But the bright moon shines on the ditch

Chapter 127

When Xu Zhiliu talked about "love", Liang Peiqiu clearly felt the pause between the two words. He also deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "love", which left a sour taste in his ears.

At his age, he should have started a family long ago, and his children should all be knee-high. How could he have thought of getting married so close, and would he be jealous because of his first love?

Liang Peiqiu looked at him motionless, her eyelashes fluttering between his fingertips and palms. Seeing him forcing himself to be calm and happy, with a thin red color gradually appearing behind his ears, she finally couldn't help laughing.

What kind of love affair is that? If we really want to pursue it, it was just her taking advantage of her love affair.

It was the second year after Xu Zhiliu's death, and it was only a few months after Wang Yu committed suicide by hanging from a beam. She was still under the close supervision of An Jiu.

It is said that once bitten by a snake, she is afraid of well ropes for ten years. It is not easy to win An Jiu's trust. For this reason, she can say that she has spent a lot of time to avoid An Jiu's eyes and ears and act quietly without making him suspicious.

The day I met "Zhao'an" was originally Xu Zhiliu's death anniversary. Because this day is too special, if there is no special reason, if you want to go out of the city to worship, you will definitely arouse An Jiu's suspicion.

Fortunately, not long ago, someone asked An Jiu to thread the thread between her and asked her to find a day to meet at Guanyin Mountain in the suburbs to ask for something important. The other party is a female family member, which is somewhat inconvenient. An Jiu knows that eunuchs are despised and has always been difficult to get into the eyes of the royal family members. They have no peers.

She didn't know the other person's background at the time, but she was just happy about it, so she was panicked on the outside but secretly happy on the inside.

At that time, she was just beginning to show her talent, and she was already somewhat powerful in her dealings with others. She was at the junction of a teenager and an adult. However, she was from a high-ranking family and was in her own right. The lady just talked to her through the screen, and her posture, cultivation, and speech were all hidden. The demeanor revealed made her tremble, and she had to work very hard not to show timidity.

Later I thought about it, even though iron and stone have been refined into real gold even though they have survived under the edge of a knife, let alone a living person? What's so scary! So she straightened her back and was neither humble nor overbearing. The lady looked at her unexpectedly and then expressed her request. She wanted to make a body-length Guanyin porcelain for the eighty-year-old Gaotang.

Guanyin porcelain does not belong to the category of conventional ceramics. It is a more artistic engraved porcelain. It is not difficult to make a body-length vase. She has also made a large vase that is nearly two people tall. What is difficult is Guanyin's demeanor. Living things are better than dead ones. Disaster. If you want it to be lifelike, you need several skilled masters to work together to complete it, it is not the work of one person.

She didn't dare to boast rashly, for fear of messing up and causing disaster. As she resisted, she suddenly heard a taunt: "Aren't you a famous little god? I thought you were some kind of three-headed and six-armed figure, but it was nothing more than that! If I had known better, I wouldn't have I’ve traveled a long way to make this trip.”

Recalling this, Liang Peiqiu said to Xu Zhiliu that it was Zhao'an, the Jia Baoyu in Dream of Red Mansions, who was still in the stage of death.

Later she found out that Zhao'an was his alias, and that he had hidden the truth and replaced his sister so that he could go out quietly. Because he was naughty by nature, he got into big trouble that time and was being locked up at home to be punished.

He belongs to the type of boy and girl, and it is not inconsistent to dress as a woman. Wearing a complicated peach-colored skirt, he burst in like a storm, and Liang Peiqiu was shocked by that look.

However, she was not far from the door at that time, and Yuan Zhaoan was walking in a hurry. The two of them inevitably bumped into each other. Half of her legs were disabled, and she was dragged behind the door. There was a collision, and she was in a state of embarrassment.

Because of this incident, Yuan Zhao An Shang's ridicule boomeranged and turned into guilt. Afraid of being injured by her, he called the imperial doctor to diagnose and treat her.

Her injury was indeed not good. In order to buy time for this trip to go to Yaoli to worship Xu Zhiliu, there must be a reason to stay in the mountain. Therefore, she started to ruin her body a few days before the trip. Fortunately, Yuan Zhaoan, mother and son were both healthy. Being a kind person, he allowed her to spend the night in the temple.

Yuan Zhaoan personally took her to the front yard to settle down. Along the way, he looked at her either blatantly or sneakily. Even though she had been walking around the market as a man since she was a child, she was no less skillful than Yuan Zhaoan, a young boy. But under his Under the prying eyes, she still felt like she had nothing to hide.

Later it was proved that Yuan Zhaoan had indeed seen through that point.

