Chapter 593 – Persuasion of the Feng Clan (Part 4)
Feng Jin found this utterly ridiculous, “When my sister-in-law was around fifteen or sixteen… well, at this age, her feet are nearly fully developed. If they forcefully try to make them smaller, wouldn’t they just break her bones? Why didn’t the matchmaker mention such absurdity?”
Had he known that Feng Gui’s wife was of such character, not to mention the Feng clan, but any minor aristocratic family in Dongqing would think twice before marrying her.
Thinking back to the two nephews he had seen recently, a strange feeling washed over Feng Jin.
However, Feng Du’s qualifications were indeed quite good in Zhong Zhao; it was just that the national conditions in Zhong Zhao and Dongqing were entirely different.
Wei Jingxian sighed as she began to explain, “A few years ago, Zhong Zhao was quite peaceful, the world was calm, and both aristocrats and common folks flaunted extravagance as a trend. This Lady Du, the Empress, was a natural beauty, skilled in singing and dancing, her physique slender, her dance graceful like a flying swallow, performing palm dances and sky dances, causing noble girls to imitate her. When this got to the dance academies, the dancers tried to replicate her moves, but with bigger feet and heavier bodies, it was hard to achieve such stunning performances. They say the Empress has snow-white feet that are over three inches smaller, allowing her to dance like this…”
The Empress’s small feet were natural, slender, and beautiful. A palm dance to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday back then matched the open and extravagant atmosphere in Zhong Zhao, naturally becoming a trend. Dance academies began to learn, and the scene was lively.
Feng Gui’s wife, Feng Du, ranked fifth in the household, and although she wasn’t neglected, she also wasn’t particularly favored.
In pursuit of status and future glory, she imitated her elder sister in every aspect, and the so-called foot binding was for this reason.
As this spread, outsiders didn’t criticize Feng Du for mimicking dancers; they instead praised her as possessing the virtues of a wise Empress, and her fame grew immensely… In simple terms, Feng Du was stepping on her Empress sister’s coattails, rapidly elevating her status among the noble girls in Zhong Zhao.
However, such trends were not something the Dongqing aristocrats would endorse.
Especially for a noble family like the Feng’s, how could they tolerate having a matriarch with a “condition from binding her feet”?
Although they didn’t understand genetics or the concept of selective breeding, they knew that good parents would produce superior children.
Choosing a woman with a “condition” to be the matriarch of the Feng family felt like eating a fly.
But based on Feng Gui’s personality, he wouldn’t easily abandon his legal wife for such a reason, especially since they had two sons.
As the saying goes, “It’s hard to choose a husband and ruin a life; marrying an incompetent wife ruins three generations.” With a matriarch who was described as “greedy, jealous, power-hungry, gossiping, and malicious,” Feng Jin couldn’t even imagine the consequences for this generation of the Feng family and the next—his elder brother was too much of a martyr.
Feng Jin furrowed his brows in distress; from any standpoint, Feng Du was not fit to be the matriarch of the Feng family.
Having such a matriarch, it might hold for this generation, but the next might just be doomed.
“Even so… my elder brother’s temperament, he’s always taken responsibilities seriously; I doubt he would easily divorce her.”
Rationally, Feng Jin didn’t mind switching out a sister-in-law. However, that was a couple’s personal matter, and Feng Du hadn’t done anything too outrageous yet—just greedy, jealous, power-hungry, and a chatterbox… maybe with some careful correction, she could turn things around?
Feng Gui planned to wait and see; he didn’t expect his wife to be extraordinary, just meeting the standard for normal noblewomen would suffice.
Mrs. Feng intended to bring her two grandsons close and raise them well, lest they be harmed by their unsuitable mother.
As for the elder daughter-in-law, she’d teach her as much as she could.
After all, Mrs. Feng had already become a grandmother of three, and she couldn’t manage everything in the Feng household forever; her elder daughter-in-law had to take over.
Wei Jingxian chuckled, “I’ve figured it out; where would you find a good daughter from the Zhong Zhao Du family? First, the eldest daughter entered the palace as the Empress, shouting about educating all women and writing the Four Books for Women, only to ruin countless good girls’ lives. Now, another Du daughter is seeking fame by mimicking the Empress’s foot binding; it’s almost a den of snakes and rats!”
If it weren’t for Feng Du imitating the Empress’s style everywhere, how could she possess such fame and be chosen as Feng Gui’s wife?
Feng Jin remained silent, quietly tugging at the braid on Changsheng’s head.
Changsheng scrunched her little face, trying to nibble on Feng Jin’s hand.
His wife was criticizing his sister-in-law, and as her husband and the latter’s uncle, Feng Jin found it tough to interject.
Disengaged, he stated, “Even so, it still feels too absurd.”
If foot binding was done at a younger age, when the bones were softer, that he could understand.
But to do it at fifteen or sixteen—what a resolute and ruthless nature that must require!
If she was so harsh to herself, how could she treat others any better?
The more he thought about it, the more chills ran down Feng Jin’s spine.
Wei Jingxian added, “I just feel like my uncle has been wronged…”
It’s easy to marry, but hard to divorce; cherish what you have while you can.
That evening, Feng Jin took his daughter Changsheng, dressed like a little red person, along with his wife to a family banquet.
Since Feng Gui had already reminded them, Feng Jin tactfully avoided discussing official matters, instead reminiscing about amusing childhood stories.
Feng Du sat beside Feng Gui with a gloomy expression, her fierce eyes occasionally darting over to the jovial and plump Changsheng.
As the matriarch, she had birthed two sons for the Feng family in three years, yet her mother-in-law hadn’t held her sons with such affection. Instead, she showered all her smiles on the ‘money-losing goods’ of the Feng Jin household, as if they were the real family. This disparity caused Feng Du tremendous inner turmoil.
She didn’t take a moment to reflect—who was it that blocked her mother-in-law’s attempts to get close to her grandsons every time with endless caution towards a serious mother-in-law?
When it came to gifts for the grandchildren, Feng Gui’s two sons had surely benefited greatly.
Mrs. Feng had only given Changsheng a string of prayer beads and smiled a bit more at her, yet it provoked such jealousy and hate from Feng Du.
Realizing Feng Du’s emotional fluctuations, Feng Gui wore a complicated expression—angry, annoyed, and somewhat helpless.
Feng Gui had specifically told Feng Jin not to discuss official matters at the family banquet, and yet Feng Du was being a major detractor.
After several rounds of drinks, Feng Du suddenly said, “Second Uncle, now you’re with the traitor Liu Clan, aren’t you afraid of dragging the whole family down?”
Feng Gui clenched his fists in patience, his face darkening.
Feng Jin replied, “My lord, what traitor? Sister-in-law, your words are truly heartless.”
Feng Du looked at him with mock reproach, “The Dongqing royal family is the legitimate authority; the Liu Clan is merely a minor aristocracy in Hejian—that wouldn’t even stir up a wave in Dongqing. But everyone has their ambitions; it’s natural for Second Uncle to desire to ride on their coattails. Still, you should be careful and don’t choose someone too unreliable. The Dongqing royalty is on the rise; once the conflict in the south is settled, won’t there be time to clean up the north? Second Uncle, aren’t you pulling the whole family into danger here?”
Legitimate authority?
Feng Jin scoffed.
To the Feng family, that term was nothing but a joke.
