SPRING RIVER FLOWERS AND MOON - CHAPTER 5 PART 3

SPRING RIVER FLOWERS AND MOON - CHAPTER 5 PART 3

 

Translations by: Lily of the Valley

Chapter 5 Part 3: The Fifteenth Year of Xingping, It Seemed Fated to Be a Busy Autumn 

Bai Lu Zhou is located in the middle of the western part of the city, and to reach it from the ferry crossing, you have to travel along a waterway. Every spring, many white egrets gather along the shores, which is how it got its name.

Lady Luo's mother, Princess Changle of Qinghe, Xiao Yongjia, has been residing at the White Egret Manor on Bai Lu Zhou/White Egret Island for the past few years and seldom goes into the city.

The manor was a residence bestowed upon her by the late Emperor. After Lady Luo's uncle, Emperor Xingping, ascended the throne, he also gave her numerous treasures, and the interior was adorned extravagantly.

Lady Luo's trip here was to visit her mother.

She stood at the bow of the boat, facing the direction of Bai Lu Zhou as the wind blew against her.

Today, the wind on the river was a bit strong, and once the boat departed from the ferry crossing, it rocked quite vigorously.

Uncle Qi stayed close by her side, as if she were still a three-year-old child who might accidentally fall into the river. He kept urging Lady Luo to return to the cabin.

Lady Luo sighed and obediently went into the cabin.

When the boat arrived at Bai Lu Zhou, Lady Luo was carried by sedan chair to the manor, but her mother was not there.

A servant informed her that her mother had gone to the nearby Ziyun Temple.

Taoism was currently flourishing, and the Heavenly Masters' teachings were popular among the common people. Among the aristocrats and the royal family, there were also many believers.

For example, the brothers of the Lu family, all of them had the character "zhi" (之) in their names, which was because of their father, Lu Guang, who followed the Dao.

Ziyun Temple was a royal-established female Daoist temple. The temple's abbess, Liaozhenzi, was in her fifties, but she looked like she was in her early forties. She was reputed to be skilled in alchemy and was known for her youthful appearance. Lady Luo's mother had spent a long time on the island and often went to the temple to play chess and discuss Dao with Liaozhenzi.

So, Lady Luo had no choice but to go to Ziyun Temple.

The journey was not far, and she arrived quickly.

Xiao Yongjia was playing chess with Liaozhenzi. When she heard her daughter had come, she hurriedly got up.

Liaozhenzi, on the other hand, stood by and, upon seeing Lady Luo, set aside her chess pieces, smiled, and greeted her warmly, making a respectful gesture with her hands.

For some reason, Lady Luo didn't like this white-faced Daoist nun.

In any case, in this world, even when she met her Emperor uncle, she didn't have to bow, let alone pay attention to someone she disliked.

She ignored the Daoist nun and threw herself into her mother's arms, saying, "Mother, I fell two days ago!"

Xiao Yongjia was five years younger than Lady Luo's father, Gao Jie. She gave birth to Lady Luo when she was twenty years old and was now thirty-six, yet she still appeared remarkably young.

Dressed in an elegant Daoist robe, her extraordinary beauty was accentuated. Standing next to Lady Luo, some people might even believe she was the older sister.

Especially when compared to her father, who was nearing forty and already had silver in his hair. Lady Luo couldn't help but feel sympathy for her father. Although she didn't understand why her parents had reached the point of open separation, living apart for years and refusing to return to the city, to the extent that people in the entire Jiankang city laughed behind her father's back, saying that he feared his wife.

This was perhaps the only aspect of her father's life where people could gossip and criticize him behind his back.

Translations by: Lily of the Valley