Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

“We could write it like this: In our neighbor Letania, while the brave Mr. Lacey rose up for the people, the people of Syracuse were suffering similar hardships.”

"That establishes emotional resonance, doesn't it?"

Giancarlo opened his mouth, but ultimately gave up arguing.

He looked out the window and saw that in the square, the foundation of a huge white stone monument was being laid.

That was the "Liberation Monument" built by order of Emperor Lexi himself.

According to the design drawings he had seen, the main statue on the monument was a tall Leitanian soldier bending down and handing a piece of bread to a thin Syracusan child.

Giancarlo suddenly understood.

The Leitanians' goal was not merely to conquer the land, but to conquer the hearts and minds of the people.

They intend to use bread, land, and a completely new history to fully integrate Syracuse into Letania over the next century.

……

As evening fell, an ordinary train slowly pulled into Montelupe's central station.

Not many people knew that this train was coming.

The train doors opened, and Lacey, dressed in dark casual clothes, stepped off the train accompanied by Serafina and several guards.

Instead of going to the council chamber, he walked directly to a newly opened public clinic nearby.

At the clinic, citizens are lining up to receive free medicine.

Everyone was stunned when the emperor suddenly appeared, and they all knelt down.

"Get up, everyone." Lai Sanlin's voice was gentle.

"No one needs to kneel on the land of Letania."

He walked up to an infected person who was receiving treatment. The person was an old man, and the Originium crystals on his arm had spread to his neck.

In Old Syracuse, he wasn't even allowed to get close to the streets of the noble district.

Lacey showed no disgust. He asked the military doctor about the old man's condition and even personally handed him a glass of warm water.

The old man held his water glass, his cloudy eyes fixed on the young man in front of him, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

This scene was captured forever by the camera in the hands of the accompanying reporter.

That evening, Lacey went to the military camp on the outskirts of the city and lined up for food with the engineers in charge of the city's infrastructure.

He carried a plate filled with the same oatmeal porridge and stew as the soldiers, and casually sat on a bench, chatting with the young soldiers around him.

Where is your home?

"Reporting to Your Majesty! The Triinttelme Workers' District!"

"Oh? Have the new houses over there been built yet? Have they been moved into?"

"I've moved in! It's a two-bedroom apartment with a living room and a private bathroom!"

"My sister says it's even better than the houses of the old noblemen!"

The young soldier's face radiated genuine happiness and pride.

Lacey smiled.

He could clearly feel streams of warm, pure energy emanating from these newly reborn soldiers, workers, and civilians, flowing into his body.

His arrival and every move he made quickly spread throughout Syracuse through newspapers, radio broadcasts, and word of mouth among the soldiers.

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 109: The Plan Fails

Trinitylme, the Twin Towers.

The empire's capital was in an atmosphere of euphoria.

The glorious victory of conquering Syracuse in a single day made every citizen of Letania stand tall with pride.

The newspapers were filled with photos from the front lines:

Tanks drove through the streets of Montelupe, soldiers distributed food to hungry children, and there were heartwarming scenes of Emperor Lacey having dinner with his soldiers in the barracks.

The empire's propaganda machine was operating at full efficiency, portraying the invasion as a just and glorious war of liberation.

At Trinity Central Station, a Nashland land vehicle slowly pulls to a stop.

The car door opened, and an elderly woman with a tall and straight figure, dressed in a long black dress, slowly stepped out, supported by several servants.

She was Lady Sissi, the former ruler of Syracuse.

Her face showed the fatigue of a long car ride.

According to diplomatic practice, a former head of state like her should be greeted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or an official of equivalent rank.

However, when Madame Sicily stepped out of the station, she saw someone she never expected.

Lacey, the emperor of the Third Holy Retanian Empire, stood quietly outside the station.

He was wearing a well-tailored military uniform, with Serafina and a few guards behind him.

This is an extremely high honor, a respect shown to an equal opponent, not a prisoner.

Madame Sicily's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

She had seen all sorts of power struggles and tricks in her life, but the actions of this young man in front of her were somewhat unfathomable to her.

"Welcome to Trinitylme, Madame Sicily."

Lacey took a step forward, nodded slightly, and did not extend her hand, maintaining an appropriate distance.

Madame Sicily was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Your Majesty the Emperor has condescended to do so. I thought I would be greeted by the court and shackles."

"Leytania does not judge respectable opponents," Lacey replied succinctly.

“You have maintained order in Syracuse for decades in your own way, and for that alone you deserve my respect.”

He gestured for them to proceed, and several black SUVs pulled up in front of them.

The convoy drove directly to the Twin Towers.

In the throne room.

Lacey invited Madame Sicily to sit in the reception area by the window and personally poured her a cup of fragrant tea from Da Yan.

