The Aloof Prime Minister is Pregnant with the Rival General’s Child - Chapter 8

Since that last incident, the two had enjoyed a period of relative peace. This lasted until two months later, when the Emperor issued a decree for the Autumn Hunt to be held at Mount Yuehu.

The mountains were blanketed in morning mist as the civil officials, concubines, and female relatives arrived in a grand procession of palanquins and horses. Guarded by military officers clearing the way, the massive envoy arrived at Mount Yuehu with great momentum.

“Zhige, watch the ball!” Qin Zhen shouted excitedly, swinging his long mallet. The wooden ball was struck squarely, flying straight toward the most dazzling figure among the silver armored ranks.

However, the man on the other side did not budge. The bamboo ball hit the ground, rolled a few times in the dirt, and came to a halt by his horse’s hooves.

Qin Zhen looked up in surprise. “Zhige?” He trotted his horse over and gave the man a slap on the back. “What are you thinking about? Why are you so distracted?”

Only then did the man’s deep eyes regain focus, though they held little trace of excitement. The sun was high and the day was bright. In the distance, the lush green grasslands stretched to the horizon, and the blades of grass were still heavy with dew. It was clearly a perfect opportunity to ride freely, yet Sheng Yuli felt inexplicably lethargic.

“I am tired,” he dropped the words irritably. He dismounted nimbly, and Zi Mo, being quick witted, stepped forward to take the reins. Zi Mo exchanged a worried look with Qin Zhen.

The sacrificial rites had just concluded, and Sheng Yuli had led the troops to clear the path and escort the Emperor. It was indeed a grueling task. But who was Sheng Yuli? He had practiced martial arts with his father since age five, mastered riding and archery by nine, and at fifteen, he challenged the famous generals of the palace, achieving an almost perfect record. At sixteen, he followed his elder sister to the battlefield for the first time, winning victory after victory. Before even reaching his mid twenties, he was titled the Grand General of the Realm’s Military! He had infiltrated enemy lines numerous times. During the Battle of Ling Cliff, he fought the enemy leader for three days and nights. Even with a broken arm and leg, he was the kind of man who would support himself on a crutch just to crawl back!

To say such a man was too tired to practice archery just because of a small sacrificial ceremony was simply ridiculous.

Watching Sheng Yuli strip the horse of its gear and head toward the archery range, Qin Zhen dismounted as well and chased after him. He saw Sheng Yuli draw a heavy bow, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s. The moment he released the string, a silver streak cut through the air, aimed straight at the target! With a loud thud, he missed.

“Tch,” Sheng Yuli tossed the bow aside irritably and ran a hand through his hair.

Qin Zhen thought that if it was not a physical issue, it was certainly a mental one. In fact, there had been signs of this for a while. Qin Zhen did not know why, but since two months ago, the relationship between Sheng Yuli and Shi Hanshang had taken a sudden turn for the worse. While it had never been good, this time it was like adding frost to snow.

Shi Hanshang was making things difficult for Sheng Yuli at every turn. First, he used the Autumn Hunt as an excuse to slash the military budget. Then, he frequently opposed him during imperial court sessions, meeting every word Sheng Yuli spoke with a sarcastic retort. Sheng Yuli, possessed of a hot blooded youthful spirit, could hardly endure such grievances. Infuriated, Sheng Yuli had stormed into the Shi Manor several times to confront him!

Yet, no one knew what the Prime Minister said to him. Sheng Yuli hit a wall every time. Rebutted until he was speechless, he could only slink away in defeat. Because of this, the tension between the two lords grew increasingly explosive, casting a suffocating atmosphere over both factions in the court.

Qin Zhen had suffered greatly as a result. He recalled how, over the past few days, Sheng Yuli would randomly drag him out for drinks, often drinking until he was hungover. No matter how much Qin Zhen loved a good time, he could not handle drinking this frequently. Furthermore, whenever Sheng Yuli got drunk, he would grab Qin Zhen by the collar and roar incoherently, “What gives Shi Hanshang the right? What right does he have? If he feels wronged, do I not feel wronged too?”

Qin Zhen was miserable, thinking to himself that if they were wronged, he was the one who was truly wronged! But whenever he asked Sheng Yuli what exactly happened between him and Shi Hanshang, Sheng Yuli would look hesitant. After stammering for a long time, he would not utter a single word. After this happened several times, Qin Zhen was so frustrated he nearly chipped his teeth from grinding them! Many times, he wanted to grab Sheng Yuli by the ears and scream, asking what kind of madness had possessed him.

