Chapter 201: The Boss is Magnanimous! (2 / 2)

Supporting foot binding? What a joke! Before the scandal with Prince Fu came to light, they didn’t even know what foot binding was!

Besides, the practice was so cruel and harmful! How could they possibly like it? Their aesthetic tastes were perfectly normal!

At this point, whether they truly disliked it or secretly liked it but dared not admit it, the entire city united to defend its reputation.

Over a hundred wealthy households publicly declared their stance: They would absolutely never bind their daughters’ feet, and their sons would neither marry nor take concubines with bound feet. If anyone broke this pact, they would pay a fine, with the money distributed to impoverished women.

Countless Yangzhou scholars also sprang into action, organizing literary gatherings where they composed poems, songs, and essays. Their core message was either to condemn the ideology of foot binding or to scorn the practice itself. As for those like Prince Fu who coerced women into binding their feet, they became the targets of relentless criticism, resulting in timeless works that ensured Prince Fu’s infamy for generations.

Because of this movement, for the next thousand years, Yangzhou firmly rejected foot binding. In fact, the city came to revere women with large feet, associating big feet with good fortune and blessings.

As the second-largest city after the capital and the cultural hub of Jiangsu, Yangzhou’s reaction had an immeasurable impact on scholars and intellectuals across the nation.

The Donglin School was the first to respond. They harshly condemned foot binding on moral grounds, using skillful rhetoric to elevate the argument: “To bind one person is to harm one family; to bind one family is to harm one city; to bind one city is to harm the entire nation. It defies human reason and spreads harm for a thousand years.”

The Changzhou School, not to be outdone, approached the issue from a practical perspective, arguing: “Bound feet make women weak and frail, prone to illness. It pollutes the body above and corrupts the offspring below. A mother without bound feet produces strong descendants, while a mother with bound feet weakens her lineage. A nation filled with frail citizens will have weak officials and incompetent soldiers, tempting neighboring countries to invade. Therefore, foot binding is the cause of national ruin!”

The Taizhou School, the Four Masters of Wu, the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou… some funded the printing of 500,000 copies of On Foot Binding to distribute nationwide, while others created paintings depicting the tragic consequences of foot binding to evoke public sympathy.

“At this point, any scholar daring to express a liking for bound feet would be universally condemned!”

Xu Yanmiao was very satisfied with this outcome.

The prevalence of foot binding in history was largely thanks to scholars who praised it through poems and writings. Conversely, when foot binding was abolished, the contributions of scholars advocating for its end during that period were also critical.

So…

“I told you, scholars are incredibly useful! If you want to suppress something, you’ve got to rely on their pens and voices!”

The commander of the Jinyiwei came looking for him. “Master Xu, His Majesty summons you.”

Xu Yanmiao instinctively broke out in a cold sweat.

[Don’t tell me it’s more overtime?!]

By the time he was nearing Wuying Hall, he was already inwardly lamenting the workload that awaited him.

Inside the hall, the elderly emperor…

“…Actually, this time it’s not about that.”

But the emperor couldn’t deny that Xu Yanmiao was particularly meticulous, methodical, and effective—a reliable talent who made things easier for him.

Of course, it would be even better if Xu didn’t keep grumbling about the lack of overtime pay and the heavy workload.

The emperor’s eyes twinkled with a smile when he noticed the young man enter. “You look like a silly one, but you even know how to manipulate public opinion.”

Xu Yanmiao: “…”

He muttered inwardly: [Where do I look silly?!]

On the surface, he worked to display a delighted and modest demeanor, as if flattered by the praise. “This humble servant was merely finishing the task. If not for Your Majesty and the court officials instituting laws against foot binding and denouncing the practice through propriety and custom, the reaction from the wronged scholars in Yangzhou wouldn’t have been as intense.”

The emperor chuckled, scolding him in jest, “You sly crab, why so clever today?”

“Sly crab” was a teasing term for people from Jiangnan, which was Xu Yanmiao’s homeland.

The emperor then patted the chair beside him. “Come, sit by me.”

Xu Yanmiao had just taken a seat and was about to speak when a flash of white leapt onto his lap. He froze in surprise, and upon looking down—

[A lion cat!!!]

The little white cat curled up on his lap had one golden eye and one silver eye. It tilted its face upward to look at him, letting out a soft, endearing meow.

Xu Yanmiao: “!!!”

That warm, fluffy bundle resting on his lap almost melted his entire being. He didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid of scaring it away.

The old emperor rambled on from the side. “You’ve accomplished a lot this time, and the rewards have already been delivered to your residence. I’ve noticed you often play with cats and dogs, so I figured you must like them. This white cat is useless at catching mice—just a cat in name—but the empress said you young folks don’t keep cats to catch mice anyway. That’s why I had someone bring it over. If you don’t like it, I can have them exchange it for…”

Xu Yanmiao snapped back to reality, keeping his expression composed. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am most pleased.”

[A cat!!!]

[I have a cat now!!!]

[The company gave out cats!!!]

The old emperor sipped his wine with satisfaction.

