The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 16

The next day after the morning court session, the ministers passing by were startled to see Sheng Yuli’s eye, which was now a bruised shade of deep purple. They began whispering in small groups, each one more shocked and curious than the last.

“This, this, this, who could possibly have the courage to injure General Sheng?” a slightly bolder official asked in a low voice.

“Oh, do you even need to ask?” The minister beside him nudged him and winked frantically. “Who else could have such capability? That is the General of the Flying Cavalry!”

“Furthermore,” the minister lowered his voice, “others might have the wicked intent, but they certainly lack the guts. Shh, quiet! General Sheng is looking over here!”

Sheng Yuli swept a sharp gaze toward them, and the group collectively looked up at the sky.

Sheng Yuli: “!”

His official robes billowed as the wind rushed through them, and his sleeves snapped loudly. Hearing the mosquito-like buzzing around him, Sheng Yuli’s face became as dark as deep water. He walked toward the palace gates with large strides, looking straight ahead.

Halfway there, he ran into Qin Zhen, who approached him with a beaming smile and a hearty pat. When Qin Zhen circled to his front and saw the bruise covering his entire eye, he recoiled with a sudden jump!

“Whoa! Zhige, what happened to your eye? Are you learning to perform in a play at Lingyin Pavilion?” Qin Zhen was greatly shocked!

“What play?” Sheng Yuli asked impatiently. “Have you ever seen someone perform a play with black makeup smeared on like this?”

Qin Zhen rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. “That is true.”

“Then what is wrong with your eye? Did your sister hit you? Or was it?”

“Shi Hanshang!” Qin Zhen’s gaze suddenly shot straight behind him. Sheng Yuli impatiently followed his line of sight and froze instantly.

“Lan Bie, what has been the matter with you these past few days? Why is your complexion so poor?”

“You do not eat properly at the manor, and you have hardly touched the pastries I had the kitchen send to you. Is your body feeling unwell?”

Shi Hanshang and Shi Yunhe walked side by side. Both were tall and elegant, their snow-white official robes swaying and trailing slightly on the ground. On their faces, which shared sixty percent similarity, one expression was cold and aloof while the other was as gentle as worried jade. Their upright figures approached in synchronization; to the casual eye, it was like immortals stepping out of a painting.

Shi Yunhe’s light brows were slightly knit, and his face was clouded with lingering worry. His entire focus was on his younger brother, and he failed to notice the two pairs of eyes fixed upon them.

Shi Hanshang lowered his gaze slightly and consoled him in a soft voice. “Brother, rest assured. It is merely the accumulated workload of late, which inevitably leads to some fatigue. Furthermore, the weather is turning cold, and I have not quite adapted. I will be better in a few days.”

He deliberately suppressed the matter of his pregnancy.

Shi Yunhe, however, did not relax his brow. “You always brush me off with such excuses.”

“The same happened during the autumn hunt. If Song Qing had not come to explain, I would not have known you were injured!”

“Lan Bie, I am your elder brother. An elder brother is like a father. If anything happens to you, you absolutely should not hide it from me!”

Upon hearing this, Shi Hanshang’s footsteps paused slightly and his long lashes trembled. Ultimately, he suppressed the flicker of emotion in his eyes and spoke calmly. “I do not dare to hide things from Brother. It is just that Lan Bie truly has no major issues. Brother need not be anxious.”

“How could I not be anxious?” Shi Yunhe let out a sigh. “Lan Bie, I have only you as my brother.”

“The two of us have depended on each other since childhood. Aside from you, I have no other close kin in this world. If anything were to happen to you, leaving me alone to face my own shadow, I would spend the rest of my life wasting away like a walking corpse. What would you have your brother do?”

Shi Hanshang’s heart stirred at these words. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a burning gaze fall upon him, and the words stopped at the tip of his tongue.

He turned and saw the dazed, captivated expressions that Sheng Yuli and Qin Zhen had not yet managed to withdraw. His brow instantly tightened.

Seeing him stop, Shi Yunhe followed his gaze. He was also taken aback when he saw the two men.

However, he was the first to react. He composed his expression and nodded to them from a distance as a greeting.

Sheng Yuli and Qin Zhen snapped back to reality and hurriedly bowed their heads in response.

Only Shi Hanshang stood silently in place. His light eyes swept over their faces without a trace of emotion. It was only after Shi Yunhe’s soft reminder that he reluctantly bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment.

