Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 974: Chapter 74: Losing to Great Zhou Wasn’t Unjust

"Young man, how old are you this year? Are you married?" An older woman standing behind Zhao Yao developed an unusual interest when she saw his handsome appearance.

Even though Zhao Yao was wearing coarse cloth and had deliberately smudged his face with dirt, his distinguished features and unmistakable aura of nobility attracted the attention of many ladies.

"I’m seventeen this year and not yet married."

Upon hearing that he wasn’t married, the older woman’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, young man, let me tell you, my daughter is the same age as you and also not married. I’m not exaggerating; my daughter is very pretty and would be a perfect match for you..."

She was interrupted by another woman: "Young man, don’t listen to her nonsense. Her daughter isn’t pretty at all. She’s so dark and short! My daughter, on the other hand, is beautiful..."

"Young man, neither of their daughters are good-looking. My daughter is the pretty one..."

The older women started bickering, and Zhao Yao, caught between laughter and tears, tried to mediate.

"Ladies, I wasn’t finished speaking earlier. Although I’m not married yet, my family has already arranged a marriage for me."

When they heard he was already promised, the women were slightly disappointed but didn’t hold it against Zhao Yao and continued chatting with him.

Upon learning that Zhao Yao was a descendant of the wrongly accused criminals from the previous dynasty, the women liked him even more. These exiled people were once high-ranking officials, wealthy, and powerful. Unfortunately, they offended the emperor and were exiled to this impoverished place. Luckily, God appears to have been watching over them. Last year, Prince Han came and granted these descendants of criminals the status of good citizens. From then on, they were no longer heirs of criminals but honorably belonged to the Great Zhou, able to live with dignity.

Zhao Yao deliberately asked these queuing folks what they thought of Prince Han.

Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s question, the older men and women became animated, eagerly rushing to answer. They praised Prince Han as a good person, a living Bodhisattva, a divine figure coming to save them from misery.

Even with Zhao Yao’s thick skin, he felt a bit embarrassed hearing their enthusiastic praises.

The older men and women continued discussing the changes Zhao Yao brought after coming to Swamp Prefecture. Initially, they thought Prince Han was like previous corrupt officials, intending to oppress them, but later realized everything he did was for their well-being.

"Oh my, when Prince Han wanted to channel the swamp lake water into the city, we thought he was ruining our lifesaving lake. Little did we know, it was to provide us with good drinking water," an elderly woman said. "Now the water we drink each day is very clean, and even sweet, without any bitterness."

"Ever since I started drinking water from the swamp lake, my stomach hasn’t ached like it used to."

"I don’t get sick as often as before."

"We used to get sick frequently, with aches here and there, and it turns out it was due to drinking unclean water and consuming bad salt."

"Now everything’s better; we drink clean water every day and have the best salt. We can eat our fill, and I feel healthier."

"Exactly, I feel stronger than before."

"I even feel younger than I did."

"I used to be annoyed by Prince Han’s emphasis on personal hygiene, but now I see his foresight. We haven’t had anyone catch strange illnesses here, nor any plagues like previous years."

"I never liked washing my hands before, but now I wash them several times a day."

"That’s nothing. Look at Swamp Prefecture now — so lively and prosperous, something we’ve never seen before."

"I never imagined in my lifetime I’d see so many outsiders coming here."

"And those foreigners! Each looks so peculiar and speaks in a way that’s hard to understand, yet they are all wealthy."

"Ever since these outsiders and foreigners came, we’ve earned so much money."

"Exactly! I’ve been selling what seemed like unnoticed things we made at home, but it turned out to fetch a good price — more than my family earned in decades."

"Me too. I didn’t expect these outsiders and foreigners to even buy my pickles, and they say they’re delicious."

"All the medicinal wine my family brewed has sold out."

"The wallets, handkerchiefs, and fans I embroidered are all sold out too."