But the bright moon shines on the ditch

The whole process of designing a snake trap can be said to be a success. The only thing they underestimated was the affection between Ju Jiu and the female officer.

After catching the female officer in Heguan that night, Liang Peiqiu hid the female officer in the ice cellar of Hutian Kiln in the suburbs. There are many people in the town, making it difficult to move around. The ice cellar is inaccessible, which is the perfect place to hide people.

When Wang Yunxian came here for the first time, he was very curious. He looked around and touched, praised the design of the secret door of the ice cellar and the escape route, and asked Liang Peiqiu where he found the good place.

Liang Peiqiu's cheeks were red and she rolled her eyes at him.

Regarding that chaotic night, although it was the first time, she no longer wanted to recall it. She stubbornly put the good time with him in a house covered with layers of old clothes and floating dust among the clouds and water. Every gust of wind that blew through her heart and left on her skin on that rainy night was unforgettable to her.

She swept away the messy straw on the ice platform, trying not to recall the details of the past and focusing on the female officer.

In order to get the female officer to tell the truth, she was the only one in the entire questioning process. But no matter how much pressure she exerted, the female officer kept her eyes closed and said nothing.

She was a female official from the inner court who was nearly forty years old. She had received the most severe training in the world. It was unusual for an ordinary woman to be easily deceived. Since Xiao Zhi could not pry open the opponent's mouth with reason or emotion, Liang Peiqiu could only use coercion and inducement, but the female official was still incapable of being splashed and couldn't be penetrated by needles. From the beginning to the end, she didn't even get a chance.

This was the first time she met such a soft-spoken woman. She admired her in her heart, but also felt regretful: "If Ju Jiu was sincere to you, how could he put you in danger? You are simply being used!"

With Ju Jiu's sophistication, how could he put his wealth and life on a woman? The female officer finally slowly raised her eyelids and spat out two words at her: "Stupid."

That was the only time she spoke during the few days of questioning. When Liang Peiqiu slandered Ju Jiu's affection for him, Liang Peiqiu suddenly understood that maybe she had used the wrong method from the beginning.

So that night she released the news that the man had committed suicide. Wang Yunxian's friends spread the news everywhere, and everyone knew that a female official died in Heguan. Sure enough, within three days, Ju Jiu came to the door.

Wang Yunxian was still in shock when he saw the woman who looked like a dead body suddenly rushed towards Ju Jiu, punching, kicking and yelling curses.

"How many times do you have to tell me before you believe it? Sun Min gave me to you in the name of cultivating a female concubine, just to win over you so that you would work for him! Over the years, the relationship between you and me has been nothing more than a casual act. Show it to Sun Min, why should you take it seriously? I don’t want to hide around with you and live a life that is worse than that of a dog. Haven’t I been manipulated by you enough over the years? I’ve had enough! I want to leave you! I’ll live better with that money. Half my life is your promise to me. Even if everything is clear between us, why do you appear again when you are so good? Could it be that you regret it and want to deny it? You are talking, why don't you talk?! You old pervert, you are really blind. I’ve been here for so many years!”

Ju Jiu let her beat and scold him, and looked at her with good eyes. He was very happy to see that she was still fine.

In living to this age, I have only had trouble with her. How could he not know Sun Min's intentions? But even though he knew it was poison, he still drank poison to quench his thirst. This shows that life and death are already decided.

"At the end of the play, there must be an ending. I don't want to just be a character in the play." So, after suffering these days and hearing the news of her death, he finally made a choice.

"Yanniang, I'm sorry, it was me who caused you trouble."

The female officer tried her best to curse all the curse words in her life. What she didn't want to get was such an answer. She froze, then collapsed on the ground and started to cry: "You goddammit! Why did you come back to save me?" Why don't you die farther away, I hate you so much!"

Ju Jiu stepped forward and hugged her, patted her back and comforted her softly: "It's all my fault, stop crying, be careful not to hurt your health from crying."

Has Wang Yunxian ever seen Ju Jiu like this? Is this still the boss of the bank that makes people in the Duchang gang frightened and people in the Hui gang convinced?

Even though he was old, he was not ashamed. Wang Yunxian was dumbfounded at first, and then sighed. Seeing them hugging each other, he forgot where he was. Goosebumps spread all over his body. Although he knew it was inappropriate, he still spoke: "Then what... …Let me interrupt first, no matter how you divide the spoils, those three Fu-name banks must belong to me, we made an agreement first."