But in a place as crowded and scandalous as Lachrymose Yearning, Qin Zhen could only grit his teeth and endure! After all, Sheng Yuli could afford to offend Shi Hanshang, but Qin Zhen could not. If the wrong person overheard, he would be finished! If he spoke ill of Shi Hanshang today, he would likely be dragged to the Prime Minister’s manor tomorrow to answer for his crimes.

But as it turned out, Shi Hanshang was not the only person Qin Zhen had to fear. While Sheng Yuli was shouting into his ear and making his head spin, Qin Zhen turned around and suddenly saw a dark, beautiful, yet terrifying face. He sobered up instantly and frantically tried to push away the man who was as limp as a pile of mud!

In a panic, he cried, “Zhige, Sheng Zhige! Quick, wake up, wake up!”

Sheng Yuesheng stood at the entrance of the tavern with her arms crossed, her smile chilling to the bone.

“Sister,” Qin Zhen said, sounding truly terrified. He instinctively backed away, but the dead drunk Sheng Yuli was still hanging off him, mumbling words like drink, one more, and do not stop. In that lightning fast moment, Qin Zhen had already decided where he wanted to be buried. Lamenting his fate and knowing he could not escape this time, he simply gave up and yelled into Sheng Yuli’s ear, “Sheng Zhige! This young master is truly going to be killed by you this time!”

Ultimately, Sheng Yuesheng’s subordinates dragged the two men, who each sported a large lump on their head and were sleeping soundly, back to their respective manors. Fortunately, from then on, Sheng Yuli finally began to restrain himself and stopped dragging Qin Zhen out to drink. But not drinking only saved his health; it did not extinguish the frustration in his heart. Instead, because he had no outlet, the fire only burned hotter.

With the Autumn Hunt approaching, Qin Zhen had originally intended to use the occasion to help Sheng Yuli drown his sorrows and relax. If he could get him to open up, that would be even better! But looking at things now, the results did not seem very good.

Looking utterly gloomy, Sheng Yuli switched to a different bow. As he wiped the sandalwood handle, his thoughts were already miles away. He remembered the words: “As for what happened that day, I shall treat it as having been bitten by a stray dog. From now on, you and I shall each go our separate ways!”

Go their separate ways? If Shi Hanshang could act as if nothing had happened, why should he be the one brooding over it? Sheng Yuli slapped the crossbow and said to Qin Zhen, “Qin Zhen, let us have a match!”

“What?” Qin Zhen hesitated for a moment but eventually notched an arrow. “Fine, I will play along to the end!”

Arrows flew like falling stars, one after another. Only in the intensity of a head to head competition could Sheng Yuli barely escape his wandering thoughts. Just as the winner was about to be decided, Sheng Yuli caught a glimpse of a very familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. In the next second, his body moved faster than his brain and the arrow in Sheng Yuli’s hand had already left the string!

“Three areas on the western side of the hunting grounds need reinforcement. Tell the craftsmen to hurry. Additionally, the accompanying female relatives must have guards, and the number of soldiers around His Majesty must be at least doubled. You need to negotiate further with the Ministry of War to ensure everything is foolproof.”

Shi Hanshang issued his deployments with calm composure. The head official behind him wiped cold sweat from his forehead and nodded frantically in agreement. The attendant’s brush was moving so fast it nearly sparked. His heart was hammering against his ribs, fearing that some detail might displease the stern Prime Minister and earn him a severe punishment.

“There must be no mistakes regarding the Emperor’s affairs,” Shi Hanshang said expressionlessly. “By the way, regarding the deer herds on the North Mountain…”

Before he could finish, a sharp whistling sound rang out! Shi Hanshang’s eyes narrowed, and he abruptly blocked the head official and A Sheng, who were still walking forward with their heads down! With a loud thud, the arrow streaked past Shi Hanshang’s eyes and slammed heavily into the wooden post right beside his head!

A Sheng jumped in fright and immediately screamed, “Assassin! Quick! Protect the Lord!”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Shi Hanshang’s voice. “It is not an assassin.” Shi Hanshang looked calmly at the arrow still quivering in the wood. It had dark purple scales and feathers, and a force that pierced the air. He knew whose it was without even looking. He looked up, his gaze cold and sharp as he glared at the man laughing heartily not far away. He spoke each word deliberately, “Sheng Yuli.”