His phoenix eyes swept over Sheng Yuli but shifted away in an instant.

Once the greetings were finished, Qin Zhen almost instinctively grabbed the corner of Sheng Yuli’s robe.

Sheng Yuli gave him a bewildered look and asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”

Qin Zhen lowered his voice. “I am holding you back first so you do not start another fight with Shi Hanshang. I will not be able to pull you away later.”

Sheng Yuli: “?”

Sheng Yuli also whispered, “Are you sick? Why would I want to fight Shi Hanshang?”

Qin Zhen did not speak, but he silently looked at Sheng Yuli’s black eye.

“Wait, why did you say another?” Sheng Yuli asked crossly. “Why do you make it sound as if I pick a fight every time I see Shi Hanshang?”

Qin Zhen blinked, the meaning in his eyes clear: Is that not the case?

Sheng Yuli was instantly enraged. “I am not that kind of reckless brute!”

Seeing that Sheng Yuli’s voice was getting louder and the gazes from the two members of the Shi family were growing increasingly puzzled, Qin Zhen hurriedly covered Sheng Yuli’s mouth. Amidst Sheng Yuli’s muffled struggles, Qin Zhen called out to Shi Yunhe and Shi Hanshang with a forced, beaming smile. “Do not mind us, do not mind us! General Sheng’s face is a bit sore, so I am helping him massage it! Oh, that is right! Lord Chancellor, Lord Minister, are you two heading back to your manor?!”

Shi Hanshang: “!” (A look of pure disgust)

Shi Yunhe: “Indeed.” (A polite smile)

Sheng Yuli: “Qin Zhen! You, bastard, let go!”

Qin Zhen: “Ahahaha, what a coincidence to run into you both here. Truly a case of enemies, oh, no, no, no, a chance meeting on a narrow path! Ahahaha!”

Shi Yunhe said with some hesitation, “General Qin, if you cover General Sheng like that, will General Sheng not be?”

Before the word “uncomfortable” could be uttered, Sheng Yuli struggled even harder. Catching the cold, indifferent gaze behind the other man, Sheng Yuli raised a hand. “I!”

Qin Zhen quickly hauled him back and gave another forced smile. “Ahahaha, no, no. With General Sheng’s constitution as strong as an ox, he could probably service seven women a night and still be full of vigor! How could he be uncomfortable? Hahaha!”

As soon as those words were spoken, the air instantly froze.

Sheng Yuli: “!”

Qin Zhen was struck with horror. Only then did he realize what he had just blurted out in the heat of the moment!

He was so terrified that he forgot to cover Sheng Yuli’s mouth and instead covered his own, standing frozen on the spot.

He thought to himself: It is over, it is over, it is over!

He did not know if the two from the Shi family had heard clearly. If only Shi Yunhe had heard, it might be fine; he would probably just criticize him internally and pretend he heard nothing.

But that Shi Hanshang was the most conservative, strict, and upright person of all!

Now that he had fallen into Shi Hanshang’s hands, he was truly dead!

Sure enough, Shi Hanshang, who had been expressionless a moment ago, now looked as cold as tempered steel. The gaze he shot forward was like a frigid awl piercing to the bone; he looked ready to skewer them both on the spot!

Sheng Yuli was stunned by this intimidating stare. The few defensive words he had prepared earlier were all swallowed back down.

He instinctively wanted to explain, but a strange sense of defiance suddenly emerged. He thought: Why should I care about Shi Hanshang’s reaction? Even if I had never done such a ridiculous thing, what does it matter even if I had? Since when does he have the right to manage me?

Has he not suffered enough from Shi Hanshang’s temper these past few days?

Seeing the already awkward atmosphere grow even more heavy, with the four of them facing off and each looking more displeased than the last, Shi Yunhe was the first to break the silence. He coughed twice and said, “General Sheng is, er, full of youthful vigor. It is natural to be robust and physically strong. This is a blessing for Jinling.”

“However, excessive indulgence harms the body. General Sheng, you should pay more attention to your health.”

As soon as the words fell, Sheng Yuli’s handsome face shifted between red, white, and green in a fascinating display. Ultimately, he did not retort. He simply twitched the corner of his mouth and said with difficulty, “I am grateful for Lord Minister’s concern.”

For some reason, after hearing this, Shi Hanshang felt a sudden surge of irritation.

