

If you ask her if she has ever envied the kind of family relationship that helps each other, the answer is of course yes.

Although her mother was young and destitute, she was homeless and had nothing but her, so she loved her dearly.Even if it is not a beautiful family relationship, it cannot offset her love for her mother.

She once resented and hated her mother, but it was undeniable that she loved her more.If she hadn't died suddenly of malaria, she might be in prison in this life, and she would not abandon her.

Yes, this is Xiao Liangqiu's secret.No one knew that she had carefully made a choice between the scenery of lakes and mountains depicted by Xu Zhiliu and the cage given by her mother. In the end she chose her mother, so she could only visit him quietly and from afar.

She thought that she would never be able to approach him in this life.

But at this moment she was standing in front of his door.

Slowly she raised her hand and clasped the latch.

The next moment, the courtyard door creaked and opened from the inside.

(End of this chapter)