Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 661: Chapter 323: Never Underestimate a Woman_2

In this case, they might as well "trap" them, letting them stay in Lingnan forever and continue being beasts.

These two people from the Hidden Mountain Tribe were able to leave Lingnan only with the emperor’s consent; otherwise, they could not have left. Moreover, they were not just randomly captured by He Lianfang’s people but were chosen after some investigation.

Their departure from Lingnan was unknown not only to the chieftain of the Hidden Mountain Tribe but also to their family and friends. When they suddenly disappeared, everyone thought they had encountered an accident while running errands.

He Lianfang’s people first sent the two of them to the capital, where He Lianfang personally met with them. At first, when questioned by He Lianfang, they concealed some truths and lied. Later, after being tortured, they finally confessed everything they knew.

Now, facing Zhao Yao’s questioning, they did not dare to lie again because they were poisoned. If they didn’t obey, there would be no antidote, and they would die from the poison.

They held some status and position in the Hidden Mountain Tribe and were not only familiar with their tribe’s affairs but also had some knowledge about other tribes.

After listening to the two people from the Hidden Mountain Tribe, Zhao Yao had a rough understanding of the Lingnan tribes. Indeed, the situation was quite complicated, but not as difficult to manage as imagined.

In his view, the tribes of Lingnan were basically in a primitive and backward state. The local people only believed in the words of the chieftain, viewing the chieftain as the emperor and the chieftain’s words as the imperial decree. Even more so, they regarded the chieftain as a deity. As long as the chieftain was controlled and removed, the tribes’ people could be smoothly subdued.

The chieftains and people of the Lingnan tribes all worshiped deities. Even if the language and cultural habits of each tribe were different, they all believed in one god— the dragon.

In every village in Lingnan, you can see a Dragon King Temple. Regardless of how poor or dilapidated a village is, the Dragon King Temple in the village is always the most luxurious and best-maintained, showing their devotion to the dragon.

In addition to each village having its own Dragon King Temple, every tribe also has its own Dragon God Temple.

The reason why Lingnan people worship the dragon so much is because of frequent floods. Moreover, Lingnan is close to the sea, and many people live by going out to sea.

Logically, since the Lingnan people worship dragons, they should believe in the emperor, as the emperor is the True Dragon Emperor. However, the Lingnan people do not believe the emperor is the True Dragon Emperor. They have their own way of believing, and they only believe through their way. Furthermore, they have always thought that the dragon worshiped by the Central Plains people is not the same dragon they believe in.

When Zhao Yao heard this, he wondered to himself that dragons are fictional creatures, and there are no real dragons in the world, so how are there different dragons between the Central Plains and Lingnan?

Clearly, the dragons that the Lingnan people worship and the dragons that the Central Plains people believe in look exactly the same, so why do the Lingnan people think their dragon is more noble and powerful than the Central Plains’ dragon?

The funniest thing is that the chieftains of various Lingnan tribes also claim to be "descendants of the dragon," thinking they are superior to the Central Plains Emperor. They even believe that they are the true "descendants of the dragon," while the Central Plains Emperor is not. They assert that the Central Plains Emperor falsely claims to be the "True Dragon Emperor."

There were too many absurdities that Zhao Yao could barely critique.

The two from the Hidden Mountain Tribe didn’t know Zhao Yao was making fun of them in his mind; they continued talking about the various Lingnan tribes.

After listening, Zhao Yao developed a plan. It now seemed that the chieftain of the Hidden Mountain Tribe was the easiest to subdue. Perhaps he could enlist her now.

The chieftain of the Hidden Mountain Tribe understood that for a better life, they couldn’t be trapped in Lingnan forever; they had to step out of Lingnan. She always wanted to lead the tribe’s people out of Lingnan to see the Central Plains. Unfortunately, without the consent of the Central Plains Court, they could never leave Lingnan.

Zhao Yao thought he could give the chieftain of the Hidden Mountain Tribe a chance to let the people of the Hidden Mountain Tribe leave Lingnan and visit the capital. He believed that once they visited the Central Plains, the people of the Hidden Mountain Tribe would deeply appreciate the prosperity of the Central Plains.

By witnessing the prosperity elsewhere, they would realize their own backwardness, and then their aspirations and ambitions would unconsciously grow, no longer satisfied with their previous way of life.

That’s exactly what happened. After the two from the Hidden Mountain Tribe were brought to the Central Plains, they were deeply shocked by everything in the Central Plains. To them, everything in the Central Plains seemed like a fairyland, beyond their wildest dreams.