The General Was Pregnant with the Emperor's Child - Chapter 12

As the vice-general, Yang Shen took over the responsibility of training the troops with a practiced air and a string of curses, giving the nearly exhausted imperial chef a look that signaled him to escort General Ye back to the commander’s tent.

Sitting in his tent, Ye Wuyou was incredibly moved as he clutched a big white steamed bun. His eyes still wouldn’t stay open; he devoured the bun in a few large bites, forced his eyelids up just long enough to swallow the last mouthful, and then collapsed straight onto his green-bamboo-scented bedding, losing consciousness instantly.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a person by the bed.

“Holy crap!” Ye Wuyou reflexively grabbed the helmet beside him and hurled it at the person’s head. Yang Shen nearly suffered a workplace injury.

“It’s me!” Yang Shen irritably straightened his own helmet.

“Why the hell are you in my tent in the middle of the night instead of sleeping!” Ye Wuyou clutched the quilt in terror and pulled it up to his neck.

“General, the sun has been roasting your backside for hours. Why don’t you open your eyes and take a look?” Yang Shen was speechless. The tent was bright inside and out; Ye Wuyou clearly still hadn’t fully woken up.

Ye Wuyou was shocked once more. He threw back the quilt and sat up with a “carp leap.” He clutched his lower abdomen, which felt a bit bloated and painful from the sudden fright, and after a few seconds of recovery, he hurriedly began searching for his armor by the bed.

“How did I oversleep and forget morning drills again? Yang Shen, don’t just stand there, hurry up and help me find my armor!”

“So you really were sleepwalking this morning.” Yang Shen clenched his fist and let out a sigh.

“Ah! Right, I think I did leave the tent this morning…” Ye Wuyou sat cross-legged on the bed, belatedly shoving the Emperor’s inner robes under the quilt, feeling secretly relieved.

Fortunately, Yang Shen was a Ze-dui (Beta) with a poor sense of smell; otherwise, the room full of green bamboo pheromones would be very hard to explain.

“Go wash your face. These past few days, you look like your life force has been sucked dry by a demon. You can’t even stay awake.” Yang Shen coldly brought over a basin and set it before Ye Wuyou, then turned to stand behind the sand table where Ye Wuyou practiced maneuvers, stopping to observe.

Having caught another nap, Ye Wuyou had slept for nearly twelve hours in total. Even he was shocked. Without waiting for Yang Shen to mention it, he proactively rolled up his sleeve and offered his left hand.

“After the skirmish with the Luren a month ago, the border has been too quiet. I wonder if some barbarian enemy snuck into the camp and poisoned me.” Mentioning the Northern Barbarians, Ye Wuyou’s face soured. Hearing this, Yang Shen’s expression softened slightly.

“So your brain is still there. I thought it had been replaced by a steamed bun… Hmm?” He had just looked at the sand table; the marks of troop movements were very fresh, so he knew Ye Wuyou hadn’t abandoned his responsibility as the border commander. Relieved, Yang Shen placed his fingers on Ye Wuyou’s pulse.

Yang Shen: “…?”

Ye Wuyou had intended to laugh and joke his way through the “kidney deficiency” story, but Yang Shen’s peculiar expression made him go silent immediately.

“…What’s with that face?” Ye Wuyou asked strangely.

Why was it that every doctor in his army, as soon as they took his pulse, wore that same expression of self-doubt, as if he were beyond saving?

“Quiet.” Yang Shen, lacking confidence, switched to the other hand to continue.

Ye Wuyou simply rested both hands on the table, letting the ill-tempered Vice-General Yang take his pick.

Strange, how can it be… Yang Shen, wearing a look of deep self-doubt, took the pulse on Ye Wuyou’s right hand again. He gave Ye Wuyou’s lower abdomen a long, deep look.

“What are you looking at?!” Ye Wuyou uncomfortably withdrew his hand to block Yang Shen’s view.

“How has the General’s appetite been lately?” Yang Shen’s expression had begun to turn dazed.

