The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 1

“The Prime Minister, Shi Hanshang, and the Great General, Sheng Yuli, are a pair of enemies who were simply bound to meet!”

“Your Majesty, please think twice!”

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace, the civil and military officials were lined up on opposite sides. The space between them was like the Milky Way, a clear and distinct divide.

At this moment, those ministers had long since cast aside their usual dignified composure. Every one of them was flushed with anger, arguing heatedly.

“Absurd!” An old official in formal robes, his hair and beard stark white, trembled with rage. He pointed his jade tablet directly at the composed Sheng Yuli across the hall and roared, “The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo? A crude, ignorant, mere man of war! The Grand Princess is a person of noble birth, gentle and virtuous. How could a boorish man like him, who only knows how to wave spears and clubs and lacks any sense of refinement, be a match for her?”

Having spoken, the old official turned toward the sovereign on the throne. He bowed deeply and projected his voice, “Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the Cui Clan of Qinghe is a family of scholars and poets with a noble reputation. Their sons are world-renowned for their talent. Among them, the eldest son’s scholarship is the most outstanding. He is the perfect harmonious match for the Princess!”

Sheng Yuli lightly stroked his jade tablet and raised an eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed the man standing opposite him. Shi Hanshang stood elegantly in white, holding his tablet with a calm and detached air, not saying a single word.

The man’s posture was as straight as a cedar tree. His jade-like pale eyes looked straight ahead. There was not a ripple of emotion on his handsome face. He simply listened with a side-long glance, never granting Sheng Yuli even a shred of his attention.

This was, in fact, the norm. Everyone in the imperial court knew that the Prime Minister, Shi Hanshang, who came from a lineage of civil officials, and the Great General, Sheng Yuli, from a military house, were arch-rivals who were destined to clash. Though they served the same throne, they had competed from childhood to adulthood, from the classroom to the court. Since the Emperor ascended the throne and appointed them to their high offices, this rivalry had only intensified.

Now, it was not just a struggle between Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli. The entire court was divided into the Shi and Sheng factions, as incompatible as fire and water.

Hearing the old official’s words, Sheng Yuli let out a soft laugh.

The eldest son of the Cui Clan of Qinghe? Was that not the son of Minister Cui who, just a few days ago, had been fawning over Shi Hanshang in hopes of securing a government post?

Their hidden motives were as plain as day.

“Minister Wang, your words are quite wrong,” Sheng Yuli said coldly. “By the grace of the Late Emperor, the Grand Princess was granted the exception to study archery, riding, and swordplay alongside His Majesty under the same tutors. Given such treatment, how could she be a weak woman confined by your ‘gentle and virtuous’ labels? The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is young, promising, and possesses great military merit. Furthermore, his looks are rare and handsome. How is he not a fine match for the Princess?”

Sheng Yuli cast a pointed glance at Shi Hanshang. “As for that son of the Cui family? Hmph. He spends his days reciting poetry to the wind and moon. He is too weak to even pull a chicken. Can he truly protect the Princess?”

As expected, once he spoke, the man who had remained indifferent finally reacted.

“General Sheng, is a royal marriage like a military formation, judged only by brute force?” Shi Hanshang swept a glance over him. “The Princess’s marriage concerns the dignity of the state and the teachings of ritual. If we wish to display the Imperial Family’s respect for culture and virtue to win the hearts of the world’s scholars, then an alliance with the Cui Clan is the only choice.”

“Oh? Then according to Minister Shi, we should only care about the court’s security and ignore the Princess’s happiness?” Sheng Yuli sneered.

“Naturally not.” Shi Hanshang met his gaze, refusing to back down. “The eldest son of the Cui Clan is gentle and broad-minded. He is a brilliant talent and a peerless gentleman. He and the Princess are a match made in heaven.”

“Heh.” Sheng Yuli glared back. “The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is shrewd, capable, and extraordinarily handsome. He is a genius rarely found in this world!”

Their eyes locked, and the sparks of war were ready to ignite.

As soon as these two spoke, the others began to chime in.

Minister Wang nodded so hard his head nearly fell off, shouting in agreement, “Minister Shi is absolutely right! The Grand Princess is peerless in her grace. She naturally deserves someone with the talent to appreciate her, not some stupid warrior who cannot even read a single word!”

“Bullshit!” Another burly military official spat without hesitation, his fists cracking as he pointed at Minister Wang’s nose, spit flying. “If we military officials were not shedding blood at the borders, how would you have such peaceful days to talk about rituals and etiquette in this court?”

“The heir and the Princess are a hero and a pearl. It is only natural! You sour scholars just cannot stand to see a military man do well!”

“Crude!”

“Short-sighted!”

“You warriors only see the small merits in front of your eyes!”

“You scholars only know how to wag your tongues and ruin the country!”

The argument grew more heated. The two factions accused one another, some citing classics, some cursing openly. Some, past the point of words, even threw their jade tablets. Saliva flew across the magnificent hall. The noise was loud enough to lift the roof off the Xuanzheng Hall.

Eventually, other candidates were mentioned besides the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir and the Cui son, but every single one was dismissed.

“This person’s character is improper. Unacceptable.” Shi Hanshang frowned slightly, casting a cold look at a portrait in the center of the hall.

“Tsk, this one looks like a shifty-eyed rat. How is that a match?” Sheng Yuli tossed a portrait away in disgust.

“No ink in his chest; he lacks learning. Unacceptable.”

“Sharp-chinned and monkey-cheeked. Not a match!”

In this manner, the portraits of the noble sons were quickly flipped through and rejected one by one. Whether it was etiquette, character, talent, or looks, if a candidate failed even one standard, they were met with ruthless criticism. Those in attendance who were related to these young men wiped away cold sweat, not daring to breathe a word for fear that the verbal attacks would turn toward them.

