Seeing everyone kneel down, Wei Heng finally spoke: "From now on, all affairs of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor will be decided by the Princely Heir, and the Seal of Prince Zhen Nan will be handed over to him today!"

Saying this, Wei Heng opened the wooden box in his hand, which contained the Seal of Prince Zhen Nan beautifully carved from white jade.

Hearing that Prince Zhen Nan was going to hand the seal over to Lu Chen, people were momentarily stunned. Handing over the seal meant that Prince Zhen Nan had decided to completely relinquish power to Lu Chen.

In other words, from this moment onwards, Lu Chen was already equivalent to Prince Zhen Nan.

Wei Heng then kneeled halfway in front of Lu Chen, raised the wooden box above his head, and said to Lu Chen, "Princely Heir, please accept the seal."

Without any hesitation, Lu Chen immediately took the wooden box from Wei Heng’s hand, then held the seal in his hand, raised it above his head and said, "Since my father has handed the seal to me, I will now give my first command: whoever wishes to leave the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, step forward immediately. In the name of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, I vow that those who leave now will not be held accountable and will be allowed to leave safely."

Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, the people at the training ground looked at one another.

After what felt like an eternity, a servant cautiously stepped out from the crowd and said, "Princely Heir, I...I wish to leave. I don’t know if I can, but I’m willing to give up all my silver in exchange for my sell-out contract."

The servants of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor all have sell-out contracts, which is a crucial reason why they can’t leave at will.

At this moment, the servant was bowing his head, drenched in sweat, his coarse clothes soaked. He feared Lu Chen might go back on his word and have him executed on the spot.

However, if he stayed in the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, once Prince Zhen Nan passed away, he might not survive for long. It was better to take a chance; perhaps Prince Zhen Nan and this Princely Heir were genuinely merciful and would let them go.

Lu Chen glanced at the servant, noticing he had a favorability rating of sixty, yet he still wanted to leave Zhen Nan Prince Manor, indicating that most people in the manor were contemplating escape.

Lu Chen then asked, "You don’t need to be nervous. Since I said you’d leave safely, you will. But I’m a bit curious as to why you want to leave the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, as your loyalty doesn’t seem low."

Hearing Lu Chen mention his loyalty was not low, the servant immediately knelt, kowtowing to Lu Chen, and said, "Princely Heir, I have a family. My parents are over eighty, and I have four children below. I really can’t afford to die!"

Many people in the Zhen Nan Prince Manor are indeed quite loyal; after all, even though it’s declining, it’s the only Alien King in the Great Zhou. Serving in the Zhen Nan Prince Manor is easier than elsewhere, and the benefits can be far better.

But with Prince Zhen Nan nearing his end, it’s apparent to all that the Dazhou Royal Family has always been watching Zhen Nan Prince Manor with envy. Over the years, they’ve been suppressing and weakening the manor’s power.

The Royal Family was already so ruthless while Prince Zhen Nan was alive. One could imagine what would happen if he died.

Even if most are loyal, they know how to choose when it comes to life and death.

Like this servant said, they have families; their deaths might mean nothing, but should anything happen to the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, their families might suffer.

Even if their families aren’t implicated, without their support, life would still be challenging, especially for the male servants.

But in the face of life and death, there is no absolute loyalty.

Lu Chen then said, "I see. You may now prepare to leave."

Hearing this, the kneeling servant was momentarily dumbfounded, raising his head incredulously at Lu Chen, having resigned himself to death; he never thought the Zhen Nan Prince Manor would truly let them betray.

At this point, Lu Chen added, "But since you mentioned exchanging silver for your sell-out contract, I find it a reasonable suggestion. Anyone wishing to leave the Zhen Nan Prince Manor can exchange their silver for their contract."

"Once you have your sell-out contract back, you’ll be free from today and it won’t be seen as betrayal."

Hearing this, the people present were taken aback. They hesitated to betray the Zhen Nan Prince Manor partly because traitors were despised in this era.

Even if they survived, if word got out they betrayed the manor, they’d face scorn and a tough life ahead.

But redeemed contracts by purchasing them with silver had long been commonplace.

Lu Chen glanced at the thousands at the training ground and continued, "You can start preparing the silver now. Two hours from now, I’ll have Housekeeper Wei bring your contracts here. Whoever wishes to leave need only pay double the sell-out price."

"If you’re truly out of silver, you can sign a debt note."

Initially, people worried Lu Chen was deceiving them, as voluntarily letting them leave seemed peculiar. They didn’t think Prince Zhen Nan and Lu Chen, the Heir of Prince Zhen Nan, were that merciful.

But exchanging silver for their contracts put them at ease; contract redemption was ordinary enough.

Lu Chen continued, "That’s it. Regather in two hours."

After Lu Chen’s words, people at the training ground dispersed, and Lu Chen’s gaze landed on Wu Feng.

Wu Feng was not a manor servant; he didn’t have a sell-out contract. Whether he could leave was up to Prince Zhen Nan.

Lu Chen asked Zhao Yu, "What did my father say?"

Understanding Lu Chen wanted to know about Wu Feng, Zhao Yu promptly replied, "In response to the Princely Heir, the Prince said to let him go."

Hearing Zhao Yu’s words, Wu Feng felt slightly relieved. He had gambled on the nearing end of Prince Zhen Nan, expecting leniency towards someone with influence.

Anyone capable of wooing the deputy commander of the Zhen Nan Army must hold some status. If they offended him now, Lu Chen would face a tougher future after Prince Zhen Nan’s demise.

Indeed, Prince Zhen Nan had concerns; nearing his end, he could have acted ruthlessly, but once he’s gone, Lu Chen might soon follow him.

Lu Chen said to Wu Feng, "One day, you will realize that aligning with the Empress Dowager is a foolish move."

Upon hearing Lu Chen, Wu Feng’s heart skipped a beat.