The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 13

It was madness, sheer madness!

Shi Hanshang watched as the last trace of disbelief in Song Qing’s eyes transformed into shock. As Song Qing began pacing frantically around the tent clutching his head, Shi Hanshang felt a splitting headache of his own. He glared with seething resentment at the equally shaken Sheng Yuli, having already sliced him into ten thousand pieces in his mind a thousand times over!

But the deed was done. No matter how much they wished to deny it, they had to face the reality before them.

Forcing down the turbulent images flashing through his mind, Shi Hanshang rubbed his temples wearily and said with resignation, “Zi Lin, stop for a moment and let me explain.”

“Lan Bie!” Song Qing interrupted him, lunging forward to grasp his shoulders. His eyes shone with intensity. “Tell me, did this beast force himself upon you?!”

“I…” Shi Hanshang froze. Just as he was about to speak, he was cut off again.

Sheng Yuli finally snapped, erupting into a loud curse. “Hey! Song Qing! I have endured you for a long time! How can you repeatedly throw such filth at me? No matter how crude or wretched I, Sheng Yuli, may be, I would never commit such a bestial act as forcing someone against their will!”

“Then how do you explain this?!” Song Qing pointed a trembling finger at Shi Hanshang.

Sheng Yuli choked, his face becoming as dark as deep water. “It was just an accident!”

“An accident? What kind of accident? Do not tell me you were so drunk and senseless that you just happened to enter the same room as Lan Bie, then just happened to lie in the same bed, and then just happened to… do that?!” Song Qing declared with righteous indignation.

Unexpectedly, as these words left his mouth, Sheng Yuli’s expression grew increasingly strange. With every “just happened” that Song Qing uttered, Sheng Yuli’s face became more unsightly.

By the end, even Song Qing lost his confidence. He stared wide eyed at Shi Hanshang, only to see his friend’s face had turned a ghastly shade of pale green. He let out a sudden roar. “My god, did you two… actually have a drunken tryst?!”

Shi Hanshang felt humiliated enough to want to die. He closed his eyes, which were brimming with a faint, angry shimmer. Finally suppressing his mounting fury, he nodded with a heart as heavy as dead ashes.

In an instant, the vast military tent fell into a silence as deep as a stagnant pond. Even the faint sound of the three men breathing was incredibly clear.

Song Qing finally stopped pacing and sat down heavily, his face grim. “When did this happen?”

Sheng Yuli coughed twice, stuttering and hesitating. “Cough… it was… the day of the Eldest Princess’s wedding.”

“You!” Song Qing pointed at Sheng Yuli for a long while before finally deflating and withdrawing his hand. Looking at Shi Hanshang, who was now as pale as paper, he said word for word, “The fetus in your womb is exactly a little over two months old.”

Upon hearing this, both men shuddered.

Shi Hanshang slowly opened his eyes, trying his best to make his voice sound calm. “Zi Lin, even if it is true that… he and I had such an encounter, a man becoming pregnant is unheard of since ancient times.”

“I know your medical skills are peerless, but this matter is simply too absurd. You… how certain are you?”

He spoke delicately, not wishing to offend his close friend’s pride, yet truly unable to believe such a ridiculous tale that would be the laughingstock of the world. He chose his words carefully.

On the other side, Sheng Yuli, who was already annoyed with Song Qing, did not have such reservations. He immediately chimed in. “Exactly! You can actually speak of something so preposterous? Song Qing, I think you have simply failed in your studies and made a wrong diagnosis!”

As soon as he finished, Sheng Yuli received angry glares from both of them at once. Shi Hanshang ignored him entirely, patted his friend’s shoulder, and continued, “Zi Lin, just speak the truth rationally.”

Song Qing did not bother to look at Sheng Yuli either. His thoughts returned to his friend’s ailment, and his expression grew serious once more. He reached for Shi Hanshang’s wrist again, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

After a moment, Song Qing silently released Shi Hanshang’s pulse. He said with difficulty, “Lan Bie, perhaps I am indeed ignorant, but this pulse of yours… it is like pearls rolling on a jade plate, flowing smoothly and rapidly. I have truly only seen this in pregnant women. Furthermore, what you mentioned earlier about loss of appetite and frequent nausea… these are common symptoms of those with a child! If you were a woman, I would be ninety percent certain.”

