"In this world, there are as many women as men. If in the future all women bind their feet, leaving only their golden lotuses exposed, the labor force in this world will be reduced by half. Wouldn't Father feel sorry for them?"
King Ping: "..."
"...Why should I be distressed? I'm just a spoiled brat. That's something my elder brother should worry about. These things don't interfere with my eating, drinking, and having fun."
Jiang Xuelin: "..."
That's a bit of a shameless statement.
From the moment Jiang Xuelin saw the woman with golden lotuses accompanying Yao Yufang, she had been considering these issues.
This is just one reason why the woman will be unable to do much work in the future.
Don't forget, Jiang Xuelin grew up on the frontier. Every winter, northern tribes would raid southwards from time to time. When he was young, Marquis Jing'an guarded the frontier. Now, Jiang Xuelin's three older brothers are still on the frontier. Only her fourth brother, Jiang Xuetao, who has been in poor health since childhood, has taken the path of a scholar.
If all women had bound feet, how could they possibly fight back when foreign tribes raided from the south? They simply couldn't run fast enough or escape.
No one knew better than Jiang Xuelin what fate awaited women who fell into the hands of foreign tribes.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Xuelin did not try to persuade King Ping Jinlian about the issue of labor for the people of the world. Instead, she talked about her childhood experiences at the border.
“My daughter-in-law grew up on the border. Every late autumn or winter, when the grasslands were barren, those foreign tribes would attack the border to steal food. On the border, there was no distinction between men and women, and those foreign tribes would not care. They would not let her go just because she was a woman.”
"Women also had to take up the weapons at home to fight off enemies and kill foreign tribes. My daughter-in-law once saw women fighting with foreign tribes while holding kitchen knives. If they had bound feet, they would have no way to escape or resist and would only be at the mercy of others."
She thought a lot about it, including the possibility of falling out with Prince Ping and the others today, and she was prepared to divorce if necessary.
She knew she didn't need to worry about this matter; it wouldn't affect her or her enjoyment. She was the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, pampered and beloved, and the Crown Princess of Prince Ping. There weren't many people in the world who could force her to do anything. She could live her life peacefully, and her life would be smooth sailing.
Even her children might not experience those things. Even if Jinlian were to enter an ordinary family and become a woman that every woman should have, it might take many years.
Let the people and things that follow be left to them.
But even if she didn't know, now that she had encountered it, how could she just stand by and do nothing?
Jiang Xuelin was well aware that her own power was weak, and everything she had came from the protection of her family. Many people outside were wary of her not because of her as a person, but because of the power she represented.
But so what?
How will you know it can't be done if you don't try?
Even if that day will eventually come, it would be a good thing if she could delay it.
Princess Ping listened to Jiang Xuelin speak slowly with a smile on her face. When Jiang Xuelin wasn't paying attention, she didn't forget to glare at Prince Ping, signaling him to restrain himself and not go too far.
Not only was Princess Ping secretly glaring at Prince Ping, but Fu Hanlai was doing the same.
Feeling the gazes from his wife and eldest son, King Ping was speechless with emotion.
—What kind of mess is this!
Didn't he know that Jiang Xuelin and Fu Han would definitely cause trouble?
He knows!
He was just asking to see what kind of person Jiang Xuelin was and what level he was capable of.
Can you blame him?
No way!
It's because those two have always seemed unreliable, spending their days causing trouble with Ah Shou and never doing anything productive.
But after talking with Jiang Xuelin, King Ping felt that Jiang Xuelin was indeed worthy of being Jiang Wu's daughter.
She should be Fu Rong's daughter-in-law, and his Ah Shou's wife!
Even disregarding the harm done to the woman herself, the subsequent consequences alone warrant an end to this practice.
The two women stood there respectfully, heads bowed, not daring to look up at the important people who were talking about them, but how much bitterness was in their hearts?
They had assumed that these high-ranking nobles would only appreciate a pair of feet, and that noble ladies would only look down on them, women of the night. Little did they expect to hear such a conversation here.
Both of them had just arrived in the capital from Jiangnan and didn't know much about Jiang Xuelin, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family who was quite famous in the city. Otherwise, they would have known that all of this was neither accidental nor unexpected.
After saying what she needed to say, Jiang Xuelin picked up the slightly cold tea on the table, took a sip, and waited for Prince Ping to speak.
She felt she had said everything she needed to say.
King Ping was indeed stunned for a moment by Jiang Xuelin's words. He knew that Jiang Xuelin was not acting on impulse, but had thought this matter through very clearly, considering everything from the impact on the woman herself to the impact on the world and the future.
He's much better than his son.
His Ah Shou probably hasn't thought that far ahead yet.
Thinking this, Prince Ping glared at Fu Hanlai, who had remained silent, leaving him completely bewildered.
"You should know that by doing this, you will inevitably offend those literati and scholars, whose pens are far sharper than knives."
Hearing Prince Ping's words, Jiang Xuelin felt a sudden sense of relief, and a smile appeared on her face. She didn't know if she had persuaded Prince Ping or if he had never agreed with such a thing in the first place, but as long as the result was good, nothing else mattered.
She felt that what she could think of, King Ping and the others could naturally think of as well.
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