But the bright moon shines on the ditch

That night, people were singing and dancing along the Qujiang River, and the melodious sounds could be heard all the time.

The carriage rushed to a restaurant on the shore. As soon as the curtains were raised, a voice came out: "Are you sure? Is there someone inside?"

Cong Rong nodded and lowered her voice: "Miss, please slow down."

With her help, Wu Jia stepped off the footrest, pulled up his cloak, and hid his entire face in the darkness to ensure that no one would recognize him, so he dared to set foot in this mixed place late at night.

After entering the restaurant, the boy who was on guard earlier was already waiting at the corner, leading the master and servant to the same place.

This restaurant is a famous restaurant in Qujiang. It is modeled after the folk style of a stilted building in southwest China. From a distance, it looks like a pagoda and bell tower, and from a closer look, it is as bright as a yellow crane climbing to the top.There are several beams interspersed outside, connecting the buildings in the building. Looking up, the lights are like stars, scattered among the towers.

Wu Jia went all the way up to the top of the building. He was no longer blocked by the building, and a strong wind blew in his face, making his cloak rustle.Cong Rong was pushed back by the sharply increasing gust of wind. Worried about Wu Jia's safety, she subconsciously pulled on her sleeves.

It was also the first time for Wu Jia to go up to a tall building, especially the fragile spire, which looked like an ant when placed in the inner city. She had never thought that one day she would become that ant, facing the danger of being torn apart by the wind at any time. .However, she still tried her best to comfort herself and Cistanche Rong, waving her hand and asking them to wait in the corridor. She stepped forward alone, holding on to the steep railing, and walked tremblingly to the end of the eaves.

If the top of the tower is an ant, then the high-rising cornice is a tentacle on the top of the ant's head, a corner that you won't even notice unless you look closely.

And just in that corner - there was a person sitting on the suspended beam, with one leg bent across the railing and the other leg hanging outside, unconsciously swaying with the body. Underneath was the bottomless darkness of Qujiang. water.

There are many painted boats along the river, where people are drinking and having fun. The splash of water when someone falls into one is a gift from the bustling night city.

Wu Jia's heart almost rose to his throat, and his voice became tight for no reason: "Xu, Xu Zhiliu, what are you going to do?"

The shaky figure on the railing turned his face. There was no need for a curtain to cover his ugly appearance. At this moment, he could be called the "White Stone Man".He was holding a wine flask in one hand, his eyes were enchanted, his hair was flying, and he was not only charming and suave, but also added a bit of decadent beauty, which made people tremble and couldn't take their eyes away.

Behind him is the vast dome and the vast starry field.

Wu Jia suddenly understood something.

Recently, representatives of Jingdezhen porcelain merchants came to Beijing. They walked around Honglu Temple every day, leaving early and returning late. Their movements were regular, but today they were late in returning, which caused chaos among the people below. I guess something must have happened.

Have you ever met someone from the past, or even gotten a glimpse of some unknown past?
She had been praised since she was a child for her good nature and good observation. Now that she saw through it, her mood that had been restless all night calmed down. She did not make any pretense and asked directly: "Have you found the real murderer?"

Xu Zhiliu's back stiffened, and he immediately raised his head to drink. The wine entered his throat and spread over his neck, making his chest feel wet.He swept the wetness casually without realizing it, causing his clothes to fly with him in an unruly manner.

Wu Jia had never seen Xu Zhiliu like this before, but he suddenly stood up and stood on the railing laughing.

She took a step forward and gritted her teeth to hold back her exclamation.

Xu Zhiliu was like a street acrobat, walking step by step on a railing that was almost as thin as a steel wire, testing little by little how much force the ants' thin tentacles could withstand.The smile steamed up in the night with the wine, and his eyes became clearer.

Not sure how much time had passed, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Wu Jia.

"There is no Xu Zhiliu left in the world... Miss Wu, we will all be together next week."

At this moment, Wu Jia understood his spontaneity, his indulgence and his indulgence, which were like a ritual of handover between the old and the new, taking the former Xu Zhiliu away with the wind forever beyond the sky.

