Chen Tingfeng pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "There's a secret technique in the martial world called the human - skin mask. Once worn, one can transform into another person."
Madam Bai and Fu Zhen were instantly stunned.
Since he started to have doubts, he had sent people to conduct in - depth investigations. After much thought, if Fu Mingde and the person who went to the capital back then were not the same, then it must be that someone had impersonated Fu Mingde.
If it was an impersonation, there must be some flaws.
If Fu Mingde were still alive, they could just torture him. A coward like him would surely not keep his mouth shut tightly. As long as he let out a single word, the truth would come out.
It was a pity that the difficult part of this matter was that Fu Mingde was already dead.
Madam Bai frowned and asked, "You suspect that someone else deceived Zhenzhen's mother back then?"
Fu Zhen and Chen Tingfeng exchanged a glance. Chen Tingfeng nodded and said straightforwardly, "Yes."
"Mother met Fu Mingde back then. His every move exuded grace," he said. "But you saw in the dungeon last time. Fu Mingde was nothing like that at all. In that case, there's only one possibility."
Madam Bai immediately understood, and her face instantly turned ugly. "So, there's a problem with Zhenzhen's background."
Fu Zhen squeezed her hand and comforted her, "Aunt, don't worry. Now that I'm in the Marquis Mansion and have Uncle to protect me, even if my biological father is a rebel, he can't do anything. Moreover, so many years have passed. Whether he's still alive or not is unknown."
She had no good feelings for her biological father at all. She had never gotten along with him, and he had abandoned his wife and daughter. How could she give him a good look?
Chen Tingfeng glanced at her with a soothing look in his eyes.
"My people are already investigating. If there's any clue, I'll surely tell Mother and... cousin," he said in a low voice.
Madam Bai sized him up and down. "What's this? Now even your cousin is embarrassed to call? "
Fu Zhen's face suddenly turned red, and she glared at Chen Tingfeng as if annoyed.
Chen Tingfeng coughed softly in a low voice, but his face remained calm. "No, she's still my cousin."
But she was more than just a cousin.
Madam Bai knew exactly what was on his mind. She hissed as if her teeth were aching and started to shoo him away. "Since we've talked about the matter, you can go. I'll take Zhenzhen to check the accounts."
However, Chen Tingfeng raised his eyebrows. "Son can also check the accounts. Why don't you take me along?"
What a shameless thing.
Madam Bai forced a smile. "Why haven't I seen you so enthusiastic before?"
"It was my negligence," Chen Tingfeng said with a look of guilt on his face. "From now on, both Zhenzhen and I will help Mother check the accounts so that Mother can relax a bit."
Madam Bai was speechless. His calculations were so obvious that it was as if the abacus beads were about to hit her in the face.
Old Nanny Li was right. These young people in the throes of first love couldn't resist temptation. Looking at her son like this, he wished he could tie the girl to himself and take her everywhere.
She rubbed her forehead. "Fine. Since you're so enthusiastic, you can take Zhenzhen to check the accounts today."
Saying that, she called someone to bring all the account books. The Marquis Mansion had many shops, and the account books were a thick stack. She lifted her chin. "They're all here. The shops have been closed for business in the past few days. It's a good time to check the accounts. Since you want to take on this task, you can look through them."
After saying that, she started to shoo them away with a fake smile.
Chen Tingfeng got up calmly and bowed, but he didn't walk out first. Instead, he walked to Fu Zhen's side, whispered a few words to her, and then walked out hand in hand with her.
Old Nanny Li laughed behind them. "The heir apparent knows how to care about people now."
Madam Bai shook her head helplessly. "He looks much better like this than when he always had a cold face before."
Although Chen Tingfeng was still cold - tempered, perhaps because he had a sweetheart, the aura around him had softened. It was much better than when he was so cold that people didn't dare to get close to him before.
A good marriage could change a person.
Madam Bai lowered her eyes, and her expression was gentle. "Now, Sister Peizhu can rest in peace in the sky."
Having Chen Tingfeng take someone to check the accounts, especially when that someone was his sweetheart, it was impossible for the scene to be serious.
When they got to the study in Baiqu Courtyard, he immediately pulled her into his arms and sat down, letting her sit on his lap. He gently squinted his eyes and smelled the fragrance of her hair.
Fu Zhen pushed him. "We have something important to do. Let me down."
"Right now, the most important thing is to accompany me," he snorted and complained. "Mother is really. She has to choose this time to check the accounts."
Shops usually reopened on the seventh or eighth day of the first lunar month. It was only the third day today, and there were still four days left. Looking at that thick stack of account books, one could understand why Madam Bai wanted to check the accounts early.
She reasoned with him, "The earlier we finish checking, the earlier we can get it over with. If there's someone embezzling money, we can replace him in advance so as not to delay the business."
"Is business more important than me?" he said dissatisfiedly.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Fu Zhen was speechless. "Are you jealous of an account book? Have you lost your mind?"
"Tell me quickly. If you don't, I won't let you down." Chen Tingfeng hugged her and swayed, like a child who couldn't get candy and just wanted to make a fuss.
Fu Zhen was so entangled by him that she had no choice but to fool around with him for a while.
After a while, she finally got off his lap and said seriously, "I'm going to check the accounts. You go and play by yourself."
Saying that, she picked up an account book and started to read.
Chen Tingfeng leaned over and kissed her. She remained unmoved, as if she didn't know what had happened.
He had no choice but to pick up an account book and read it too. The room fell silent, only the sound of their abacus - clicking could be heard.
Ordinary young masters didn't want to do this kind of work. Among the four social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were at the bottom and the most looked down upon. Therefore, those with a little knowledge in their bellies naturally didn't want to touch the abacus for fear of being laughed at.
However, there was no such rule in the Marquis Mansion. When Madam Bai got impatient while checking the accounts, as long as Chen Xuan was free, this task would surely fall to him.
Now that it was the turn of the younger generation, it was the same.
Chen Tingfeng didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Checking the accounts was just a normal thing. If one were to drag in the so - called gentlemanly etiquette, that would really be laughable.
The sun gradually rose to the zenith and hid behind the thick clouds, casting a white light.
Chen Tingfeng asked someone to serve lunch. Just as he was about to have a meal, Yuanbao came in and said, "Your Highness, the Second Prince is here."
He immediately frowned.
Fu Zhen glanced at him. Before he could reply to Yuanbao, he turned to look at her.
Fu Zhen was confused. "What? The Second Prince is here. Why are you looking at me?"
Chen Tingfeng pursed his lips and turned his head. "Tell the Second Prince to go to the guest hall. I'll go there right away."
Let Xie Yan meet Fu Zhen? Not a chance.
He picked up a chopstick of vegetables and put them into Fu Zhen's bowl. "You eat first. I'll be back soon."
Fu Zhen stared at him for two seconds, then snorted with a smile. She didn't expose his little thought and just said, "Go. Come back early, or the food will get cold."
Chen Tingfeng immediately smiled softly, stole a kiss on her face, and then got up and went out.