Chapter 2, The Divided Bright Moon (4)

She did not know the purpose of Jingyi's visit to the porcelain kiln, but she still remembered why she had come.

Jing Yi furrowed his brows and slowly stood up. He did not say that he did not remember, but everyone in the room, except for the excited and trembling Elder Zhang, could see the thick layer of confusion on Jing Yi's handsome, ethereal face.

Perhaps it is indeed something disgraceful, but seeing the expression on Leng Yue's face, at this moment, even if she were to hear something more disgraceful, there was no room left for her face to darken further. Thus, Jing Yi, in a spirit of resignation, said, "It doesn't matter... please go ahead and speak."

A sigh

Watch the cooking time

Seeing the slightly questioning gaze of Zhang Laowu upon her, Leng Yue calmly added, "I am his wife, and he is accompanying me to view the porcelain."

Zhang Laowu paused for a moment, and neither Jing Yi nor Leng Yue urged him. For a time, the three of them fell silent, only hearing the crackling sound of the firewood burning and popping in the kiln, along with the faint sounds of other workers outside finishing their meals and starting their tasks.

A few sounds of chopsticks falling to the ground were heard in the crowd

Leng Yue was momentarily taken aback, her expression softened, and her voice was no longer as vigorous as when she had just shouted at Jing Yi. She spoke politely and respectfully, saying, "Are you the master who came to fire the kiln on behalf of your grandson?"

Now that I think about it, indeed, this matter is worth him asking an elder to swear by his ancestors never to speak of it again

Before Zhang Laowu truly revealed the most important matter, Jing Yi, with a look of sudden realization, said, "Ah, I remember now! You are that esteemed elder! It has been several years since we last met, and I truly did not recognize you, haha, haha, haha..."

Ling Yue was taken aback, her spine instantly straightened, and she looked at Jing Yi in astonishment

No one knew what had happened, so no one stepped forward, until an old man with white hair and a hunched back, holding a bowl of noodles in one hand and leaning on a cane with the other, limped out of the kiln room. Upon seeing Jingyi squatting obediently on the ground, he trembled, and with a "crack," both the bowl and the noodles fell to the ground.

The fourth ancestor of the Jing family appeared somewhat dazed, still squatting on the ground, with a look on his face that bore an expression that could not be more obvious.

How has this turned into a matter of injuring people again

On that day, two strong men inexplicably cornered me in a narrow alley and beat me up..." Zhang Laowu said, patting his not-so-agile right leg, "This leg was injured by those two... At that time, you suddenly appeared out of nowhere, fought with them, and even got slashed on the spine!

I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong

... ...

Jing Yi let out a weak sigh; he had indeed said such words before, but he truly could not recall when he had ever advised an elderly gentleman of this age with such remarks

Old Zhang, leaning on his cane, wobbled as he got up from the ground, his voice even more aggrieved than Jing Yi's, "Fourth Young Master... you truly have forgotten, haven't you? It was you who repeatedly instructed me several times, forbidding me from ever speaking of it in my lifetime!"

Jing Yi seems to have never heard of it either, "I don't remember..."

... ...

Sneezing itself is not a big deal; what matters is that the two were indeed a bit too close. Suddenly, Jing Yi could only cover his mouth and did not have time to turn his face away. Thus, there was a suppressed sneeze followed by a dull thud, as Jing Yi's forehead accurately struck against Leng Yue's forehead.

Especially that old man who dropped his rice bowl came forward, his eyes shining as he stared at Jing Yi, his voice trembling with excitement, "Ancestral... my ancestor! Is this... is this Young Master Jing, the Fourth?"

Thus, when Zhang Laowu spoke again, his voice had dropped to an extreme low, yet Jing Yi and Leng Yue still heard him with utmost clarity

Why don't you remember...

Although Jing Yi spoke while still crouching, his words were sufficiently resonant and powerful. Zhang Laowu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately raised his hand and pointed towards the kiln, saying, "Can we go in there to talk? This batch is about to be fired, and I cannot leave; I need to keep an eye on the temperature."