Sheng Yuli waved his arm cheerfully. “Oh? Lord Shi, what a coincidence!”

Clearly, it was not a coincidence at all. Shi Hanshang looked at him coldly, his eyes showing unmasked displeasure. He said icily, “Not watching the path, firing arrows at will, and disregarding the safety of others. Is this proper behavior for someone of your rank, General Sheng?”

Sheng Yuli did not care. If Shi Hanshang was unhappy, then he was delighted. His voice became even more spirited as he crossed his arms. “Proper behavior? Always proper behavior. Lord Prime Minister, Lord Shi, I beg you to be reasonable. This is an archery range. It was clearly you two who wandered onto the field and did not know how to dodge. How can you play the victim and claim we are at fault?”

Shi Hanshang remained unfazed, his expression unchanging. “The Emperor’s concubines and high ranking nobles are also near the hunting grounds. If you were to injure the Imperial Person one day, would you still dare to be so lawless, General Sheng?”

“Tch,” Sheng Yuli said, annoyed. “The Emperor has his own guards. There is no need for Lord Shi to worry needlessly here.”

“Then, does General Sheng mean to say he refuses to admit his mistake?” Shi Hanshang asked coldly.

“What mistake have I made?” Sheng Yuli refused to back down, meeting Shi Hanshang’s gaze as he retorted word for word.

Shi Hanshang took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. If it were the past, he would have definitely sparred with Sheng Yuli further and would not have let it go until the other admitted he was wrong. But lately, he had no appetite. Perhaps due to overwork, he constantly felt dizzy and occasionally nauseous. He could not sleep or eat well, yet during the day, he was more lethargic and prone to fatigue than usual, which troubled him greatly.

Today’s sacrificial rites had already exhausted him. If he had not bumped into the head official on the way back to camp and decided to discuss a few more things to ensure perfection, he would have been resting in his tent by now. But of all people, Sheng Yuli had to jump out and interfere. Shi Hanshang truly had no patience left to deal with him.

The words “insolent rogue” escaped from between his teeth. Shi Hanshang suddenly grabbed a recurve bow nearby, notched an arrow, and his eyes turned sharp. He did not hesitate for a second! The arrow was like a silver dragon, a shot that could pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces. With a sharp shredding sound, the arrow Sheng Yuli had previously shot into the target behind him disappeared! In its place was the silver feathered dragon scale arrow Shi Hanshang had just fired!

The once bustling archery range fell silent instantly. The boisterous youths were now staring dumbfoundedly at the two men facing off in the center and at the shattered remains of the arrow lying at Sheng Yuli’s feet, which had been split in two. Before anyone could react, another whistling sound tore past their ears! This arrow was aimed almost directly at Sheng Yuli’s face. Had his reactions not been so swift, allowing him to dodge at the critical moment, his head would have been the one struck now!

Sheng Yuli’s eyes widened in fury as he glared at Shi Hanshang. “You!”

Seeing that another war was about to erupt, everyone present broke into a cold sweat. As mentioned before, the General had challenged the famous generals of the palace and won almost every match. The only draw he ever had was against this very Prime Minister. Their master, the former Grand Marshal General Huo, had once stated plainly that if Shi Hanshang had not entered the civil service but had chosen to pursue the path of the sword like Sheng Yuli, he would certainly be a formidable warrior on par with him today!

Sheng Yuli had spent a long time competing with Shi Hanshang over that very statement. But competing was one thing; over the years, even though they had wanted to strangle each other countless times, they had never truly tried to kill one another. After all, they were both vital ministers to the Emperor, and the loss of either would be a grave matter. Yet, Shi Hanshang’s shot just now was clearly intended to take Sheng Yuli’s life!

Sheng Yuli recovered from his shock, consumed by rage. He threw his bow onto the grass and prepared to charge! Sparks flew from his eyes as he looked at Shi Hanshang.

“Shi Hanshang!”

Shi Hanshang was not in the mood to deal with him. Having taken his revenge, he turned to leave. Unexpectedly, the moment he took a step, his arm was grabbed from behind.

Is there no end to this?

Shi Hanshang turned his head in anger, only to find Sheng Yuli’s face as dark as still water. Grinding his teeth, the General said, “Shi Hanshang, do you dare to come to the arena and have a proper fight with me!”

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