Naturally, Li Ying didn't take the so - called "calamity" theory to heart. Although the blurry outline in the distance was hard to distinguish clearly at first glance, she already had a vague guess in her mind.
She gracefully curtsied to Princess Yongning and whispered, "Your Majesty is protected by the aura of the dragon. How could evil spirits approach? However, the people in Jingcheng, upon seeing such an unusual sight, are likely to be in a panic. If they can receive the protection of the Son of Heaven, wherever the dragon boat goes, the hearts of the people will surely turn to it."
"Your Highness, how about allowing this common woman and Master Lu to go ahead and scout the way first? You can accompany His Majesty and follow slowly."
Princess Yongning had the same thought and nodded. The small boat of Li Ying and Lu Xunguang filled its sails with the sea breeze and sped towards Jingcheng.
When they reached the nearby shoal, the two of them took the lead. As soon as they got off the boat, they rushed towards the crowded area.
Just by taking a far - off look, Li Ying was already certain of her guess.
The so - called "huge object" was not an evil spirit but a huge, stranded whale.
Presumably, after the hurricane, the high tide had caused the deep - sea whale to swim up. It followed the surging waves all the way but accidentally swam into the narrow shoal of Jingcheng. When the tide ebbed, it was stranded on the beach.
Whales roamed the deep sea, their whereabouts mysterious. Even though she had lived two lifetimes, this was the first time she had observed a stranded whale up close.
Li Ying felt her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, and her hands even trembled slightly.
She took a deep breath, pushed through the crowd, and rushed to the whale's side in a few steps.
This closer look left her even more shocked.
Maybe they had sailed extremely fast, or perhaps it was truly the will of fate. This whale still had a breath left! It seemed that it had been stranded for only a short time.
However, the autumn sun was still scorching. The whale's body had already peeled off due to the sun, covered in wounds. Some of the wounds were even caused by the reefs on the beach, revealing the bright red flesh.
Li Ying's heart tightened.
If a whale was unfortunately stranded, it would die within a few hours due to its inability to adapt to the terrestrial environment. Now, time was running out for this whale.
She didn't have time to go through the cumbersome process of reporting the details to the Son of Heaven layer by layer. Instead, she quickly called on the crowd gathered around to watch.
"Everyone, this is a stranded sperm whale. It still has breath. It's definitely not a calamity but a rare spectacle! Please join me and find a way to send this whale back to the sea!"
The whale let out heavy gasps, like a broken, huge bellows. The air around it was filled with a strong sense of death and decay.
The common people didn't understand the situation. How could they dare to get close just because of her few words?
Li Ying didn't have time to say more. She simply rolled up her sleeves, snatched two buckets from a fisherman, rushed to the sea, scooped up two full buckets of seawater, and without hesitation, poured them on the whale to keep its skin moist.
Although Lu Xunguang didn't understand the reason, seeing Li Ying's solemn expression, he winked at his servants.
The servants of the Lu family vied with each other, imitating Li Ying's actions. They scooped up seawater and poured it on the whale to cool it down.
Li Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Master Lu, we can't just watch this whale die on the beach. We must do our best to send it back to the sea!"
"The whale is extremely heavy. Ordinary human strength and boats definitely can't move it. For now, we can only wait for the high tide and rely on the buoyancy of the water."
However, there were still several hours until the high tide. Relying solely on the Lu family servants to sprinkle water to replenish the whale's moisture might not be enough.
They also had to dig deep ditches beside the whale to draw out some of the seawater from the sand bottom to moisten the whale's body.
Although what Li Ying said was unheard of, Lu Xunguang naturally had no objections. He immediately waved and called the prefect of Jingcheng over.
The prefect of Jingcheng saw that Lu Xunguang had also rolled up his sleeves and seemed ready to take the lead. A look of embarrassment appeared on his face.
He forced a smile and stiffly bowed to Lu Xunguang.
"Lord Lu, regarding the affairs of Jingcheng, it seems necessary to report to His Majesty before making a decision. It might not be appropriate for us to act on our own without permission."
Lu Xunguang ignored his embarrassment and said calmly, "Since you recognize my identity, then follow my orders. Don't say more."
The prefect of Jingcheng continued, "Lord Lu, you hold a high position and are in favor with the Son of Heaven. But I'm an unknown official. If His Majesty blames me for mobilizing the Jingcheng soldiers to do such a strange and seemingly childish thing... Please forgive me for not being able to comply."
Hearing the whale's painful gasps, Li Ying couldn't care less. Suddenly, she remembered the token that Princess Yongning had bestowed on her. If not now, when?
"Prefect, seeing this token is like seeing Princess Yongning herself. Can this token order your soldiers in Jingcheng?"
Princess Yongning...
The prefect of Jingcheng secretly calculated in his heart.
Although Princess Yongning was also a favorite in front of His Majesty, after all, she was a princess, not a prince who would inherit the throne in the future...
Her order...
Just as he was hesitating, Princess Yongning's clear voice rang out.
"What? The prefect of Jingcheng has such a big airs. Does he need this princess to order him personally before he will act?"
Li Ying happily turned around and saw that Princess Yongning had changed into a neat and capable outfit. She didn't wear any hairpins, and her long hair was simply pulled up into a single bun, looking heroic and charming.
She happily said, "Greetings to Princess Yongning!"
Princess Yongning stood beside Li Ying with a half - smile. She took Li Ying's hand and softly said, "A Ying, you've worked hard. Thank you for coming to check the situation."
Since the princess was so kind and close to Li Ying, a thin layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on the forehead of the prefect of Jingcheng.
How dare he be negligent? He quickly bowed and said, "Yes, yes, this official doesn't dare. I'll surely follow Princess Yongning's order."
He turned to the timid Jingcheng officials and common people behind him and shouted, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and follow Princess Yongning's order!"
Time was of the essence, so Li Ying didn't delay. She ordered everyone to carry water, dig sand, and if anyone had burn or sunburn ointment at home, bring it to apply on the whale's damaged skin to relieve its pain.
After everyone got busy, she looked at Princess Yongning in surprise.
It was expected that Lu Xunguang would act according to her wishes.
But Princess Yongning, without a single word of objection, allowed her to act first and report later. Moreover, without even knowing the whole story, she unhesitatingly supported Li Ying, which greatly exceeded her expectations.
Princess Yongning seemed to see her confusion and whispered with a smile, "A Ying, I'm different from my father."
"This princess always believes in not suspecting those she uses and not using those she suspects."