There was no other reason, except that she was discovered by Yuan Zhaoan when she sneaked down the mountain that night, and followed her all the way to Yaoli. Yuan Zhaoan said, "I saw you wiping that person's tombstone with your clothes, trimming the grass on the grave, and crying to yourself for a long time. I guess no man would be so careful... It’s so pitiful.”

For Yuan Zhaoan, a woman who was hailed as a little god at a young age not only escaped being discovered by disguising herself as a man, but also became lame and walked hundreds of miles at night in the heavy fog between heaven and earth to worship a god. People even had the audacity to use him and his mother as a cover. It was so interesting that he had to be curious and continue to yearn for it.

The imperial doctor said that her old injury had relapsed and she would be in unbearable pain these past few days, but she seemed to have completely forgotten this. She was like a strong wind when she went down the mountain, riding her horse and whipping her whip with ease and ease. She was not even inferior to the man, even in the dark place. Fear.

Amidst the endless cries of unknown birds and beasts at night, she left the whole world behind her and only surrounded the grave that looked ordinary.

He was simply pleasantly surprised by what he found. He heard her say, "Brother Liu, I'm here to see you. Are you okay? I have a lot of trivial matters today and I'm late. Don't blame me.

In fact, Uncle Xu won't let me come to see you. He said that An Jiu has spies on me. If he finds out that I'm pretending to flatter him, I will die miserably. But I'm acting like a ghost all year round, and this is the only day every year. How many hours can it take to be a human again? How is it different from death?

Brother Liu, you said before that it is difficult to maintain the porcelain industry for eighty years. Although I agree, I have not experienced it personally. After all, I cannot understand your state of mind. Now that I have actually walked the path you walked, I slowly understand. The word "difficulty" sounds good to me. It's easy, but it's impossible to do it, but I don't regret my original decision. Even if it happens thousands of times, I will still be moved by the big and round moon that night.

Brother Liu, I will definitely prove to you that what you seek and believe in this life is comparable to Jin Jian.

It’s funny to say that those account books, those kiln affairs, those rules of the ship gang porcelain shop, those unclear clues, those things I thought I would never understand in my life, I didn’t expect to be able to understand them in just one year. You can't see it anymore. I'm sorry and a little aggrieved. Why couldn't I get closer to you when you were alive?

An Jiu often gave me concubines at banquets. Maybe he also heard the rumors and suspected that my identity was in trouble? If getting married allows me to come and see you openly, I am very willing to do so. If I am just like a duckweed, who can I bear in this life?

Brother Liu, my heart no longer belongs to me. "

She talked a lot, sometimes without any end, and Yuan Zhaoan fell asleep while listening to it, until later she started coughing, and it seemed like she couldn't stop coughing. She bent over and couldn't stand up. , coughing and a mouthful of turbid blood spattered on the tombstone.

Yuan Zhaoan was so frightened that he almost forgot that he was listening to someone else and appeared in a hurry. Everyone can hear the sound, right? But she was completely immersed in her own world and didn't notice it!

What he didn't expect was that she turned a blind eye to the terrible situation of vomiting blood, calmly took out the handkerchief and wiped the blood on the tombstone.

She also said, "A few months ago, someone bought An Jiu with a sum of silver and wanted to build the new guild hall in Xiashan Lane, which is the best location. It is not far from Sanyao Jiuhui and Fenghuo Temple, but it is necessary to build a new guild hall." To build a guild hall, we have to demolish the two kilns and three brick-and-mortar houses that were originally located in the front and rear streets of Xiashan Lane. Maybe you are vomiting blood because you are running around so much over this matter that you cannot sleep well? Brother Liu, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m very worried. good."

Then she stuffed the blood-stained handkerchief into her sleeve and stared at the name on the tombstone. There was no life record except the name, but her eyes seemed to be reading the long scroll of inscriptions.

Then she turned and left, her back was lonely, and there was only one sentence left in the wind: "Brother Liu, I will come to see you again next year. Don't forget me. I am Xiaoliang."

Yuan Zhaoan told Liang Peiqiu that at that moment he felt his heart tightening and it hurt a little. He had never felt like that before.

The memory was interrupted again, and Xu Zhiliu could not describe his mood at this time. He should be delighted by Yuan Zhaoan's confession, if that was considered a confession, but his heart had already drifted to his own grave.

He seemed to see her that night with his own eyes. She was half-kneeling and half-sitting in front of his tomb with her legs bent. She once again harmed herself in exchange for the opportunity to "see him" at Ye Rai Baili. He asked her: "Is it worth it?"

