Chapter 596 – Persuasion of the Feng Family (Part 7)
Feng Jin realized something was off, worried Feng Gui was about to write a letter of divorce.
Though he didn’t have much affection for this sister-in-law, if a divorce happened, it involved big brother’s family affairs… Feng Jin didn’t care whether Feng Gui divorced or not, but if the reason for the divorce was related to Changsheng, he couldn’t just stand by.
Seeing Feng Jin’s concern, Feng Gui sighed, “Don’t overthink it; it has nothing to do with Changsheng.”
After saying this, he apologized to Feng Ren and his wife.
Feng Du was a prominent matriarch; divorce wasn’t simply a matter between husband and wife. In a broader sense, it was a major matter for the entire Feng family.
Feng Gui wasn’t the clan leader yet, so this matter would surely bring trouble to Feng Ren.
Mrs. Feng helped him up, “Poor my son—ultimately, it’s my fault for choosing someone so unworthy.”
Feng Du had a good reputation in Zhong Zhao and came from a strong family, one could infer her education and virtues must be outstanding. Mrs. Feng saw this point and made Feng Du a primary candidate for consideration; after several inquiries, Feng Du indeed seemed excellent.
Who would have thought the gap between the national conditions of Zhong Zhao and Dongqing was so vast, even the standards for noble ladies were worlds apart?
Feng Gui hastily said, “This matter is my son’s neglect; he has been a poor husband and has caused you much toil… Now, it should come to an end.”
Feng Du’s little flaws, Feng Gui could tolerate. Though she was greedy, power-hungry, jealous, and narrow-minded, since the Feng family was wealthy and she was the matriarch, she would manage the household affairs in the end. Feng Gui himself remained indifferent to romantic matters. Before entering the family, Feng Du had no concubines, and even after, she hadn’t taken any. With time, she should understand this. As for being narrow-minded… as long as it didn’t affect serious business, it would be fine.
He had hinted and directly stated several times, but the other party treated it as if it were just a breeze passing by.
Did Feng Gui not want to correct it?
He tried several times, but the other party pretended to be deaf or repeatedly made mistakes—what could he do?
Should he embarrass her by publicly pointing out her flaws?
They were husband and wife, after all. Not giving Feng Du the respect and dignity she deserved was no different than giving himself a slap in the face in front of others!
Speaking to Feng Du privately proved useless; seeking guidance from his mother was also futile. This kind of considerate effort only made her more arrogant.
He didn’t mind Feng Du’s background or appearance, but her manners, upbringing, and knowledge had to meet the standards.
If she couldn’t even achieve those, then letting her continue as matriarch would only bring disaster to the next generation of the Feng family!
Feng Gui thought that even if she couldn’t be a good matriarch, surely she could be a good mother, right?
But what happened?
The nails of his two sons hadn’t been trimmed for ages, filled with grime beneath them. From a small sign, he could tell everything; Feng Gui could even imagine Feng Du cursing while completely ignoring her two young sons. And don’t push this blame onto the housemaid; if their own mother wasn’t attentive, how could they expect a bunch of maids to manage well? Poor management and unkind mother—Feng Gui was truly disappointed beyond measure.
He took up his pen to write a separation letter instead of a divorce letter, preserving face for both families.
Feng Jin’s lips moved, trying to persuade, but big brother had made up his mind; further encouragement was useless.
Changsheng keenly sensed the adults were in a strange atmosphere, quietly sniffled, snuggling into Wei Jingxian’s embrace, too scared to cry loudly.
With the final stroke, Feng Gui’s face was already dark as ink.
“?” At some point, Changsheng slipped from Wei Jingxian’s arms, nudged up next to Feng Gui, tugging on his sleeve with an expression of having made a mistake. Feng Gui sighed and patted the little braid on Changsheng’s head.
In matters concerning children, Feng Du was at fault, but he was also guilty.
The eldest son was three this year, the younger son was two by age but still younger than Changsheng; yet both were not as sturdy as Changsheng.
“Uncle wishes to apologize to the two little cousins on behalf of Changsheng; please don’t be upset with them, alright?” Feng Gui spoke gently, “They are older than Changsheng, but they didn’t fulfill their duties as brothers. Uncle will make sure they are properly punished. Once they realize their mistakes, we will have them apologize to Changsheng.”
Changsheng nodded while saying “Mm,” the tear-streaked face breaking into a silly smile again.
Seeing this, Feng Gui felt a wave of emotions rising within.
His sister-in-law was great, taking good care of the children and family.
Feng Jin was a bit worried, fearing this matter would become a thorn dividing the brothers.
Feng Du had been waiting in the room for a long time and finally saw Feng Gui return under the dim moonlight.
“Young Master, Young Master…”
Recalling what had happened earlier, Feng Du felt slightly less confident.
Feng Gui said, “Sit down; we need to talk.”
Feng Gui had been taught to respect his wife; barring any accidents, the couple was meant to be tied together for life. For family harmony, open communication was crucial. Shortly after getting married, he often took the time to chat and learn about Feng Du.
What happened?
Feng Du started talking and immediately killed the mood.
After several tries, the once enthusiastic Feng Gui cooled off; the couple was merely friendly on the surface.
Feng Du faced him, feeling anxious, secretly observing Feng Gui’s expression while apologizing.
“Young Master, what happened today was indeed my fault…”
Feng Gui stated, “Changsheng is barely a year and a half; as a grand-aunt, you should treat the younger ones with kindness. Is this questioning wrong?”
Feng Du’s face turned pale, as if coated in white paint.
Previously, she had killed the mood; this time it was Feng Gui’s turn.
“This isn’t just a matter of my sister-in-law failing to cultivate her daughter well? Changsheng may be young, but because she is young, she needs proper guidance.”
Feng Gui replied coldly, “What you refer to as proper guidance means encouraging your sons to bully her?”
Feng Du’s eyes widened in surprise, looking frightened.
Feng Gui sneered, “There’s no wall in this world that doesn’t let the wind through, not to mention the many lips in the Feng residence. As the matriarch, you aren’t strict enough, and the maids you bribed confessed everything at the slightest push. After four years, why haven’t you progressed at all?”
Feng Du was left speechless, feeling anxious and tense. “I… I…”
“You slapped Cuiyun; did I ever scold you for it?”
Cuiyun, the maid who served Feng Gui closely, had married off about a year ago.
Due to her beauty, she had incurred jealousy from the plain-looking Feng Du and was slapped publicly twenty times, nearly beaten to death.
Mentioning Cuiyun seemed to give Feng Du some backbone.
“Young Master didn’t scold me, but you did say a few words, and your protection of that flirty character is it all fake?”
Feng Gui countered, “She was a maid who took care of me for a whole fifteen years; human hearts are flesh—do you want me to be a cold-hearted person?”
By now, Cuiyun was long married off, to a trusted person of Feng Gui’s, making Feng Du’s jealousy utterly unreasonable.
Forget it… this conversation was truly exhausting.
As they talked, it turned out they still had nothing to say.
Feng Gui took out a bamboo tube scented with fragrance. “Take this.”
Feng Du was taken aback, trembling as she took it, and upon opening it, she fell limp to the ground, jewels from her head scattering everywhere.
“This is a letter of parting; we shall separate for the good of us both.”
