“Since the pulse is this stable, we may begin preparations for the termination.”
Now that the Xuyi have returned, the people of Jinling were prepared to face battle at any moment. Surprisingly, the Xuyi restrained themselves and took the initiative to bow their heads and seek peace. They even sent envoys to pay homage with such sincere attitudes that it appeared they truly intended to foster good relations with Jinling.
This put Li Yi in a difficult position.
For three generations, Jinling had always prioritized the peace and well-being of its people. If this were the past, or if it were another nation, Li Yi would have celebrated a Prime Minister seeking peace, as it would spare the citizens of both countries from the suffering of war.
But this was the Xuyi.
With a history of deep-seated blood feuds and a reputation for being as predatory as wolves, no one knew if this new monarch was truly sincere or if there was a hidden conspiracy.
The court was at a stalemate, arguing all morning without result. Li Yi finally turned his gaze toward Sheng Yuli, who had been uncharacteristically quiet and had not uttered a single word today.
Sheng Yuli had been listening, but the mention of his father’s generation and the name Shi Mingzhi caused his mind to drift toward Shi Hanshang. From there, his thoughts strayed to the child in Shi Hanshang’s womb, wandering remarkably far off track.
At this thought, he instinctively glanced at Shi Hanshang across the aisle.
Today, Shi Hanshang wore his immaculate snow-white official robes as usual. He stood tall and upright with a cold, haughty expression, his glazed phoenix eyes looking down upon the crowd. Only when facing the Emperor did he restrain his sharp edge, appearing no different from any other day.
However, Sheng Yuli was the only one to notice that since the moment he appeared today, Shi Hanshang’s hand had remained over his lower abdomen and had not moved.
Shi Hanshang was deliberately concealing his slightly protruding belly.
By now, the child was three months old.
Seeing Sheng Yuli staring at him, Shi Hanshang knit his brows slightly and moved his gaze away, looking instead toward the Emperor behind the bead curtain.
Sheng Yuli realized it was a reminder to respond. He snapped back to his senses, his mind working quickly to formulate a reply.
After a moment, he cupped his hands respectfully. “Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant believes that since the Xuyi are seeking peace, we should open our gates and welcome them warmly. This would demonstrate Jinling’s stature as a great power and align with the will of the people. Furthermore,”
“General Sheng’s words are mistaken!”
Before Sheng Yuli could finish, he was interrupted.
Sheng Yuli looked toward the source: the Censor in Chief, whose long white beard trailed down.
The Censor in Chief’s brow and beard twitched as he spoke with flying spittle. “As the saying goes, ‘Mountains and rivers may change, but a person’s nature is hard to alter’! The Xuyi are despicable. Even with a new ruler, their nature will not change! Open the gates to welcome them? If the Xuyi envoys harbor ill intentions, can General Sheng take responsibility?!”
Sheng Yuli let out a sneer and replied loudly, “Since the Censor in Chief knows that ‘nature is hard to alter,’ why do you not also know that ‘all is fair in war’?”
The Censor in Chief was stunned. “What does General Sheng mean by this?”
Sheng Yuli withdrew his gaze and turned solemnly toward Li Yi. “Your Majesty, the Xuyi approach with great momentum, and their true intentions remain unknown. However, the Jinling of today is no longer the submissive Jinling of eighteen years ago. Our dynasty has recruited many talents, and our military strength has increased rapidly! We have even sent spies to understand the Xuyi’s national situation! Since that is the case, it is better to meet their moves as they come!”
“Welcoming the Xuyi envoys warmly is merely an expedient measure to test them. If they are sincere, our dynasty will naturally welcome them. But if they have malicious intent, we can also play their game against them!”
Hearing this, Shi Hanshang gave Sheng Yuli a surprised glance.
“This,” the Censor in Chief was temporarily speechless, not knowing how to rebut.
“Minister Sheng’s words are excellent!” Li Yi nodded with satisfaction.
“In that case, as the General of the Flying Cavalry is busy with military affairs, the matter of receiving the Xuyi envoys shall be handled by the General’s sister, General Yuesheng, and the Minister of Rites, Lu Hong! My dear ministers, do not disappoint me!”
Sheng Yuesheng and the Minister of Rites, Lu Hong, stepped forward and knelt respectfully. They declared, “This servant obeys the decree!”
As Lu Hong passed by Shi Hanshang, Shi Hanshang’s brow furrowed.
After the court session ended, Shi Hanshang expected Sheng Yuli to leave in a hurry as he usually did. However, when his carriage reached the gates of the Shi Manor and he lifted the curtain, he saw two figures pacing and waiting at the entrance.
Leading them was Sheng Yuli.
Shi Hanshang: “?”
Shi Hanshang did not know what was happening. When the carriage came to a halt, he used A Sheng’s hand for support as he climbed down. His belly was quite heavy now, and he could not help but support his waist as he exited.
The moment he stepped onto the ground, Sheng Yuli’s eyes lit up, and he rushed over!
A Sheng stepped in front of Shi Hanshang first, looking warily at Sheng Yuli. “What business does the General have? My Master is currently in a delicate physical state; do not act recklessly!”
“Sigh, am I that kind of person?” Sheng Yuli was not angry, though his eyes never left Shi Hanshang behind the servant.
Shi Hanshang: “…”
He did not know what Sheng Yuli was planning, but as he had said in court, he would meet the moves as they came. Shi Hanshang patted A Sheng’s shoulder lightly to signal that he was fine.