The real Zhou Qiguang also died of serious illness at the age of 26, just in time for Yinghua.Xu Zhiliu is very similar to him in all aspects, so under Wu Fangyuan's operation, Xu Zhiliu becomes the new Zhou Qiguang, who will serve as the chief administrator of Honglu Temple and participate in this year's Wanshou Christmas.

For two people who had many regrets during their lives, this kind of handover and continuation of identity level cannot really give them peace of mind.Or in other words, Zhou Qiguang is dead, and Xu Zhiliu is the only one who needs to reassure himself.

He has never been able to adapt well to his new identity.

Until today, I met Liang Peiqiu at Honglu Temple.

-

Wu Jia didn't know how Xu Zhiliu persuaded Wu Fangyuan, but she knew what her father cared about. It was nothing more than a transaction involving power, but that was not what she was curious about.

She was always curious about only one question: "Have you found the real murderer?"

Xu Zhiliu suppressed her smile.

"Yeah..." His voice was very soft, too soft to be detected.The moment this murmur, which was more like a murmur meant for myself, fell to the ground, hot heat welled up in my eyes.

After enduring it all night, I finally couldn't bear the feeling of betrayal and cried shamelessly.

"I treat her like a jewel..."

"But she killed me."

From like to dislike, more than disgust?Why should I be disgusted?How should he start talking about this, and how should he explain it?The scene he saw outside the dark window during the day was like a red-hot iron, welding through his heart.

She lay beside the bed, undressing the man, applying medicine to him, and wiping the blood on his soap boots.

Her every frown, smile, and every move was still the same as before, so familiar, but he couldn't believe every word she said.Yes, even if Wu Yin sent him a letter telling him all the truth, he still couldn't believe it and had to verify it himself.

So, behind that small dark window, he heard the words that hurt him the most in his life.

"Sir, the number one folk kiln in the world is a huge temptation that any ceramics person cannot refuse, right? How can I, a commoner like me, avoid vulgarity?"

"That day at Hutian Kiln, the reason why I performed that scene and broke a leg was because I had to do it. Otherwise, everyone in the world would think that I forced him to death. The common man is not guilty of carrying the jade, and he wins the Spring and Summer Bowl. I am the one fighting, and I am the one who laughs in the end. If I don’t suffer a little, how can I dispel the jealousy of the world? Win their trust? How can I prevent the Anqing kiln from changing owners and avoid ending up like Xu Zhiliu?”

"If I really have any merit, it is just that I have the courage to pave the way for myself and plan what I need after everything happens."

"Who knows if it's true or not? Anyway, he is already a dead man."

Already a dead man.

It's a dead man.

How great would it be if you really died?At that moment he actually expected to die.But as Wu Fangyuan asked him, why didn't he die?If Xu Zhiliu could really choose to die, maybe he wouldn't have to bear the sorrow today!
Those few words kept echoing in his ears, constantly reminding him of her coldness and hypocrisy. After constantly verifying the facts, they told him that he had indeed fallen in love with a woman, and the only woman he had ever loved in his life, Kill him with your own hands.

He was in severe pain in his gut and his liver and intestines were broken. Thinking back to the day when he was pushed into the kiln entrance, the jade button swaying in the sea of ​​fire turned out to be completely fake!
It turned out to be true.

To this day, he shouldn't be worried about this anymore. He should have shed his last tear when his body turned into ashes. However, for some reason, when he thought of the figure lying humbly at the feet of the powerful, he still couldn't bear it. I couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Ms. Wu, did you know? It turns out that when you meet someone who cannot be killed in life or who dies without ending the fate, a hole will open in the heart, and the flesh and blood will be pulled, and the pain will make your eyes sore."

He gently wiped away the tears on his cheeks, "It turns out this is how it feels to have your soft ribs bitten."

Wu Jia was about to speak but stopped.

Among the thousands of places in the world, where is home? "My mother, Anan..." Xu Zhong, Shi Nian, and all the porcelain workers like Heizi, Hutian Kiln...

"Can not go back……"

After that, he pulled hard, and a piece of crescent-white rag was fully exposed from the depths of the belt, half hanging in the air, swinging in the wind.

He stared at the white with splitting eyes, the white that stayed with him day and night, his eyes were bloodthirsty and full of scars. Finally, he raised his arm and waved hard, and the crescent white drew an arc in the air and flew Floating into the distance.

