The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 15

Upon entering the wing room, Sheng Yuli sat down with a flourish, not treating himself as an outsider in the least. Seeing a cup of cooled tea on the desk, he picked it up and drank it in one go.

The tea was sweet and soothing to his throat, finally relieving the parched dryness from a night of rushing on horseback. Sheng Yuli wiped his mouth with satisfaction and exclaimed, “Fine tea!”

Shi Hanshang could least tolerate his unbridled and undisciplined manner. His eyelid twitched, and he suddenly regretted letting Sheng Yuli in.

Clearly, back when they were at the Imperial Academy as children, Sheng Yuli was not quite this dissolute. It seemed that after leaving the discipline of Grand Tutor Jiang, the man had spent too much time in the military camps. With too few rules and boundaries, he had become increasingly unrefined.

After Shi Hanshang rolled his eyes in loathing, he noticed the empty red sandalwood tabletop and realized belatedly, “Wait, where did that tea you drank come from?”

Sheng Yuli set the empty cup down and pointed at him. “It was right there in front of you.”

“I figured you were not thirsty since the tea had already gone cold. I helped you out so as not to spoil such a good thing. It would be a waste to let a fine cup of tea go to waste!”

The expression of Shi Hanshang shattered on the spot, his mouth twitching several times.

Seeing his foul expression, Sheng Yuli asked in confusion, “Hey, Shi Hanshang, surely the Prime Minister’s Manor has not fallen into such poverty? It was just a single cup of tea! Is it worth making that face?”

Shi Hanshang said through gritted teeth, “Is this just about a cup of tea?”

Sheng Yuli blinked innocently. “What else is there?”

After a long pause, Sheng Yuli stared at the empty white porcelain cup as if he had finally realized something. He suddenly leaped from his stool onto the table and pointed at Shi Hanshang in terror. “You, did you poison it?”

Shi Hanshang rolled his eyes and snatched the teacup from his hand, mocking him, “Yes, I poisoned it. Seven Day Heart Breaking Powder. Once you walk out of here today, your internal organs will slowly dissolve until your intestines rot through. You will find that living is worse than death. Seven days from now will be the anniversary of your death!”

Sheng Yuli turned pale with fright. He swallowed hard, his face looking ashen. “Surely, surely it has not come to that?”

He truly believed Shi Hanshang would poison him.

Setting aside their long standing grudges, considering what happened two months ago and the little one currently in the belly of the man before him, he would not be surprised if Shi Hanshang executed him on the spot today.

However, with death at his doorstep, he could not help but feel a sense of trepidation.

Sheng Yuli held onto a final sliver of hope. He glanced at the lower abdomen of Shi Hanshang, which was hidden by his waist sash, and said nervously, “I am, after all, the father of the child in your belly. You cannot be so heartless.”

The next second, a flying kick came toward him.

“Ouch!” Sheng Yuli instinctively caught the sweeping leg. It was straight and powerful, carrying a gust of wind. As it reached his waist, Sheng Yuli instinctively pulled and bent it, causing the white figure before him to suddenly close in!

Years of experience on the battlefield had given Sheng Yuli many muscle reflexes.

For instance, now, the moment the cold fragrance of Shi Hanshang brushed past his nose, Sheng Yuli instinctively curled his fingers into a fist to strike the abdomen of the newcomer. But in that instant, his mind cleared as if struck by lightning, and he immediately withdrew his hand and retreated!

Sheng Yuli was in a state of complete disarray. He saw a fist flash before his eyes, but it was already too late to dodge.

With a cry of “Ah!”, the vision of Sheng Yuli went dark as he saw stars.

Shi Hanshang was also startled. He had not expected Sheng Yuli to be unable to dodge even this single punch. He frowned and asked, “Why did you not dodge?”

Sheng Yuli was dazed by the blow, his head still spinning. He did not hear a word the other man said.

Shi Hanshang did not care to repeat himself. He clapped his hands, and the irritation in his heart strangely dissipated a little.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “Sheng Yuli, how is it? Do you now know that trouble comes from the mouth?”

Sheng Yuli lay on the ground for a while to recover. After a long time, he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling beams, asking morosely, “Shi Hanshang, did you really poison me?”

Shi Hanshang snorted. “What do you think?”

Sheng Yuli shook his head. “I think you probably did not.”

This surprised Shi Hanshang. He raised an eyebrow. “Why? Do you think I do not dare to kill you?”

“No.” Sheng Yuli shook his head again. “If you wanted to kill me, you would never do it in the Shi Manor and bring trouble upon yourself. You would certainly plan it long in advance until everything was perfect, then strike me down invisibly.”

Shi Hanshang straightened his clothes, which had become slightly disarrayed during the scuffle, and snorted, “As long as you know.”

“Sigh,” Sheng Yuli let out a long sigh and suddenly performed a kip up to stand. He took a few steps to the desk of Shi Hanshang, slammed both hands onto the table, and looked at him seriously. “Does your stomach not hurt anymore?”

Shi Hanshang was about to flare up at such an insolent gesture, but then he saw the bruise around the eye of Sheng Yuli, which looked like a dark circle. Combined with his travel worn, comical appearance, Shi Hanshang could not help but burst into laughter.

Sheng Yuli watched Shi Hanshang double over in laughter while clutching his stomach, looking completely bewildered. “Shi Hanshang, what are you laughing at?”

