Instantly, the story that Geng had just told flashed through Qian Shengyan's mind, and she almost instinctively rushed to the window to look down.
Thankfully, Wan An stood to the side, holding Hong Shan tightly. An unfamiliar eunuch had fallen into the ice cave and was now struggling to climb out.
Hongshan was probably terrified and was crying loudly.
Qian Shengyan rushed downstairs, not even having time to put on her cloak, and hurriedly took Hongshan from Wan'an's hands: "Mother is here, are you injured somewhere?"
"Mother, waaaaah, the little fish fell in, waaaaah!" Hongshan cried so hard that he could barely speak. It was Wan'an who knelt down beside him and told him what happened.
It turned out that after Hongzhou brought Hongshan back to the depths of the cave, Hongshan hid at the door and quietly ran out after Hongzhou left. He was naturally lively and active, and he disliked staying indoors the most. He was also very athletic and fast, and before Hongzhou noticed, he ran back in a flash.
Hongshan ran fast, and Wan'an and the others followed closely behind. However, when Hongshan reached the ice, he couldn't stop and slid down the slope. Wan'an and the others were terrified and rushed forward to catch him.
Hongshan initially found it fun, but perhaps because the people behind him were pushing too hard, the ice surface was shattered a bit. He tripped over a small pit and almost fell into the ice cave.
Fortunately, Wan An slid over quickly enough. He caught Hong Shan in a flurry and then hurriedly avoided the ice hole. However, the little eunuch Xiao Yu, who was following closely behind him, did not notice the ice hole and, like Hong Shan, tripped over the small pit and fell in.
Fortunately, the little fishman lived up to his name and was an excellent swimmer. Even after falling into the ice hole, he was able to hold his breath, roll over under the ice, and climb out again. But even so, the little eunuch's cotton clothes were completely soaked, and he was shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
Qian Shengyan quickly had someone take Xiaoyu to Shaojingxuan to warm up, and then found a quick-learning eunuch to fetch him a new set of clothes. Looking at Wan An's clothes, they were covered in ice shards, and once they melted inside, he would probably be half-soaked, so she simply had the eunuch bring back another set of clothes.
After entering Shaojingxuan and arranging for the eunuchs, Qian Shengyan, with a stern face, led Hongshan to a separate small room.
“Mother…” Hongshan realized his mistake; he was already terrified when Xiaoyu fell into the ice cave.
But Qian Shengyan didn't just want to frighten him, she also wanted him to remember, so she said coldly, "Do you know you were wrong?"
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have disobeyed Mother..." Hongshan's eyes began to redden.
Qian Shengyan remained serious, but her voice softened slightly: "Do you know why you should listen to your mother?"
Xiao Hongshan had probably thought about this question too. He shook his head in confusion and lowered his head again: "Children should listen to adults."
“It’s not about listening to adults, but about listening to the right things and doing the right things,” Qian Shengyan explained patiently. “If Hongshan is playing on the grass, what danger could there be?”
Hongshan was taken aback, not understanding why he was asked this, but after thinking about it carefully, he obediently answered, "He will fall down."
"Falling won't kill you, so your mother usually just tells you to be careful and not to bump your head," Qian Shengyan continued. "What about playing on the ice?"
Hongshan froze for a moment, then, remembering Xiaoyu's miserable state, his chubby face turned pale instantly: "Yes...yes, it will fall into the water..."
"And then?" Qian Shengyan asked again, but Hongshan said, "You'll be soaked to the bone and extremely cold."
Qian Shengyan knew that Hongshan did not understand how dangerous it was for a person to drown. She sighed and told the story of the palace maid that Geng had mentioned again, but she did not mention that she wanted to pounce on Hongzhou. She only said that the palace maid had accidentally fallen into the water. She added, "When a person falls into the water, they cannot breathe... Do you know what happens when you can't breathe?"
Hongxuan shook his head.
Qian Shengyan then raised her hand to cover his mouth and nose. After a moment, as soon as the chubby boy began to struggle, she let go of his hand.
Hongshan looked at Qian Shengyan in disbelief: "Mother..."
"If you're underwater, you'll inhale water when you can't hold your breath, and the water will get into your body, making you feel even worse," Qian Shengyan said earnestly.
Hongshan was genuinely frightened. He tried again to cover his mouth and nose, his two chubby little hands covering them tightly. A moment later, he suddenly coughed violently.
Qian Shengyan pulled him onto her lap and gently stroked his back: "It would be even more painful if you fell into the water."
"Mother..." Hongshan was truly frightened. "Hongshan will never play on the ice again..."
Playing on the ice could lead to falling into an ice hole, which would make it impossible to breathe and cause you to choke on water – it's awful!
Qian Shengyan patted his chubby little face and said that if he really wanted to go ice skating, he could have the eunuch pour water on the ground and freeze it solid so he could skate, but he had to wear a thick hat to protect his head.
"Hongshan will listen to Mother." The child nodded obediently.
"When the weather gets warmer, I'll have your fourth brother teach you how to swim. Once you've learned, you'll be like a little fish. Even if you accidentally fall into the water, you won't be afraid; you can swim back up on your own," Qian Shengyan said with a smile.
Hongshan was a little afraid of water at this moment, but seeing Qian Shengyan's encouraging smile, he clenched his chubby little fist and nodded bravely.
"Master, we've found out." Qingxue walked over and whispered in Qian Shengyan's ear.
Qian Shengyan turned around and saw that Wan An had already changed his clothes and was waiting at the door. She asked him to go in first to keep Hong Shan company, and then she and Qing Xue walked out of the house together.
Before Qian Shengyan could speak, Qingxue whispered, "The distance between that small pit and the ice cave was calculated perfectly, and there are signs of artificial carving around the ice cave..."
"Who is it?" Qian Shengyan asked.
She had suspected this for a long time.
Hong-sun has recently taken to visiting this place occasionally because the lakeside path nearby has a slope, making it perfect for ice skating. It's Hong-sun's favorite spot. Anyone interested can find out more.
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