572 Memory Awakened
There was fog in the morning of Nanzhao. The sky was bright, and the world was foggy.
The sleeping Prince Consort gently opened his eyes and raised his hand to block the light that seeped through the window. After adapting to the light, he removed his hand and looked at the top of the tent where the five-colored broken jade was hanging. He then lifted the curtain and looked at the ancient and elegant room. An unfamiliar feeling surged in his heart.
He actually didn’t know where he was.
There were two figures lying at the round table, a man and a woman. From their clothes and buns, they looked like the young masters and daughters of rich families. And they also made him feel unfamiliar.
Where was this? Who were they? Why was he here?
Countless doubts flashed through his mind. He did not want to alarm anyone. He gently lifted the blanket and sat up. The moment he put on his shoes, his shoes lost their balance and fell off, landing on the floor of the bed.
A muffled thud woke the young man at the round table. He suddenly raised his head and looked in the Prince Consort’s direction. Then, joy flashed across his eyes. “Father!”
“Fa… ther?” The Prince Consort looked at him in a daze.
The young man smiled and pushed the girl beside him. “Xi’er, Father is awake.”
“Huh?” The girl looked up in a daze and rubbed her sleepy eyes. “He’s awake?”
“He’s awake!” The young man said.
The Prince Consort saw the girl widen her eyes and walk towards him with an aggrieved expression. She sat down beside him and threw herself into his arms. “Father! You’ve been unconscious for three days. You scared Xi’er to death!”
“Xi’er?” The Prince Consort muttered.
The Little Commandery Princess looked up at him in shock. “Father, you don’t remember Xi’er again?”
Again? In that case, this was not the first time such a situation had happened. The Prince Consort pressed his aching head and tried to think of something, but he could not think of anything.
Nangong Li’s eyes flickered. He walked forward and pulled his sister up from the Prince Consort’s arms. He said dotingly, “You, Father has just woken up. Don’t tire him out by talking so much.”
“Oh.” Although the Little Commandery Princess wanted to rely on her father, she still obediently stood at the side after hearing her brother’s words.
Nangong Li said to the confused Prince Consort, “Father, you’ve been unconscious for three days. How do you feel? Are you feeling unwell? Mother went to the Gu Temple to pray for you. You were unconscious for three days, so she prayed for you for three days. She didn’t go to court and didn’t eat anything. Now, I can finally tell her that you’re safe.”
The Prince Consort was even more confused by these words. Not only did he have two children, but he also had a wife who could attend court? What was going on?
Nangong Li immediately sent someone to the Gu Temple to inform the Queen.
While waiting for the Queen to return home, Nangong Li explained his identity and illness in detail like the Prince Consort. “…Father, you’re the son of the patriarch of the Bai Calyx Tribe, and Mother is the Queen of Nanzhao, who is the future Emperor. I’m your eldest son, Nangong Li. My sister’s name is Nangong Xi. She was adopted by my mother from your clan, but you have always doted on her, even more than me. In the past, you were injured in order to save my mother. Not only were your appearance ruined, but you also fell ill. Sometimes, you will suddenly forget the past. This isn’t the first time, so Xi’er said that you’ve forgotten her again.”
The Prince Consort touched his face. He habitually touched his right side and realized that there was nothing on his right side. When he touched his left side, he touched a hideous scar.
Nangong Li said warmly, “Father, don’t take it to heart. In our hearts and Mother’s, you will always be the most handsome man in the world.”
“Your mother and I…” The Prince Consort opened his mouth, not knowing how to speak.
Nangong Li understood and smiled considerately. “Father and Mother met in Nanzhao Nation. Then, Mother went to Father’s clan and confessed to Father. In the early years, Grandpa actually didn’t agree to your marriage, but in order to be with Father, Mother even stopped being the Princess of Nanzhao. In the end, Grandpa compromised. Father and Mother’s relationship is extremely good, and everyone in Nanzhao is envious of you.”
“Cong’er,” the Prince Consort suddenly said.
Nangong Li was stunned. In the next second, he said happily, “Father, you still remember my name?”
Why couldn’t he forget that child no matter how many times he lost his memories?! Nangong Li was so jealous that he was about to go crazy. He tried his best to convince himself that Cong’er was him, that he was Cong’er. What his father remembered, and the Cong’er he called was also him. However, every time he met his father’s confused gaze, he would immediately understand that the Cong’er in his father’s memory had never been him!
As expected, the Prince Consort looked at Nangong Li again and revealed a confused expression that Nangong Li was not unfamiliar with.
“Your mother…”
“My mother’s name is Zijun.”
You don’t have to ask. I’ll answer for you. No matter how many times, these two names could never be erased from his memory.
“Yes, it’s her.” The Prince Consort smiled happily.