The stomach of Shi Hanshang had stopped hurting, but now that he was laughing so hard, it actually began to ache a little again.

Yet the pain could not stop his laughter.

After a long while, once his abdominal muscles felt a bit strained and sore, he finally managed to stop laughing. Looking at the confused expression of Sheng Yuli, he mimicked the other man’s earlier gesture by spreading his hands and saying innocently, “Nothing.”

“Oh right, what did you just ask?” He intentionally changed the subject.

Sheng Yuli was speechless.

Sheng Yuli said, “I asked if your stomach still hurts.”

Shi Hanshang was in a rare good mood. He did not get anger this time and shook his head frankly. “It stopped hurting long ago.”

As long as you do not make me laugh, he thought.

At those words, a subtle change appeared in the expression of Sheng Yuli.

This change was not the pleasure of a frank admission, nor was it surprise. Instead, it was a kind of seriousness and amazement that Shi Hanshang had never seen before.

Shi Hanshang raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is it?”

Sheng Yuli opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally pointed at his lower abdomen, asking with difficulty, “So, you, are truly with child?”

Upon hearing this, the face of Shi Hanshang changed. He finally realized that the seemingly random question from Sheng Yuli earlier was actually a roundabout way to trick him into revealing the truth.

If he were not pregnant, he would have stated clearly that it was nonsense upon hearing the question.

But if Shi Hanshang said anything else, whether a denial or an affirmation, the answer was already obvious: he was indeed pregnant.

In his momentary lapse of caution, Shi Hanshang had fallen for the trap of Sheng Yuli!

Instantly, the expression on the face of Shi Hanshang shifted again.

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the moment he received confirmation, Sheng Yuli still felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

In just two short months, he had not only slept with his rival but also had a child with him!

And this rival was a man!

It truly felt like a dream.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room fell silent. One sat and one stood; one was stunned while the other was embarrassed. They stared at each other across the table, neither knowing what to say.

It was not until a third voice appeared that this eerie silence was suddenly broken.

“Lan Bie! I found it! I found it!” Song Qing burst through the door, only to see Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli standing in silent opposition.

Song Qing froze and pointed at Sheng Yuli in disbelief. “Sheng Yuli? Why are you here?”

Sheng Yuli finally snapped out of it. He gave a light cough to ease the awkwardness and raised an eyebrow with his arms crossed. “Why can I not be here?”

Song Qing did not bother to argue. At this moment, nothing was as important as the object in his hand!

He closed the door as quickly as possible and immediately spread a yellowed, old book out before Shi Hanshang. The pages turned rapidly until they stopped at a page covered in markings.

Song Qing tapped his finger on the book with a rhythmic thud, saying excitedly, “Lan Bie, I found it! This book says that in ancient times, there was a tribe called the Qian’an. Their population was always small, and there were more men than women. The Qian’an people were gifted with unique traits; a small number of men could also produce offspring!”

“Lan Bie, think quickly. Perhaps you have the Qian’an bloodline in your veins!”

Hearing this, both men in the room were shocked.

Shi Hanshang thought for a long time before saying hesitantly, “My mother was indeed not from the Central Plains.”

Song Qing clapped his hands. “That explains it!”

The pages rustled again as Song Qing showed them another entry, saying eagerly, “This page even records an ancient Qian’an man raising and giving birth to a child. Although the records are few, they are better than nothing!”

“Lan Bie, you are saved!”

Song Qing was so excited he was nearly dancing. Sheng Yuli was also stunned and instinctively took a step forward.

However, after a moment of initial surprise, Shi Hanshang immediately calmed down.

Giving birth?

He had grown up in the Central Plains and had never seen a man give birth.

Let alone others not believing it; if this had not happened to him personally and had been told to him by someone else, Shi Hanshang would never have believed it. He would have even thought the person was spreading lies and nonsense!

And now?

Would the world believe it?

Even if he made the records in the book public and tried his best to tell the world the truth about male pregnancy, how many people would truly believe him?

He would be lucky if they did not treat him like a monster to be executed by fire!

Moreover, even if he could somehow hide the truth and give birth to this child, in what capacity would this child exist?

As his child? Or the child of Sheng Yuli?

The factions of Shi and Sheng were at odds. As long as this child existed, their birth would become a weakness for Shi Hanshang or a handle for others to use. It could be exposed at any time, leaving Shi Hanshang in a position where he could be manipulated.

No, he did not want that.

Sheng Yuli was the first to notice that something was wrong with Shi Hanshang. His expression soon darkened as well; clearly, he had considered these points too.

After a long silence, Shi Hanshang said calmly, “Zilin, is there a way to terminate the pregnancy?”

It was the same question as before. Song Qing finally calmed down. After some hesitation, he turned the medical book to a specific page and sighed. “There is.”

“However, the male constitution is different from a woman’s. A regular decoction for termination requires an additional ingredient called the Blood Leaf Orchid. It grows in the lands of Southern Dian and is extremely rare and difficult to harvest. To find it, it will likely take a great deal of effort.”

“I will find it,” Sheng Yuli suddenly spoke up. He looked at Shi Hanshang and said seriously, “Since this matter started because of me, I will take full responsibility until the end.”

“Just focus on resting and recovering. As for the medicinal ingredients, I will find a way.”

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