“I eat everything with gusto! The chef His Majesty sent has a skill that fits my taste perfectly. I’ve even put on weight. It’s His Majesty who is considerate of us, unlike those barbarians crude!” Ye Wuyou took the chance to heap praise on Xiao Yun’an.

Yang Shen didn’t hear a word he said; he was immersed in his own shock.

Ye Wuyou’s pulse was smooth and flowing, like pearls rolling on a jade plate… in common terms, it was a “joyful pulse” (pregnancy pulse).

Yang Shen knew his superior was a Kun (Omega), and he knew he had just finished his “rain and dew” (heat) period, but… but… how could Ye Wuyou be pregnant?!

That kid Ye Wuyou is actually pregnant!!! Who would believe it!!!

A month ago, Ye Wuyou had brutally designed a trap for the enemy, taking on five hundred barbarian vanguards alone… according to the pulse of over a month, he would have been pregnant even then.

Oh no! A month ago, he had actually allowed a pregnant Ye Mian to lure the enemy alone!

“…The General is not poisoned, but I am lacking in skill. I’ll go consult the military doctor.” Yang Shen staggered to his feet, nearly tripping at the tent entrance. He hurried out and turned toward the medical tent to grab help.

A moment later, Yang Shen brought the military doctor into the commander’s tent. During the time Yang Shen was gone, Ye Wuyou had already hidden Xiao Yun’an’s inner robes.

The doctor asked about Ye Wuyou’s condition all the way there, but Yang Shen was stammering; aside from “the General is lethargic,” he couldn’t get anything out. The doctor sensed something was wrong, hid his solemn expression, and personally felt the pulse.

Military Doctor: “What new ailment has the General managed to inflict upon himself this time to scare Vice-General Yang into silence?”

“I’ve just been suffering from a bit of spring fatigue lately. Yang Shen couldn’t figure out the problem and insisted on dragging you over.” Ye Wuyou generously held out both hands. He was certain Yang Shen’s poor complexion was because his pride had been wounded. “Making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“If the General doesn’t cherish his body, it might be some terminal…” The doctor’s half-joking words died in his throat.

After taking the pulse, the doctor’s expression was identical to Yang Shen’s just moments ago. He looked at Ye Wuyou in disbelief, then at Yang Shen, and finally, his gaze also landed on Ye Wuyou’s lower abdomen.

“What do I have…?” Ye Wuyou’s heart gave a jolt. Is it really a terminal illness?!

“General! We told you to find a Qian-jun (Alpha) for an emergency, but how did you sleep your own belly big!!!” Without waiting for Ye Wuyou to guess, the doctor had already collapsed, grabbing the General’s struggling arm and beginning to wail.

With the pregnancy pulse confirmed, Yang Shen stood to the side, his face also falling. Yet, for some reason, seeing the doctor’s reaction made him feel a secret, slightly satisfying sense of “schadenfreude.”

It felt a bit good not to be the only one bearing the burden.

“Whose belly is big? Mine? Huh…?” Ye Wuyou’s mind went blank instantly. He was completely stunned, his tongue knotting along with his brain.

The doctor continued to spiral, wailing in a low voice out of respect for Ye Wuyou’s rank, but he had already stood up and reached across the table to shake the General’s shoulders: “The medicine I gave the General before you left did you not take it? If you did, we definitely can’t keep this child!”

Ye Wuyou was shaken until he felt a bit nauseous. He politely didn’t push the doctor away, but simply covered his mouth and began to dry heave.

The doctor immediately grew even more frantic.

Lethargy! Dry heaving! A “rain and dew” period over a month ago! Man proposes, but God disposes for the General to get pregnant even with his terrible physical condition, that Qian-jun… must be extraordinary.

“Let go first, Ye… General Ye is about to be shaken dizzy by you…” Yang Shen was the first to recover, reaching out to pry the doctor’s stiff claws away. The doctor then turned a reproachful gaze toward Yang Shen.

Yang Shen: Why are you looking at me! I didn’t get Ye Mian pregnant! Would I even dare?!

Military Doctor: Vice-General Yang, why didn’t you watch over the General! What are we to do now?!

Yang Shen: Who can watch over Ye Mian? This guy even dares to deceive the Emperor!

