Feng Jin thought it was ridiculous, "Sister-in-law was fifteen or sixteen years old … But, at this age, her feet are almost fully grown. If you want to make her small by force, won't you break her leg bones … Why didn't the matchmaker mention such an absurd thing?"
If they had known that Feng Gui's wife was like this, not just the Feng family, even the small aristocratic families in Dongqing would not have agreed to marry her.
Thinking of the two nephews he saw not long ago, Feng Jin felt upset.
However, the conditions of Lady Feng-Du were indeed very good in Zhongzhao. It was just that the national conditions of Zhongzhao and Dongqing were different.
Wei Jingxian sighed and slowly narrated, "Zhongzhao was fine a few years ago. The world was at peace, the rivers were clear, and the seas were calm. The gentry clans and the common people were extravagant. The Empress of the Du family was a natural beauty. She was proficient in singing and dancing. She had a slim figure, and her dancing was as light as a swallow or a phoenix. She could do palm dances and flying dances. For a time, the noble ladies of the aristocratic families imitated her. When the news reached the Song and Dance School, the dancers tried to imitate the dance, but they were too big and too heavy, so it was difficult for them to perform such a stunning dance. I heard that the Empress has a pair of snow-white feet that are more than three inches long. That's why she can dance like this … "
The Empress was born with small feet. They were slender, well-proportioned, and beautiful. A palm dance to congratulate the Emperor on his birthday. At that time, the atmosphere in Zhongzhao was open and luxurious, so it was naturally fashionable. The Song and Dance Hall was busy learning, and hundreds of flowers competed with each other. It was very lively.
Feng Gui's wife, Madam Feng-Du, was the fifth child in the family. Although she wasn't neglected, she wasn't very favored either.
For the sake of status and future glory, she imitated her elder sister in all aspects. The so-called broken bones and bound feet were also because of this.
When this matter was spread out, people in the outside world didn't say that Madam Feng-Du had learned to act like a dancer. Instead, they praised her for having the demeanor of a virtuous empress, and her reputation soared … To put it bluntly, Madam Feng-Du had stepped on her Empress Sister to climb to the top, and her status among the noble ladies of Zhongzhao rose gradually.
However, this was the practice of Zhongzhao. The aristocrats of Dongqing did not buy it.
This was especially so for a noble family like the Feng family. How could they bear the fact that the wife of a noble family had an "acquired disease"?
Although they didn't understand genetics or eugenics, they knew that children with good parents would be better and better.
Choosing a woman with a broken leg and a malignant disease to be the matriarch of the Feng family was like eating a fly.
But according to Feng Gui's personality, he wouldn't be so heartless as to abandon his wife for such a reason. After all, they still had two sons.
As the saying goes, choosing a bad husband will ruin one's life, marrying an unvirtuous wife will ruin three generations. With such a "greedy, jealous, power-hungry, talkative, and sinister" wife, Feng Jin did not dare to imagine what would happen to the current and next generation of the Feng family. His elder brother had been wronged.
Feng Jin frowned with a headache. No matter how he looked at it, Madam Feng-Du was not qualified to be the matriarch of the Feng family.
With such a matriarch, this generation of the Feng Clan might be alright, but the next generation might be in trouble.
"Even so … with Big Brother's temperament, he's always been responsible. I'm afraid he won't divorce his wife so easily."
Rationally speaking, Feng Jin didn't mind changing his sister-in-law, but that was the business of the couple. Madame Feng-Du hadn't done anything out of line so far. At most, she was greedy for money, jealous, power-hungry, and talkative … If he was careful and disciplined, maybe he could turn things around?
Feng Gui intended to wait and see. He didn't expect his wife to be a great woman, but at the very least, she had to be at the standard of a normal noble lady. He didn't expect much else.
Madam Feng planned to bring her two grandsons to her side and educate them well, so that they wouldn't be harmed by this unruly mother.
