But the bright moon shines on the ditch

At this moment, Huang Jiazhou crossed the river.

Many people on the island have met Zhang Lei and know that he is the head steward of Hutian Kiln. Because Xu Zhiliu had a hand in the fight with the Suhu Guild Hall in the past, the residents of the island were somewhat resentful of the Hutian kiln. Although they didn't say bad words when they saw Zhang Lei, their eyes were not very friendly, even though Zhang Lei lowered his head all the way. , acts low-key, but still attracts a lot of attention.

Zhang Lei suddenly felt a little annoyed. Today's hasty action was really not what he wanted.

Xu Zhong wants to join forces with Liang Peiqiu to attack the eunuchs. This matter is a matter of life and death. In addition, Sun Min is besieged by bandits, the whereabouts of the new official are unknown, and everything is not peaceful inside and outside. He has a strong feeling that in the past few days, Jingdezhen will There's going to be chaos, and if you don't run, you'll have no chance.

It's not that he wanted to choose the Huangjiazhou ferry. Among the various ferry crossings in Jingdezhen, only the Huangjiazhou area had the least amount of trade with Hutian kiln.

He wanted to abscond, so how could he choose a place with many acquaintances? If he turns around and asks people to find him, won't he know his whereabouts as soon as he inquires?

If this matter were put in normal times, by traveling north or south for business, and planning to make more progress, whoever enters the river will be like a mud cow entering the sea, never to return. No matter how powerful Liang Peiqiu is, it will be difficult to find him.

The bad thing was that it happened suddenly. He had no time to prepare, and he couldn't wait any longer. Every extra day he waited would increase the risk.

Besides, there was a tail following behind him that could not be shaken off no matter how hard he swung it.

Zhang Lei frowned, quickened his pace, turned around an alley, and hurried towards the reed marsh behind the beach. In just a few moments, the person disappeared without a trace.

Panting for breath, Shi Nian raised his eyes and looked around. There were reeds about half a man's height all around. The clumps were densely packed with wind, not to mention the figures of people. I just wanted to hear from the swaying sound of the reeds moving in the wind. It is extremely difficult to identify any special sound that does not belong to the surrounding environment.

He slapped his thigh and cursed.

There was no one around, so waiting was no option. He was about to turn around and leave when a sharp female voice suddenly pierced the sky. Shi Nian suddenly turned around and saw two gray birds fluttering somewhere, and rows of reeds were standing in front of him. Make an unusual noise.

He narrowed his eyes and ran towards that place without saying a word.

Halfway through, he turned around and walked around to a high place to look at the landscape in the distance. There seemed to be a small boat at the end. He almost didn't think anything and went straight to the direction of the small boat to intercept it.

When Zhang Lei vaguely saw a figure rushing towards him, he had no time to turn around and bumped into him directly.

Shi Nian was well prepared and took advantage of the collision to quickly jump behind him, cut his hands back, hit his back knees, and threw him to the ground.

Puwei was crushed, and his baggage was scattered. When Shi Nian took a closer look, his eyes were about to burst: "You Zhang Lei, you stole so many treasures from my employer!"

Zhang Lei gritted his teeth: "Don't talk nonsense, these are all rewards from my employer."

"Bah, you are a human being during the day and a ghost at night, how dare you accept these rewards?"

"you--"

Before he finished speaking, he let out a cry of pain. Shi Nianzhi twisted the person into a knot and pressed his knee on the other person's face until he was deformed. The old skin that was originally wrinkled by vicissitudes of life showed a strange ferocious look.

"You don't really think that you have done everything perfectly, do you? The letter that the young master put in the hidden compartment disappeared. Liang Peiqiu wanted to sue to clear the young master's name but was blocked. Even on the night of the young master's accident, the kiln workers had diarrhea inexplicably. These things are all We are tired one after another. How stupid are we to not suspect that there is a ghost in our house? But..."

Shi Nian's voice choked up slightly, and then he burst into a roar that he had suppressed for a long time and could no longer suppress, "But whether it's me, Liang Peiqiu, Xu Dadong's family or Ah Yao, we have never doubted you. Do you know why?"