She just smiled and didn't answer. Xu Zhiliu felt that there was sand in her eyes. Her first reaction was not to rub her eyes, but to reach out to cover her eyes.

Yuan Zhaoan was not the only one who was defeated by her deep love. Xu Zhiliu would rather die at that moment, at least his wronged soul could be with her, "I don't want you to be alone in this life."

She was very proud. If this story could make him determined, it would be worth it.

"and after?"

"Then he went down and stayed in town for three days."

Yuan Zhaoan did not say hello in advance and made an impromptu surprise attack. When An Jiu got the message, he was already in front of the house. Yuan Zhaoan looked at the rules of his mansion, then looked at the gold and silver he was wearing, frowned, and cursed, "Slave dog, where did you get the courage?"

Not to mention An Jiu, Liang Peiqiu was shocked. It was only then that she realized how noble Yuan Zhaoan's status was. In the whole world, the only people in the world who can denounce eunuchs with official status as "slaves" are members of the royal family.

No matter how high-ranking the officials are, their eunuchs are just their domestic slaves. At that moment, great joy arose in her heart, and she was excited by Yuan Zhaoan's surprise attack. She couldn't help but imagine what would happen if An Jiu's various heinous crimes were seen by her master. Maybe she could do it for Xu Zhiliu, Wang Yu, and herself, Give the suffering people of Jingdezhen a chance to redress their grievances!

So she and An Shijiu accompanied Yuan Zhaoan in and out of teahouses and restaurants, from the east side of the street to the west side of the street, from Mingquan Teahouse to Jiangshui Tower, visiting all the places where people gathered. The next day, Yuan Xiashan Lane, which was deeply involved in labor disputes, The merchants collectively cried and knelt down in front of Yuan Zhaoan.

Two kiln households and three blank households, a total of five families, thoroughly sued Liang Peiqiu, who was in charge of the negotiation.

They were so numerous that they took advantage of the opportunity and rushed straight in front of them, scaring Yuan Zhaoan almost out of his wits. An Jiu cursed the unruly people, and the guards raised their knives to threaten him. The scene was quite funny.

She thought that Yuan Zhaoan was a soft-legged crab and would run away from these untouchables like the plague. Not wanting him to calm down, she sent her and An Jiu away, called five family members to ask about their grievances, and finally asked Liang Peiqiu to talk alone.

She didn't know that Yuan Zhaoan had been following her. She was afraid that the walls had ears, so she honestly acted like a businessman oppressed by power in front of Yuan Zhaoan. She said with sincerity: "The grassroots were ordered to deal with the demolition of the old site and the construction of a new one. They were compensated according to the local market price. We negotiated with them for several days. There was never anything extreme in words or actions. I hope the princess will take notice."

"Whose order did you take? Who set the market price standard? Is there any official document for demolishing the old site?" Yuan Zhaoan said, "Those five families took out the house deeds. Even if there are no operating costs, according to the price you gave, it is not enough." A lot."

Not to mention the forced demolition of the old site and some losses. Those five families were doing well in business and had no fault at all. How could they demolish their houses indiscriminately?

Yuan Zhaoan was a bastard, but not a fool. He saw the problem at a glance. He cooperated with her and asked loudly: "Since I can't produce official documents, it is an illegal demolition. Do you think you are guilty of Liang Dadong's family?"

Liang Peiqiu hurriedly bowed her head and confessed: "The common people know their mistakes."

"Where did you go wrong?"

"The common people line their own pockets and demolish residential buildings by force."

"Really? But they told me that there is someone else behind you." Yuan Zhaoan snorted coldly, "An Jiu, come out!"

While talking, An Jiu was escorted in by Yuan Zhaoan's escort. When Yuan Zhaoan saw it, he was furious: "As expected, you hid behind and didn't go far. I have never seen any servant dare to disobey my orders in my life. In our country's government, you have been beaten." Beat him to death!"

"I am afraid that Dadong Liang's family does not understand the rules and will offend you, the prince."

"You are so brave! You dare to fool me?"

"I don't dare, my subordinates."

"You are a low-ranking official, what are you pretending to be in front of me? I don't know how much you weigh?" Yuan Zhaoan said, "I won't talk nonsense to you. Now there are two ways. One is to arrest the owner of the restaurant. Come, torture him severely to see who he gave the silver coins to and how much silver coins he gave. Another way is, I will directly ask the guards to search your house to find out who has enriched his own pockets."

An Jiu didn't expect that he, a idiot, could understand this, so his expression froze, while she, in that moment of stasis, opened the corners of her mouth.

