The pond was at least three people deep, and Qingqing couldn’t swim. After a few splashes, she disappeared beneath the surface. Seeing the bubbles on the water, Li Qin realized the gravity of the situation and shouted for help. It was the height of winter, and the water was bitterly cold. The Fourth Prince, cold and anxious, couldn’t see Qingqing. The servants, hearing the Crown Prince’s call, rushed over. Without waiting for questions, Li Qin kicked some of them into the water, angrily shouting, “Hurry up and get Miss Lin out, or I’ll have your heads!” In his panic, he still remembered to threaten the servants, which was truly absurd.
After about half an hour, with no success and the Fourth Prince weakening, his lips turning purple from the cold, Li Qin, despite his own dizziness from the punch and his anger at the Fourth Prince, couldn’t stand by any longer. He ordered a servant to pull the Fourth Prince out and, disregarding the cold, jumped in himself. Miraculously, he soon felt Qingqing’s body and called for help to lift her out. His hand accidentally brushed against her soft, icy chest, and he saw her tightly clutching the bracelet that had fallen into the water.
With Qingqing now unconscious and barely breathing, Li Qin, disregarding the etiquette, rushed to the physician upon their return to the palace. “Physician, is Miss Lin in danger?” he asked urgently, pushing aside any sense of decorum. The physician, stroking his beard, hesitated, which infuriated Li Qin, “Just tell me if she’s in danger or not, what’s with all this hesitation?” The physician, intimidated, knelt down and stammered, “Your Highness, there’s water in Miss Lin’s chest… it’s hard to say…” Li Qin, growing more irritated, demanded, “Then clear the water from her chest, stop talking nonsense!” The physician explained that the only way was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