Zhang Lei's jaw tightened and he didn't say a word.

"Because we all thought that you treated the young master as your own. How could you betray him?"

How could it be Zhang Lei? In everyone's mind, the answer is impossible.

When he arrived at the young master's side, Zhang Lei was already there. Seeing them getting along, they seemed like father and son, master and apprentice, with a deep friendship.

In the years when the young master replaced Xu Zhong and took full control of Hutian Kiln, he moved around inside and outside with strict barriers. He had a bit of the power of a young man in power. Even Xu Zhong occasionally felt afraid. Only for Zhang Lei, the young master remembered every little thing at the low ebb. Beneath kindness and harsh words, there is always special courtesy, which other butlers and even Xu Zhong do not have.

Others saw it and said that the young master treated Zhang Lei differently. There were quite a few people who were bitter and jealous in private, and some who danced happily even went to him to provoke him.

Fortunately, he was able to carry it clearly, and he felt that as a child, he could just be a playmate. He would stay with the young master, take care of things inside, and Zhang Lei would take care of things outside. The division of labor was appropriate. There was nothing to be taboo about, and there was no need to be taboo.

Over the years, because of the special courtesy from the young master, he not only dared not be jealous of Zhang Lei, but also treated him with great respect. Everyone at Hutian Kiln, regardless of job type, regarded him as the third-in-command, second only to the big and small bosses. But such a person actually betrayed his trust and harmed the young master who trusted him the most!

At that time, he no longer felt disappointed. He was full of heartache and complained for Xu Zhiliu: "You are really evil-hearted! How good the master treated you back then. It goes without saying about rewards. Every year, the cloth, clothes and ornaments he received were divided into two parts, one part. Send it back to your hometown in Yaoli to your mother, and give an equal portion to you? He knows that your family is in poverty, your wife is tired, and you have a son to raise, so he takes every detail into consideration."

Those pieces of cloth and money may not be eye-catching to wealthy families, but for ordinary families, it is enough to enable them to live a very good life without worrying about food and clothing.

"Young master treats you like a teacher and a father, and treats your family with all his heart and soul, but how do you treat him? You grow on him, eat his food, drink his blood, suck his blood, and then kill him when you turn around. You Is he a human being?"

"me……"

Zhang Lei spoke many times and didn't know how to defend himself. There seems to be nothing to argue with now, everything is a foregone conclusion. He closed his eyes and asked hoarsely: "How did you find out?"

When I saw him finally admit it, there was a look of sadness on his face.

Xu Zhong and Ah Yao were not at home these days, and seemed to be deliberately hiding from him and plotting something. His intuition was wrong, and he originally wanted to go find Zhang Lei to find out, but he didn't want to catch him packing his bags in a hurry. He often goes out on official business, which is nothing. What was surprising was, "I saw a wisp of green tassel in your luggage."

What that wisp of green tassel is is self-evident. Before and after the association, Shi Nian suddenly had an enlightenment and was swept away by the great sadness and ridiculousness.

"Who would have thought? Who would have thought! It's you!"

Zhang Lei was suddenly discouraged and stopped struggling. He caught a glimpse of a faint wisp of green in the baggage not far away, and smiled softly: "Then why don't you ask me why you have to leave that wisp of green after everything has been dealt with?" ?”

"I don't care what you think!"

Maybe he is not completely heartless towards the young master, maybe those years of companionship made him hesitate and struggle, but so what! His heart was filled with the anger and regret that nearly overflowed when he saw Cui Ying, because he never doubted his carelessness, and because the young master always had a special purpose.

At that moment, he wished he could eat his flesh alive, drink his blood, and crush his bones into ashes. Even so, it cannot comfort the soul of the young master and dispel the lingering hatred in his heart, "You harmed him after all, it was you who harmed him! It was not others, but you, the person whom the young master trusted and respected the most..."

Speaking of this, Shi Nian couldn't help but exert force with his five fingers, and Zhang Lei's bound hands showed obvious redness.

