Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 92 Part 2: Travelling Together

Egrets

Jiang Li pondered before saying: “Not going back, let’s go to Yan Yu Pavilion.” 

“Yan Yu Pavilion?” Tong’er and Baixue were both astonished and asked, “what kind of place is that?”

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“It’s a building in the vicinity of Bailu1 Bay, heard the scenery looking at the rain is very beautiful. Having returned to Yanjing for so long but just recently heard this name and have never seen. Today’s rain is very good, just perfect, letting people see its elegance. Seizing the occasion, let’s go there in a while.”

Baixue always listened to Jiang Li and totally did not object. Upon seeing this, Tong’er could only agree. But she looked at Jiang Li and asked: “Where did miss hear about Yan Yu Pavilion? This servant has never heard about it even once.” 

“Heard other people talking about it by chance.” Jiang Li said faintly: “It’s not a well-known place, so very few people know about it. Isn’t there a sentence saying, `the most magnificent scenery is usually hidden away in a no man’s corner’.”

Tong’er nodded thoughtfully.

Jiang Li drank the tea in front of her, her thoughts flew far away. 

At that time, she miscarried due to the matter happening at mother Shen’s birthday banquet. Her vitality was greatly injured and she was bed-ridden. When she learned of Xue Zhao’s death, she climbed up with difficulty. However, Tongxiang was too far away from Yanjing and she was incapable of dragging her sick body to move Xue Zhao’s skeletons back to Tongxiang. Mother Shen also would never allow her to do so. She treated this as the Shen family’s disgrace and she was not allowed to go out of the door and be a disgrace. Collecting Xue Zhao’s corpse was the only thing that Shen Yurong would tolerate.  

Shen Yurong told her, Yan Yu Pavilion was a pretty good place, off the beaten track with elegant landscape. It’s just right for Xue Zhao’s bones to be buried here. If there’s a chance in the future, waiting for her to get better, then she would be allowed to bring Xue Zhao’s bones back to his homeland.

At that time, she was under pressure, frail, with nobody to depend on, thus moved to tears towards Shen Yurong. A scandal befell her, but Shen Yurong was still considerate towards her based on the past relationship, he was really very good. 

But only later did she know that her own matter was brought about by Shen Yurong’s hand. Princess Yongning colluded with dog officials to kill Xue Zhao, was it possible for Shen Yurong to not know? They were murderers, yet still feigning a sympathetic, sorrowful look, truly making people feel disgusted. 

Thinking of this, Jiang Li frowned, feeling that Yan Yu Pavilion being good also came from Shen Yurong’s idea. Perhaps there’s also Princess Yongning’s thoughts inside. She didn’t wish Xue Zhao’s after-death to still be arranged by these two people. There’s no other way now, but there would inevitably be a day, the sooner the better, where she could bring Xue Zhao away from Yan Yu Pavilion, to depart from Yanjing.

Jiang Li put down the teacup and said: “I’m full, let’s go.”

Tong’er and Bai Xue faintly sensed that Jiang Li was somewhat melancholic. They glanced at each other, each one was baffled, but they could only follow Jiang Li and left. 

Bailu Bay was located on a lake near Yanjing. In the previous dynasty, there’s a scholar living there, raising a flock of egrets. After the scholar passed away, the egrets also flew away. However, the name Bailu Bay was still retained. Yan Yu Pavilion was situated not too far away from Bailu Bay. 

Xue Zhao’s burial mound was located under the peach tree behind Yan Yu Pavilion. 

This was the first time Tong’er and Bai Xue came to Bailu Bay. They saw the clear bluish green water of the lake, the Yan Yu Pavilion had six stories altogether, standing at the top and looking down, sitting inside the pavilion as if in the midst of rain and fog. Fine and dense ripples appeared on the lake water, the sky and the water merged, creating their own color. 

Tong’er was very excited and said: “Really beautiful! Miss, the rain from this Yan Yu Pavilion is really very beautiful!”

Jiang Li smiled and said: “You two sit down for a while, I’ll take a look at that peach tree.”

Baixue hurriedly said: “This servant will go too.”

“No need.” Jiang Li stopped her, “there’s nobody here, I’ll just take a look and will quickly return. It’s okay.” 

She didn’t allow any refusal and left the pavilion. 

Not too far away, the peach tree was the same as before, standing quietly in its original place. The flowers on the tree had completely withered long ago, not a single blossom adorned it. The huge tree became desolate and bleak.  

Under the tree, a very small burial mound sat. 

Jiang Li stood in front of the grave with an umbrella.

On the way to the capital, Xue Zhao was robbed and killed by bandits, his body abandoned in the river. The people at that time all said that. Therefore, when she finally saw Xue Zhao’s face, he had changed beyond recognition. If it weren’t for the birthmark on Xue Zhao’s body, Jiang Li simply didn’t dare to believe that the spirited youngster was now this ice-cold body.

He suffered inhuman torture before he died, the knife marks on his body made Jiang Li have lingering fears upon recalling. She was not suspicious at that time, only until after he died did she know that everything was instructed by Princess Yongning. So those knife scars were really not done by bandits, rather, they were done by Princess Yongning’s people.  

She originally thought finding an official might aid her, but unexpectedly, she sank into another trap. It’s hard for Jiang Li to imagine the grief and despair in Xue Zhao’s heart in his final moments. 

Even after his death, he could only stay in this no man’s land, without even a place to protect him when it rained. 

Jiang Li softly brought her umbrella down and placed it on top of the burial mound. As if in this way, it could protect Xue Zhao from the wind and rain from above. As if the burial mound in front of her was a smiling and happy youngster. 

She closed her eyes and silently said in her heart: “Ah Zhao, elder sister is here.”

Footnotes:

1: Bailu 白鹭: egret 1.