The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 14

It was only after Sheng Yuli fled in a panic that Shi Hanshang’s frantic heart finally found a moment of respite. He at last had the opportunity to settle his mind and truly reflect on the events of the past two months.

If he truly were pregnant, then the child must have been conceived during that single night of lost inhibition.

Ordinary women seeking to terminate a pregnancy would always aim to do so as early as possible. Once the first three months passed and the fetus became stable, the physical toll would be immense. How much more so would that be for Shi Hanshang, a man carrying a child?

Shi Hanshang smiled bitterly to himself. He never imagined that an accidental night of passion would bear such a difficult and complicated fruit. It was truly a cruel twist of fate.

Seeking medical assistance was a matter of extreme urgency. That very evening, during the harvest banquet of the Autumn Hunt, Shi Hanshang requested an audience with Li Yi. Using his fall from the horse and alleged irregularities in capital affairs as excuses, he asked for permission to return to the capital early with the Imperial Physician, Song Qing.

Li Yi was shocked to hear this, but he did not oppose it. He had recently received reports from palace attendants stating that Shi Hanshang was unwell. At the time, Li Yi had been worried, fearing that Shi Hanshang was too stubborn and would push himself to stay on the field just to compete with Sheng Yuli. He had been trying to think of a way to make the man rest.

Now that Shi Hanshang had taken the initiative to return to the capital, Li Yi felt greatly relieved and readily agreed. However, the Emperor could not help but feel surprised. Why would the usually unyielding Shi Hanshang suddenly give in today?

When Li Yi looked down at Sheng Yuli, he saw no trace of smugness on the man’s face. Instead, Sheng Yuli sat with a dark expression, incessantly pouring wine down his throat.

Li Yi thought it was truly strange! Could it be that his two friends had finally moved past their differences and stopped being at each other’s throats? Li Yi felt much more cheerful at the thought.

Looking up, he noticed the concerned expression on Shi Yunhe’s face nearby. Recalling the official business at hand, he coughed twice and asked seriously, “Does Minister Shi have any serious ailments? Has a physician seen him?”

Shi Hanshang bowed respectfully and replied in a clear voice, “To answer Your Majesty, this subject has already had his pulse taken by Physician Song. It was merely an accidental fall from the horse during the hunt. My leg was slightly injured, making movement somewhat inconvenient. Additionally, reports from the capital mentioned urgent matters. Thus, I have ventured to request Your Majesty’s permission to return to the capital with Physician Song.”

Hearing the words “fall from a horse,” Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He asked with concern, “Is it serious?”

Shi Hanshang shook his head. “It is just a minor injury. I thank Your Majesty for your concern.”

Li Yi looked closely at Shi Hanshang as he knelt. Although the man’s face was somewhat pale, there was nothing else unusual. Seeing no severe wounds and noting that he still had the strength to petition the throne, Li Yi assumed the illness was not grave. Fearing that kneeling for too long would be uncomfortable for him, Li Yi offered a few more words of concern and then granted the request.

That night, Shi Yunhe and Shi Hanshang spoke by candlelight. Shi Hanshang used all his powers of persuasion to dispel his elder brother’s suspicions and gain his consent to return to the capital alone.

Early the next morning, Shi Hanshang set out with Song Qing. Upon returning to Jinling, Song Qing immediately began searching for his master, the great healer Xuan Hu. However, his master was accustomed to a life of freedom. Since leaving the palace three years ago and shedding his official robes, he had vanished into the vast world. Finding him now would be no easy task.

As the days passed, Song Qing grew as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle. Finally, he learned of Xuan Hu’s whereabouts from a senior fellow disciple. After sending dozens of messenger pigeons, Song Qing finally received a reply a week ago. The master promised to return as soon as his current matters were finished, though he did not specify a date.

Meanwhile, the Emperor and the ministers who had accompanied him on the hunt were also due to return soon. Compared to the frantic Song Qing, Shi Hanshang, the actual patient, was much more composed. He maintained his daily routine, busy with the backlog of official documents. Occasionally, he practiced his swordplay, though his strikes were more ferocious and decisive than ever. Each lethal move was aimed in the direction of the Sheng Manor.

Song Qing saw him once and was so startled he dropped his herbs. He cried out in alarm, “Lan Bie, you are carrying a child! How can you engage in such violent exercise?”

After that, Shi Hanshang stopped practicing his sword. He spent his days sitting upright in the warm pavilion, staring blankly at a room full of books and ink. Deprived of his only outlet, he appeared expressionless, but his inner frustration grew. After looking at a scroll for only half an hour, he took a deep breath, unable to continue, and threw it back onto the pile.

Rubbing his aching temples, Shi Hanshang inexplicably thought of Sheng Yuli. Why was he here suffering while that fellow was out enjoying himself? Shi Hanshang began to wipe his blade.

Just then, A Sheng entered with a plate of butter pastries and gasped in shock, “Young Master! Please put the blade down! Weapons have no eyes. What if you hurt yourself?”

With that, A Sheng took the dagger away and placed the delicate plate of pastries before him. “Young Master, these are fresh butter pastries from the kitchen. Please eat a little and rest!”