After the words fell, the air condensed for a moment, and the original warmth was swept away. The female officer's expression froze, and she pushed Ju Jiu away with a blushing face. Ju Jiu couldn't help but curl his lips and sighed, "What a persistent young man."

He also praised Wang Yunxian, "If you keep your ambition, you will become a great person. I am afraid that the bank in Jingdezhen will have to change its name in the future."

Wang Yunxian clasped his fists: "Thank you!"

After a fuss, the two sides officially got down to business. Liang Peiqiu went straight to the point and said, "Leave the evidence and you can leave."

The female officer was stunned: "Seriously?"

Ju Jiu couldn't help but wonder: "Why?"

Even Wang Yunxian was surprised. Why should he let go of the snake he caught after so much effort? Liang Peiqiu said: "You have worked with Sun Min for a long time, and you should know him better than I do. Can any of the prisoners tattooed by him make it out of Jiangxi alive? Even if he is lucky enough to escape inspection at every pass, he will be able to escape inspection at every pass when he arrives. Are you sure you can enter the palace gate in the capital?"

It's not that she wants to do this, but the reality doesn't allow it.

Sun Min's so-called "Emperor of Jiangxi Province" is no joke. Here he is no different from the princes who dominate one area. Because he has not been forced to become a king on his own, he still has some respect for the emperor who is thousands of miles away. Because of the awe, or the capital that has not yet accomplished anything, they did not go on a killing spree.

Even if someone were to be handed over to Wu Fangyuan, and he could jump over the Yin of Jingzhao Palace and reach the sky by beating the drum, it would still be like a castle in the air, and it would be difficult to reach the sky. On the one hand, Wu Fangyuan could not reach Jiangxi and could not ensure the absolute safety of the hostages; on the other hand, even if he beat the Dengwen drum, there was no guarantee that the highest-ranking Sanfa Division in the imperial city outside Jingzhao Mansion would be able to annihilate Sun Min in one fell swoop.

In the final analysis, Sun Min's position is too high and his power is too heavy, while Ju Jiu is too small, so small that he can die casually without any evidence. Therefore, for the sake of safety, it is better for him to hide in the darkness and wait.

"Just pretend that you didn't appear today and disappeared like before. But if one day Sun Min is ambushed or weakened, you need to come forward to testify. With written evidence as evidence, I bet that you belong to one of the nine clans in your family."

"What if I don't obey?"

"You will die, and even then, I can't make any guarantees about the future of your children and grandchildren."

Ju Jiu narrowed his eyes: "Why do you?"

Liang Peiqiu said: "I am just a nobody, I have nothing to rely on." When he said this, the man in black, who had been hiding in the dark, pulled out his sword.

Cold light passed before his eyes, and the dark ice cellar suddenly became as quiet as cicadas. Wang Yunxian clutched the corners of her clothes tightly, her hands still shaking uncontrollably.

It was the first time that he felt that death was so close to him, and he had no doubt that if Fan Jujiu said no, what would fall with the cold light would be hot and bright blood splashing on the ice.

At this moment, he didn't dare to look at anyone, and only peeked at Liang Peiqiu opposite him from the corner of his eye. Liang Peiqiu is calm and collected, and her face looks like a finely carved statue of the god of wind and fire. A kind of solemnity between human desire and divinity made him sigh from the bottom of his heart.

Liang Peiqiu is no longer the Liang Peiqiu she was when she was young.

She flew high and far like a kite, beyond his reach in this life.

And what was Liang Peiqiu thinking at this moment? She was not worried that Ju Jiu would make any bizarre decisions, so she thought leisurely of her last night with Xu Zhiliu before they separated.

They hugged each other and fell asleep on the awning boat, and she fell into a dream, gently carried by the water waves. In her dream, it was no longer the Changjiang River where the water surged during successive flood seasons, but a rare spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River.

On a February day with grass growing and orioles flying, they walked hand in hand on the long embankment. Their shoes were covered with the remaining leaves of the grass after the rain. The leaves carried a bit of fishy smell with the wind. She sniffed her nose and he hid his brow. , in those movements that were at the same frequency and in time, everything was just right.

When she woke up, her side was empty. She missed the dream, lazily put on a coat and walked out of the boat, where she saw him fishing with a fishing rod without a hook. She couldn't help laughing and asked him if he was following Jiang Taigong's fishing example?

He held her in his arms, swept the dew from her forehead, and kissed her face, which was still in a dream.

When it comes to your eyes, everything is right - those who wish will take the bait.

Does Jujiu have any other choice? Not at all.

