Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1005 - 89: The Impact of the Trade Convention

A few days after the trade fair and military parade wrapped up, visitors from various regions and foreign lands have slowly taken their leave from Swamp Prefecture, but the effects of those events still linger profoundly in the minds of everyone.

First, let's discuss the residents of Swamp Prefecture. The trade fair exerted a tremendous effect on them, and it was entirely beneficial. Throughout the trade fair, the locals in Swamp Prefecture raked in substantial profits. The earnings from those brief days outstripped what they had accumulated over entire decades, or perhaps even one or two lifetimes.

Aside from the financial windfall, the most significant gain for Swamp Prefecture's people was the widening of their worldview. They encountered countless novelties from merchants both foreign and local that were completely unfamiliar, and absorbed a great deal of knowledge from those interactions.

In earlier times, the inhabitants of Swamp Prefecture were confined to their farmlands, their days filled with bending over the soil in toil or being compelled into grueling labors by the local authorities. Their perspectives were overshadowed solely by unrelenting labor and hopelessness. Yet now, they have beheld a broader realm outside their fields and caught a glimpse of possibility.

Following the close of the trade fair, the people of Swamp Prefecture became utterly convinced of Zhao Yao, Prince Han's, good intentions, entertaining no reservations about him whatsoever.

Within the thoughts of the locals, Zhao Yao had evolved beyond simply being Prince Han; he was now a "living Bodhisattva" who delivered them from eras of suffering. Should anybody venture to criticize Zhao Yao, the people would undoubtedly refuse to let it slide.

Whereas the trade fair touched the everyday existence of Swamp Prefecture's residents, the military parade reshaped their outlook on Great Zhou.

The military parade naturally sparked an intense feeling of pride and dignity deep in the hearts of Swamp Prefecture's people. They experienced a tremendous sense of fortune in beholding the display.

Regardless of whether they hailed from Swamp Prefecture or other areas in Lingnan, ever since Great Zhou's founding, these individuals had never regarded themselves as part of it. Naturally, this stemmed not from an inability to release the prior dynasty. Even if that former regime had endured, they still wouldn't have identified as its people.

The residents of Lingnan had never viewed themselves as loyal to any imperial line. They perpetually sensed being cast aside, akin to convicted wrongdoers.

The downfall of the old dynasty held no relevance for Lingnan's people. The emergence of the fresh dynasty appeared equally inconsequential. In either case, be it the old or new court, they were never treated as actual subjects. Officials dispatched from either dynasty to Lingnan arrived only to govern and drain resources from them. This had been the unchanging reality. As a result, they felt no connection to Great Zhou and never acknowledged themselves as its citizens.

Last year, upon the arrival of Great Zhou's Prince Han in Lingnan and Swamp Prefecture, the locals at first failed to acknowledge him, perceiving no distinction from past administrators. Despite the notable benefits Prince Han provided to them that year, skepticism persisted, with assumptions of concealed intentions driving his efforts.

At the start of the trade fair, Swamp Prefecture's people continued to suspect Prince Han of hidden agendas in staging it, up until they profited from the event and he refrained from claiming any of those gains, convincing them it was not designed to injure them.

Throughout the trade fair, Zhao Yao permitted the residents of Swamp Prefecture to engage in commerce freely, imposing no taxes on them, provided they faithfully observed the guidelines.

Swamp Prefecture's people at the beginning struggled to believe Prince Han wouldn't levy charges, fearing he could confiscate all their proceeds once the trade fair concluded, yet this never transpired. Furthermore, when they encountered harassment during the fair, Prince Han dispatched assistance to safeguard them, guaranteeing no abuses occurred. This deeply affected them, affirming that Prince Han genuinely advocated for them in such situations.

They would always cherish the memory of the patrolling officials declaring them as Prince Han's subjects, whom he would not allow to endure more harassment from foreigners than the foreigners themselves. Though the trade fair held value, the people held even greater importance. Within Prince Han's priorities, the populace stood supreme.

Swamp Prefecture's residents initially dismissed this declaration with derision, but they swiftly recognized its authenticity.

Even before the trade fair's conclusion, the people of Swamp Prefecture had accepted their role as Prince Han's subjects, though they had not yet embraced being citizens of Great Zhou—that shifted with the military parade.