Ninety percent… this was likely Song Qing’s conservative estimate. Given his status as the primary disciple of the Capital’s Medical Saint, if even he was this certain, the probability was essentially one hundred percent.

Shi Hanshang sighed softly, but Song Qing continued. “Not only that, the spotting you experienced and the slight trembling and instability of your pulse… these are signs of a threatened miscarriage.”

At these words, Shi Hanshang’s thin lips parted slightly. He subconsciously placed his hand over his lower abdomen. The pain was gone, but perhaps because of the heavy, dragging sensation of these past few days, he had grown accustomed to the faint pulling. Now that it had suddenly returned to calm, he felt his heart go empty for a fleeting moment.

Sheng Yuli, who had been standing by the bed with a nonchalant air, also grew serious. He looked at Shi Hanshang on the couch, who was clutching his abdomen with a look of dazed shock, and his own heart felt complicated.

If it was truly as Song Qing said and Shi Hanshang was two months pregnant, then the child in his belly was undoubtedly his.

But a child between him and Shi Hanshang?

An intense and surreal feeling surged into Sheng Yuli’s heart.

Thinking of himself and Shi Hanshang, rivals who had clashed since childhood, he never imagined that one day they would be sitting peacefully under the same roof discussing anything other than state affairs, let alone this kind of matter!

But now, far beyond just being under the same roof, they had already committed the most intimate act in the world. They were even sitting face to face discussing the possible existence of a small life connected to both their bloodlines.

This feeling… was truly bizarre.

Sheng Yuli still could not believe it. He could not help but ask in a raspy voice, “Song Qing, are you sure you and Shi Hanshang did not agree to play a trick on me?”

Song Qing said angrily, “How could such a matter be used for a prank?!”

After a brief argument, the atmosphere in the room returned to a strange stillness. The three men looked at each other in silence for a long time until Shi Hanshang finally broke the quiet.

“Zi Lin,” Shi Hanshang looked up.

“Yes, I am here.” Song Qing hurriedly turned to grasp his friend’s hand.

“I want to ask a favor of you,” Shi Hanshang said plainly.

Song Qing’s heart stirred, and he tightened his grip on Shi Hanshang’s hand. “Since you have a need, I will certainly help. Why use the word ‘favor’?”

A glimmer flickered in Shi Hanshang’s eyes, as if he had made a final decision. He said calmly, “This matter is simply too inconceivable. We must not let any word of it spread.”

“I want to ask you to keep this a secret for me, especially… you must not let my elder brother know.”

Song Qing nodded. “Rest assured, this matter will be known only by the heavens, the earth, you, and me. No third… well, no fourth person shall know!”

“But…” Song Qing hesitated. “You are only in the early months now and can hide it for the time being. What will happen later when the belly grows large?”

Shi Hanshang’s gaze darkened. “That is the second favor I ask of you.”

He felt Sheng Yuli’s burning gaze fixed upon him, but Shi Hanshang forced himself not to look back. He said to Song Qing word for word, “Zi Lin, after we return to the capital, if there is indeed a fetus in my womb… I want to ask you to help me terminate the pregnancy.”

Even if he was unwilling to believe it before, he could no longer avoid the suspicion.

As soon as these words were spoken, the other two in the tent were momentarily surprised, but only for an instant.

After all, this child was an accident, and more importantly, it was the child of Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli, two lifelong enemies. Not keeping it was the expected course of action.

Sheng Yuli glanced at Shi Hanshang, opening his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Song Qing also let out a long sigh, looking troubled. “Lan Bie, I save countless patients every day. Among them are many women who wish to terminate a pregnancy. Once they have made up their minds, a bowl of safflower decoction is administered, and within half an hour, the stillborn fetus is delivered.”

“But… but those are all women. You are a man. I… I truly do not dare to use medicine blindly on you! If something were to happen to you, how would I explain it to Minister Shi?!”

The idea of a male body nurturing an offspring was already incredible beyond belief. If no one had ever birthed one, how could anyone have ever terminated one?

This was truly a monumental difficulty without precedent!

After agonizing for a long while, Song Qing could only slap his thigh. “Lan Bie, wait for a few more days. I will ask for the Emperor’s permission to return to the capital early and seek out my master. He is vastly experienced and might have a way!”

