A pure heart in a jade pot - Chapter 65
Ning Jin said smugly, "Don't underestimate this dish. The way it's made is quite special." He glanced at Mo Yan and added, "Even if you learn how to make it, it won't help. Even the vinegar in this small dish for dipping the crab meat is specially brewed, unlike ordinary aged vinegar. If you go back to Sichuan, where else can you find such a delicious dish?"
"Sigh, you're right." Mo Yan became increasingly frustrated.
"There are still so many delicious things to eat in the capital," Ning Jin coaxed gently. "Wouldn't it be a shame to leave like this?"
Mo Yan sighed as she ate the crab meat, then resolutely swallowed it in one bite, saying earnestly, "Then I'll eat more today." She turned to look at Zhan Zhao, her eyes full of anticipation: "Will you come to Shu to see me?"
Zhan Zhao was taken aback: "I think so, if I have the time."
Mo Yan said happily, "When the time comes, could you bring me some of the crab vinegar from Zuixianlou?"
Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, neither nodding nor shaking his head. He had just casually agreed, but now he felt a little guilty: he was busy with official duties all day long, and even if he wanted to see her, he didn't know when he would have the time. If he casually agreed to see her but couldn't go all the time, wouldn't he be letting her down?
Seeing his smile, Mo Yan took it as a yes, but then she thought of Bai Yingyu and sighed softly, "Miss Bai has gone to the border. I wonder if anyone will go to see her."
She always felt guilty towards Bai Yingyu, believing that Bai Yingyu had ended up in such a miserable state because she was trying to help her.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao and Ning Jin both fell silent.
"By the way... how do we get to the border?" Ning Jin asked Zhan Zhao after taking a sip of wine.
Zhan Zhao thought for a moment before saying, "Generally, prisoners are escorted out of Kaifeng Prefecture, to Henan Prefecture, then through Hezhong Prefecture, across the Fen River and the Luo River, to Qingzhou."
“Fen River, Luo River…” Ning Jin paused, as if remembering something, “I heard that in the past, a prisoner jumped into the Fen River, is that true?”
Zhan Zhao did not answer immediately, but looked at him a few more times before turning his gaze away and pretending not to care, saying, "It is true. When the boat was in the middle of the river, a few hot-tempered people took advantage of the officers' inattention and jumped into the water. It is not surprising."
It's not surprising that he was thrown into the water—Mo Yan was immediately overjoyed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Watching the two of them chat idly, as if nothing was amiss, she grew suspicious. She turned to observe Zhan Zhao, who remained calm, pouring himself a small glass of wine and sipping it slowly, showing no unusual behavior. Perhaps she was just imagining things, Mo Yan hesitated and looked away. How could someone like Zhan Zhao, who only acts according to the law, possibly hint at a way to save Bai Yingyu, especially such an unorthodox method?
"Those people drowned, and the authorities didn't pursue the matter? Have they found their bodies?" She poured Zhan Zhao another cup of wine, trying to ingratiate herself, and asked cautiously.
"The Fen River is swift, so how could we possibly find it? We had no choice but to give up."
Zhan Zhao felt ashamed in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.
"Those people are really... really pitiful." It seems this method is feasible. Mo Yan couldn't hide her excitement. Although she tried her best to speak in a sorrowful tone, the smile on her face was obvious.
Zhan Zhao and Ning Jin exchanged glances and both sighed inwardly, knowing that this girl was guileless and couldn't hide her emotions at all. Fortunately, there was no one else present.
The following day, Bai Baozhen was buried. Although Ning Jin did not appear in person, he had arranged for a fine coffin to be delivered the night before to place Bai Baozhen's body inside. He also had a stonemason quickly carve a tombstone and send it over. Bao Zheng also sent Wang Chao and Ma Han, ostensibly to escort Bai Yingyu, but in reality to handle her funeral arrangements.
Mo Yan and her two senior brothers arrived to help, as did Zhan Zhao.
