The Prime Minister is Pregnant with Dragon's Seed - Chapter 20

Meng Zhou forced himself to stay calm as he comforted the agitated nanny. “It wasn’t them. No one forced me.”

Li Wenle said, “Although I don’t know what happened back then, but I do know that men capable of giving birth live in a precarious situation. No matter the reason, hiding it is always the safer choice. Brother Meng, whatever you decide, I will help you.”

Meng Zhou blurted out instinctively, “Can I not keep it?”

“…You can’t.”
Heaven has given preferential treatment to men in all aspects when they have children, but has also taken back some of their rights, such as aborting the child. Even Heaven cannot predict that under the drive of human nature and interests, this kind of people have suffered great exploitation and difficulties..

Meng Zhou: “…”

He needed a moment.

Since transmigrating, he had adapted quite well. In his previous life, he had no family—he was alone until the end, with nothing to hold him back. This life, he had thought, would just be a replay of the last—emotionally detached and free. And yet… he was pregnant.

A drifting duckweed, used to floating wherever the current took it, was suddenly forced to take root. The water was up to his neck, his feet couldn’t touch the bottom, and yet something had locked him in place. That helpless, out-of-place feeling clung to him like shackles, and no amount of thrashing would free him.

For a brief moment, Meng Zhou felt a suffocating panic he couldn’t put into words. His limbs were like ice, frozen numb.

He wasn’t ready to take roots in this world. Aside from inheriting the sense of responsibility that came with this body, everything else still felt like a performance. And he was definitely not ready to be a father—caring for a soft, fragile little child, shielding him from the wind and rain.

He forced a dry laugh and tried to stand, but after a long struggle, his legs refused to cooperate. It was like the bones had been sucked out of them.

Li Wenle noticed his struggle and helped him up. “I know this news is a huge shock to you. Although pregnancy in men doesn’t show as obviously as in women, it will be noticeable after a few months. You’d best plan ahead. If you don’t want others to find out for now, then absolutely do not let any physicians check your pulse.”

Meng Zhou’s face was pale as paper, soaked with cold sweat. He hadn’t been eating well lately, and now he looked no different from a drowned ghost pulled out of the river.

Too many people in the capital knew him. If Zhou shi and Meng Huaihan found out, they would surely make a scene. And—he didn’t want Chu Huaiyin to know.

One day, Chu Huaiyin would climb the tower of power, devote himself to governance, restore order to the realm, and become a wise ruler of his time. Meng Zhou understood that asking him to take responsibility for a consensual accident, to give up all other beauties for him alone, was asking too much.

But Chu Huaiyin wasn’t the type to shirk responsibility either. Which meant Meng Zhou was in a terrible predicament. The man might take responsibility as a father couldn’t take a “one-husband-one-wife” commitment. He still remembered Chu Huaiyin’s silence when they had talked about the nature of their relationship after the accident.

Chu Huaiyin had always treated him well, but beneath that kindness flowed the bl00d of an emperor—strong-willed and domineering. Ever since they met, the phrases he said most were “Leave it to this prince,” “Don’t wander around,” and “Don’t take any risks…” One could easily imagine that if he knew Meng Zhou was pregnant, he’d keep him locked up in the Prince Huai’s Manor and feed him nourishing soup every day.

Sure, Meng Zhou had gone against the prince’s orders countless times before without much consequence—but this was different. Pregnancy might be Chu Huaiyin’s bottom line. And freedom was definitely Meng Zhou’s.

He had no intention of giving in to fate. He couldn’t bring himself to live like others with the same fate—entering someone’s inner courtyard or harem. Even if it were the Emperor himself, it was still a no.

And who knew if Chu Huaiyin even liked men?!

Meng Zhou wanted to leave the capital and go to some remote, impoverished place to give birth in peace.

But now, he held an official post and was deeply tied to Chu Huaiyin. Leaving the capital wouldn’t be easy. Plus, he still needed to wait for Ji Yang’s mission to conclude.

Just a little longer. Once Ji Yang returned and their efforts bore fruit, he’d find an excuse to leave.

