However, this policy had already been issued, but those people wouldn't listen. They insisted on binding women's feet, otherwise they would say that women couldn't marry into good families.
The late emperor saw that his words had no effect, so he let them be.
And that's how things have been since then.
Wanwan looked at Yinzhen and said, "Your mother doesn't like women binding their feet, so I want you to issue an edict that all women in the world should stop binding their feet."
Yinzhen was in a dilemma. The late emperor had issued such an imperial edict long ago, but people wouldn't listen to it.
Especially in the Jiangnan region, the practice of foot binding was even more prevalent, with almost every household binding feet.
With a troubled expression, Yinzhen said, "Mother, it's actually very simple for me to issue the decree, but will those families listen to it? Even if the women don't want to bind their feet, they can't go against their families' wishes!"
Wanwan genuinely wanted to eradicate this root of trouble, so she was ruthless in her approach: "Then issue a clear order: if a family has bound feet, the farmers' taxes will be increased fivefold; if a minister's daughter has bound feet, she should be dismissed from office; if a merchant has bound feet, his property will be confiscated."
"I refuse to believe that this scourge cannot be eradicated. By the way, if anyone is secretly binding their feet, let someone report them. The whistleblower should be rewarded accordingly, or even implicated by others."
"The national treasury is currently well-stocked, so it's not like we can't come up with a lot of money."
Yinzhen was shocked by his mother's words: "This is even more ruthless! If such a policy is implemented, who would dare to bind their feet? Unless you don't want to live."
With taxes so high, how could farmers dare to bind their feet? Otherwise, they would just starve to death.
Merchants are directly raided, not to mention how many farming families strive to support even one scholar.
Now you're saying that after foot binding, you can't even become an official, so what's the point of studying?
Yinzhen glanced at the woman, at the "three-inch golden lotus" feet that men supposedly liked.
I immediately felt nauseous again. How could anyone be so perverted as to like such abnormal things?
Seeing that Yinzhen was somewhat tempted, Wanwan continued to coax him, "Children from peasant families are responsible for the household from a young age, but this is because girls have their feet bound."
"Bound feet mean they can't do heavy work. If they could do work, wouldn't the burden on their families be lighter?"
"Wouldn't that mean we could grow more food?"
"Don't underestimate women. Although one woman can't do as much as one man, two women can do the same."
"Just like planting an acre of grain, the time it takes for one man to plant an acre and the time it takes for two women to plant an acre are probably not that different."
"Moreover, the custom of foot binding has always existed in the Jiangnan region. What if it continues for a few years, a dozen years, or even decades and affects women all over the country? Does that mean all women in the Qing Dynasty will have to bind their feet?"
"Such unhealthy practices should be nipped in the bud. But now that they have slowly grown, they should be eradicated completely."
Wanwan was very angry when she said this. Any girl would break her feet and wrap them with strips of cloth to prevent them from growing when she was a few years old.
Anyone would be angry to suffer such pain, especially since Wanwan mostly considers things from a woman's perspective.
I felt even more sympathy for her. If she didn't have the ability to do it, that would be one thing, but now that she is the Empress Dowager, she has the ability to do it, so naturally she should eliminate this unhealthy trend.
Yinzhen was stumped by his mother's question. It was actually very simple to explain, but very difficult to implement.
There are many instances of deceiving superiors and concealing the truth, not to mention that the late emperor had long ago forbade foot binding, but it still had some effect, didn't it?
My darlings, thank you for your support!
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(?????)?? Love you all, muah!
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