Chapter 592 – Persuasion of the Feng Family (Part III)
“For the harmony within the family, Feng Jin and Feng Jue have been specially educated since childhood to remember one thing—Eldest Brother is the rightful heir; no matter how excellent the two younger brothers are, they must not covet what does not belong to them.”
In any family, the greatest taboo is brotherly conflict.
Rather than nurturing each child’s competitive hopes, it’s better to make them understand their differences from the very beginning.
Thus, unless there are special circumstances, Feng Jin and Feng Jue seldom compete with Feng Gui for anything.
The differences among the three brothers can be observed in many aspects, such as marriage.
Feng Gui’s wife was selected through layers of careful scrutiny, far from just one event in Dongqing. The degree of complexity in the process could surpass even that of an emperor selecting a consort, considering the woman’s family background, talents, demeanor, character, appearance… all these conditions had to be weighed with caution.
Because of this, Feng Gui only got married at the age of twenty-one.
And what about Feng Jin’s wife—Wei Jingxian’s conditions?
Born from a family of scholars in Hejian, her background is average, she’s talented and good-looking, with a kind disposition. Her only two blemishes are that she once ventured into a bandit’s den and returned unscathed, and had an engagement with Liu Xi before breaking it off. There are plenty of people in Dongqing who are better suited than Wei Jingxian.
If it weren’t for Liu Zhi acting as a matchmaker, Wei Jingxian wouldn’t have been able to become Feng Jin’s second wife.
Feng Jin had no intention of contending with Feng Gui, and Wei Jingxian simply didn’t meet the qualifications for being the Feng family’s matriarch.
One could say, the couple had no conflicting interests with Feng Gui and his wife whatsoever.
Feng Jin truly couldn’t understand why his sister-in-law would show such malice towards Changsheng, without even attempting to hide it!
As an outer man, it wasn’t appropriate for him to inquire into his elder sister-in-law’s gossip, so he had to rely on his own wife to gather the intel.
What a joke, how could Feng Jin feel secure with a matriarch who harbors ill will toward Changsheng?
Wei Jingxian went to the inner hall to rest with her mother-in-law, while Feng Jin conversed with Feng Ren in the main hall.
It had been years since father and son had seen each other, and there was much to discuss.
While Wei Jingxian entertained Changsheng, she chatted with her mother-in-law about trivial matters in the courtyard. The atmosphere was quite harmonious until Feng Gui’s sister-in-law arrived with her two sons to pay respects to Mrs. Feng, making the ambiance slightly awkward.
Compared to Feng Gui’s warm and dignified demeanor, his two sons seemed a bit dull, looking rather timid and small-minded.
She had only met this sister-in-law two or three times and didn’t know her well, yet she found something strange about her.
The once-smiling Mrs. Feng maintained a rigid smile in front of her eldest sister-in-law, who was deliberately trying to flatter her, leading to a particularly awkward atmosphere.
Feeling displeased, Feng Gui’s wife hurriedly said her goodbyes, swaying gently as she left with her two sons.
With the exit of such a cold presence, Wei Jingxian secretly sighed in relief, her mind suddenly flashing with an idea, her eyes widening in shock.
Swaying gently?
The education of noble girls is notoriously strict, with prescribed rules regarding sitting, standing, and walking.
No action or word should be disrespectful; though not overly rigid, it certainly wasn’t this frivolous, right?
Watching her sister-in-law sway as she left, Wei Jingxian’s expression cracked slightly.
Mrs. Feng sighed and murmured, “Finally, she’s gone.”
“Mother, my sister-in-law wasn’t like this before…”
Mrs. Feng replied, “You’ve only been here a short time; how many times have you seen her?”
Wei Jingxian thought her mother-in-law didn’t want her to speak too much and swallowed her words.
Mrs. Feng added, “I used to think she was good; I never expected her to be… In any case, Jingxian, do not imitate her mannerisms.”
Wei Jingxian nodded, “Understood, Mother.”