Meng Zhou left the house in a daze. The nanny, after her initial shock, accepted it faster than he did. Since Meng Zhou didn’t want to reveal the father’s identity, she didn’t push the issue, instead fussing over all the precautions he should take. In the end, it was Li Wenle who noticed how out of it Meng Zhou looked and suggested he go home since it was getting late.

In his hand, Meng Zhou carried sour jujube cakes. The nanny said was Jiang Yao’s favorite during her pregnancy, and a bundle of nourishing medicine from Li Wenle, to be taken every two days.

That long string of things felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He couldn’t bring them back to the Meng household, so he had to leave them temporarily at the Jiang residence.

He knocked on the Jiang family’s gate. Old Li, the gatekeeper, opened the door and was startled at the sight of Meng Zhou’s pale face. “Young Master Meng!”

“Uncle Li, just call me Meng Zhou. I came today to—”

Meng Zhou suddenly hid the medicine behind his back. But since he had never been the burly type, he looked more like a pampered little kitten who had been told repeatedly not to catch rats in the pantry, but sneakily caught one anyway, only to get caught by its master and desperately tried to hide the evidence behind its back.

The fat rat was too big to hide, its long tail dragging on the ground behind the little kitten’s back.

Why was Chu Huaiyin still here when it was already dark?!

Wasn’t the training at the drill ground just a formality? Why so diligent?

Meng Zhou saw two figures turning the corner, walking and talking. He immediately stepped back and put a finger to his lips, signaling Old Li to keep quiet as he slipped away.

“Nephew!”

Jiang Xin was seeing Chu Huaiyin off and spotted a flicker of blue fabric at the gate. His sharp eyes instantly recognized the sneaky figure of Meng Zhou. Jiang Xin had two people he admired most—Meng Zhou and Prince Huai. But to maintain his non-existent elder dignity, he liked to call Meng Zhou “nephew.”

Meng Zhou froze and pretended not to hear, walking faster. But Jiang Xin caught up and grabbed him.

Meng Zhou gave him a look: Care to count how many times you’ve screwed me over? Today I’ll beat you on behalf of Jiang Yao!

Jiang Xin felt a chill from the stare and lowered his voice. “Hey, hey, Prince Huai is here. Aren’t you going to say hello?” After all, the man’s helped us so much…

Exactly because he’s here… Meng Zhou really didn’t want to see Chu Huaiyin right now. He felt conflicted, nervous, and guilty.

Chu Huaiyin had left training to his subordinates after an initial show of authority. He had only dropped by the Jiang residence to deal with an urgent report from Shu, and time slipped by.

“What are you running from?” Chu Huaiyin was sharper than the clueless Jiang Xin. “What’s in your hand? Are you ill?”

Now that he’d been spotted, Meng Zhou pulled out the medicine calmly and called upon his acting skills. “Cough, just a bit of a chill. Picked up a few remedies. Nothing serious.”

Seeing Chu Huaiyin’s gaze linger on the items, Meng Zhou’s eyes darted and he explained, “Weren’t those ginseng roots from you? I didn’t know how to use them, so I took them to a pharmacy to slice into medicine. The shopkeeper said they were excellent—” …and offered to buy them for an extra hundred taels… Meng Zhou conveniently left out that part.

The air indeed carried a faint ginseng scent. Chu Huaiyin noticed that Meng Zhou seemed a bit off tonight but didn’t press further. “Planning to stay at the General’s residence tonight? That’s fine. I received an urgent report just now and need to return to the manor. If you’re not feeling well, send someone to my manor for the imperial physician.”

“What happened?” Meng Zhou was annoyed at himself. He had meant to get rid of the living deity quickly, but being around Chu Huaiyin for too long had made him develop a bad habit of blurting out questions.

This time was no exception. No matter how inappropriate the venue was, the two of them were still standing at the threshold of the general’s mansion. Chu Huaiyin didn’t mind. Even though they were still at the doorstep, he summarized the key points: “Last year, Shu Province suffered heavy rains during harvest, flooding farmland. Grain prices have soared. The court diverted grain from Lake Tai, but the Shu roads are treacherous, and the convoys keep getting robbed. Whether it’s bandits or corrupt officials, it needs thorough investigation.”

