When Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng walked in, they saw Sheng Lengshuang smiling gently at them, causing the father and son to instinctively step back and exchange a glance.
"Are you done with your business?" Sheng Lengshuang's smile became even gentler. She took out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe Xiao Feng's sweat. "Xiao Feng, look at you, all sweaty from running. Come to Mother..." Ah!
Xiao Feng kicked the woman over and, with his hands on his hips, angrily demanded, "Who are you to dare impersonate my mother?"
Mo Lingxi snapped his fingers, and a hidden guard bound the woman.
"Prince Ming Rui, Xiao Feng, what's wrong? I am Sheng Lengshuang." Sheng Lengshuang struggled, not understanding why things had turned out this way.
Xiao Feng rolled his eyes several times and chuckled, "You look almost exactly like my mother. But, firstly, my mother would never appear so gentle... Oh, no, so disgusting."
He corrected himself, "Secondly, my mother would first inquire about my studies and have a maid bring me tea, not do something like this."
"Even if the appearance is similar, the expressions and other aspects are different. A fake is just a fake," Mo Lingxi concluded.
The 'Sheng Lengshuang' stopped struggling, finding it hard to believe what she was hearing. She had been trained for so long, imitating Sheng Lengshuang in every move, yet now she was recognized at a glance by Prince Ming Rui and Young Master Mo.
It was too unbelievable.
"Do you think I did nothing?" Sheng Lengshuang closed the ledger and sneered. "Even identical twins have differences. Someone who truly cares about a person will not be deceived by someone with a similar appearance."
"Wife!"
"Mother!"
Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng walked to the side of the real Sheng Lengshuang.
"Are you alright?" the father and son asked with great concern.
Sheng Lengshuang waved her hand, indicating she was fine. "I thought there would be some good drama to watch, but you father and son recognized this imposter at a glance, which robbed me of some fun."
Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng: "..." Were they supposed to admit they were wrong?
They were sure that if they had misidentified her, there would have been very serious consequences.
Sheng Lengshuang glanced at the father and son.
Mo Lingxi and Xiao Feng immediately straightened up.
Sheng Lengshuang let out a soft snort and looked at the imposter on the ground. "I'm very curious, who trained you to impersonate me? And for what purpose did they have you impersonate me?"
The imposter gritted her teeth and refused to speak.
Sheng Lengshuang was not in a hurry. She waved her hand, signaling the hidden guard to take the person away for torture. "I believe that with torture, she will confess."
The hidden guard dragged the person away.
Sheng Lengshuang picked up her teacup and took a sip. She looked at Mo Lingxi and his son. "This imposter reminds me of something."
Xiao Feng hadn't understood yet, but Mo Lingxi did. "Indeed, the imposter looks almost exactly like you. We could easily recognize her, but what about others? Moreover, there could be imposters of other people."
"For example, me or Xiao Feng, or even... His Majesty!"
Sheng Lengshuang nodded solemnly, having thought of these possibilities. "Yes, you can easily distinguish them, but others may not be able to."
"How about this, let's create a secret code. With a secret code, even if someone impersonates us, we can identify them immediately."
Mo Lingxi thought of a secret code that would be difficult to detect. "Does wife have a good secret code?"
Sheng Lengshuang smiled mysteriously. "Yes, I do. I guarantee the other party won't guess what the secret code is. Even if they guess it, they won't know what the contact code is."
After all, modern times had countless secret codes, especially those used between children, which often baffled many adults.
Mo Lingxi thought it would be a rather unique secret code, but when he heard what Sheng Lengshuang said, he fell silent.
"Mother, where did you learn such a... peculiar secret code?" Xiao Feng looked at his mother with mixed feelings. If his mother hadn't explained the entire hidden guard system, he would never have guessed the contact code.
Sheng Lengshuang tapped his head lightly. "It's none of your business where I learned it. As long as others don't find out about these secret codes."
Xiao Feng and Mo Lingxi thought about it and agreed. The most important thing was that the secret codes wouldn't be discovered; whether they were strange or not didn't matter.
Mo Lingxi looked at Sheng Lengshuang twice and didn't ask further. "When we return later, I'll go to the palace and report this matter to His Majesty. We must prepare for any potential threats and make necessary arrangements."
Sheng Lengshuang understood the importance of the matter. "I think it's best for you to go back now to avoid any accidents. Xiao Feng and I will be at the manor, and we'll be fine."
Mo Lingxi considered it and decided to go to the palace immediately.
He gave Sheng Lengshuang and Xiao Feng some instructions before mounting his horse and heading to the palace.
Sheng Lengshuang asked a maid to inform the kitchen to prepare some pastries. She then turned to Xiao Feng and said, "Your father probably won't be back today, so we won't return to Dongdu. We'll stay at the manor."
Xiao Feng sat in a chair, swinging his legs, and said with a grin, "Okay. It's even better that Father isn't here, then no one will fight with me for Mother."
Sheng Lengshuang found it amusing and playfully poked him a few times. "If your father hears you say that, he'll surely discipline you."
Xiao Feng pouted and grumbled, "Father just bullies me because he's an adult. When I grow up, we'll see if Father can still fight me for Mother."
Sheng Lengshuang found it even more amusing. Children were like this, and they wouldn't think this way when they grew a bit older.
Catching sight of the hidden guard dragging in the imposter, who was suffering but unmarked, she asked, "Are you willing to confess now? Hmm, her face is an eyesore."
The hidden guard, being very understanding, directly tore off the mask from the imposter's face, revealing her delicate and pale features.
"That looks much better now," Sheng Lengshuang nodded with satisfaction. "Tell me, who had you impersonate me, and for what purpose?"
The imposter dared not refuse to speak. She had just experienced a torment that made her wish for death but unable to die, and life but unable to live. "I, I don't know, I really don't know."
"One day, a middle-aged woman with a harsh face found me and said there was a good deed for me to do, and I would be given a sum of money afterward."
A middle-aged woman with a harsh face?
Sheng Lengshuang glanced at the hidden guard. The hidden guard brought paper and brush and, based on the imposter's description, drew a likeness of the middle-aged woman, handing it to Sheng Lengshuang.
Sheng Lengshuang looked at the portrait of the middle-aged woman.
It was a middle-aged woman with small, gloomy eyes, a face full of freckles, and a very harsh expression that gave a feeling of extreme discomfort and dislike.
Her hair was meticulously styled, suggesting she was not a woman from an ordinary family.
"She said she would give you money, and you agreed?" She placed the portrait on the small table, thinking she would arrange for someone to investigate this middle-aged woman later.