Soon, the Guanyin porcelain body was basically fired. Liang Peiqiu called the chief manager of the imperial kiln factory and An Jiu as usual. First, he showed them the shape of the finished product, and second, he asked them to do a final inspection before the Guanyin porcelain was put into the kiln.

Sculpture porcelain is usually not completed in one go and requires multiple splicing and re-firing. Since the inner core is hollow, if you want to do any tricks, you usually have to do it on the plain tire.

Liang Peiqiu elaborated that this Guanyin porcelain is called Thousand-Hand Guanyin. It is recorded in Buddhist classics that the thousand hands of the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva represent the protection of all living beings, and the thousand eyes represent the omnipresence of the world.

Many temples in the Central Plains worship the Thousand-Hand Guanyin as the main image, often with forty-two hands symbolizing the thousand hands, with one eye in each hand.

Abbot Guangpu once said that the sufferings and troubles of all living beings are diverse, and all living beings have different needs and wishes. Therefore, there should be a lot of boundless magic power and wisdom to save all living beings.

"I have sworn and vowed that when the time comes, I will have thousands of hands and thousands of eyes," and the wish-fulfilling orbs, sun-jing mani orbs, grape hands, nectar hands, white Buddha hands, willow branches hands, etc. appeared... So Liang Peiqiu fabricated forty-two hands, Different Buddhist patterns are hand-painted according to different shapes, which means to relieve all kinds of suffering and spread all kinds of benefits.

The chief steward looked around the Guanyin Rosette several times, followed Liang Peiqiu's instructions, and traced the final image in his mind. He couldn't help but exclaim in wonder! This Guanyin porcelain has eleven sides and forty-two arms. The eleven sides are arranged in five layers. Each of the lower three layers has three sides, showing the images of compassion, tranquility, and anger respectively. The fourth layer shows the image of wrath, all wearing five The flower crown has an upright face, the top Buddha face is in a high bun, and the Dharma is solemn. The central main arm is clasped together, and the lower pair of arms are in meditation mudra. The other arms are spread out behind the body like a fan, each holding a different magic weapon. The upper body is exposed, the chest is decorated with pearls, and the lower body is wearing a long skirt. The whole body is decorated with intricate clothing, the lines are smooth, and the depictions are delicate and realistic.

The shape is well proportioned, the structure is rigorous and reasonable, the craftsmanship is exquisite and exquisite, the decoration is skillful and refined, and the rosette is intact. It is rare to see such a large size.

He checked his arms and body one by one and made sure there were no problems. He couldn't hide his joy and nodded towards An Jiu. But An Jiu didn't knock on the board. Everyone's face turned gray and they continued to wait patiently.

It wasn't until the housekeeper came to tell him that the kiln room was ready that Liang Peiqiu stepped forward and asked An Jiu what he meant.

Anjiu didn't know much about Buddhist culture, but based on what he saw in royal temples and palace halls, he always felt that this Guanyin porcelain had an indescribable weirdness.

Every point mentioned by the chief steward is consistent with the facts. From the perspective of appreciating the most exquisite porcelain in the world, this Guanyin porcelain is no worse than the imperial porcelain.

But his intuition told him that something was wrong.

He carefully looked at each of the forty-two pieces, touched them, and even smelled the residual glaze on them. But how could these things that had no reference standards be seen through with the naked eye? He knew that his inspection was in vain, so he still patiently looked around the Guanyin Rosette again and again.

The masters and craftsmen in the billet stood with sore backs and backaches, but they did not dare to express their anger. Even the chief manager felt that heat was starting to come out of his head. When he was about to speak, An Jiu suddenly raised his hand to interrupt and ordered: "Send the kiln to the kiln." Bar."

His decision came so suddenly that no one had time to put away the surprise on their faces. They were followed by uncontrollable joy, and Liang Peiqiu was the same.

An Jiu stared at her, staring at that impeccable face, and finally waved his sleeves: "You'd better be honest, as I said, his life is staked on it."

Liang Peiqiu smiled, but because she was beside her, her voice was very low, just enough for the two of them to hear. "The worst we can do is die together."

The kiln door was closed, and the flames illuminated the long and narrow dragon body.

A ray of light split the chaos.

An Jiu looked at the woman in front of him and suddenly felt that she was strange.

That snowy night that year, he didn't know she was a woman. He saw her running a few steps to rest, not knowing whether she was cold or tired. The tip of her ears and nose were red, she opened her mouth and let out a breath of white air, and she was amusing herself. To cheer myself up. She was so outspoken and lively that he couldn't help but be attracted to her. Although he didn't know who she was rushing to see, at that moment he sincerely envied her.

