"Is this palace habitable after three hundred years?" Huang He asked as he climbed the palace steps.
"Naturally, sir. Otherwise, we wouldn't dare to arrange for you to stay here," the foreign affairs consultant replied with a smile. "Firstly, this palace was constructed using only stone, not basic materials like wood, to ensure its sturdiness and resistance to the sea winds. So, there are no safety concerns whatsoever."
"After confirming your itinerary, His Majesty the King had already ordered over a thousand workers to the island a week in advance to thoroughly clean and maintain the entire palace. They replaced any equipment that could pose a hazard and even gave a simple renovation to several main rooms."
"Most importantly, we have installed generators and corresponding electrical lines, as well as various household appliances on the island, to ensure you can enjoy modern living even within the palace."
"According to our King's request, the main rooms in the Emerald Palace have been furnished to a five-star standard. Other rooms are also equipped with basic bedding and washing facilities, and connected to the water supply, ensuring that your company's employees can also enjoy modern conveniences."
"That's good! Please convey my thanks to His Majesty the King!" Huang He said with a smile.
"Yes, sir!" Guided by the foreign affairs consultant, the speedboat passed through the Emerald Palace's water gate and finally docked at its sole pier.
From the inside, the entire Emerald Palace truly reflected 17th-century architectural style, constructed entirely from large stone blocks. Huang He couldn't help but wonder how much wealth that Portuguese magnate must have poured in to transport these stones to this small island and build such a magnificent palace.
"Welcome home, Master!" As Huang He stepped onto the land of the Emerald Palace, a sudden chorus of voices startled him.
These women were all exceptionally beautiful. In China, with a camera, they could easily be internet celebrities. Among them, a few were absolute stunners, their beauty rivaling that of his own sisters-in-law. Huang He even felt that some of them looked familiar.
The women present clearly had Middle Eastern heritage, lending them an exotic and mysterious allure.
Moreover, they all possessed excellent figures, suggesting they had danced from a young age. Their slender waists evoked a sense of astonishing elasticity at a single glance.
They were all dressed in qipaos. While Boss Huang wasn't particularly fond of this Qing Dynasty attire, there was no doubt that the qipao was the most effective garment for showcasing a woman's figure.
A well-proportioned figure could have its stunning allure amplified several times over in a qipao, especially with a high slit running up the thigh.
Alright, he shouldn't elaborate further.
Finally, these beautiful women were all speaking Chinese.
Although their Chinese was clearly the result of a crash course and sounded somewhat awkward, these women were evidently prepared specifically for Huang He!
Their numbers were also considerable. Huang He hadn't counted precisely, but there were around a hundred of them.
"Sir, what is this?" Huang He asked, a bit surprised.
"This is a gift from His Majesty the King to you, sir!" the foreign affairs consultant replied with a slightly ambiguous smile. "His Majesty visited here a few days ago and found the palace to be quite satisfactory, with the only drawback being a lack of 'people'."
"Therefore, His Majesty personally selected these 108 royal maids from his kingdom to bring life to the Emerald Palace. While you are here, they can attend to your daily needs. When you are away, they can also perform basic maintenance, ensuring you can move in comfortably at any time."
"Oh, that's too kind of him!" Huang He licked his lips and said sincerely, "While it's His Majesty's kind gesture, making it difficult for me to refuse, I'll primarily be staying in China in the future and may not have the chance to stay in this Emerald Palace even once every few years. So, after I leave, it would be best for these royal maids to return to their original places, rather than wasting their youth here."
"No, sir. Even if you never return here, these women will never be able to leave the Emerald Palace in this lifetime! Their fate is to grow old and die here," the foreign affairs consultant stated calmly.
"Why?" Huang He asked, perplexed.
"Because their identities are actually the family members of the criminals from the despicable and shameless rebellion a few months ago!" the foreign affairs consultant revealed, speaking in a voice only Huang He could hear.
"It's them?" Huang He nodded. As mentioned, after the bearded prince survived his ordeal, he immediately sought revenge on those who had wished him dead.
Consequently, hundreds of people who were once princes lost their heads.
The problem was, while the princes were easy to kill, dealing with their families was another matter.