There were only the two of them in the reception area.

"Does His Majesty the Emperor enjoy collecting war trophies? Especially these outdated antiques?" Madame Sicily picked up her teacup and blew on it to cool it down.

“I prefer to learn from history,” Lacey said calmly, looking at her.

"Madam, you have spent half your life trying to mold a pack of hyenas into a wolf pack, but you have failed."

"Because of the nature of hyenas, they fight amongst themselves and bite each other, rather than uniting against external threats."

"You want to establish order, but you have to rely on the family that creates chaos itself. This is the root of your tragedy."

Madame Sicily's hand, holding the teacup, stiffened slightly.

This young man incisively pointed out the core contradiction of her reign.

"The victors can always easily write the epitaphs of the losers."

“I have no intention of judging your past; I just want to talk to you about the future of Syracuse,” Lacey steered the conversation back on track.

"I invited you here not to humiliate you, but to give you a choice."

He leaned forward slightly.

"First, you can refuse to cooperate."

"Then, you will be sent to a quiet manor to spend the rest of your life."

"And Syracuse will be transformed in iron and blood."

“Those old families who are as pragmatic as Alberto Saluzzo will transform themselves into agents of the new order, continuing to exploit the people in the same old way, until I am free to do so, and then uproot them completely.”

"This process will be long and bloody."

"Secondly, you accept my appointment as an 'Honorary Citizen of the Leitanian Empire' and 'Syracusan Cultural Ambassador'."

“You have indeed annexed the entirety of Syracuse, Your Majesty,” Madame Sicily sneered.

"But you may not know that the fangs of the wilderness won't let you have your way forever."

Lacey remained noncommittal: "I guess you're referring to those beast lords hiding in the shadows?"

Gertrude's intelligence department was no pushover; he clearly knew all along.

“With Helena Matt, the former Black Queen, around, I have nothing to worry about.”

Madame Sicily's expression changed for a moment upon hearing this.

She observed that the other party's words seemed to indicate that they didn't care about the beast owner.

Lacey waved her hand and continued, "Alright, let's get back to our previous topic."

“You will be moving to Trinitylme, and I will build a Syracuse cultural center for you, with you serving as its director.”

"Your mission is to protect and preserve the true culture of Syracuse—its music, art, and architecture."

"You will become a symbol of Syracuse's tradition, a living history."

Madame Sicily remained silent.

She knew it was house arrest, but she still wanted to ask.

"What good will this do me?"

“The advantage is that your very existence is a deterrent,” Lacey said in a low voice.

“With you here, those old families will not dare to act rashly. As the symbol of Syracuse, you have personally endorsed the new order, which will minimize unnecessary bloodshed and resistance.”

"More importantly, your cooperation will ensure that the purge in Syracuse is thorough."

He looked into Madame Sicily's eyes and said, word by word, "I can assure you that, if you nod your head, opportunists like Saluzzo will never get the high positions they want in New Syracuse."

"Their property will be liquidated, and their offspring, such as the girl named Lappland and the boy from the Bellone family, will be taken to Triinttelme to receive the best education in the Empire."

“I will train them to be the Syracuses of the new era, not the heirs of the old family.”

These words left Madame Sicily deeply troubled.

She spent her entire life dealing with the power of her family, and she knew their true nature better than anyone else.

If they refuse, the Letanians, in order to facilitate their rule, might support a "new collaborator" like Saluzzo.

The suffering in Syracuse was simply in a different form.

Lacey's suggestion, however, gave her an opportunity.

An opportunity to witness firsthand the complete removal of rotting flesh and to preserve the last vestiges of dignity for Syracuse.

Those children... they might really have a different future.

"The wolf's teeth have all fallen out, Your Majesty." After a long while, Madame Sicily sighed and put down her teacup.

"But she at least wanted to retain some dignity."

She raised her head, and light rekindled in her cloudy eyes.

“I accept your appointment, but I want to see everything you have promised.”

“I want to see the ‘new Syracuse’ you’re talking about.”

“You’ll see.” Lacey stood up and extended her hand.

This time, Madame Sicily did not refuse.

Hold the two hands together.

……

That afternoon, the Imperial Press Office issued a proclamation to all of Terra:

The former Supreme Consul of Syracuse, Madame de Sicily, accepted the invitation of His Majesty Emperor Lexi to serve as an Honorary Citizen of the Empire and Cultural Ambassador of Syracuse.

He will then move to the capital, Trilinterme, to dedicate himself to promoting cultural integration between Letania and Syracuse.

The announcement also included a photo: at the top of the Petronas Twin Towers, Emperor Lesci was shaking hands with Madame de Sicily, with the thriving Trinity behind them.