What is the sentence before "hanging the southeast branch" "Peacock flies southeast" by the way

When the government officials heard about this, they knew they would never leave. Wandering under the tree in the courtyard, hanging from the southeast branch.

Translation:

When Jiao Zhongqing heard about this, he knew in his heart that he would be separated from Liu Lanzhi forever. After wandering under the trees in the courtyard for a while, he hung himself on a branch facing the southeast.

This sentence comes from the Han Dynasty Yuefu "Peacock Flying Southeast"

The original meaning is to hang oneself on a branch in the southeast direction. The poem "Peacock Flies Southeast", which has 1,785 words and more than 350 lines, seems to have a special liking for the description of plants. There are pampas grass as tough as silk, trees damaged by cold wind, garden orchids covered by severe frost, and some. Pines, cypresses and sycamores adorn the cemetery in all directions.

The author obviously pays great attention to the description of plants, but he avoids mentioning the name of the tree in the courtyard where Jiao Zhongqing hanged himself in two places: First, in the preface, it says, "When Zhongqing heard about it, he also hanged himself in the tree in the courtyard. "; Secondly, there is a line in the poem "Wandering under the tree in the courtyard, hanging from the southeast branch." This suspense greatly attracts the reader's interest.

Extended information:

"Wandering under the tree in the courtyard, hanging from the southeast branch" Character image:

From the author's character creation, Jiao Zhongqing is loyal to love but not Dare to fight directly, be cowardly and reserved, resist passively, endure humiliation, be kind and filial, and finally embark on the path of rebellion and no return for the sake of love.

It can be seen that he is a positive character praised in the poem, and Jiao Zhongqing has a good image of working in Lujiang Mansion, and has a certain identity and cultural connotation, which is enough to serve as the face of a family. Then the mulberry tree, which has never been favored by Feng Shui because its name is homophonic with "mourning", can be excluded.

Judging from the fact that Jiao Zhongqing used it to hang himself and placed it in the courtyard, the courtyard tree must be mature and taller than two meters, with strong, stable branches with flat angles, no thorns, and no sharp leaves. , then shrubs and small trees such as pomegranates, hibiscus, willows, bamboos, pines, cypresses, laurels, etc. can be excluded.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Peacock Flying Southeast