The cold moon lifted the corners of her mouth into a bright smile, dissipating the last traces of anger on her face. She raised her hand in a gesture of respect and said, "I have long heard of your esteemed name, Master. It is truly an honor to meet you today at the porcelain kiln. I happen to have some questions regarding kiln firing that I do not quite understand, and I hope you can offer some guidance."

He was wearing the official attire of a fourth-rank civil official, and it was evident that he was an official. He hesitated because he clearly sensed a request hidden within the question.

Leng Yue looked at Zhang Laowu, who was lying on the ground in a disheveled state, rubbing his still throbbing forehead, her feelings difficult to articulate

I, I would like to talk to you about... my grandson, he has committed murder

Jing Yi glanced at the dark, shadowy face of Leng Yue, silently raised his hand, cradled the back of his head, and squatted back down.

What is destined to happen cannot be avoided, and it arrives unexpectedly

The Four Young Masters, it truly is the Four Young Masters... I, I am Zhang Laowu! Do you not remember me?

Jing Yi was momentarily taken aback, and the word "yes" lingered on her lips, but ultimately, she did not utter it

Swearing an oath before the ancestral tablet

Leng Yue was originally intently watching the brightly flickering firewood pile when she heard Zhang Laowu's remark. She was taken aback and turned around, only to meet Jing Yi's still bewildered face.

Have you experienced it?

When the kiln workers heard the sound and came out from the various rooms around the furnace, they saw a tall woman in red with her pale neck bowed, her hands tightly covering her forehead, and her eyes blazing as she glared at the court official squatting at her feet, tightly holding the back of his head.

The cold moon startled her as she looked up, only to discover that the two of them were being watched by a crowd of people as if they were performing monkeys. It was lunchtime, and among the twenty or thirty people, almost everyone had a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Some were squatting, while others were standing, all the while hastily shoveling food into their mouths. The scene was truly...

The two people were originally standing not far apart. Leng Yue took half a step forward, and he also took half a step forward, reducing the distance between their noses to the width of two fists.

As soon as Zhang Laowu entered, he approached the furnace, picked up a long iron hook standing beside it, and skillfully reached into the fire to pull out a piece of glowing material to examine its quality. He sighed with relief, as if a doctor had found a good pulse. After setting down the iron hook, he turned to Jing Yi and said, "Fourth Young Master... you truly have forgotten, you saved my life three years ago."

Jing Yi felt a chill in her heart

He just couldn't recall it for a moment, as the cause and purpose of this matter were not about saving people for him; saving people was merely something he did casually, and he forgot it completely in an instant, let alone the fact that it had been three years since then

"Sir..." Jing Yi remained motionless, crouching with his head in his hands, his voice filled with a sense of grievance as if he were about to cry. "If you want me to remember something, just say it directly... This way, it is not beneficial for either of us."

This knife is vividly remembered by Leng Yue; three years ago, it nearly cost Jing Yi his life. Today, while he was taking a shower, she still saw the striking scar slanting across his back, which was as smooth and white as Han white jade.

In the cold moonlight, her eyes clearly sparkled with embers, yet Jing Yi felt a subtle chill creeping over him under her gaze. Based on his six months of experience as an official in the Dali Temple, he judged that if he were to retreat at this moment, the consequences would be unimaginable. Thus, Jing Yi steeled himself and took a step forward.

Could it really be something significant

The cold moon glanced sideways, and Jing Yi suddenly felt that nothing in the world was of great significance. "Please feel free to speak, I will certainly provide an explanation to your ancestors."

Upon entering, Leng Yue carefully scanned the room. This place was situated at the wood-firing entrance; although it was referred to as a room, it was essentially just a shelter for the kiln workers to shield themselves from the wind, rain, and extreme temperatures. Inside, firewood was piled on one side, while large redwood boxes awaited loading on the other. At one side was the entrance, directly facing the wood-firing opening of the kiln.