"He regards you as his father and master, but what about you? Not only did you betray him, you also led the wolf into the house and killed him with your own hands!"

"I...I didn't expect An Jiu to kill him."

"You fart! Don't you understand An Jiu's character? Stop making excuses for your unkindness!"

"The knife was not placed on the neck of your relative, of course you spoke righteously!" Zhang Lei noticed Shi Nian's excitement and tried to comfort him, "If I had a choice, how could I attack the young master's family? Shi Nian, ask yourself , if you were in the same situation as me, you would also..."

"I won't!"

Before Zhang Lei could finish speaking, a chill hit the back of his neck.

Shi Nian was holding a dagger, like a ghost, writing every word with pearls, "If my parents are still here, they will advance and retreat with me, and swear to be loyal to the young master to the death. Only you, you guys who are greedy for life and afraid of death, will betray him. If not How could you, Master, die unexpectedly?"

His son died in a kiln and was criticized a lot. Throughout his life, he worked hard for the kiln industry, for civil rights, and for a clean and just world. What did he get in return? At that time, his face suddenly felt hot, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Young Master, Young Master, if you have a soul in the sky, please bless the moon that night.

As he spoke, he raised the dagger and swung it down fiercely. In the lightning and flint, another female voice pierced the sky: "Ah, ah, ah, murder! Kill!" The battle between life and death often only takes place in the blink of an eye. A strong wind passed by my ears, and by the time I reacted, the coolness had penetrated my chest.

He fell weakly on his back in the reed marsh, his pupils shrunk slightly, and he let large pools of blood vomit out of his mouth.

Zhang Lei looked down at him, the traces of time clearly visible on his old face. For him, death is a result, not a process. However, he still has his family, so how can he die?

"I betrayed him all those years ago, and I will never be able to turn back in this life, but you shouldn't...shouldn't force me."

All the perceptions of that time are deteriorating, the voice has faded away, the eyes are blurred, and the consciousness is low. Only the light fragrance of pear blossoms lingers around the nose and lingers for a long time.

He just murmured, wanting an answer.

"Do you regret it?"

Regret?

/

That night, when Zhou Yuan dragged his weak body back to the small house that An Jiu had bought for him, it was already past midnight. He casually took off his clothes and sent away the servant who came to bring water. He didn't hold the lamp and just slumped in the chair.

After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt something was wrong. There seemed to be a faint, familiar breath flowing in the air. The smell was like decayed dipterocarp, a leftover leftover from the upper class, often found on unfavored concubines and favored slaves.

His whole body shivered, his hair stood on end, and he looked into the darkness.

A hazy figure flickered in the moonlight.

He was so frightened that he knelt and crawled over: "S-Sir, you - why are you back?"

"Sir seemed very surprised when he saw me. Why, did he even think that I didn't dare to go back to Jingdezhen?" After that night, everyone in Raozhou Prefecture knew that he had killed Sun Min, but where was the proof? Did anyone see him kill someone?

Nothing at all.

What's more, An Jiu was never a deserter.

"Sir, I just came back late at night. Where did you go?"

The whole town was talking about such a big noise, so he must have heard about it, right? Zhou Yuan's thoughts flew into the distance unknowingly.

In the afternoon, Hu Tianyao went out in full force and rushed to each ferry. The movements were so big that even if he was sitting at home, the news would spread wings and fly to him. Not long after, almost all the doctors in the town went to the Hutian kiln. It was very lively going in and out. They all said that Xu Dadong's family was seriously ill.

After Wang Yu, Xu Zhong is the only overlord on the list of the best private kilns in the world. If he dies, it will mean the end of an era where all talents gather together.

You must know that when Xu Zhong and Wang Yu were in their heyday, Jingdezhen ceramics were widely admired and moved towards the north and south. The three kilns and nine societies of that period could be said to have an unprecedented gathering of talented people. The glaze firing in the kiln is full of whimsical ideas, and everything is perfect.