Because it was Judge Bao who showed leniency beyond the law, the mourning, weeping, and guarding of the spirits were all omitted. On this day, only the sending off and guiding of the spirits were performed.
In the countryside outside the capital, the wind blows, flames flicker, and ashes of paper money fly everywhere.
Bai Yingyu knelt before the tomb, dressed in mourning clothes, which made her face appear even paler. It was Mo Yan who had sent this mourning dress to her in prison early that morning.
She remained silent, tears not streaming down her face, quietly burning paper money and kneeling before the grave for a long time. Zhan Zhao, Mo Yan, and the others stood behind her, speechless. Although they sympathized with her loneliness and helplessness, they knew that it was all because of Bai Baozhen's misdeeds, and they didn't know how to comfort her.
After the paper money was burned, Fang Yingying stood up and bowed to Zhan Zhao and the others. Mo Yan quickly stepped forward to help her up.
"I have something I want to say to my father," she said softly.
Everyone understood that she probably didn't want them to hear her words, so they all wisely turned and left.
Mo Yan patted her back and awkwardly advised, "Don't be too sad."
Bai Yingying nodded and gave her a forced smile. She watched her turn and leave, her gaze filled with sorrow and determination: her marriage had been called off, her father had died tragically, and her relatives and friends were avoiding her like the plague. Rather than wandering helplessly in a foreign land, she would rather follow her father to the afterlife and have a clean end.
Slowly turning around, she suddenly lunged forward and rammed her head into the tombstone—
This sudden change was completely unexpected by everyone.
Zhan Zhao and the others had already gone far away, and it was too late for them to turn back and snatch her back. Although Mo Yan was close by, her movements were too slow, and she only managed to grab a small corner of Bai Yingyu's clothes. Just as Bai Yingyu was about to crash into the tombstone, at the critical moment, someone suddenly rushed in front of her and stopped her. It was Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen was traveling with Mo Yan. Because of his poor eyesight, his hearing was more sensitive than that of ordinary people. Hearing that the footsteps were not right, he didn't need to turn around before he flew out and narrowly saved Bai Yingyu.
"Are you alright?" Seeing her body slump down, Mo Yan rushed forward and asked anxiously, "Why did you try to kill yourself? Even if you wanted to die, you should have jumped into the water. Why did you think of hitting a rock?"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao sighed inwardly, feeling a vague urge to bang his head against a rock. He quickly pulled Mo Yan away to prevent her from continuing her nonsense, especially since Wang Chao and Ma Han were present.
Mo Yan then saw Xiao Chen pressing his lower back and asked curiously, "Second Brother, what's wrong?"
Just now, when Bai Yingyu bumped into him, Xiao Chen's lower back hit the edge of the stone tablet, causing a tingling and numb pain. When he touched it, it was warm and slippery.
Mo Yan peeked out and exclaimed, "Ah! There's blood!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yingyu looked up and saw the bloodstains on Xiao Chen's hands. She immediately felt extremely guilty and hurriedly said, "Are you... are you badly injured? It's all my fault, I..."
"It's good that you know you're wrong." Xiao Chen remained indifferent. "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. To harm ourselves is the height of filial impiety."
After saying that, he walked away on his own. Fearing that his senior brother might have trouble walking, Li Xu quickly caught up with him.
A crow perched on a high branch, cawing a few times. Bai Yingyu sat there, watching the gradually blurring figure in green robes, as if in a dream.
Chapter 53
Two days after Bai Yingyu was escorted to the border, Xiao Chen and the others packed their belongings, bid farewell to Bao Zheng, and went out through the side door, where they ran into Zhan Zhao, who was leading his horse out the door.
"Are you going back?"
Zhan Zhao stopped in his tracks, and although he felt a pang of regret, he still smiled at them.
Mo Yan was delighted to see him and nodded to him with a smile: "I went to say goodbye to you earlier, but you weren't there. Luckily, I ran into you here."