The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 3

“This beauty truly knows how to seduce, stealing his soul away with just a few words.”

By the time the two finished drinking, the world was upside down. The composure and calm they usually possessed had long since vanished. Like common street drunks, they had completely lost all sense of reason.

It seemed that since childhood, each had been nothing less than tinder to the other’s flame. With just one look, regardless of whether one was a proud Prime Minister or the other a steady General, they were instantly bewitched. All sense of decorum was cast to the winds, leaving only one thought in their minds: to crush the other.

The thick scent of alcohol in the hall made Shi Hanshang’s head throb and his legs unsteady. Feeling someone supporting him, he assumed it was his attendant, A-Sheng. He felt a sense of relief: This boy, A-Sheng, usually looks so thin, yet I did not realize he possessed such strength.

Since the Emperor was hosting a banquet for a day of universal celebration, the palace provided temporary lodgings to save guests from a long journey home.

Leaning on that strength, Shi Hanshang stumbled out of the palace gates with uneven steps. When the cool breeze brushed his face, his mind cleared for a fleeting second. But it was only a moment. In the next breath, the surging waves of alcohol rushed to his heart, and his mind became utterly muddled again.

He did not even know how he reached the guest room.

With a heavy shove against his back, Shi Hanshang’s tall, slender frame fell onto the soft bed. His eyes were half-closed as he struggled to prop himself up. His thin brows furrowed slightly in dissatisfaction.

What is wrong with A-Sheng today? He is being so rough. Could he have been drinking too?

He wanted to reprimand A-Sheng, but then he thought of what a joyous day it was. If A-Sheng had encountered a fellow servant he was close with and indulged in a few cups, it did not seem like something worth making a scene over.

Shi Hanshang remained silent.

Fine, whatever it is, we shall discuss it tomorrow.

After a long pause, he felt the weight on his shoulders suddenly increase. Shi Hanshang fell defenselessly against the bed. His black hair slid away from his slender neck, revealing skin that was exceptionally pale, now flushed with a faint, drunken pink from the alcohol.

He was truly exhausted, and it was so hot.

Shi Hanshang instinctively tugged at his collar. His frown deepened with impatience as he turned his body with a soft groan. He was entirely unaware that these actions, in the eyes of the man beside the bed, made him look like a seductive demon from the deep mountains, incredibly alluring.

Sheng Yuli’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty.

At this moment, his reason had also vanished. Staring at that patch of snowy white skin against the gold-threaded silk quilt, only one thought remained in his mind: What a peerless beauty with such an elegant frame.

“A-Sheng,” the beauty suddenly spoke. The voice was cold, carrying a lazy trail at the end like a chilled spring, yet it lacked the high-pitched softness of an ordinary woman.

The voice is a bit deep, Sheng Yuli thought.

“A-Sheng,” the beauty reached out with slender, jade-like fingers, his eyes looking straight at the figure by the bed through a watery haze. “It is so hot. Go and open the window.”

From his position, Sheng Yuli could see directly into the man’s wide-open collar.

Shi Hanshang no longer had the strength to think about anything else. He felt a fire burning in his blood as if his entire body were being roasted. He felt both resentment and regret. In his stupor, he thought of Sheng Yuli and cursed him a thousand times in his heart. But no matter how much he resented him, the wine was already down; there was no turning back. The stagnant alcohol in his system made him feel miserable.

And if he was suffering, Sheng Yuli was not faring any better.

Watching that slender hand waving before his eyes, Sheng Yuli felt a rush of blood to his head. As if possessed, he reached out and grabbed those meddling hands. They felt incredibly delicate and cool to the touch, providing wonderful relief to the heat in Sheng Yuli’s own hands.

Instinctively, he moved a step closer. He caught the beauty’s struggling wrists and pressed them against his own burning face. The elegant hands flinched slightly in surprise but were ultimately held fast. As the coolness seeped in, Sheng Yuli felt an immense sense of relief and let out a comfortable sigh.

He wanted more; he wanted much more.

Sheng Yuli pressed those hands toward his own neck, but the moment they touched his Adam’s apple, he felt a sharp sting of sensation. Startled, he moved them slightly away but refused to let go.

In an instant, a thought flashed through his chaotic mind: These hands do not belong to someone who spends their days doing embroidery or needlework. Instead, they feel like the hands of a scholar who has held a brush for many years.

As Sheng Yuli lightly stroked the thin calluses on those hands, an even bolder thought surfaced: They feel a bit like Shi Hanshang’s hands.

The moment the thought appeared, Sheng Yuli shook his head to cast it aside. He thought he must be going mad. If it were Shi Hanshang, the man would have slapped him the moment he was touched. How could he possibly let someone stroke his hands and press them to their face? This could not be Shi Hanshang.

He wanted to be calm, but heaven would not grant him his wish.

The beauty on the bed slowly opened his eyes, appearing somewhat dissatisfied. He actually sat up, grabbed Sheng Yuli’s waist belt, and yanked the man toward him.

Shi Hanshang’s original intent was to snap “A-Sheng” back to his senses. He did not expect the man to be dazed and defenseless. With that single pull, Sheng Yuli was dragged up and fell directly onto the bed.

Sheng Yuli was a tall man of nine feet who had practiced martial arts since childhood. He possessed a body of solid muscle and a stature that was not to be underestimated. If not for a martial artist’s instinctive reaction that allowed him to prop himself up as he fell, he would have crushed the other person.

