Hearing this, Li Ying naturally showed a touch of deep gratitude on her face.
She exchanged a few glances with Lu Xunguang, and both of them understood each other instantly.
This move was truly the right one.
Serving under Princess Yongning, although one still had to be cautious and obedient, at least one didn't have to live in constant fear of the emperor's suspicion and the risk of losing one's life.
Princess Yongning gently patted Li Ying on the shoulder and said softly, "A Ying, I know you're not a reckless person. Since you've made such a big deal out of this, I'm sure this matter must be of great importance."
Li Ying didn't try to hide anything either. She bowed to the princess and then explained, "Your Highness, please listen.
"It's not that I deliberately made a fuss and wasted resources. It's just that the beached whale leaves us no choice but to take action."
Currently, the whale was still barely alive. But if they just stood by and watched, after the whale died, the gas in its body would expand and eventually explode. God knows how many commoners would be startled by that.
Moreover, the stench produced by the decaying whale carcass was extremely pungent and often lingered for days. By then, the daily lives of the people living near the Jingcheng mudflats would surely be greatly affected.
Not to mention that such a huge deep - sea behemoth would generate countless invisible bacteria and viruses during the process of decomposition. If an epidemic were to break out because of this, the situation would be even worse.
After listening to Li Ying's well - reasoned explanation, Princess Yongning immediately understood the gravity of the situation.
She said softly to Li Ying, "A Ying, if you really have a way to send this whale back to the sea, just go ahead and do it. As for Father, I'll take care of everything."
Then she turned coldly to the hesitant Jingcheng Prefect and said in a deep voice, "Don't you understand? If you do, quickly arrange more manpower and follow A Ying's instructions! Otherwise, I'll surely accuse you of dereliction of duty in front of Father!"
The Jingcheng Prefect didn't dare to slack off. He scurried away to order the remaining soldiers in Jingcheng.
Later that day, the emperor's dragon boat successfully docked at the Jingcheng Port.
Princess Yongning took the lead and reported the matter of the beached whale to the emperor.
Since it was related to the well - being of the common people, the emperor naturally attached great importance to it.
Just as he was about to conduct a detailed investigation, he suddenly heard a few Jingcheng clerks rushing over to report.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness Princess, it's bad!"
"There's another... sperm whale in the sea ahead! It's just a bit smaller in size and is swimming back and forth near the port. It looks extremely terrifying!"
Li Ying also received the report. Without wasting any time, she rushed forward.
It was a young whale.
The water on the beach was very shallow. The young whale dared not get too close, but it also refused to leave. It stubbornly swam around the beached sperm whale.
If her guess was correct, the beached whale was probably the young whale's mother.
Empress Pei had just become a mother. She couldn't bear to see the separation of flesh and blood in this world. Looking at the mother whale, although it couldn't move, its huge eyes were wide open. She felt a deep sense of pity in her heart.
"Your Majesty, I feel so sorry for the whale mother and child. I can't bear to see them separated forever..."
She gently wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes. Seeing this, the emperor was also touched. The previous annoyance he had felt towards Li Ying and Lu Xunguang for their bold and disrespectful actions disappeared completely.
He pulled Empress Pei into his arms and waved his hand at the accompanying officials and imperial guards behind him. "Go and help too!"
With everyone's concerted efforts, the beached sperm whale finally felt a bit more comfortable. The sand under it was dug looser and looser, and a small pool of seawater gradually accumulated.
As the sun was setting, Li Ying anxiously calculated the time.
Finally, it was time for the high tide.
An adult sperm whale was far too heavy to be dragged by human strength. They had to take advantage of the high tide.
The Jingcheng Prefect had already followed Li Ying's instructions and ordered the four largest warships in Jingcheng to be brought over.
They lined up the warships side by side, tied them together, and then took a very thick rope to tie the whale's tail.
At Lu Xunguang's order, the warships slowly towed the whale towards the vast sea.
The speed of the ships was extremely slow, almost as slow as a person walking.
This was also Li Ying's special instruction. Firstly, it could prevent the sperm whale's tail from being injured by the rope. Secondly, it could prevent water from getting into its nostrils.
Along the way, they stopped and went. By the time the sperm whale finally returned to the sea, the sky had already brightened.
The exhausted whale floated quietly in the sea, like an isolated island.
The young whale anxiously hovered around its mother and refused to leave.
Lu Xunguang understood what Li Ying was thinking. He rowed a small boat himself, took her on board, and patiently waited beside the sperm whale.
After waiting for another full hour, the beached whale finally regained its strength.
Lu Xunguang jumped into the water and carefully untied the rope from the whale's tail.
The sperm whale finally dived into the deep sea with the young whale and disappeared. After a long time, a column of water spurted up into the sky on the sea not far away.
After such a long and tiring night, when they returned to the shore, Li Ying was completely exhausted.
The emperor had already gone back to rest early. Only Princess Yongning rushed up eagerly and asked, "A Ying, how's the situation? Are the whale mother and child okay?"
Li Ying pondered for a moment and then just shook her head gravely.
Beaching was a disaster of extinction for whales.
Although the sperm whale had narrowly escaped death and finally returned to the deep sea, going through such a difficult ordeal was like walking through the gates of hell.
Whether the mother whale could truly recover completely really depended on its own fortune.
Hearing this, Princess Yongning couldn't help showing a touch of disappointment on her face.
"After all this hard work, if the mother whale still can't escape this disaster... it will all be in vain..."
She looked dejected. Li Ying noticed her low mood and summoned up her energy. She deliberately said cheerfully and called Lu Xunguang beside her.
"Your Highness Princess, this trip was not completely fruitless.
"Lu Lang, quickly bring that thing here for Her Highness to take a look!"
Lu Xunguang knew what she was referring to. It was the things that looked like gray - white stones floating on the sea that Li Ying had specifically told him to salvage while they were waiting beside the mother whale.
Although he didn't understand why, he still obediently took out the wrapped item from his bosom carefully.
Princess Yongning curiously leaned forward. When she saw the "stones" in the package, which looked extremely ugly and ordinary, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
"A Ying, what are these? They're just ordinary reefs. Why do you cherish them so much?"