The doctor took a water cup Yang Shen shoved into his hand and turned his head. His hands were shaking uncontrollably; with great difficulty, he brought the water to his lips and gulped down a large cup.

“I… I’m actually… pregnant?” Ye Wuyou still hadn’t recovered. He swallowed several times, staring blankly at the doctor and Yang Shen, who were nearly coming to blows in their panic. His hand hovered over his lower abdomen, yet he couldn’t bring himself to touch it. “I don’t feel anything at all.”

Ye Wuyou summoned a great deal of resolve to touch his belly. Beneath his palm, the slightly protruding soft flesh was a silent reminder from the baby. Ye Wuyou blinked in a daze, a trace of fear hidden in the look he gave the doctor.

“General! Tell me the truth did you take that contraceptive medicine or not?” The doctor, ever ethical, was the first to force himself to be calm.

Being roared at, Ye Wuyou instinctively told the truth. He rubbed his nose: “Things were urgent back then, I was in a hurry to run away, so I forgot.”

He was in a hurry. A few moments later and he would have been blocked at the city gate by his own family’s private guards, then caught by Xiao Yun’an and thrown into prison.

The doctor’s breath hitched again, and he trembled: “You even ran away right after sleeping with the Alpha?!”

Listen to that! Listen to that! Is this something a proper Kun-ze would do?

A bolder guess surged in the doctor’s heart. He spoke solemnly: “General, a month ago at the brothel… you didn’t… didn’t ‘service’ several Alphas in one night, did you?”

Hearing this, Yang Shen began to cough violently. He turned around too quickly and nearly strained his waist. This guess was far too similar to Ye Wuyou’s style of doing things; he and the doctor glared at Ye Wuyou together.

“What kind of person do you take me for!” Ye Wuyou slammed a fist onto the wooden table in shame and anger. The fear in his chest vanished without a trace, and he barked indignantly, “If I, Ye Wuyou, were really that fickle, would I have held out until I couldn’t suppress my heat anymore? And only slept with one Alpha!”

In truth, there were cases of Kun and Ze-dui falling in love. While the heat was harder to endure, with the help of medicine, they could live a stable life. Alphas were scarce in military camps, but there were plenty of Betas.

The doctor was also stunned: “So the one the General chose was that ‘steamed bun benefactor’?”

“Who else could it be…” Ye Wuyou’s voice was muffled. He hung his head, poking his lower abdomen with his index finger, his myriad thoughts manifesting into the image of Xiao Yun’an. “I’m not that big-mouthed… how do you even know about that.”

Now it was Yang Shen’s turn to be stunned. On the day Ye Wuyou was looking for an Alpha, he had been right beside him. That “steamed bun beauty” he had kidnapped like a hooligan and taken to the brothel…

No wonder he was so hurried to dump those pots of peonies on him he wanted to ditch his vice-general so he could have a private tryst with his lover.

“Wait, if the one you set your sights on was that ‘steamed bun benefactor,’ why did you need Soft Bone Powder to kidnap him to the brothel?” Yang Shen asked, confused.

The doctor’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Soft Bone Powder?!

Good lord, General Ye is truly brutal! He was starting to feel a bit sorry for that “steamed bun Alpha.”

“…That’s because he didn’t like me.” Ye Wuyou pouted, thinking silently of the other reason he didn’t dare openly go to Xiao Yun’an to spend his heat.

That was the Emperor; he didn’t dare gamble. If his identity as a Kun were exposed, it would be a crime of deceiving the sovereign. Though Ye Wuyou was certain that no other general in the current Jing Dynasty could replace him, it was hard to say if he would lose his head.

Xiao Yun’an could train one Ye Wuyou personally, so he could certainly raise a second! Perhaps he had already secretly raised one to prevent Ye’s military power from growing too large…

Ye Wuyou’s nose suddenly felt a bit sour. He continued to defend himself: “I left him a jade pendant. Once I’ve finished off the Northern Barbarians, I’ll go back and marry him.”

On the other side, the “waiting-to-be-married” Xiao Yun’an finally remembered who Yang Shen was.