Chapter 414 Sacrifice
Chunhong followed Wen Woyu's small hand and saw a small boat bobbing on the lake not far ahead.
The small boat appeared to be carved from wood; it was quite exquisite, with vibrant colors, and didn't seem like something that had been carelessly discarded. No wonder Wen Woyu was attracted to it at first glance.
Chunhong was very wary. After examining it for a while, she felt that something was strange about it.
“Princess, this is a small wooden boat. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. It’s possible that someone used this boat to commemorate a deceased person. Private commemorations are not allowed in the palace. I will have someone salvage it later.”
"Salvage and dispose of?" Wen Woyu repeated like a little adult, her pretty face slightly raised as she looked at Chunhong and said, "Those are unwanted things. Aunt Chunhong, can you have them salvaged right now? I want them..."
She had seen countless rare and precious treasures, but she had never seen anything like this before.
The small boat swayed gently on the water. The vibrant colors on it must have been carved with pictures. It was not easy to carve pictures on such a small boat, let alone make the boat so exquisite and elegant.
They were standing not far from the small boat, but not close either, so they couldn't see clearly what was being carved, which only piqued Wen Woyu's curiosity.
Although she asked politely, the surprise in her eyes and the seriousness on her face clearly showed that she absolutely had to have it.
Chunhong usually dotes on the little princess, but today she went out mainly to ensure the princess's safety, so she hardened herself to avoid looking at Wen Woyu's irresistible gaze.
"No! Sacrificial offerings are for remembering the deceased, not for playing with. If the princess likes them, I will have the palace carpenters make some exquisite trinkets and send them over. Small horses, carriages, and boats would all be fine, even more beautiful and delicate than this."
"But this is exactly what I want."
Wen Woyu, who was rarely rejected, did not give up.
Despite her young age, she was remarkably precocious, understanding the meaning of sacrifice and remembrance of the deceased. Chunhong's words made her even more interested in the small boat.
She also has people she wants to remember.
She knew she had an older brother, but he was murdered at birth. Her father and mother kept this a secret, and she didn't want to mention her brother and upset them, but she always kept him in her heart.
This small boat can be used for sacrifices, and she wants to see what it looks like so that she can secretly make one to use for her brother's sacrifice.
Seeing Chunhong's predicament, Wen Woyu conceded.
"Aunt Chunhong, can I just take a look? After it's salvaged, let me see it once, and then you can handle it, okay..."
"Oh well."
Soft and sweet, so delicate, those two times made Chunhong's heart melt.
She thought about it and realized that there was no danger or taboo involved in just taking a look, so she couldn't bear to refuse Wen Woyu's request.
He pointed to the two eunuchs behind him and said, "Go find some tools and fish this small boat out so the princess can see it."
After saying that, he squatted down in front of Wen Woyu: "You are only allowed to look, Princess, you cannot break your promise."
“Aunt Chunhong, the Empress Dowager said, ‘A person without integrity is worthless.’ No matter what your status is, you must be a person of integrity. I am a person of my word, so please rest assured, Aunt.”
She answered Chunhong earnestly, but her eyes remained fixed on the small boat. When she saw the eunuch scoop it out with a net, she quickly ran over to take a look.
"Princess, slow down, don't fall."
Chunhong hurriedly followed, and was only two steps away from Wen Woyu when the small boat suddenly exploded, sending pieces of wood from the hull flying everywhere.
"Princess……"
Startled by this sudden turn of events, Chunhong leaped forward and shielded Wen Woyu with her body.
The small boat broke into hundreds of paper-thin pieces of wood, most of which stuck to the two eunuchs using the fishing net. Chunhong was also pricked by a few pieces, while the rest were scattered around them.
Wen Woyu, however, was completely unharmed except for a few scratches because Chunhong had covered her.
At first, everyone thought that Chunhong and the two eunuchs had only been injured by wooden pieces and that it was not a big deal. However, before Chunhong could stand up, she felt dizzy.
She watched helplessly as the two eunuchs collapsed in front of her, and then she fainted the next moment.
The other servants screamed in alarm at the sight, and chaos ensued.
Two guards emerged from the shadows, anxiously checking if the princess was injured.
Wen Woyu climbed out of Chunhong's arms and realized that something terrible had happened.
Seeing that Aunt Chunhong, who had been speaking to her gently and smiling just moments before, had fallen silent, she was so frightened that she almost burst into tears. But knowing that now was not the time to cry, she quickly calmed herself down.
"Go and fetch the imperial physicians, remember to call several. You all go and fetch Mother Consort. The rest of you carry them to that shady spot over there. What are you standing there for? Hurry up and do as I say!"
Although Wen Woyu is young, her reactions are extremely quick.
Seeing that the servants obeyed her orders and began to act, she couldn't help but remind them, "Be careful, don't hurt them."
The guard beside her immediately reminded her, "Princess, these wood chips may be poisonous. It would be safer for you to leave here first."
Wen Woyu put her hands on her hips and pretended to look fierce.
"Someone wants to harm me. I will stay here and wait for my father and mother to deal with it. You all stand here and protect me!"
The two bodyguards were not supposed to be in public all the time, but they had failed to protect the princess and almost caused her injury. Now, upon hearing Wen Woyu's order, they dared not question it and stood on either side of Wen Woyu like two great protectors.
Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming had just finished the exorcism ceremony in the palace when they heard about the princess's danger.
Wen Woyu was the apple of their eye. After hearing just the beginning, they immediately rushed to the scene of the incident. Wen Zhiming was quick with his light footwork and led Meng Lingge ahead, followed by a large group of palace maids and eunuchs at a distance.
Upon arriving at their destination, they saw that Wen Woyu looked nervous and anxious, but was unharmed, which put their minds at ease.
"Father, Mother..." Wen Woyu finally dared to cry out when she saw Meng Lingge. She buried her head in Meng Lingge's arms, pointed at the wooden pieces on the ground, and cried as she spoke.
"Someone tried to harm me. Aunt Chunhong was injured while saving me, and two eunuchs also fainted. They used a small boat to harm people. It's all my fault... Aunt Chunhong said this shouldn't be played with, but I was curious. I'm the one who harmed Aunt Chunhong. She was injured and poisoned..."
When Meng Lingge heard that Chunhong was unconscious, injured, and poisoned, her heart, which had just settled down, was raised again.
When she gave birth to Woyu, Chunhong lay beneath her to protect her as she fell to the ground. Now that Woyu is in danger, Chunhong is risking her life to save her.
Chunhong had been with her the longest. After Qiulan and Xiazi got married, Chunhong was the only person she trusted and valued. If Chunhong were to suffer any mishap while saving Woyu, she would never be able to make up for the guilt in her heart.
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