Chapter 392 The Robust Imperial Husband 3 (1/2)

Chapter 392 The Robust Imperial Husband 3 According to the laws of the Phoenix Kingdom, if a man does not marry after reaching adulthood, he must pay a huge sum of money to the government until he reaches the age of forty, at which point he can be exempted from this obligation.

With his renowned reputation, he thought he was destined to bear this heavy burden, or that he would eventually be randomly assigned to the household of some minor official as a concubine.

This imperial decree has at least relieved the pressing pressure of marriage, and it will be for the wife, the principal wife.

But more than anything, there was fear.

The eldest princess, Xiao Zixi, is no ordinary person.

She was the apple of the Empress and her husband's eye, the most unruly and dissolute princess in the capital, a womanizer whose reputation... was not good.

So why did she choose herself?

Was it, as her father feared, a meticulously planned humiliation, or a spur-of-the-moment prank?

Or is it because of his bad reputation, out of sympathy for him, that people feel sorry for him?

Thinking of the unpredictable gazes he might face in the future, and his wife's unfathomable thoughts, Ling Siran felt a chill run down his spine.

However, amidst this feeling of fear, a faint, almost imperceptible, stirring within him quietly emerged.

But that day... she didn't seem like that kind of person.

I still remember that day in the selection hall, he was surrounded and ridiculed by everyone, and he was so ashamed that he wanted to disappear.

Just when he was at his most desperate, that clear yet somewhat languid voice cleaved through the gloom in his heart like a sharp sword.

At that moment, he looked up and met those eyes that were both playful and incredibly bright.

The woman in fiery red on the high platform.

She didn't even glance at those mocking others; her gaze was fixed on him, with an interest he had never seen in any woman's eyes before.

It's not about disdain or pity, nor is it about a morbid curiosity about the different.

It's just a simple gaze.

This simple glance stirred a barely perceptible ripple in the still lake of his heart.

Perhaps... perhaps marrying the eldest princess isn't all bad.

At least for that moment, she was the only one who came to his rescue.

Perhaps the eldest princess's interest in him will last a little longer.

“Mother, Father, the Emperor’s will is made, and your son obeys.”

Ling Siran's voice was deep, yet carried a calmness born of determination.

He gripped the imperial edict tightly in his hand; the cold silk seemed to have absorbed the warmth of his palm.

At the same time, the news that the eldest princess Xiao Zixi had chosen Ling Siran, the eldest son of General Ling, who was the ugliest man in the matriarchal country and had a fertility value as low as three, as her rightful ruler, spread instantly to every corner of the capital.

Public opinion was in uproar.

In teahouses and taverns, storytellers treated this as the latest topic of conversation, drawing laughter from the entire audience.

"Have you heard? Her Highness the First Princess has chosen that Young Master Ling."

"Which Young Master Ling?"

"Who else could it be? It's Ling Siran, who's eight feet tall, as strong as a bear, and whose fertility is only a single digit!"

"Wow! The eldest princess's eyesight... Could it be that she drank too much at the brothel that day and misjudged me?"

"I think they've given up on themselves! Anyway, that other person's reputation is just so-so, so they're finding someone even worse to take the fall, and nobody can say anything about the other!"

"Tsk tsk, the General's Mansion has certainly climbed the social ladder, but this future imperial consort... I'm afraid he'll become a laughingstock of the whole world!"

In the backyards of aristocratic families, the well-bred young masters whispered amongst themselves, their tone filled with disdain and a hint of barely perceptible sourness.

"What makes Ling Siran so special?"

"Because he's uniquely ugly! Maybe Her Highness the First Princess is tired of all the delicacies and wants to try something different... uh, something hard to chew on?"