A Sheng was still uneasy. He gave Sheng Yuli a resentful glare and pursed his lips. Just as he was about to say something else, his arm was suddenly pulled!
Zi Mo pushed his shoulder and said, “Oh, the Lords are speaking; why are you interrupting! Come, come, the two of us will wait outside!”
“Hey!” Before A Sheng realized it, he had been pushed half a foot away. He hurriedly looked back and called out, “Master!”
“Oh, hurry up! Master Song is here; your Master will not come to any harm!”
By the time he looked back again, A Sheng had been pushed out of the courtyard gate.
Only then did Shi Hanshang notice that Song Qing was following behind Sheng Yuli, drenched in sweat and panting for breath. He asked in surprise, “What are you two doing here?”
He directed the question to both of them, but Sheng Yuli answered first. “I ran into Song Qing after court. He said he was coming to check your pulse today, so I followed along!”
Shi Hanshang arched an eyebrow. He glanced at the panting Song Qing and then at the vibrant Sheng Yuli who stood with his hands on his hips. He thought: This does not look like Sheng Yuli following Song Qing; it looks like Sheng Yuli dragged Song Qing here!
He rubbed his forehead in silence. Looking at the servants passing by in the manor, who were all well aware of the constant past disputes between the two, he saw them whispering as they watched Sheng Yuli at the gates.
They likely thought the “Great General Sheng” was here to cause trouble again, and they were all secretly breaking into cold sweats.
Shi Hanshang did not want to lose face along with them. He said helplessly, “Follow me.”
With that, he led the two into the manor, walking through the winding corridors.
Sheng Yuli followed behind him, walking so fast he almost overtook him. He would repeatedly give startled warnings about stones or puddles ahead, telling him to be careful not to slip.
Shi Hanshang rolled his eyes. He thought: This is my home!
Once they entered the room, Song Qing grabbed a teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea before he could finally catch his breath and speak.
The first thing Song Qing did upon recovering was to confront Sheng Yuli. He pointed a finger at Sheng Yuli’s nose for a long while before suddenly realizing something. “Wait, why are you so familiar with this place?!”
Recalling the walk here, how Sheng Yuli had insisted on walking side by side with Shi Hanshang and even quickened his pace to kick stones out of the way, Song Qing grew even more surprised and suspicious.
“This,” Sheng Yuli’s eyes darted around as he stammered.
Shi Hanshang: “…”
He did not particularly want others to know that Sheng Yuli scaled his courtyard walls every night at midnight just to bring him food.
With a light cough, Shi Hanshang subtly changed the subject. “Zi Lin, did you not come to check my pulse?”
He took the initiative to roll up his wide sleeves, revealing a pale, frost-like wrist which he placed on the pulse pillow Song Qing had hurriedly set on the table.
Song Qing was no fool. Realizing something was off, his mouth twitched. He glanced between Shi Hanshang’s expressionless face and Sheng Yuli’s guilty one. After hesitating for a long while, he ultimately said nothing.
His cool fingertips rested on the slender white wrist. Song Qing held his breath and concentrated, conducting a detailed examination for a long while.
Sheng Yuli could not help but lean in and ask nervously, “How is it?”
After a long silence, Song Qing withdrew his hand and nodded with a satisfied smile. “Not bad, not bad at all. The pulse is steady and smooth. It seems the pregnancy is not just stable; even Lan Bie’s originally frail and cold pulse has grown much stronger!”
At these words, both men in the room breathed a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts.
Song Qing said with surprise, “Lan Bie, I was worried before because your morning sickness was so severe that you could not eat and became thin and haggard. Now it seems I was worrying needlessly! Your complexion actually looks more radiant than it did before the pregnancy! It must be because Minister Shi has been caring for you so closely!”
“Mm,” Shi Hanshang did not deny it. His brother truly did care for him deeply, although half the credit for this improvement did not belong to him.
Sheng Yuli, whose credit had been taken, did not mind. He simply asked joyfully, “Truly?!”
“Of course it is true! When the primary disciple of the Medical Saint takes action, do you dare doubt it?” Song Qing said proudly.
“I believe you, I believe you!” Sheng Yuli clapped his hands in praise.
Receiving praise from someone he usually disliked made Song Qing lose himself in the moment. He said excitedly, “That is not all! I have received a message by carrier pigeon from my Master. He told me that since the pulse is this stable, we may begin preparations for the termination. Although we lack the Blood-Leaf Orchid and the quality of the induced miscarriage decoction will not be superior, it is the only way left. Once he returns from his travels, he can…”
Song Qing spoke very quickly and triumphantly, but toward the end, his pace slowed and his voice grew less certain.
After finishing the last word, Song Qing looked at the two men whose smiles had frozen. He swallowed hard and asked suspiciously, “What… what is wrong? Are you not happy?”
Shi Hanshang looked down, and Sheng Yuli’s expression was also grave. Neither responded.
Receiving no answer, Song Qing felt uneasy. He looked toward his friend and asked cautiously, “Lan Bie, have you changed your mind? Do you no longer want to terminate this child?”
At this question, Shi Hanshang remained silent.
He did not know how to answer.
A month ago, when he first learned of the pregnancy, he was filled with equal parts fear and worry. He was anxious all day, thinking only of how to resolve this trouble, and could have made a decisive choice then.
But now, the child had been in his womb for another month. He could clearly feel this little being connected to his bloodline growing day by day, and its existence felt increasingly real.
Now, he was being asked to personally stifle this small life… to personally kill his own biological child.
Why did the emotion passing through his heart feel like a sharp, aching pain?