The quarrel continued to escalate.

On the dragon throne, the Emperor moved his hands slightly, his bright yellow sleeves swaying at his sides. He wanted to tell his dear officials to stop fighting, but he could never find a moment to cut in. Every time he tried to speak, he was interrupted by another loud voice. After several attempts, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Was this a court assembly? This was clearly a noisy marketplace!

The head eunuch nearby saw this and hurried to wipe the Emperor’s sweat with a silk handkerchief, while also holding his breath, not daring to speak.

Li Yi frowned. He thought to himself: If we are talking about a true talent who excels in both literature and martial arts, with top-tier family background, looks, and character, then in the entire capital of Jinling, there are probably only. Li Yi glanced at the two men arguing below. His handsome face was full of conflict.

After hesitating for a long while, Li Yi finally struck the dragon throne and shouted, “Enough! Stop arguing! I already have a candidate in mind!”

The moment those words were spoken, the hall fell silent. The court, which had been bustling with noise just a second ago, was now so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Dozens of eyes fixed on Li Yi, waiting for the Emperor’s next words.

Facing those wolf-like stares, Li Yi suddenly felt his throat go dry. He swallowed and looked nervously at the two men standing at the front of the opposing lines, the most outstanding among them. He hesitated to speak.

Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli were also looking at him.

Having grown up with them, Li Yi knew their temperaments all too well. Even through the beaded curtain, he could clearly guess what they were thinking.

Shi Hanshang looked down in silence. Though he was expressionless, his body subtly turned in a direction completely opposite to Sheng Yuli. Meanwhile, Sheng Yuli stood with his arms crossed, squinting at Shi Hanshang with a look of utter defiance.

In their hearts, they were likely cursing eighteen generations of each other’s ancestors.

These two friends of his, one as indifferent and steady as water, the other as passionate and unruly as fire, were both top-tier in talent and appearance. It was just a pity they were incompatible.

Li Yi struggled to choose between them. Finally, he turned his gaze toward the man in white first and gave a strained smile, “Minister Shi, the Grand Princess has feelings for you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a flash of shock crossed the eyes of the man who was usually unmoved. Shi Hanshang looked up instantly, his cold voice carrying a hint of disbelief: “Your Majesty?”

“Ha.”

A light laugh rang out. The bit of panic Shi Hanshang had shown vanished instantly, replaced by his usual cold composure.

After considering it for a moment, Shi Hanshang swept his robes aside and knelt directly. He lowered his eyes and raised his hands, saying respectfully, “May Your Majesty forgive me, but I am dull and unworthy. I truly cannot match the Princess’s clever heart.”

Li Yi wiped his cold sweat and turned toward Sheng Yuli, who was watching the show. He forced himself to say, “General Sheng, the Grand Princess also has feelings for you.”

“What?!”

As soon as these words came out, not only was Sheng Yuli shocked, but the entire court was stunned. The Grand Princess had her eyes on both of them? The two most brilliant men in all of Jinling?

The problem was, if the Princess liked two minor officials, it would be easy; if she liked them, they could simply be given to her! But these two were the Emperor’s right-hand men, the leaders of the civil and military factions! This was difficult.

It wasn’t that the Grand Princess was undesirable, but a Prince Consort cannot hold office. To marry the Princess, one would have to give up their power and position. How could these two powerful men agree?

Sure enough, General Sheng, who had been enjoying the spectacle, widened his eyes. He uncrossed his arms and took two steps forward in shock: “Your Majesty?!”

As he passed Shi Hanshang, Sheng Yuli noticed the same mocking glimmer in Shi Hanshang’s eyes. That expression was identical to the one he had just worn. It was truly a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s own feet.

A flame of nameless anger rose in his heart, but since this was the court, Sheng Yuli could not lose his temper. He could only grit his teeth, step forward, and kneel heavily. He raised his hands and shouted, “This official is coarse and careless. I do not know how to be gentle and could easily harm the Princess’s delicate body. I hope Your Majesty will think twice!”

The two men bowed their heads in unison.

Li Yi: “You two certainly have great chemistry at times like this.”

Li Yi truly wanted to cry. He remembered how they had just criticized the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir and the Cui son. Now they were using the same excuses for themselves! Anyone could hear that their refusal was incredibly obvious.

Below the dragon throne, the two men, one in black, one in white, shared the same expression. They bowed in a rare moment of peace. Their movements were surprisingly synchronized, revealing a strange harmony in every gesture.

Back at the Imperial Academy, they had fought over everything. Whether it was a poetry gathering or a martial bout, even if one was not interested, he would participate just because the other was there. They would not stop until a winner was decided.

Li Yi used to think he was older and had a special relationship with their siblings, so he acted as an elder brother, constantly trying to mediate between them. He wanted them to turn their swords into plowshares and be friends. But after failing countless times, he had to give up.

Having grown used to seeing them fight, seeing them act in total agreement now brought Li Yi no joy. He thought: Why must they be so united on a matter like this?

Li Yi could only lean his head on his hand and laugh bitterly.

In the end, after arguing for half the day, the court reached no conclusion. Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli refused to budge, and Li Yi had no choice but to dismiss the court and discuss it later.

However, a situation that seemed like a dead end soon found a turning point.

During the imperial examinations half a month later, the Grand Princess met the top three candidates alongside the Emperor. Unexpectedly, at the banquet, the Grand Princess fell in love at first sight with the third-place candidate!

The Emperor was overjoyed. Without another word, he issued an imperial decree for the marriage and chose an auspicious day for the wedding!

Support The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child