Their commotion couldn't escape the notice of the main courtyard. In just two days, Lady Bai knew that the two of them had had a falling - out.
Lady Bai knew Fu Zhen's character. She would only fight back when cornered and would never take the initiative to provoke anyone. It must be her rascal of a son who had made Zhenzhen angry.
While Chen Xuan went out to drink with his friends, she called Chen Tingfeng to her. Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, the scolding words on the tip of her tongue couldn't come out. She just sighed and said, "Forget it. Have some tea first to calm your nerves."
Chen Tingfeng pursed his lips, picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Lady Bai was a bit surprised. She rarely saw her son looking so dejected since he grew up.
She opened her mouth to say something but slowly closed it again.
She waited for him to speak.
Unexpectedly, after drinking a cup of tea, Chen Tingfeng seemed to gain some courage. With a "bang", he knelt straight in front of her.
Lady Bai was so shocked that she immediately stood up. She quickly glanced at the maids standing beside her and said in a low voice, "All of you, get out!"
After the door was closed from the outside, she looked sternly at Chen Tingfeng. "Shao Chuan, what are you doing?"
There weren't many rules in the Marquis's Mansion, and there was never a rule of kneeling to pay respects. She didn't like such affectations, and neither did Chen Xuan.
The only time someone would kneel was when they made a mistake.
Chen Tingfeng lowered his head. "Mother, I want to know something."
Lady Bai was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What did you do to Zhenzhen? Did you bully her?"
Chen Tingfeng didn't say a word. He naturally knew that the mistake he made was unpardonable, and he was willing to bear any punishment. But now... he wanted to know another thing more.
A thing that had kept him tossing and turning sleepless for several nights.
That was - was Zhenzhen's mother really of grandfather's bloodline?!
Lady Bai closed her eyes and suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Whether she is or not, what does it matter to you?"
Chen Tingfeng clenched his hands tightly. After a long silence, he said hoarsely, "If she is, then I'll do this even if it means committing a heinous crime; if not, then this is a natural and inevitable thing."
In short, he was determined to do this.
Suddenly, Lady Bai swept the teacup off the table to the ground and said sharply, "Blasphemous!"
There was a rattling sound in the room. Granny Li at the door frowned deeply. She grabbed Yuan Bao and whispered, "Go and find the Marquis!"
Yuan Bao glanced at the closed door and said nothing. He turned around and ran away quickly.
There was a flash of worry in Granny Li's eyes.
She had watched Chen Tingfeng grow up. He was mature for his age and rarely acted so recklessly as today.
The tea splashed on Chen Tingfeng's clothes. He only felt a warmth on his body, which then slowly cooled down. His expression remained unchanged. He just knelt there straight - backed, letting Lady Bai scold to her heart's content.
After Lady Bai caught her breath, he asked again, "So, Aunt and Father are not related by blood, right?"
Lady Bai's breath got stuck in her throat.
She pointed at Chen Tingfeng for a long time, and even her fingertips were trembling with anger. Seeing his unyielding look, she finally shook her sleeves vigorously.
She said coldly, "I'll say it again. Whether they are or not, what difference does it make? Do you really think that the most important thing for you now is to find out this matter?"
Back then, those who knew about that incident were either dead or gone. It was extremely difficult for an ordinary person to find out the truth.
Even someone as well - connected as Chen Tingfeng had only managed to find out a few clues.
Lady Bai looked at him disappointedly. "Your father and I have told you many times that you've grown up smoothly since childhood. You're too smart and too self - centered. Sooner or later, this kind of character will lead you to a big fall, but you never listened."
Chen Tingfeng's eyebrows moved slightly, and his lips tightened imperceptibly.
After a long time, Lady Bai said, "Forget it."
"You made a mistake, so you have to be punished." Her expression turned cold. "Go to the ancestral shrine and receive the family punishment."
The snowstorm outside was getting stronger, almost blinding people's eyes.
Bi Yu rushed in from outside in a hurry with an umbrella. The snowflakes hit her body, but she didn't care at all. At the door, she threw the umbrella down with a "snap" and rushed straight into the room.
Cui Huan was startled by the commotion and quickly stepped forward. Seeing Bi Yu in such a mess, she couldn't help exclaiming, "Didn't I tell you to hold an umbrella when you went out? Why are you in such a mess!"
But Bi Yu didn't care about her. She reached out to stop her and rushed directly to Fu Zhen. "Miss!"
She was pale - faced. "The Marquis... the Marquis is administering the family punishment in the ancestral shrine!"
Fu Zhen suddenly opened her eyes wide.
The ancestral shrine was already cold and damp. Now that the snow was getting heavier, it was even more unbearably cold and humid. Just standing there made one feel a chill rising from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their head.
Chen Tingfeng was kneeling on the ground bare - footed in a single - layer robe. Whips lashed at his body one after another. In a short while, a large patch of blood seeped out.
He gritted his teeth tightly and endured the whippings.
Chen Xuan showed no mercy. He said twenty whips, and he really gave twenty whips, with full force and no leniency at all.
After the whipping, Chen Tingfeng was already covered in cold sweat, and his lips had lost their color. On closer inspection, they were even chapped and peeling.
His vision was blackening, but he held on stubbornly to keep himself from falling.
Although Lady Bai was also determined to punish him, she couldn't bear to see him in such a sorry state. Her eyes were red as she turned her face slightly, on the verge of tears.
Chen Xuan stared at him and said in a deep voice, "These twenty whips are for your arrogance and self - centeredness, for doing things without a shred of sense!"
"You'll kneel here. When you're sober and have figured things out, then I'll let you out."
Lady Bai was soft - hearted. She originally thought it would be enough for him to learn a lesson, but seeing Chen Xuan's attitude now, it seemed that he really had to temper his son's character.
She looked at her husband hesitantly but was stopped by a look from Chen Xuan. He walked to her side, squeezed her slightly cold palm, and led her outside.
The door of the ancestral shrine was closed from the outside, leaving the room in darkness. Only the candles on the altar were flickering, emitting a dim yellow light from time to time.
When everyone had completely left, the straight back that Chen Tingfeng had maintained during the whipping slowly relaxed.
Chen Xuan had used all his strength for these twenty whips. Even though he was physically strong and had internal energy to protect his body, he couldn't take it easily for the time being.
His vision was still blackening in waves, but the thoughts in his mind were becoming clearer and clearer.
He slowly lowered his head and knelt under the densely packed ancestral tablets on the altar. It wasn't until his forehead touched the ground that the icy feeling instantly swept through his whole body. Then he slowly smiled.
In all these days, his mind had never been as clear as it was now.
Great, great.
From now on, he could do what he wanted to do without any worries.