A breeze drifted through the window, lifting Shi Hanshang’s thin, wide robes. The clothes that once fit him now seemed baggy. In just a few days, he had grown much thinner. A Sheng felt a pang of heartache seeing this and could not help but feel more resentment toward that man.

Shi Hanshang had not been idle during his two weeks back in the capital. He had visited many clinics in disguise, from famous ones to quiet ones. Covering his face with a plain white bamboo hat, he allowed various physicians to check his pulse. The answer was always the same: he was with child.

Shi Hanshang’s headache intensified. If it were only Song Qing, it could have been a misdiagnosis. But could all the skilled physicians in Jinling be incompetent? He instinctively touched his flat abdomen, his eyes flickering as he suppressed his frustration.

Initially, A Sheng had been speechless upon learning of the pregnancy. When he found out the child belonged to General Sheng, the man his master always quarreled with, his jaw nearly hit the floor. But half a month had passed. Seeing his master waste away with worry, he had no choice but to accept the truth. His indignation and shock turned into pity and concern.

Seeing A Sheng holding the plate with such hopeful eyes, Shi Hanshang softened his expression and took a pastry. As the milky scent hit his nose, he felt a surge of stomach acid. He quickly covered his mouth and leaned down to retch!

The white pastry was tossed aside. A Sheng hurried over to rub his back and help him catch his breath. “Can you not even eat this?” he asked worriedly. “These butter pastries were your favorite when you were a child! If you cannot even eat this, what are we to do?”

Shi Hanshang’s morning sickness had grown increasingly severe. He could once eat simple home cooked meals, but now he could not stand the smell of meat or oil. He retched by day and vomited by night. Anything he managed to eat was immediately brought back up. A Sheng was heartbroken but helpless. Since the matter had to be kept secret, his eyes turned red with anxiety.

Shi Hanshang wanted to comfort A Sheng, but he was physically drained. The nausea was too overwhelming for him to speak. A Sheng, unable to bear it, burst out, “That General Sheng is the cause of all this trouble! Why is he allowed to be happy at Mount Yuehu while you suffer here? Why is he not the one carrying the child? The heavens are truly unfair!”

A Sheng poured a cup of tea for Shi Hanshang. Finally, he stomped his foot and said, “Young Master, please endure for a moment. I will go find Physician Song!”

Shi Hanshang lacked the strength to stop him and watched as A Sheng hurried away. He leaned against the couch for a long time. When he finally regained enough strength to stand, he had only taken a few steps when a familiar, thunderous shout echoed from outside.

“Shi Hanshang! Shi Hanshang, where are you?”

“Shi Hanshang, are you in the manor? Shi Hanshang! Shi Hanshang!”

The voice was so deafening and desperate that Shi Hanshang’s hand froze against the bedpost. Accompanied by the sounds of servants trying to block him, the footsteps grew closer. Shi Hanshang could bear it no longer. He stood up quickly and pushed open the door!

At a glance, he saw Sheng Yuli being swarmed and blocked by the manor servants. Upon seeing him, Sheng Yuli stopped in his tracks. His deep eyes lit up with joy. “Shi Hanshang, you are here!”

Shi Hanshang remained silent. The middle aged man leading the servants was the manor steward. He was drenched in sweat and hurried forward with the others to greet Shi Hanshang. “Greetings, Second Young Master. This man…”

Before he could complain, Sheng Yuli dashed up the steps and stood before the Second Young Master, eager to air his grievances. “Shi Hanshang! I came to find you and asked where your guest room was, but that man!” He pointed at the steward and huffed. “Not only did he refuse to tell me, he refused to let me in!”

“This… This…” The old steward was speechless and could only look at his master while wiping sweat from his brow.

Shi Hanshang knew exactly why the steward had blocked him. Setting aside the fact that the man was covered in dust, had an unshaven beard, and was wearing armor stained with animal blood while carrying a sharp sword, the steward would never have let him in based solely on their reputation for being at odds. After all, the man claimed to have business, but who knew if it was just an excuse for a vendetta? Furthermore, the steward had already been given orders by his master.

As for who gave those orders? Shi Hanshang coughed slightly.

Unfortunately, the single minded Sheng Yuli had not realized this. He simply thought the steward disliked him. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking triumphantly at the servants below the steps.

Shi Hanshang could not stand it and interrupted him coldly, “What are you doing here?”

The man clearly looked as though he had traveled for several days without sleep. Since the news of the Emperor’s return had already arrived, Shi Hanshang was not surprised to see him. He only wondered why Sheng Yuli had visited so suddenly. Judging by his appearance, he must have come straight to the Shi Manor the moment he reached Jinling without a moment of rest.

Sheng Yuli replied quite frankly, “I came to find you!”

Shi Hanshang glanced at him in surprise. The man looked exhausted, yet his eyes were startlingly bright as he stared at him. He braced his hand against the doorframe, looking as though he would not leave unless he was allowed inside.

Glancing at the trembling steward, Shi Hanshang sighed helplessly and waved his hand. “All of you may leave.” He then turned and went back into the room.

Seeing Shi Hanshang enter, the man at the door did not move. Shi Hanshang turned and looked at the stunned Sheng Yuli, saying nonchalantly, “Are you not coming in? Have you not embarrassed yourself enough?”

Sheng Yuli rejoiced and immediately ran inside!

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