His face contorted into a grimace, while the young maid, Xiao Jing, stared in utter shock.
While Zhou Liang had always been known for his simple, honest nature, even in the army, it was precisely this quality that had earned him Li Yu’er’s favor and her promotion of him to the deputy commander of the Prince’s personal guard.
Yet, no one expected the young man to be so incredibly naive!
The truth was right in front of him, and still, he thought Xiao Jing was trying to deceive the heir?
At this moment, even Xu Pingan, who was standing outside the room, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but Zhou Liang’s voice was simply too loud. Xu Pingan, who was sitting in the courtyard sipping tea and watching the fish, heard everything clearly.
Considering Li Yu’er’s situation, he immediately realized that this simple-minded Zhou Liang had likely misunderstood something.
“Zhou Liang, shut up!”
Zhao Pingzhi finally couldn’t take it anymore and quickly stepped in to stop him, whispering the truth into his ear. It was only then that Zhou Liang’s expression shifted from surprise to astonishment, and finally to pure terror.
He immediately dropped to one knee.
“This one was unaware of the truth and offended the heir. Please punish me!”
“It’s nothing. Get up.”
Li Yu’er looked at the foolish young man and nodded in satisfaction. While he was simple and a bit dense, he had one excellent quality: he was absolutely loyal to her.
Zhou Liang was one of the most promising young generals she had personally promoted. Having him deliver the letter was likely a test from her father, a test for both of them.
On one hand, it was a test of Zhou Liang’s loyalty, and on the other, it was a test of her own ability to manage her subordinates.
Most importantly, if her true identity as a woman were to be exposed, her father probably wanted to see if those who had been loyal to her would have a change of heart.
“Rise. Zhou Liang, I had no choice but to conceal my identity as a woman. I am the only heir to the Prince of Zhennan. If I hadn’t disguised myself as a man, I feared the manor would be coveted by those with ill intentions.”
Li Yu’er rose and walked over to Zhou Liang. Seeing his composed demeanor, she nodded in approval.
“Good. My efforts to promote you were not in vain. You are one of the few in this manor who knows my true identity.”
“My thanks for your promotion, Young Master. This servant has no other skill than to serve you with all my heart.”
“Very well. Don’t feel awkward. Call me whatever you like. You can call me ‘Young Lady’ if you prefer, but do not reveal my identity to outsiders.”
“Yes! Zhou Liang swears by my life before heaven that I will never reveal the Young Lady’s true identity. If I break this oath, may I meet a terrible end and my body never return home!”
For people of this era, a good death and a proper burial were matters of great importance. Swearing on his afterlife and burial was a powerful, solemn oath. Any stronger oath would have to involve his ancestors.
“I believe you,” Li Yu’er said with a gentle smile, looking at the letter box in Zhou Liang’s hand. “Is that a letter from my father?”
“Yes, Young Lady. The Prince commanded me that I must personally see you before delivering it.”
“Give it to me.”
Li Yu’er took the box, handed her fan to Xiao Jing, who stood beside her, and used a small knife from the table to cut the seal.
When she opened the box, the first thing she saw was a square object wrapped in red cloth, fitting perfectly into the palm of her hand and about four or five centimeters thick. It was clearly an imperial or princely seal.
Seals and stamps of this era had strict classifications.
An emperor’s seal came in three sizes: a state seal, about ten centimeters square, inscribed with “Received mandate from heaven, may you live forever”; an imperial seal, about five centimeters square, inscribed with a reign name; and a personal seal, about one or two centimeters, with the emperor’s own name.
Vassal kings also had seals, but only a “King’s Seal” and a personal one, not a “State Seal.” Thus, a King’s Seal was slightly smaller than the emperor’s, about four centimeters square.
Upon seeing the seal, Li Yu’er’s face changed. She picked it up in disbelief to inspect it. When she unwrapped the red cloth, she slowly turned the jade seal over to look at the engraved side. Her body trembled as she saw the four elegant characters of the “Zhennan King’s Seal.”
“Father…?”
This seal represented the entire Prince of Zhennan’s manor. Anyone who held it could command all the armies in the Southern Province.
“What’s wrong with Father?! Zhou Liang, I have always trusted you. You cannot hide anything from me!”
“What’s wrong with what?”
“I’m asking what happened to my father! Why would he give me his royal seal?”
“He’s fine…”
“Nothing’s wrong. When this subordinate left, the Prince was well…”