As for this eldest daughter-in-law, she would teach her as much as she could.
After all, Madam Feng was already the grandmother of three grandsons. She couldn't always manage the Feng family's finances, so she had to let her eldest daughter-in-law take over.
Wei Jingxian sneered and said, "I finally understand. Which daughter of the Du family from Zhongzhao is good? First, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Du family entered the palace and became the empress. She clamored about educating all the women in the world and wrote the Four Self-accomplishment Classics for Women, which was sung by the great Confucian scholars and earned the reputation of a virtuous empress. In the end, how many good daughters were ruined? Now, there's the eldest legitimate daughter of the Du family who imitated the virtuous empress and bound her feet for the sake of her reputation. She's practically a nest of snakes and rats! "
If this Madam Feng-Du hadn't imitated the virtuous empress' style, how could she have gained such fame and been chosen to become Feng Gui's wife?
Feng Jin was silent. He quietly tugged at the braids on Changsheng's head.
Changsheng's little face frowned. She hugged Feng Jin's arm and wanted to bite it.
As the husband of the former and the second uncle of the latter, it wasn't appropriate for Feng Jin to interrupt the conversation.
He said nonchalantly, "Even so, I still feel that it's too absurd."
If she had bound her feet when she was younger, when her bones were softer, he could still believe it.
She was already fifteen or sixteen years old, yet she was still so cruel to herself. How determined and ruthless did she have to be?
She was so cruel to herself, what more to others?
The more he thought about it, the more Feng Jin shuddered.
Wei Jingxian also said, "I feel that Eldest Uncle has been wronged …"
It was easy to get married, but difficult to divorce a wife. He had to cherish it.
That night, Feng Jin brought Changsheng, who was dressed as a little red girl, along with his wife to the family banquet.
Because Feng Gui had already reminded him, Feng Jin tactfully didn't bring up official matters. He only talked about interesting things that happened when they were young.
Madam Feng-Du sat beside Feng Gui with a gloomy expression. Her sinister eyes occasionally glanced at the smiling and blissful Changsheng.
As the wife of a noble family, she had given birth to two legitimate sons for the Feng family in three years. Her mother-in-law had never hugged her son so intimately. Instead, she smiled at Feng Jin's losers, as if they were a family. This difference made Madam Feng-Du feel extremely unbalanced.
She didn't reflect on herself. Every time Madam Feng wanted to get close to her grandson, who was the one who obstructed her and guarded against her proper mother-in-law?
In terms of gifts for the grandchildren, Feng Gui's two sons had the upper hand.
Madam Feng had only given Changsheng a string of Buddhist beads and smiled at her, yet she had already incurred such jealousy and hatred.
Sensing the change in Madam Feng-Du's emotions, Feng Gui's expression was complicated. He was angry, furious, and somewhat helpless.
Feng Gui had specially told Feng Jin not to talk about official matters at the family banquet, yet Madam Feng-Du was a useless teammate.
After three rounds of wine, Madam Feng-Du suddenly said, "Second Uncle is now accompanying the traitor, Madam Liu. What's wrong with that? Aren't you afraid of implicating the rest of the family? "
Feng Gui endured it and clenched his fists tightly. His expression was unsightly.
Feng Jin said, "Since when was Jin's lord a traitor? Sister-in-law's words are very harsh. "
Madam Feng-Du said in a strange tone, "The Dongqing imperial family is the legitimate one. The Liu family is merely an aristocratic family in Hejian. They won't be able to make a splash in Dongqing. However, everyone has their own ambitions. Second Uncle yearns for the merit of attaining the throne. This is human nature. However, you should also polish your eyes and choose someone who is slightly more reliable. The Dongqing imperial family's power is at its peak. When the outcome of the battle in the south is decided, won't they have time to clean up the north? Second Uncle is trying to drag the whole family down with him. "
Legitimate?
Feng Jin sneered coldly.
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