After noon, the weather was fine and the wind was gentle. Seagulls circled in groups over the sea. It was the perfect time for whale - watching.
To avoid the large dragon boat disturbing the whales' habitat, Li Ying persuaded the Emperor softly, and finally he consented to take a small boat of local fishermen in Jingcheng.
Mao Mao stood proudly at the bow of the boat. The autumn sea breeze blew through its soft fur, but the little cat seemed not to feel the cold at all, looking extremely imposing.
Guided by Mao Mao, Li Ying steered the boat straight towards the area where a large number of seabirds had gathered.
The waves on the sea were quite rough, and the boat was bumping. But looking into the distance, it was not difficult to see a huge tail slapping the sea surface heavily in the distance.
That was the whale pod.
Empress Pei was so shocked that her eyes popped out. Despite her noble birth and privileged upbringing, she couldn't help crying out in surprise.
Li Ying quickly said, "Your Majesty the Empress, whales like quietness. Please don't speak loudly, or you may startle these sea giants."
Lu Xunguang was at the helm himself. Following Li Ying's instructions, when the boat entered the whales' habitat, he slowed down the speed and always kept the fishing boat on the same side of the whale pod.
When watching whales, it was necessary to ensure that the space in front of the whales was unobstructed. One must never cut into the whale pod head - on or surround the whales just for a closer view. Otherwise, it would be extremely dangerous for both the whales and humans.
The Emperor also frowned tightly. When the huge whale was less than a hundred meters away from the fishing boat, Lu Xunguang stopped the boat. Everything was led by the whales.
Li Ying held her breath, afraid that Mao Mao might fall into the sea if it lost its balance, so she hugged the little cat tightly in her arms.
Amid the noisy calls of the seabirds, suddenly, a huge wave rose into the sky.
The giant whale spread its powerful and broad fins and leaped out of the sea with all its might. Although it was just for a brief moment, its gigantic body blotted out the sky. Sprinkling white droplets like flying flowers and broken jade, it was truly a shocking sight.
Being so close to this awe - inspiring sea giant, the barnacles and oysters protruding in layers on its body were clearly visible. It even seemed that every rough texture on the whale's vicissitudinous skin could be seen clearly.
The whale fell back into the sea heavily. Although this whale leap was just a momentary event, it made people involuntarily put aside their impetuous thoughts.
The Emperor was also extremely excited. He said to Empress Pei, "I'm truly impressed today!"
Empress Pei still wanted more. She said, "It's a pity that the whale leap is so short. If I could see it a few more times, I would have no regrets."
But Li Ying knew that the whale leap was really rare.
For ordinary people going out to watch whales, just seeing the whale's body from afar was already a great stroke of luck.
As a matter of fact, the whale leap was because the whales were deeply troubled by barnacles. In desperation, they hoped to shake off the barnacles by slapping the sea surface.
After hearing Li Ying's explanation, the Emperor raised his eyebrows and said, "What's so difficult about this? It's just removing some barnacles. Didn't I order people to help the tortoise before? Pass on my order. Let them do the same for the whale pod."
This was exactly what Li Ying had been waiting for.
Mao Mao nimbly jumped out of her arms and stood high on the ship's railing. Raising its proud little head, it faced the sea breeze and meowed loudly several times.
The whale pod got the message and slowly surfaced in an orderly manner, approaching the fishing boat gradually.
Being closely approached by such huge creatures was really frightening.
The little whale that had been rescued that day was also in the pod. It nuzzled its head affectionately against Li Ying's hand.
Li Ying exerted a little force and scraped off a piece of barnacle on the little whale's head. The little whale playfully splashed a spray of water and frolicked with her.
Seeing that Li Ying was safe and sound while playing with the little whale, the people on the fishing boat finally plucked up their courage and carefully began to remove the barnacles and other things attached to the whale pod.
When the sky turned dim and a pale crescent moon hung in the sky, the whale pod was cleaned thoroughly and felt extremely comfortable. Then they swam slowly towards the deep sea contentedly.
After this wonderful encounter, there was a lot of ambergris floating on the sea, looking like gray - white rocks, which the Emperor could use at any time.
The Emperor, Empress Pei and others were amazed. On the way back, they still couldn't get enough of it.
The prefect of Jingcheng never expected that there would be such a wonder in his jurisdiction. He was so shocked that he couldn't say a word.
Li Ying was highly praised by the Emperor, but there was only a faint and humble smile on her face. There was not a trace of pride.
She quietly glanced at Princess Yongning beside her, with a faint starlight in her eyes.
Princess Yongning immediately understood.
She cleared her throat and said softly, "Father, today's whale - watching adventure really impressed me."
"However, while I'm pleasantly surprised, I can't help feeling a bit regretful."
"If such a wonder could be seen by ordinary people, I don't know how many literati and scholars in our dynasty would write many excellent and famous poems..."
As she spoke, she glanced at Li Ying imperceptibly.
Taking the hint, Li Ying stepped forward with a beaming smile and said, "Your Majesty, it's not difficult to develop the whale - watching industry in Jingcheng."
It was not difficult to find the location of the whale pod. The only danger was that the waves were very rough near the area where the whales appeared. If one was a little careless, the guests on the small boat might fall into the sea and lose their lives.
The Emperor had imperial guards to protect him at all costs, but how could ordinary tourists have such protection?
Seeing the embarrassed expressions on everyone's faces, Li Ying just smiled slightly and said confidently.
"Your Majesty, not far from Jingcheng, there is an island."
"The mermaids on the island have made a living by fishing for wild pearls for generations. They are excellent swimmers and can move freely in the sea."
What she was referring to was, of course, her pearl - farming factory.
The artificial cultivation of seawater pearls was already on the right track. The pearl - farming women didn't need to inspect the farms every day. They just needed to sprinkle some bait, so they had a very leisurely life.
It was most appropriate to transfer some young and strong people to serve as safety lifeguards for whale - watching on the sea.
In this way, on the one hand, they could earn more money, and on the other hand, they could also get a job from the court. Why not?
The Emperor never expected that she had already planned everything so well. Now hearing Li Ying's well - arranged plan, he was very satisfied.
With the whale - watching business in Jingcheng, the tribute paid by the city in the future would naturally increase. Why not?
Considering that most of the "safety lifeguards" would be mermaids, the Emperor didn't think twice and still assigned this task to Princess Yongning.
Princess Yongning and Li Ying looked at each other and smiled. They bowed respectfully and said, "Please rest assured, Father. Yongning will surely not fail your mission!"