Thinking about it now, all her loveliness was given to that person. What is given to him has always been something only he deserves. He suddenly realized that the cruelty of the world and all kinds of evil obstacles were shocking.

Waiting for the day when the Guanyin porcelain kiln would be opened and released, Anjiu got drunk for the first time in a long time. Not pretending to be drunk or pretending to be drunk, but really being drunk without any defense.

He was sitting in a carriage, and outside the carriage was a bustling night. For the annual Qiqiao Festival, Jingdezhen started celebrating again. Men, women, old and young, it was so lively.

This damn place has constant celebrations all year round, so why can’t it stop? An Jiu cursed!

Zhou Yuan, who was sitting on the carriage shaft, was frightened. He pricked up his ears and heard the clear sound of wine cups colliding and rolling down, followed by a muffled groan, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

Zhou Yuan ignored the rudeness and hurriedly opened the curtain to take a look. One of An Jiu's feet was caught by his hem and he fell to the ground, looking very embarrassed.

The wine cup was at hand, the gurgling water flowed out, and the car was filled with the aroma of the cellar. He must have been so drunk that he lost his mind, otherwise he wouldn't have just lied down like a dog licking the dripping wine.

Zhou Yuan had no way of interpreting this scene. He stared stupidly, unable to connect the drunkard in front of him with Quan Huan, the man who stabbed Zheng Jie to death.

It was so easy to kill him at this time.

The thought flashed past, and Zhou Yuan was startled by himself. He raised his head and met a pair of sharp eyes. He leaned back and stumbled out of the carriage.

He crawled back trembling and was thinking about how to explain what he had just done so as not to arouse An Jiu's suspicion. Unexpectedly, the drunkard had already started talking to himself, "I didn't expect that she hates me so much and wants to die with me. I don’t care about that person’s life anymore… I don’t care about that person, but I, I can’t bear to see her die.”

To be honest, Zhou Yuan has become numb after hearing too many secrets. Even if he pinches off the head and tail, he can still hear the taste, and he can also tell who she is and who that person is.

"She pretended to submit, but she used me to promote Nao Shizi's Ceramic Industry Supervision Committee. Did she know that I was humiliated by Sun Min in Nanchang Mansion at that time? She deceived me, applied medicine to me, wiped my blood, and made me believe Maybe she is different from that person, maybe she treats me a little bit differently. I believed in her and gave her the power to show off her power, but she took advantage of my unpreparedness to overthrow Sanyao Jiuhui and put me in Nanchang Mansion. , being attacked from both sides..."

Zhou Yuan sighed, Liang Peiqiu did indeed go too far, but didn't he also make her endure the wrath of thunder?

"I'm so disappointed and in pain, but I still can't bear to kill her... Is it ridiculous? Little Nineteen has this day too."

Zhou Yuan responded silently, it was indeed unimaginable.

However, An Jiu added, "She doesn't know how many informants Sun Min has in Jingdezhen, but I know it better than anyone else. Back then, Xu Zhong wanted to unite the major folk kilns to rebel against me, but I was kept in the dark. What about Zheng Zheng?" Jie actually informed her of this, which shows how deep Sun Min is in control of this place. If I don't do something, it will be hard to get rid of her anger... It's better for me to do it than for Sun Min to do it. It's better for me to torture her than for others to torture her. Isn't it? Actually, I, I didn't really want to hurt her, I just, I just... I thought that she would bow to me. "

The inner court is a place where abuse can be seen everywhere. The greater the power, the more intense the fighting. In that kind of environment, the only way to survive is to survive through humiliation and humiliation. No one needs to teach you. Those methods are self-contained.

All he has experienced is cruelty other than the word love, and he has used the most brutal and direct methods. Other than that, he knows nothing else.

After experiencing her, he knew what the price was.

This is tuition.

But he had made too many mistakes and made too many mistakes, and he could not look back.

Zhou Yuan sighed again when he heard this. How could he not know his sadness? There are usually only three types of people at the foot of the imperial city, ordinary people, superior people, and low-class people who are worse than dogs.

Both eunuchs and the sons of criminal officials belong to the latter group. If they had a choice, they would rather be a dog than a low-class person like that.

When he mentioned Zheng Jie, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but feel a headache. After all, he is the second-in-command in politics in a province, and he is Sun Min's confidant. If things fail, what will happen to him and An Jiu?

Even if it's out of self-preservation, shouldn't we get stuck in the love between our children at this time?