But before she could be happy for a second, Yuan Zhaoan said again, "No matter which of these two methods, as long as I find out, I will immediately send you to the government. I will give you one last chance now. Those who take the initiative to take responsibility will be given a lighter punishment." .”

……

"After hearing what he said, I knew there was no chance. No matter how big the fuss was and no matter how many stabbings were made, Yuan Zhaoan would not be what I thought."

To be honest, from the moment Yuan Zhaoan personally sent her down the mountain, she vaguely guessed that he was interested in her. She was not ignorant of the matter, and she was willing to risk beheading to seduce the prince, just to use his hands to eradicate the traitor.

Who would have thought that Yuan Zhaoan was so well protected that he had never seen the darkness of the court, nor did he know the depth of the world.

If An Jiu was just an ordinary eunuch, it wouldn't matter if he was dismissed, but An Jiu was not an ordinary eunuch. He was a eunuch who was ordered by the Holy Spirit to assist in Tao affairs. He had the emperor's orders and could not be easily dealt with. If Yuan Zhaoan could not beat him to death on the spot based on his status as a royal descendant, then she would be the one who died once Yuan Zhaoan left.

How could Yuan Zhaoan have imagined that a young eunuch would dare to be so arrogant? She was glad that she had not acted rashly and took advantage of the situation to tell Yuan Zhaoan her innermost plans, otherwise she might have died by now.

She finally took all the blame on herself. Yuan Zhaoan didn't believe it and couldn't figure out why the situation developed like this. He clearly wanted to help her vent her anger!

He asked An Jiu, "Those five families said that Liang Dadong's family was doing things according to your orders. Do you really know nothing about it?"

"Xiaguan, Xianguan is really unjust."

"What did I say just now? Who allowed you to call yourself a subordinate in front of me? You are a slave, you really think you are an official after changing your clothes? Someone, teach him the rules of being a slave for me."

"As ordered!"

You don't need to look at anyone's face to teach a eunuch who was disrespectful to his master. Yuan Zhaoan's soldiers surrounded him, pushed An Jiujiu to the ground, and beat him severely without any explanation.

But that's all.

She could see that Yuan Zhaoan would not kill anyone. The royal child who is still in the dying stage may have glimpsed a corner of the darkness in the world, but just like meteors are always fleeting, the vague and unreal suffering is no more than a pebble in the long river of his life. It can't even hit a splash.

Soon he will forget everything that happened here, including the woman he was briefly curious about.

It was Yuan Zhaoan who made Liang Peiqiu realize that she could no longer take any chances with An Jiu. If he couldn't die without a burial place in one blow, he would rather lurk in a secret place and wait for the opportunity.

Xu Zhiliu understood what she meant, touched the top of her hair unconsciously, and sighed: "Xiao Liang, you have really... really grown up. I don't know whether I should be happy or not."

Her growth was so bloody, and it was undeniable that there was his reason for it, even a big one. He felt guilty, but was unable to turn around.

Liang Peiqiu hooked his neck and smiled harmlessly: "Did you know? Yuan Zhaoan said that he envied you very much."

"Why?"

"He said that no one he had ever seen in his life, or could imagine, could treat him the way I treated you after his death. How old was he then? He was many years younger than me. I could only comfort him by saying It’s too early… But now, I want to take back those words.”

She raised her upper body and leaned close to his ear, her voice was very low, "I think he is right, I will treat you like I did yesterday and make you reluctant to leave me."

If self-blame will make you cherish your life more, I am willing to be the person who makes you feel unbearable every time you think about it. Although you and I are not afraid of death, we can no longer bear separation.

After that, a new song slowly spread in Jingdezhen called "Butterfly Lovers". Liang Peiqiu knew that it was written by Ah Yao, and she spent a lot of thought to write them into a story that was as close to reality as possible and might not be passed down through the ages, but it was enough to be passed down orally by the people of this dynasty.

Those in the know can catch a glimpse of the leopard and perhaps read a real folk legend from it.

When Wu Jia left Jingdezhen following Wu Yin's order, she happened to hear that story. She was deeply shocked, and she also faintly gave up because of the love that had been properly preserved in her distant homeland.

On the way, she asked Wu Yin: "Brother, do you like Butterfly Lovers?"

Perhaps Wu Yin didn't need an answer, so she changed her mind and said, "I don't like it."

At that time, they were close to the outside of the fortress, and what they saw before them was the setting sun on the long river described in the poem, the endless wilderness, and the majestic peaks. Wu Yin's thoughts flew to nowhere, and it took him a long time to ask: "Why?"

Wu Jia said: "Because Butterfly Lovers is a tragedy."

I don't want them to be tragic.

　The transition is over and the plot begins in the next chapter.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)