I do not know you

Indeed, this is the genuine Fourth Young Master of Jing. However, at that moment, Leng Yue was unsure whether she could respond to this question, as the elder had made it clear from the outset that this inquiry pertained to his ancestors

Jing Yi has always said that he lost a bet playing dice, and he deserves the knife he received; even his mother did not feel sorry for him

In just a brief sentence, Jingyi felt a chill run down his spine.

Jingyi is a bit hesitant

She has never heard of him saving anyone

Since he became the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, there have been no good matters brought to him for assistance

At such a distance, Jingyi could clearly smell the faint scent of powder on Lengyue. This fragrance wafted into Jingyi's nose, leisurely swirling around, and for a moment, Jingyi lost control

Oh... oh! What a coincidence, what a coincidence..." Zhang Laowu tightly gripped his cane, as if he had mustered up the courage several times before he let out a heavy sigh and said, "Fourth Young Master, I... I was just thinking yesterday about how I could meet you, and here you are today, truly... truly...

Indeed! As soon as Jing Yi heard this, Zhang Laowu immediately perked up, his voice becoming a bit more cheerful. He raised his hand and pointed to Jing Yi's waist, specifically at the small silver bracelet woven with red silk thread that was hanging from his belt. "If I hadn't seen you take this bracelet from those two people, I wouldn't have dared to recognize you!"

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Laowu's face visibly stiffened for a moment, his lips trembled slightly, and then he said, "It is... it is me. My grandson has left the city to return to his hometown for a few matters... I will take care of it for a few days, just a few days..."

Old Zhang Wu, in a fit of anxiety, jabbed his cane into the ground a few times. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he slapped his forehead, raised his hand, and hastily tousled his neatly arranged white hair into a complete mess. After that, he pulled at his well-fitted clothes, leaving them in disarray. Once he had finished messing up his hair and clothes, he threw his cane to the ground and lay down, eagerly asking Jing Yi, "Like this... like this, do you remember now!"

"It cannot be said, it cannot be said..." Uncle Zhang paused with his cane, "Back then, you made me swear on the ancestral tablet!"

Thus, Lengyue lowered her head to glance at her ancestors

Jingyi

I do not have, I do not have, I do not have ... ...

The sudden change of the cold moon momentarily left Zhang Laowu somewhat taken aback, and he could only repeatedly say, "I am unworthy, I am unworthy..."

The color of the official's attire indicates that this is no small official position

The workers here are all aware of the close relationship between their boss and the officials, and they know that occasionally a few young officials from the porcelain kiln will visit. However, those in official attire have always only indulged in eating, drinking, and socializing in the manor at the front, at most taking a look at the items in the storeroom. None have ever come to the kiln area, let alone someone of such high rank... and adopting such an unpretentious demeanor...

... ...

Jing Yi felt that Zhang Laowu's words were sufficient for Leng Yue to understand the most critical matter, so he momentarily lacked the courage to look at Leng Yue's expression at that moment. Zhang Laowu did not give him this opportunity; before Jing Yi could finish his sigh, Zhang Laowu's expression darkened, he cleared his throat, glanced outside, and lowered his voice to say, "Young Master Jing Si, I have heard people say... you are now a high official in the Dali Temple?"

It was not because Lengyue had reported his family background for him, but rather because Lengyue's voice was calm as if she had not heard anything at all just now

Not very good

I sneezed

As soon as Zhang Laowu mentioned this knife, Jing Yi suddenly realized what he had been desperately trying to make him remember.

He did not speak, but Leng Yue spoke on his behalf, "He is the Fourth Rank Junior Official of the Dali Temple."

As soon as Zhang Laowu finished speaking, Leng Yue grabbed Jing Yi by the collar and lifted him off the ground. Taking advantage of Jing Yi's official attire, she dispersed the group of porcelain kiln workers who had forgotten to eat while watching. Supporting Zhang Laowu, she entered the kiln room.

The cold moon did not retreat, but remained steadfastly fixed upon him like a mountain.