He advised An Jiu to reconsider his previous proposal and keep the green hills without fear of running out of firewood. "In addition, I received news that a wave of bandits from the North arrived in Jiangxi a few days ago and have now entered the boundaries of Raozhou Prefecture. Look, The direction they are traveling seems to be towards Fuliang. If my subordinates guessed correctly, the gangsters should have met Mr. Sun and Mr. Zhou on the way."

An Jiu simply had not lost a powerful official's basic sense of politics. He reluctantly opened his misty eyes: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Yuan poured him a cup of strong tea and watched him drink it. His eyes regained some brightness before he said, "Sir, this is the best time for you to use the bandits to hide. You can also use it to come back later." Bandits create chaos to justify themselves."

An Jiu stared at him blankly, then lay back down, a laugh seemingly carelessly escaped from his lips.

Zhou Yuan carefully probed: "Sir?"

What do you mean? Why are you laughing? How could he know what kind of murderous intention flashed across An Jiu's mourning platform in the brief moment of Qingming.

Simply use bandits to cause chaos, do nothing without stopping, and bury all the guys who bullied him. This is the instinct of a powerful eunuch to survive, isn't it?

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yuan actually asked him to hide and flee, and the scholar had no temper at all.

"Sir, do you know why I became Xiaojiu?"

Zhou Yuan, how dare you guess his thoughts.

The smile on An Jiu's lips grew bigger and bigger, and he stood up. The smell of alcohol dissipated in the wind, and a sharp light quickly appeared on his fair skin, "Because Xiao Jiu is not an ant, but a pearl."

Just like Sun Min's state of mind when he and he were invited to share their wealth, it is no different now. Xiaojiu is the eagle of freedom, the pearl on the Yellow Crane Tower that suppresses the owl's kiss, not the light.

Hiding and fleeing were not the ways he wanted to live. If he were willing to be like the light and become a speck of dust in the high imperial city, then he would not have become Xiaojiu in the first place.

He had expected this day from the day he was humiliated by An Qian's crotch.

He ordered Zhou Yuan to immediately summon all the troops and go out of the city overnight to clear out the bandits.

When the carriage passed by the Anqing kiln, he opened the curtain. In the high wall hidden by red bricks, fire was rising from the chimney. Tomorrow, Guanyin porcelain would be produced.

I wonder what kind of famous artifact it will be? If it could be passed down to the next generation, it would be preserved, so she wouldn't die, right? Even if it doesn't work, nothing will change if you stay here, right?

I don’t know what she is doing at this moment? Are you unable to sleep peacefully while walking on the back of the dragon kiln, guarding each cave dwelling?

So, did she hear the drums he beat and the bells he rang for her?

The answer is no longer known.

An Jiu left with regrets. In the hot summer day, his clothes got wet and dried, and he just traveled through the starry night to a place where he didn't know the ending.

On the way, he suddenly remembered An Qian's kind-hearted advice when he left the capital, "Nineteen, you are used to coming here with your heart as high as the sky, and be careful that your life is as thin as a piece of paper."

He twitched the corner of his mouth. Things in the world are unpredictable. How can we make a conclusion? He wanted to see who was worse off than the other, An Qian or him.

Godfather, you must live longer to see that day...

At the same time, Liang Peiqiu, who stayed up late to guard the kiln amid Wang Yunxian's gag, suddenly sneezed. In the brief moment of stillness, she sensed something was wrong and quickly pressed her lips to signal Wang Yunxian to be silent.

The two walked to the door and heard the rapid sound of horse hooves.

Her heart dropped suddenly.

"Today, what day is it today?"

"On the seventh day of the lunar month, have you forgotten about the Qiao Qiao Festival? That girl Baili was still trying to get you to work with you this morning!" Wang Yunxian raised his hand and waved it in front of her eyes, "What's wrong with you?"

Liang Peiqiu's absent-minded pupils gradually focused: "He and I calculated that the Guanyin porcelain would be completed around the Qiqiao Festival. Logically speaking, there should be a reply by this time."

"Maybe it's just for a day or two, don't worry." Wang Yunxian comforted her, "Maybe he wanted to have a better chance of winning, so he delayed it for a little longer."

"is it?"

"Of course, don't think too much. Guanyin porcelain is the most important thing now." He held her shoulders, feeling warmth in his hands through the thin clothes.

Liang Peiqiu felt a little calmer.

The two of them walked back to the kiln house, stood on the ridge of the dragon kiln, and looked back at the direction where the horse's hooves disappeared. Only later did she realize that it was the road leading out of the city.

How could there be something fishy about a large number of people leaving the city at such a late hour?