Chu Huaiyin’s power was centered in the north, so Shu was both a challenge and an opportunity. Normally Ji Yang would handle it, but he was away on a mission. Chu Huaiyin had been considering promoting some new talent.

Wasn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Meng Zhou’s eyes lit up, more lively than a cat’s pupils in the dark, and all his previous depression disappeared.

“I’ll go.” As long as he left Chu Huaiyin’s sight, Meng Zhou had a hundred percent confidence to fool others. Once things wrapped up in Shu, he could stage a “small accident” on the way back and vanish. It wasn’t hard to make it seem reasonable—what was hard was pulling it off under Chu Huaiyin’s watchful eyes.

“You?” Chu Huaiyin glanced meaningfully at the bundle of medicine. “You’ve never left the capital and don’t know the region. You should take care of your health first.”

Meng Zhou felt vaguely insulted. So what if you’re a military man? In my last life, I filmed all over the country!

Meng Qi was not discouraged. He was still eager to try to persuade Chu Huaiyin. He even flexed his biceps to show off his strength, completely forgetting his sickly persona.

Chu Huaiyin was amused and reached out to pinch those so-called “muscles,” accidentally hitting a ticklish spot.

Meng Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, ruining his tough guy image completely. Meng Qi was so angry that he pinched his thigh—way to ruin his own moment!

Chu Huaiyin suddenly grabbed his paw.

“Don’t pinch yourself,” he said with meaning. “Do you know how much it hurts when you pinch?”

Why do you know that?

Meng Zhou met his gaze.

Suddenly it clicked.

He remembered those things in bed?!

Forget it already!

Feeling guilty, Meng Zhou said nothing.

“There is no room for negotiation on this matter.” Chu Huaiyin took advantage of his confusion and gave him a firm refusal.

Why not negotiable?! Meng Zhou lunged to grab his sleeve but ended up catching his hand instead.

Their palms touched. Meng Zhou quickly tried to pull back, but Chu Huaiyin held fast and pulled him close. He pulled and hugged him, and the two were so close that they could hear each other’s heartbeat.

Chu Huaiyin’s hand rested against the side of his lower abdomen. Meng Zhou nearly jumped. His mind told him that his lower abdomen was still flat and Chu Huaiyin could not find anything, but his nerves could not help but tense up, causing his body to stiffen.

“Something’s off. You’re too insistent tonight. I want a reason.” Chu Huaiyin leaned down to meet his gaze, his sharp eyes piercing through him. “Put aside those rhetoric about loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, promotion and wealth.”

Chu Huaiyin cut off all of Meng Zhou’s usual excuses.

Meng Zhou blinked, looking innocent.

That is the reason.

What else could it be?

You think I’m trying to run away or something?

Damn this feudal society. Can’t a man just take maternity leave?

Chu Huaiyin’s tone turned serious. “Don’t forget the vow you made at Liu Hongbao’s house.”

“I… didn’t forget.”

Meng Zhou thought, I remember it all the time and try to follow it—but in life-and-death moments, one mustn’t be too rigid… or you’ll get struck by lightning.

He moved Chu Huaiyin’s hand from his waist and respectfully returned it to its rightful place—on Chu Huaiyin’s own waist.

His belly was off-limits. Otherwise, he will always feel uneasy.

***

The author note:

——Small Theater of School Sports Meet——

Meng Xiaomao¹wanted to take part in the 3,000-meter long-distance race, but classmate Chu wouldn’t let her, so she signed up secretly.

Meng Xiaomao made the “Ready—Go!” gesture and gave his running partner Chu Huaiyin a middle finger.

Meng Xiaomao started off successfully, leaving the others far behind, and bumped into Guan, a senior student who was running towards him.

Suddenly, the referee blew the whistle urgently, indicating a problem with the competition. All the athletes returned to the starting point and the competition resumed.

Meng Xiaomao, who registered secretly, felt a little guilty. She was also afraid that the admissions office would find out that she was not physically fit and would be disqualified as an athlete, so she cleverly switched identities with Guan.

Chu Huaiyin, who was suddenly promoted to the principal at this time, said: Hold down this running kitten!