Chapter 1039 - 839: The Wild Brother Who Could Leave at Any Time
Chapter 1039: Chapter 839: The Wild Brother Who Could Leave at Any Time
Especially after rumors spread that Yeger was critically ill, the Emperor even issued an imperial decree promising that anyone who could cure Yeger and remove the lethal poison from his body would have their family granted a perpetual stipend.
Many doctors came to try, but just as many returned disheartened. After waiting for several months, no one could heal Yeger.
His condition was only slightly better than when he had returned, sometimes managing to utter a few syllables.
He still resided in Consort De’s palace, where Consort De would spend her days chanting sutras and caring for him. This gave the Fourth Prince a reason to visit Consort De’s palace daily. He had met Yeger once before and had been shocked by his imposing aura, but he had not expected to see Yeger in such a state upon meeting him again.
What the Fourth Prince had not anticipated, however, was that Yeger was indeed his biological brother. Now that their mother was heartbroken, he naturally wanted to share some of the burden.
Upon hearing that the Fourth Prince had met Yeger before, Consort De would ask him to talk about Yeger every time she saw him. The Fourth Prince slowly recounted the events from the martial contest for marriage, which delighted Consort De: “He looked just like your grandfather when he was young.”
The Fourth Prince then asked, “How is it that he resembles grandfather and not… the Emperor?”
Consort De smiled, “He does resemble him too, but no one could match the vigor of the grandfather, while the Emperor is gentler. However, I never saw your imperial brother before his illness, so it’s all guesswork.”
The Fourth Prince laughed again, “Mother Consort, ever since my imperial brother returned, you finally seem human again.”
“Did Mother Consort seem like a ghost before?”
“Not exactly, but you spent all your time chanting and praying, showing no emotions at all. What kind of person does that? You were like a nun.”
“Wasn’t that all thanks to the Bodhisattva’s blessings? Anyway, now that we’ve found your imperial brother, the worry that’s been hanging over me for nearly twenty years has finally been lifted. We still need to thank the Bodhisattva.”
While mother and son were chatting, they eventually heard a voice from outside announcing, “The Emperor has arrived.”
After the Emperor entered, he waved his hand to indicate that they could dispense with formalities.
Ever since Consort De had regained her ability to show emotions, the Emperor’s mood had improved considerably. After court, he would come and chat with Consort De, but after many years of not speaking much, there was much they could no longer discuss. So now he inquired about Yeger’s illness.
Unfortunately, Yeger’s condition showed no signs of improvement and he seemed at risk of passing away at any moment, so they spent as much time together as possible.
The Emperor would not stay here for long, and the Fourth Prince, being playful, would not stay put all day either. They both had their own affairs to handle, but the Emperor, considering the affection of the past, had already shown great mercy by bringing Yeger back from Dajin.
Consort De had no regrets.
The person who spent the most time here now was the Crown Princess.
Nangong Nini came almost every other day, and once she arrived, she was reluctant to leave. Each visit, she would wipe Yeger’s face, turn him over, and personally feed him some porridge, and afterward, she would say with pity that he had lost more weight.
These tasks, if performed for a healthy person, would take less than an hour to complete, but dealing with an ill person, just feeding him porridge could take about half an hour.
Nangong Nini performed these tasks with more meticulousness than caring for Doudou, and was even more thorough than any palace maid in Consort De’s palace, leaving her hands red each time she helped Yeger turn over and patted his back.