It is a pity that the world has changed with each passing day. In just a few years, Jingdezhen's life has undergone many changes. If there is no eunuch's handwriting in it, who can agree?

Zhou Yuan vaguely felt that this matter was weird and had the smell of conspiracy. Just as he was planning the follow-up, several people suddenly barged in from nowhere and kidnapped him without saying a word.

Only later did he learn that it was Xu Zhiliu's former residence in Yunshuijian, but now it had been turned into a conspiracy place by a group of madmen, using the cover of the dead. What shocked him even more was that the leader of the madmen was actually Liang Peiqiu!

They have no scruples in bringing the matter of "showing off" to the table for discussion, and there is no mistake or omission from the personnel team to the details of the joint. After the crowd dispersed one by one, Liang Peiqiu walked behind the screen like a leisurely stroll and asked him what he thought.

Just as he was about to speak, Liang Peiqiu said again: "This is the escape plan I have planned for my husband."

He just thought it was ridiculous: "What's the way out? You keep talking about showing off, but actually conspire to revolt and kill the imperial officials? Do you know that this is contempt for the king's law and will lead to death?"

"You must die a worthy death."

When she said that, he knew that she had made up her mind, but why did she involve him?

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want to know the exact whereabouts of An Jiu."

"He has not returned to Jingdezhen yet, or he may have absconded."

"Then why don't you leave, sir?"

As he said, if An Jiu was defeated due to the "Oriole Behind" incident and was worried about being retaliated by Sun Min, so he fled early in fear of crime, then how could Zhou Yuan, as an aide, end up well? Not leaving usually doesn't mean that you don't want to leave, but that you can't leave.

Zhou Yuan was guessed by him and said, "You..."

"An Jiu will be back."

She was not questioning, but affirming, and it was this affirmation that made Zhou Yuan panic. An Jiu's desperado-like demeanor was driving him crazy, and Liang Peiqiu's understanding of An Jiu made his hair stand on end.

How could she be so sure that An Jiu would come back and set up a dragnet in advance to catch the turtle in the urn. With such a temperament, she is actually a woman.

Zhou Yuan looked at the woman in front of him again and again. She was still dressed in the old style, plain and pure, with a pure face. However, the coldness between her brows was as frightening as frost in June.

This is the Liang Peiqiu he has never seen before.

Thinking about the various behaviors in Hutian kiln today, something must have happened.

He didn't want to and was unwilling to wade into that muddy water. Unexpectedly, she said, "Sir, you have heard all our plots. Even if I want to let you go, you can't go far. Since you are going to die sooner or later, if you die here, at least you can get something." A whole corpse."

He was horrified, who wants to die? Death in whose hands is not death? If An Jiu hadn't been the kind of ruthless person who would chase traitors to the ends of the earth and kill them, he would have run away long ago.

"You don't have to threaten me. If I fall into your hands, I have nothing to say. I'll kill or cut into pieces as you please."

"Sir, you still have relatives alive."

"What did you say!"

"Your relatives are still waiting for you." She said lightly, without any warmth on her face.

It was only then that he truly looked at that woman without daring to look down upon her.

He didn't expect that the weak young man, oh no, the weak woman, who he once treated as a puppet, would one day turn into the evil spirit of Yama and haunt him until he could not breathe.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but sigh.

He stepped forward resignedly and bowed close to An Jiu's ear.

For a long time, a faint light appeared in the silent night, and the soft light covered the eunuch's white skin. An Jiu seemed to be awakening from a big dream, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, orchid fingers around his eyes, and sang a cappella: "I think of the peach blossom horse back then." Divination is majestic, and the enemy's blood splashes on the pomegranate skirt."

You should fulfill your responsibilities as long as you are alive, how can you spare an inch of land for others!

It doesn’t matter whether you are a king or a clown, I can stop a million soldiers with one sword.

If I don’t take command, who will take command? If I don’t lead the troops, who will lead them?

Ask the servant to quickly adjust the military uniform with me, and go to the school field with the commander's seal to command the three armies.

The last line is from the Peking Opera "Mu Guiying Takes Command"