Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Shen Lang was very busy. After the negotiations with the Li Kingdom ended, he summoned the heads of prominent overseas Chinese families in Cape City to the governor's mansion for a meeting that evening and began to arrange new tasks for them.

Facing the tense and uneasy overseas Chinese leaders in the meeting room, Shen Lang sighed first and spoke in a very heavy tone.

"During yesterday's attack on the Lebanese royal palace, some unforeseen events occurred. Please accept our condolences. And to the families of the deceased..."

Mr. Shen will definitely give them justice and will not let them die in vain.

As he spoke, he stood up and bowed.

"There's no need for the Duke of Zhenguo to do this."

Upon hearing this, the head of the family quickly stood up and began to persuade them.

Then, they all bowed and began to mourn the dead.

Ten breaths later, the mourning ceremony ended. Shen Lang sat back down and opened a booklet: "Everyone, since what's done is done, let's not dwell on past actions."

Now, we should think carefully about how to make the days ahead more comfortable. During the day, the imperial court reached an agreement with the Li Kingdom.

You can look into the relevant details yourselves.

As he spoke, Shen Lang instructed the guards behind him to distribute a copy of the printed manuscript of the "Treaty of Friendship between Chuli and Wangwang" to everyone present.

The meeting room fell silent instantly, with only the sound of papers being turned over echoing in the small space.

After a long while, a family head surnamed Geng stood up and said, "The royal army is indeed mighty. In this way, our overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia will no longer be afraid of being bullied. Please accept my bow, Duke Zhenguo."

As he spoke, he was about to kneel down before Shen Lang.

But Shen Lang quickly stopped him.

"Patriarch Geng, there's no need for such formalities. Kneeling is unnecessary. Besides, my Chu army will be setting sail back to our homeland in the next few days, so we can't offer you much help."

These words immediately caused a commotion in the meeting room.

An atmosphere of unease, fear, and helplessness filled everyone's hearts in just a few breaths.

"Duke Zhenguo, if the royal army leaves, then, then what should we do?"

The head of the Geng family was so anxious he was almost crying, and the other family heads had the same expression of wanting to defecate.

They feared retaliation from the native Lebanese.

Although the contract has been signed, who can guarantee that the Lebanese people will abide by it?

Moreover, based on their years of experience in Southeast Asia, they knew that these Li people were inherently greedy, cruel, and bullied the weak while fearing the strong.

Even if the Lebanese royal family is restrained and doesn't intervene, the common people might really go crazy.

With the Chu army here, they naturally dared not do anything.

But once the Chu army leaves...

At this moment, everyone was filled with fear.

Fortunately, Shen Lang saw their worries and simply waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, I dare to guarantee with my life that your lives and property will be safe."

As he spoke, he took out another agreement that had been prepared beforehand.

The agreement was very detailed, covering everything from the allocation of resources in the colonies to basic military training programs.

Furthermore, the Chu Kingdom would provide all colonies with 50 to 300 men's worth of weapons to arm the overseas Chinese and prevent the Li people from causing trouble.

This armed force will be composed entirely of overseas Chinese. Before the Chu army leaves, some of them will receive basic training in weapon handling and daily routines to ensure they can fire a gun.

"Gentlemen, since the South Seas are quite a distance from the Great Chu mainland, and the naval force is small this time, we cannot provide much assistance at this time."

Therefore, this arduous task can only be entrusted to you. All mineral resources, land, and garden distributions have been marked in the agreement.

As for how to allocate resources, that's your own business. Next year, I will submit a memorial to the court as soon as possible to establish an Overseas Governor's Office, mainly responsible for the taxation, administration, and military affairs of the exclusive zone.

In other words, if you can hold out for another year, I guarantee that your interests in Southeast Asia will be protected by the Great Chu mainland.

Hearing Shen Lang say this, everyone felt relieved.

Overseas Chinese living alone are most afraid of having no one to rely on.

Now that Shen Lang has made a promise to them, they naturally have to respond enthusiastically.

The head of the Geng family was the first to stand up and say, "Since the Duke of Zhenguo trusts us so much, then we should also give the Duke of Zhenguo a guarantee."

If the imperial court can indeed send officials to Southeast Asia next year

I'm willing to reduce the resource prices stipulated in the agreement by another 20% as a return, and I hope the Duke of Zhenguo will be my witness!

Upon hearing this, the other family heads also expressed their opinions.

Shen Lang watched them pledge their loyalty expressionlessly. Seeing that the situation was about right, he immediately patted his hand: "Alright, since everyone has no objections, let's proceed according to the agreement."

The army will remain in Lebanon for another five to seven days. During this time, I will do my best to weaken Lebanon's forces and ensure the safety of your citizens.

If everyone agrees, please sign the agreement.

"it is good."

As soon as Shen Lang finished speaking, someone pressed their fingerprint on their agreement without any hesitation.

After finishing all this, Shen Lang raised his teacup, smiled, and gestured to everyone, saying, "May the Great Chu last ten thousand years."

"Long live your Majesty!"

Everyone cheered in unison.

The meeting room was then filled with a cheerful atmosphere...

On the other hand, after signing the contract that day, Nguyen Ha Lai returned to the palace to rest.

After a busy day, he was both surprised and scared, but he felt much more relaxed after signing the contract.

Once his tense nerves relaxed, he returned to his palace and fell asleep immediately.

Based on the principle that since things are already ruined, why not just let them rot? Ruan Xialai stopped thinking about what happened today.

Soon, the carefree Nguyen Ha Lai dreamed of her father's concubine.

That alluring body, that passionate exuberance, made Ruan Xialai rediscover her youthful days.

boom--

As it turned out, he was playing a game of tag with his stepmother on the beach in his dream.

Suddenly, I felt as if something had drained my energy, and then I fell heavily to the floor.

"Who goes there, daring to..."

Her dream shattered, Nguyen Ha Lai was furious and wanted to start cursing.

But just as he was about to speak, he saw the uniforms of the Chu soldiers and immediately fell silent, swallowing the rest of his words.

"Move out, all of you move out."

The officer, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, directed his subordinates in an orderly manner.

Inside the palace, everything, valuable and worthless, including the bed, dressing table, wool blankets on the floor, and jewels and ornaments, was moved out.

Ruan Xialai became anxious. He quickly stood up, walked to the officer, and asked in a low voice, "General, these are my things. Where are you going to move them?"

The officer glanced at him and said directly, "By order of the Commander, the Li Kingdom owes our Great Chu one hundred million taels of gold."

Of that, ten million taels of gold is considered payment from my Great Chu for occupying your Li Kingdom's territory and sea.

The remaining 90 million taels can be repaid in installments, but everything in the palace must be cleared out and the interest calculated accordingly.

Furthermore, effective immediately, this palace is mortgaged to the State of Chu. It will be returned to you whenever the funds are available.

"Huh? If you tear this place down, where will I live?"

"Where you live is none of my business! A king of a nation shouldn't be afraid of not having a place to stay! Get out of my way!"

The officer impatiently pushed Nguyen Ha Lai to the ground and walked away.

In a short while, the once magnificent palace was turned into a blank house, and even the carpet on the ground was rolled away.

As for Nguyen Ha Lai herself, she was thrown into a makeshift "toilet palace" next to the latrine before she even had a chance to cry.

From heaven to hell, Nguyen Ha Lai smelled the stench of excrement in the air and was filled with mixed emotions.

A thousand words can be summed up in one sentence:

"Your Majesty, I truly know I was wrong! Please forgive me!"