This beauty has a frame like a willow tree; it would be bad if I broke him, Sheng Yuli thought.

Sheng Yuli lowered his head and suddenly looked into a pair of eyes like autumn waters. His soul wavered instantly.

These eyes and brows also look like Shi Hanshang’s.

He reached out to lightly stroke the corner of the eye of the person beneath him. The beauty’s skin was thin; even a light touch left the area flushed red.

Shi Hanshang tilted his head, trying to push away the person who felt like a furnace. He murmured, “So hot.”

But he was no match for the man. The strength he had left was meager at best. In the past, when Shi Hanshang and Sheng Yuli were youths, they had sparred daily on the martial grounds. They practiced from the first light of dawn until the sun dipped below the horizon, both possessing the stubborn spirit of refusing to lose even if it killed them. Back then, they were matched in strength and agility. Even in a simple arm-wrestling match, they could stay deadlocked for at least two hours.

It was only after Li Yi took the throne and they were divided into civil and military roles that Shi Hanshang became buried in paperwork and daily chores. This led him to neglect his martial training, and his strength naturally declined. Sheng Yuli, on the other hand, was no longer confined by ink and brushes. He spent all his time leading troops and training, and his internal strength grew by the day.

In the past, they had not felt such a disparity in strength. Now, pinned beneath the other man and unable to move, Shi Hanshang finally felt a heavy sense of being overwhelmed.

Sheng Yuli’s gaze moved from the beauty’s eyes to his crimson lips. He suddenly wondered: Would the texture of this beauty’s lips be the same as Shi Hanshang’s?

And so, he gave a light kiss. It was like an electric shock, gone in an instant. Sheng Yuli licked his lips, feeling as if he had not had enough.

He was not a man who lusted after beauty. In the past, many in official circles had tried to curry favor by sending countless stunning beauties to his bed. However, he despised such bribery and had firmly rejected them all. He had never touched them, nor had he ever sought out pleasure, dedicating himself entirely to the military.

But now, he felt as if things were spiraling out of control.

He lowered his head for another kiss. This time, he did not pull away immediately. Instead, the kiss deepened until they were inextricably entwined.

Shi Hanshang’s wrists grew sore, and unable to support himself, he reached up to hook his arms around the man’s neck. Together, they fell back onto the bed. The scent of wine mingled between them as their collars opened further. Seeing that the neck of the person before him was flushed red, Shi Hanshang assumed the man was also hot, so he reached out to tug at the other’s clothes.

Sheng Yuli let him pull. His brain was on fire, and he was completely incapable of thought.

With a crisp clink, something fell to the floor. Sheng Yuli’s breath hitched, and a loud snap echoed in his mind as if something had completely broken.

The body before him was like the finest Hotan jade, ice-like skin and jade bones, perfect and flawless.

As if finally freed from restraint, the person beneath him let out a soft moan and moved closer. Sheng Yuli suddenly gripped the beauty’s neck and kissed him again. Sensing a sharp sensation, Shi Hanshang frowned in his stupor and instinctively tried to retreat.

But though he wanted to retreat, the other man would not let him. His lips were captured once more. Outside the window, the candlelight flickered, and the festivities in the palace continued.

It was unclear who moved first, or if a breeze snuck through the cracks of the doors and windows to blow out the candle. The room plunged into darkness, but it could not extinguish the passion of the two people on the bed.

Feeling a cool breeze, Shi Hanshang anxiously gripped the bedsheets. Just as he applied force, his fingers were caught and pulled into another warm palm. He felt the furry head on top of him and thought: Where did this stray cat come from? Why is it so large? Could it be a cat raised in the palace?

If so, with the countless delicacies in the palace, even a small cat could receive grace and be fed until it was sturdy. That would not be too strange. But why was this cat’s fur so odd? It was too long and too smooth. It did not feel like a cat’s fur; it felt more like a person’s hair.

If it is not a cat, is it a dog?

He remembered his elder brother returning from a mission to the Western Regions. His brother had told him that there was a type of dog there that looked fierce, had thick fur, and possessed a brave, unrestrained personality. They loved to bite and claim territory, yet were incredibly obedient to their masters. If one could raise one, it would surely be an excellent pet for guarding the house.

As he was thinking, the alcohol surged again. Shi Hanshang suddenly felt a terrible headache and could not help but push the other person away. Suddenly, he thought of Sheng Yuli again.

Back then, when Sheng Yuli heard the news, he had specifically run over to mock him, saying: “Vicious dogs are hard to tame. Be careful not to fail in your training and end up inviting a wolf into your house, only to be torn to pieces!”

Thinking of this, Shi Hanshang’s thoughts returned for a split second. But in the next moment, his shoulders felt heavy. He was suddenly pinned against the wall. The force was so great that his last remaining thread of thought shattered and dissipated.

In his daze, Shi Hanshang actually let out a light laugh. He thought: He was right after all. Overbearing, unreasonable, and fond of biting to claim territory, this is exactly the kind of dog my brother spoke of.

The “dog” was entirely unaware of his thoughts. He only noticed that Shi Hanshang was distracted and felt dissatisfied. The strength with which he pinned the man’s wrists grew firmer.

Shi Hanshang laughed softly. He slowly reached out with his cool fingertips and lightly petted the “furry” head. He said in a trembling voice, “Be gentler. Do not be angry.”

Excellent.

Sheng Yuli sucked in a breath of cold air. This beauty truly knew how to seduce, stealing his soul away with just a few words.

Sheng Yuli thought: I have truly gone mad.

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