Mrs. Feng opened up her heart, recounting the family matters of the past years, which only made Wei Jingxian’s expression grow more dismal.
After a while—
“…Did Uncle really just put up with that?” she asked.
Mrs. Feng frowned, “What else can he do? After all, she was married off through proper channels; how could he just abandon her? I was thinking of nurturing her a bit more… Tsk, I don’t even know how Du’s family raises their daughters to be so petty yet still dare call themselves noble.”
Feng Gui’s wife, Feng Du, hailed from the prominent Du family of Zhong Zhao, where the fifth daughter is the Empress of Zhong Zhao.
Mrs. Feng had carefully chosen the fifth daughter of Du and, being so far from Zhong Zhao, couldn’t see her future daughter-in-law in person. Yet, all the feedback had indicated that Feng Du had an excellent reputation; her family background, talents, appearance, education, and character all seemed impeccable.
From the agreement on the wedding date to the actual ceremony, it took nearly two years.
The higher her expectations for this eldest daughter-in-law, the deeper her disappointment fell.
Greedy, jealous, power-hungry, gossipy, and with a vicious heart!
Aside from all that, what Mrs. Feng couldn’t tolerate most was that this woman had a serious illness!
Feng Jin had returned to his pre-marriage residence, where his wife carried Changsheng, surrounded by housemaids.
The couple whispered sweet nothings, and Feng Jin overheard, his expression contorting in confusion.
“Elder sister-in-law has a serious illness?”
How could that be?
A noble girl with a serious illness wouldn’t even make the list from which his mother would select a matriarch.
Wei Jingxian rolled her eyes and retorted, “Didn’t you notice that elder sister-in-law’s walking posture is a bit… frivolous?”
Feng Jin indignantly nipped at her earlobe, “Jingxian, you’re saying elder sister-in-law like that; do you think I can just stare at her casually?”
“Cut the nonsense!” Wei Jingxian felt uncomfortable, scooting a bit further away while cradling Changsheng, “Mother said that elder sister-in-law has a broken foot.”
Feng Jin frowned, “Naturally born?”
“How could it be?” Wei Jingxian said.
“Then how?” Feng Jin pressed.
“It was acquired,” Wei Jingxian replied.
“Acquired? The housemaids are this careless?”
Feng Jin recalled how he had once fallen and broken a tooth as a child, and they had punished the housemaids profusely.
Wei Jingxian sighed, tugging at a small braid on Changsheng’s head, “It was acquired, but not by accident, rather by intention.”
Feng Jin’s face twitched; intentionally broken foot?
“Elder sister-in-law comes from the revered Du family of Zhong Zhao. She has a legitimate sister who is the Empress of Zhong Zhao.”
Feng Jin replied, “I know this.”
Wei Jingxian emphasized, “The one who wrote the ‘Four Books for Women’ to educate women everywhere, the one who claims to be a model.”
Upon hearing “Four Books for Women,” Feng Jin’s nerves instantly perked up.
“This, this… what a coincidence…” Feng Jin replied awkwardly.
Wei Jingxian continued, “The Du family has been declining in recent years, relying on this Empress to support their maternal family. The ‘Four Books for Women’ she wrote are highly praised by various scholars and slowly earned her the title of virtuous Empress. The Du family’s reputation rose significantly in Zhong Zhao. The lady of the Du family raised the women in their clan based on the Empress as a template. Guess what… This Empress has a foot-binding habit; her feet never grew larger than those of an adult hand. Quite beautiful…”
Feng Jin’s face flushed, “Just now, I was saying I’m not improper; how can you talk about such things now…”
Wei Jingxian sneered, “Filth recognizes filth; do you dare say you didn’t think of anything inappropriate? Our elder sister-in-law, when she was fifteen or sixteen, imitated the Empress with her two feet… Now she walks unsteadily, and her temperament has become increasingly bitter and malicious…”
These remarks weren’t just from Wei Jingxian; they had come directly from her mother-in-law.