Song Qing’s master, Master Xuan Hu, had left the Imperial Academy of Medicine many years ago to travel the world as a wandering physician.

If he could be found, that would naturally be for the best.

“Regardless, your body is currently unstable. Now is absolutely not the right time for a termination! I will first prescribe some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. As for the termination, we shall plan that carefully later!”

Shi Hanshang closed his eyes as if accepting his fate, leaning weakly against the headboard. “Since things have come to this, that is all we can do.”

Hearing this, Sheng Yuli, who had remained silent, also nodded. After thinking for a long time, he spoke up. “Although we do not yet know the absolute truth of this matter, it ultimately has everything to do with me. Song Qing, if you need any money or medicinal ingredients, you may simply speak to the General’s Manor. The entire Sheng family will exert every effort to assist.”

Song Qing let out a long sigh, lamenting, “Sigh, what a sin! Truly a sin!”

With that, Song Qing gave one last worried look at the two men sitting in silence before shaking his head and hurrying out of the tent to seek permission.

As a result, only Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli were left in the tent.

The atmosphere was incredibly heavy, so quiet that one could almost hear a needle drop.

Shi Hanshang’s brows were knit tight, and he kept his eyes closed, lost in thought. Sheng Yuli simply watched him in silence for a long time.

After a few minutes, Shi Hanshang slowly opened his eyes. He started slightly upon seeing Sheng Yuli and blurted out, “Why are you still here?”

He had thought Sheng Yuli had already left.

Sheng Yuli was also taken aback and instinctively retorted, “What of it? This is not your manor. I set up this camp myself; by what right can I not stay here?”

Bickering as soon as they met seemed to have become a habit for them, to the point where they did not even know how to open their mouths for a normal conversation.

After a long while, Sheng Yuli glanced at his lower abdomen and hesitated. “You…”

Shi Hanshang understood what Sheng Yuli wanted to say, and his face instantly turned cold. He said harshly, “I will settle this matter myself. it has nothing to do with you!”

“The hunt is not over yet. General Sheng should return to the hunting grounds quickly.”

He was used to the other’s barbed tone, but for some reason, it had never stung Sheng Yuli’s heart as much as it did this time.

He frowned in displeasure. “What do you mean it has nothing to do with me?! This child in your womb carries half of my bloodline. It is a child of the Sheng family. By what right does it have nothing to do with me?”

Shi Hanshang was already feeling stifled, and he became even more irritable. He snapped, “How can you be certain that you are the father?! Since this child is in my womb, it is a child of the Shi family and has nothing to do with your Sheng family! Whether it stays or goes, and who the father is, is none of your business, Sheng Yuli!”

“Shi Hanshang!” Sheng Yuli suddenly stood up, staring at Shi Hanshang in disbelief. “How can you say such a thing?!”

Sheng Yuli was so angry he stammered slightly. His finger trembled as he pointed at Shi Hanshang. “You! Do you dare to say that besides me, you have slept with another man or had physical intimacy with anyone else?!”

At the mention of this, Shi Hanshang’s fury flared. He snapped his eyes open, grabbed the square pillow from the bed, and hurled it at Sheng Yuli. He shouted, “What if I have? I am not some common maiden who cares for her reputation. Must I erect a chastity arch and remain pure for you?!”

“Shi Hanshang!” Sheng Yuli was truly enraged. No matter how much he disliked Shi Hanshang, he believed that in matters of intimacy, Shi Hanshang was certainly a man of integrity.

Not just of integrity—he was utterly conservative!

He persisted relentlessly. “If you were truly that kind of fickle and loose person, why would you have waited for me to ruin your reputation? I clearly remember that day you were clearly a vir…”

“Shut up! How dare you mention that day again?!” Shi Hanshang flew into a rage. He looked around and finally locked his gaze on a cold, glinting blade nearby. Ignoring his physical discomfort, he scrambled off the bed in three strides and unsheathed the sword. The cold light flashed as he thrust it toward the still-angry Sheng Yuli, shouting to interrupt him:

“Sheng Yuli, give me your life!”

Sheng Yuli was startled, his words coming to a sudden halt!

Instinctively backing away, he saw Shi Hanshang’s stumbling footsteps. His heart tightened, and he blurted out, “Shi Hanshang, calm down! Be careful not to disturb the fetal qi!”

“You!”

“Get out of here!”

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