After all, it was no longer the era of one or two hundred years ago, where a king's word could lead to the execution of thousands without any public outcry.
In modern society, with its advanced public opinion and almost everyone possessing a terminal, any regime would hesitate to engage in large-scale collective punishment.
The previous princes had indeed instigated a rebellion and were judged by a fair and just court. Their execution did not elicit significant opposition domestically or internationally; in fact, many even cheered for their demise.
However, their families presented a different challenge. Most of them were likely innocent. Executing them all would inevitably lead to immense international public outcry. Furthermore, to uphold the current global consensus, many countries might directly intervene or impose sanctions. In fact, decades ago, many Middle Eastern countries that experienced successful or failed coups engaged in widespread purges, only to be followed by international blockades.
Indeed, when the bearded prince was expelled from the Arab Kingdom, those who expelled him acted in a similar manner. The ultimate result was international forces intervening and forcing him out, leading to the ascension of the bearded prince's father.
Therefore, this time, the bearded king dared not repeat such an act that incurred the wrath of heaven. However, directly releasing these people, who harbored resentment, was also impossible. Thus, under the king's direction, the court ruled that they would perform community service to atone for their crimes.
Where they would perform this community service, whose homes they would serve, and what kind of service they would provide was entirely up to the bearded king.
"These women are the direct relatives of those traitors sentenced to death, such as their wives and daughters. These individuals are naturally more dangerous than others. Those with less direct connections might be released later. But once these women are set free, who knows what trouble they might stir up."
"Therefore, His Majesty decided to send them to the Emerald Palace for community service. This place is surrounded by the sea, with reefs blocking access, making passage impossible except by small boats. So, as long as the boats are controlled, these criminals can never leave. It's a natural prison!" the foreign affairs consultant explained the situation quite straightforwardly.
"This Emerald Palace is, after all, a gift from your King to me, and you are using it as a prison. Isn't that a bit inappropriate!" Boss Huang said with a smile.
"Sir, it may be a prison for us, but that might not be the case for you!" the foreign affairs consultant replied with a hint of a playful smile. "We have made their situation clear to them. They all understand that to live comfortably in this palace, where all supplies depend on external delivery, they can only rely on one person's command!"
"Ahem, what do you take me for!" Boss Huang coughed and then said, "However, even for community service, the term shouldn't be that long, should it? When the time comes for them to leave, won't my reputation be tarnished?"
"It won't be!" the foreign affairs consultant smiled. "They are all serious offenders, and none of them have a community service term of less than 10 years. And after 10 years, whether anyone will still remember these women is another matter."
"Furthermore, His Majesty has also transferred their household registration to the Emerald Islands. So, even if they are able to leave this palace in the future, they will only be able to reside within the Emerald Islands, and will not be able to escape your control!"
"Are you two done chatting?" Suddenly, Hu Jing let out a cold snort. Huang He quickly retracted his lewd smile and waved his hand, ordering the maids not to greet them there, but to help guide the employees of Jiangnan Group to settle in.
"These are royal maids specially assigned by His Majesty from the royal family to work temporarily. They will leave after we depart!" Huang He explained with a smile.
"Did I ask you about these women?" Hu Jing's words made Boss Huang's smile exceptionally awkward.
"Ahem, if you don't trust me, then the three of us can sleep together these few days, would that be acceptable!" Huang He quickly added.
"Did I ever say I wouldn't sleep in the same room as you?" Hu Jing retorted, making Huang He even more awkward.
Oh no, Boss Huang was too excited, his mind wasn't quite functioning properly.
"Mommy? Can I go in and take a look?" At this moment, Huang Qu, unable to comprehend his parents' verbal sparring, was entirely captivated by the palace's exotic architecture and excitedly asked.
"Go ahead!" Hu Jing nodded, and Huang Qu rushed out, off to enjoy the simple joys of childhood.
"Do whatever you want. I'm not your lawfully wedded wife; I'm just a secretary. And I'm not a good person myself, so I won't be monitoring you daily!" Hu Jing gave Huang He a meaningful glance. "I'll sleep with my son these few days, and I won't concern myself with you. You can do as you please!"