Chapter 1136: Being Lectured About Male Infertility
Chapter 1136: Chapter 1136: Being Lectured About Male Infertility
Every official who happened to be looking in her direction instantly felt an icy chill run down their spine, the hairs on their arms standing on end. For some inexplicable reason, a deep, instinctual dread washed over them. They suddenly had a very bad feeling about where this absurd conversation was heading.
"To make myself crystal clear." Bai Xifeng continued nonchalantly. "If any man who marries me dares to break his vow and lay hands on another woman afterwards, I will personally see to it that he is turned into an eunuch."
Every man in the hall who heard those horrifying words instinctively shuddered, their hands twitching as if tempted to cover their own crotches.
This young lady was utterly merciless!
What made it ten times worse was how casually she had declared it.
It was as if severing a man’s pride was nothing more than a light slap on the wrist for breaking a simple promise!
Imperial Secretary Qian Zemin swallowed hard, clearing his throat to regain his composure. "Then... what if you are physically unable to bear a child? Surely it would be terribly unfair to deny your husband an heir!"
"Well, if I fail to get pregnant, then both of us, my husband and myself, will simply go get examined to determine which one of us actually has the medical issue." Bai Xifeng stated logically. "Let’s see... if the diagnosis turns out that I am indeed the one with the problem, he is free to choose to divorce me first, after which he can go off and have children with another woman. That’s right. Divorce me first. However, if my husband turns out to be the one shooting blanks, then he will just have to quietly accept whatever decision I make at that time."
"Wait... hold on! What do you mean by that?!" One of the ministers blurted out, stepping forward in utter disbelief. "Are you implying that a man can also be the reason for infertility?!"
"Of course." Bai Xifeng said as if explaining basic arithmetic to a toddler. "Men can suffer from reproductive issues just as easily. You lot are simply too fragile to admit your own flaws, so you instinctively blame your wives whenever they fail to conceive."
The ministers exchanged dumbfounded looks with one another. Not a single one of them knew how to react to such an outrageous, taboo statement. They had come here today to debate political alliances and royal court affairs. They had certainly never expected the imperial assembly to suddenly devolve into a lecture on male infertility!
Bai Xifeng, however, did not feel she had said anything strange at all. To her, coming from a modern background, this was basic, undisputed common sense. If a married couple struggled to conceive, both partners should naturally be tested rather than dumping the entirety of the shame and blame onto the woman.
"Why are all of you staring at each other like that? Am I wrong?" Bai Xifeng asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
The moment her gaze swept past them, the ministers hurriedly averted their eyes, looking at the floor, the ceiling, or anywhere else.
Nobody was foolish enough to answer that trap question.
After all, who among them would dare to openly agree with her radical ideas right in front of the Emperor himself?
Bai Xifeng watched their pathetic reactions for a moment longer before losing interest and turning her full attention back toward the throne.
"Therefore, I must formally request that Your Majesty stop trying to force a marriage between myself and His Highness the Crown Prince." Bai Xifeng concluded.
Her tone was perfectly calm and steady, but the unyielding finality behind her words was crystal clear to everyone present. Her decision was absolute. No matter how many ministers tried to corner her, or how much pressure the Imperial Family applied, she would never, under any circumstances, set foot in the inner palace as the Crown Princess.
"You..." The Emperor was left completely speechless.
This headstrong young girl truly did not harbour a single shred of fear toward him as the ruler of the realm.
"Are you truly not afraid of Me? Are you really going to blatantly disobey My royal decree?" The Emperor asked, his expression darkening into a deep, stormy scowl.
"And what exactly do you plan to do to me if I don’t?" Bai Xifeng narrowed her sharp eyes, staring directly into his face without displaying the slightest hint of fear or hesitation.
The atmosphere inside the grand hall immediately grew suffocatingly tense, as if a single spark could set off an explosion.
The heavy silence only eased when the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the entrance, and two figures stepped inside.
Everyone in the hall turned in unison to look toward the massive doors.
Bai Chunhua and Liu Jun, the Crown Prince, were standing there side by side. Both of them walked gracefully into the center of the hall and immediately bowed to greet the Emperor.
"This son pays respects to Your Imperial Father." Liu Jun said, making a formal, dignified bow.
"This humble official pays respects to Your Majesty." Bai Chunhua chimed in, bowing with polite, disciplined grace.
As she lowered her head, Bai Chunhua subtly glanced at Bai Xifeng out of the corner of her eye. However, her gaze happened to collide directly with Bai Xifeng’s cold, mocking eyes, which were already staring right at her.
Bai Chunhua was visibly startled and hastily shifted her gaze away, her heart skipping a beat. She simply did not have the courage to meet Bai Xifeng’s sharp, penetrating eyes for more than a second.
"Ah, my son, you have finally returned." The Emperor said, letting out a small sigh as he broke the tense standoff.
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