Fine, Sheng Yuli. Here he was, filled with anxiety every day, unable to eat or sleep, and physically exhausted by the turmoil of this unexpected child! Yet Sheng Yuli had the heart to run out and seek pleasure?

And with seven women in a night? How did he have even the slightest appearance of a high-ranking official of the Celestial Dynasty?

With these thoughts, the look Shi Hanshang directed at Sheng Yuli became much more fierce.

Qin Zhen saw this and thought Shi Hanshang truly intended to hold Sheng Yuli accountable. If so, the sin committed by his loose tongue was enormous!

He hurriedly changed the subject. “Ahahaha, well, I was just speaking nonsense earlier. Lords, please do not take it seriously!”

“Oh, that! I just heard the Lord Minister say the Chancellor is unwell. Is there any major ailment?”

Shi Yunhe replied with a gentle smile, “My younger brother has caught a slight cold and lost his appetite, hence my worry. However, there is no serious illness. Thank you for your concern, General Qin.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Sheng Yuli’s head. His sturdy frame shuddered as his previous defiance vanished instantly. His mind lagged a beat, and he blurted out, “Lost his appetite? Why would he lose his appetite?”

He immediately felt a flash of cold light strike him.

Sheng Yuli then realized that the cold was just an excuse for the pregnancy!

Qin Zhen was also suffering in silence. He wondered why his friend’s brain could not turn the corner. Even if he wanted to gloat, he should not show it so openly in front of the man!

He hurriedly interrupted, “Oh, I see. Perhaps the Chancellor has grown tired of the manor chef’s skills. It might be better to change tastes! I happen to know a few stalls on South Street where the snacks are quite delicious!”

“I do not know if they will suit the Chancellor’s palate, but if the two of you are interested, I could.”

“There is no need for the two generals to trouble themselves.”

This sentence came from Shi Hanshang. His tone was cold and silent. Anyone who heard it would know that the owner of this voice was displeased to the extreme.

“Shi Hanshang!”

Sheng Yuli thought of the child and instinctively wanted to step forward. Unexpectedly, Shi Hanshang acted as if he had not heard him and directly pulled Shi Yunhe away!

“Farewell!”

His legs were long and his steps were fast; in no time, he had disappeared at the end of the palace corridor, leaving Sheng Yuli unable to catch up!

Sheng Yuli watched the figure vanish beyond the palace walls. He gloomily shook off Qin Zhen’s hand and massaged his wrist. “Qin Zhen, whose side are you on? Why did you stop me?!”

Qin Zhen retorted just as strongly, “Could I afford not to stop you?!”

“Zhige, look at your eyes! They were practically glued to Shi Hanshang! If I had not stopped you, you probably would have rushed up to cause him trouble again!”

“Sigh, it is not for me to say, but a real man should be able to yield when necessary! You should learn from experience. I know you are unsatisfied after taking a punch to the eye, but this is the Imperial Palace. Even if you want revenge, you have to.”

Sheng Yuli did not listen to the rest of the words. His mind was filled with the words “lost his appetite” spoken by Shi Yunhe. Before Qin Zhen could finish his nagging, Sheng Yuli interrupted him. “Hey, Qin Zhen.”

Qin Zhen said crossly, “What?”

Sheng Yuli patted his shoulder. “I have a task for you. Those South Street snacks you mentioned, write down the names of the shops and the varieties. Make a list and give it to me.”

Qin Zhen glared at him. “Why should I tell you?”

You were just glaring at me!

Sheng Yuli touched his nose guiltily. After a thought, he simply untied the heavy money bag from his waist, weighed it in his hand, and handed the entire thing to Qin Zhen. “A thank-you gift.”

Seeing money and opening one’s eyes perfectly described Qin Zhen.

Qin Zhen immediately accepted the offer. He lived a flamboyant lifestyle, and his parents intentionally limited his spending, so he was currently short on cash. He immediately changed his expression, put his arm around his brother’s shoulder, and laughed:

“Easy, easy! But, to write them all down, how many would that be?!” Qin Zhen’s eyes widened.

“Do not worry about that. After it is done, I will have another reward for you!”

“Huh?”

Sheng Yuli put his hands behind his back with an air of mystery. After speaking, he turned and left, leaving a completely bewildered Qin Zhen scratching his head like a confused monk.

By the time he snapped back to reality, Sheng Yuli was already far away.

“No, Zhige! Sheng Zhige! Why are you buying so much food? Can you even finish it all? Hey, Sheng Zhige, wait for me!”

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