“Brother, Brother! The imperial doctor is here!” The Little Commandery Princess lifted her skirt and ran in noisily. She crossed the threshold and realized that the imperial doctor did not follow her. She turned back and grabbed his beard. “Hurry up!”
The imperial doctor gasped. “It hurts, it hurts! Little Commandery Princess, show mercy!”
“Xi’er!” Nangong Li’s face darkened.
The Little Commandery Princess stuck out her tongue and let go of the imperial doctor. She snorted and urged, “Hurry up! My father has been awake for a long time. Do you want the Prince Consort of the Nanzhao Nation to wait for an imperial doctor like you?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” The imperial physician cupped his hands in fear and entered with the first aid kit. He first bowed to the Prince Consort and Nangong Li. “Greetings, Prince Consort and the Commandery Prince.”
“Imperial Physician, there’s no need to be so polite,” Nangong Li said. Then, he looked at the vigilant Prince Consort and said, “Imperial Physician Bai’s medical skills are brilliant. All these years, he has been recuperating your body. He knows your illness very well. Father, you don’t have to worry.”
Even so, the Prince Consort resisted letting this person treat him. Nangong Li sensed his resistance. This had never happened before. It seemed that his father’s vigilance was getting deeper.
Nangong Li said warmly, “If Father doesn’t like Imperial Physician Bai, why don’t you change to Imperial Physician Hu? Imperial Physician Hu has also treated you.”
The Prince Consort said nothing. Nangong Li waved his hand for Imperial Physician Bai to leave and invited Imperial Physician Hu over.
Imperial Physician Hu treated Prince Consort’s cold in his early years. Now that more than ten years had passed, even normal people would not remember such a person, let alone the Prince Consort.
Although Imperial Physician Hu rarely appeared in the Queen Manor, he was Nangong Li’s person. No one would have expected this.
The Prince Consort was seen by Imperial Physician Hu.
Imperial Physician Hu said, “It was a shock. I’ll prescribe a few sets of medicine for the Prince Consort. If the Prince Consort takes it on time, he’ll recover in less than three days.”
“Thank you, Imperial Physician Hu.” Nangong Li asked the servants to follow Imperial Physician Hu to get the medicine. He saw that the Prince Consort was deep in thought and suspicious, so he smiled and said, “Father, do you want to go to the study to take a look? You usually like to read.”
The Prince Consort nodded. Nangong Li followed.
“I’ll go myself,” the Prince Consort said.
Nangong Li paused for a moment before saying respectfully, “Yes, Father.”
The Prince Consort entered the study alone. Nangong Li looked at him from the window. An elegant figure walked out from behind the screen and stood beside Nangong Li. She said faintly, “It’s been hard on you.”
“Mother.” Nangong Li bowed. “Why don’t you see Father?”
The Queen said helplessly, “I’m worried that he’ll think of something when he sees me. Let’s wait another two days. When he accepts his identity, I’ll naturally come out to see him.”
Nangong Li nodded.
The Queen looked at the figure spinning in front of the bookshelf in the study and said, “Li’er, do you think I’m wrong?”
Nangong Li shook his head. “Mother just wants to keep your husband. What’s wrong with that? Besides, no one in the world can love him more than Mother.”
The study was the room that the Prince Consort often stayed in. The inside was still the same. Even the “Theory of National Strategies” that he had read halfway before he fainted was left on the desk.
Of course, these were all on the surface. The study had long been searched by the Queen, even the secret compartment in the drawer.
As expected, the Prince Consort opened the secret compartment.
There was a portrait of a man inside. Just last month, Yan Jiuchao’s was still lying here, but last time, it was changed to Nangong Li’s. This time, the Prince Consort did not have time to draw, so it was still Nangong Li’s. The only difference was that there was Cong’er’s name on the back of the portrait. But didn’t this mean that Nangong Li was the son that the Prince Consort couldn’t forget?
The Queen did not care. After checking, she put the portrait back.
Unexpectedly, the Prince Consort’s eyes moved slightly when he saw these two words. All the calligraphy and paintings in his study were in wax ink, but the name on them was Pine Smoke Ink.
The wax ink was black, did not fade easily, and was good for water resistance. The calligraphy written with it could easily be preserved. In comparison, the effect of the pine smoke ink was much inferior. It almost melted when it entered the water.
Why did he use such unbearable ink to write Cong’er’s name?
The Prince Consort looked at the teapot on the table, picked it up, and splashed it on the portrait. In the portrait, Nangong Li’s face slowly faded, revealing a handsome face.
Boom!
Something exploded in his mind. In the next moment, the Prince Consort stroked the face in the portrait and smiled slightly.
This time, Father didn’t forget you.
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