Hmm, it was clear Xu Yanmiao was genuinely pleased.

With a teasing tone, he remarked, “So, are you still upset about having to handle so many official duties?”

Xu Yanmiao guessed that his occasional expressions must have given him away. His face instantly grew warm. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding.”

In truth, it wasn’t like he harbored genuine dissatisfaction. He just liked to grumble a little when he was idle.

As for now…

Xu Yanmiao looked down and gently stroked the cat twice, savoring the soft, fluffy sensation. Inside, he was screaming: [So cute!!!]

[The boss is so generous!]

[The boss is such a good person!]

[From now on, he vowed never to complain about the workload again!]

During the Jiajing era, salt merchants invested over 300,000 taels of silver to build a new city outside the old walls of Yangzhou. Centered around the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office (now the old municipal government), this area along the ancient canal became part of the expanded city.

— From “By the Grand Canal: Exploring the Past and Present of Yangzhou Salt Merchants (Part One)”

“In the sedan chair sits a debt demon, it’s carried by ox demons, accompanied by fart demons, guarded by lie demons, with a house full of goblins.”

— From The Scholars (Rulin Waishi)

Emperor Xuan of Chu… Sorry, Zhu Di, I’ve come to bother you again. ( )@@novelbin@@

Also, Emperor Xuan of Tang ( ).

As for the shoehorn face (faraway look), let’s invite the victim Zhu Ba Eight ( ).

“Do not spare fragrant powder, for it graces each lotus step; but always dread the moment silk socks drift across the waves.”

— From Bodhisattva Barbarian (Pusa Man)

According to Essays Against Foot Binding, over 250 prominent families in Chongqing formed an agreement: their daughters would not bind their feet, and their sons would not marry women with bound feet. Any family that violated the agreement would fine themselves silver, which would then be distributed to impoverished women as dowry funds.

— From Madame Lide and the Late Qing Anti-Foot-Binding Movement

“Europeans stand tall and healthy because their mothers do not bind their feet, which strengthens their lineage.”

— From Analyzing the Cultural Contradictions of Foot Binding

“Official histories aren’t necessarily accurate, but unofficial histories are definitely wild.”

— Internet saying

“Every province has its own taboo nicknames, origins unknown. In Hebei, they’re called horse echoes; in Shaanxi, leopards; in Shanxi, melons; in Shandong, thighs; in Henan, donkeys; in Jiangnan, river crabs; in Zhejiang and Huizhou, salty beans; in Fujian, mangy; in Sichuan, rats; in Huguang, dried fish; in Guangdong and Guangxi, snakes; and in Yunnan and Guizhou, elephant laborers. They mock each other using these taboos.

During the Chenghua era, Yang Ding of Shaanxi joked about Lin Cong of Fujian: ‘Barbarians can spot leopards by the age of ten,’ referring to Yang’s youthful appearance but thick beard. Lin retorted, ‘A mangy dog doesn’t look human even after three years.’

When Henan scholar Jiao Fang visited Li Xiya’s residence and saw dried fish on the eaves, he quipped, ‘Morning sun beams through the scholar’s head.’ Li replied, ‘Autumn winds pierce the teacher’s ears,’ referencing the saying, ‘Autumn winds blow through a donkey’s ears.’

Another time, Liao Mingwu joked with Lun Baishan, ‘A greedy heart swallows an elephant.’ Lun replied, ‘Heaven’s justice spares no otter devouring fish.’

In Sichuan, scholar Zhang Shiyan frequently met a Guangxi scholar and teased, ‘Winding snake, winding snake.’ The Guangxi scholar countered, ‘Plump rat, plump rat.’

Minister Li once joked, ‘Wax chicken dominates Jiangnan cuisine,’ to which Xia Yan retorted, ‘Echoing bandits plague the north.’

On Yan Song’s birthday, Jiangxi gentry came to celebrate. Yan, being tall and imposing, stood upright while the gentry bowed low. Gao Zhongxuan glanced sideways and laughed. When asked why, he replied, ‘I suddenly thought of Han Yu’s poem: “The great rooster strides forth, while the small roosters stand in wait.” That’s why I laughed.’ Everyone roared with laughter.”

– From A Grand Collection of Qing Dynasty Anecdotal Novels

Zhang Mengxian wrote:

“The lion cat originates from Western countries. It has long fur and a large body but is not adept at catching mice…”

Zhang Xintian (Jiong) remarked:

“Lion cats with one gold and one silver eye are rare. My maternal grandfather, Lord Hu Guanglin, who served as governor of Zhenjiang, once kept a pair, male and female, both with eyes of the same color. When I was young and lived in his residence, I personally saw them.”

(Annotation: Eyes of differing colors, one gold and one silver, are also called yin-yang eyes. Lion cats were often kept in the homes of court officials and nobles throughout various dynasties. In May of the first year of Xianfeng’s reign, the eunuch Bai Sanxi instructed a man named Bai Dajin to enter the palace to manage the lion cats. Due to unrelated matters, a case ensued and was reported in official documents.)

— Garden of Cats (Maoyuan)