The river laps at the shore, and the night is long.

From then on, Xu Zhiliu disappeared. /
At the same time, Wang Yunxian, who secretly avoided the entourage, was hiding in Liang Peiqiu's high-end private room, devouring the pastries and snacks she brought back.

Liang Peiqiu saw him devouring the food, and expected that the food at the hotel would not be better tonight. While pouring him tea, he helped him eat, and told him to eat slowly.

Wang Yunxian's cheeks were bulging, and he didn't forget to ask her: "It's so delicious. Where did you buy it?"

Liang Peiqiu paused and walked aside to clean her hands.

Wang Yunxian was focused on the cakes and didn't pay attention to her reaction. He swallowed a jujube cake in one gulp and his belly was rounded. Then he stopped and asked again, saying that he wanted to bring some food for the road before leaving Beijing.

Liang Peiqiu then spoke: "I didn't buy it from outside. When I left Honglu Temple, An Jiu asked someone to give it to me."

"Ahem." Wang Yunxian coughed hurriedly and stared at the broken cake on the table in front of him, "Isn't it poisonous?"

"No, there is a banquet at Honglu Temple today, and everything has been prepared at the table. Maybe he didn't like to eat, so he just gave it to me."

Wang Yunxian was alert: "When did the dog eunuch ever show kindness? Does Zhang Lei also have it?"

Liang Peiqiu shook his head.

Wang Yunxian looked at her and then looked at her again, knowing that something must have happened in Honglu Temple. He rubbed the debris on his hands and crossed his arms in a leisurely manner.

"Tell me, do you still want to hide it from me?"

Although An Jiujiu reminded her before leaving, Wang Yunxian was not considered "outside" to her. Ever since she made up her mind not to drive Wang Yunxian away forcibly, she would discuss everything with him and exchange information so that one person would not be killed. When the time comes, the other person can be prepared.

Therefore, she did not hide anything and confessed honestly. Speaking of the new injury on An Jiu's back, she was quite sad: "It was really cruel, I don't know who it was."

If it were the emperor's punishment, there would be no Anjiu among the guests at Honglu Temple's banquet today, not to mention the warm attitude of the pavilion chief, who seemed to regard him as a celebrity in front of the emperor.

After ruling out this possibility, there is only one possibility - lynching.

Nowadays, it seems that only one person can do it if a pottery inspector who is favored by the emperor dares to lynch him without making any announcement.

She and Wang Yunxian looked at each other and guessed the answer.

The man who was said to be in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and could help the emperor approve the red cabinet's memorials was highly trusted and had great power in the court, but wasn't he An Jiu's godfather?There are rumors outside that Xiao Jiu is his most beloved adopted son. How could it be so?

Wang Yunxian reasoned: "Maybe he knew about the bad things the dog eunuch did in Jiangxi, so I gave him a whip to remind him not to be too arrogant."

Liang Peiqiu shook his head: "There are old wounds underneath the new wounds, more than one." In fact, An Jiu's back was covered with dense whip wounds, with old and new wounds overlapping each other. If you look closely, it is not difficult to find traces of old wounds and new wounds. same.

Apparently it was done by the same person.

"He should be beaten more often."

"It's not surprising. I heard that there are all kinds of punishment methods in the inner court. There are many ways to make a young eunuch obedient, and whipping is really nothing in it."

"But I always feel that something is wrong." Liang Peiqiu sat down and looked like she wanted to have a serious discussion with him. "You said you have committed many crimes since childhood, right? When did Master punish you for not kneeling in the ancestral hall and copying books? Have they done anything to you?"

Wang Yunxian blinked.

"Besides, after being beaten so hard, how can this be love?"

"It makes sense." Wang Yunxian nodded and agreed a few words, then paused, slapped his forehead and stood up to glare at her, "Hey, how can you speak for the dog eunuch? You must be soft-hearted, right?"

Seeing Liang Peiqiu's silence, Wang Yunxian responded: "Have you ever seen good bamboo shoots sprout from bad bamboo? If it was really the bad old man who did it, think about what kind of life the dog eunuch lived? Could he be a good person? As the saying goes, don't treat evil with evil. He has done so many bad things for a small reason, which shows that he is a complete evil person. Evil people will be punished by evil people. The father and son ruined each other. That is their business. You don't need to sympathize with anyone. You have to be sincerely compassionate. Just look at me, poor me, we are the common people who suffer under the struggle between evil people... Peiqiu, you must not be confused, you know!"

"I know." Seeing that he didn't seem reassured, Liang Peiqiu repeated helplessly, "Yunxian, although I am a bit gentle and often intolerant, but when it comes to serious matters, I can distinguish the priorities. Don't worry, he won't have a chance this time. Go back again.”

The next day, Liang Peiqiu found Zhang Lei and asked about the list approved by Honglu Temple. She found that several items from Xu Zhiliu's collection had been selected and would be specially presented to the emperor as the "Top Ten Famous Porcelains" newly released in the 13th year of Wanqing.

There are two more works by Liang Peiqiu. The most outstanding one has gone through rounds of selections when she was in Jingdezhen and was designated as "Imperial Porcelain" - it was hers on top of Xu Zhiliu's leftovers. New product after burning.

Of course, except for her and Zhang Lei, no one else knew the inside. Only when An Jiu saw this new work and was fully sure about the longevity gift, they were able to hide it, mix it up with Xu Zhiliu's work, and engrave the Hutian Kiln's signature on it. , sent to Kyoto.

These will be used as evidence before the court, supplemented by the Book of the People and the Dragon Urn, to express love to the emperor and expose the evil deeds of An Jiu, thereby revealing the blue sky of Xu Zhiliu, a generation of talented people.

She wanted to clear his name.

She wanted the whole world to know what kind of person Xu Zhiliu was.

For this day, she did not hesitate to lock herself into a dragon kiln. She did not eat or drink in the place where Xu Zhiliu once turned to ashes. She meditated hard for several days before she came up with the idea of ​​"imperial porcelain".

This piece of imperial porcelain will definitely win her the opportunity to appeal to the imperial court.

She planned everything so well that she even managed to hide it from Zhang Lei.

Zhang Lei originally thought that she did this just to prevent the world from seeing Jingdezhen's jokes and to avoid disaster.Even if it is said to be lofty, at most it is for the sake of a future where private kilns share prosperity and loss, and for the long-term plan of Hutian kiln and Anqing kiln.But he never expected that behind these reasons, there was also her deep love for Xu Zhiliu Zhijian.

It was unimaginable for him that the two people who were regarded as rivals by the world were separated by a road of hell and remained committed to each other.

At this moment, he finally understood the importance of Xu Zhiliu in Liang Peiqiu's heart, but he could not just watch her die. When she revealed her plan, he tried his best to persuade her: "Liang Dadong's family, Zhang Lei is deeply touched by everything you have done for my young master's family. But where is that place? How dare you? If someone does something wrong, how can I go back and explain to Xu Dadong’s family? "

"Manager Zhang, I told you in advance because I want to shamelessly ask you to deal with the aftermath for me. If the incident fails, please ensure Yunxian's safety at all costs. Otherwise, leave it to Xu Dadong's family. He knows how to take care of it. Follow-up.”

"you……"

Zhang Lei was even more surprised. There was actually contact between Liang Peiqiu and Xu Zhong?Did Xu Zhong already know her plan?

Liang Peiqiu guessed what he was thinking and didn't explain much. He just said: "Yunxian is stubborn. If something happens to me, he may not be able to listen to his advice. When necessary, Manager Zhang does not need to be soft-hearted. He will directly tie up the person and send him to Saibei, the farther away he is." good."

"You really insist on this?"

Liang Peiqiu was silent for a while, then smiled and nodded towards Zhang Lei.

She still looks like a half-grown teenager when she smiles. She is clean, delicate and ambitious. She is dressed in plain satin and white clothes, which cannot hide her beauty at all.

Like the cold flowers in the cold moon.

Zhang Lei looked at him in shock: "You don't want to die?"

Liang Peiqiu said loudly: "He is worth it."

No one in this world knows why she only loves white, and no one knows that the white light that has been shining on her shoulders for more than ten years is the moon she loves.

From then on, Xu Zhiliu disappeared.

But Qiuqiu’s favorite thing is Bai Yueguang. Wuwuwuwu.