Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Huizhou, located in the southern coastal area of ​​Wuzhao, is not as prosperous in commerce as Haizhou City. However, as it was a transit point for foreign countries to pay tribute to the capital, it still benefited from the lingering influence of Haizhou's commerce, and there were still many vendors hawking their wares along the streets.

A curfew was generally in effect throughout Wuzhao Kingdom, except for Haizhou, Huizhou, and Shengjing, where it was exempt from the curfew.

Ban Dingyuan walked along the main street of Huizhou City and saw many vendors hawking their wares along the way.

A quick glance revealed that the vendors' stalls mainly sold food and handicrafts.

However, the demeanor of these vendors was hard to describe.

Under the dim oil lamp, the wonton vendor appeared very hunched over and looked dirty, especially his coarse linen clothes, which were covered in countless patches and had a worn-out patina, emitting an indescribable odor.

Looking at the vendor's face, his complexion was slightly yellow, his eyes were slightly sunken, and apart from the money rat tail on his head, which was bright, there was no clean spot on his face.

Seeing that Ban Dingyuan had been lingering in front of his stall for a while, the vendor couldn't help but ask, "Sir, would you like some wontons? Cabbage filling, three coins a bowl, all you can eat."

As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of chopped scallions, placed them in a large bowl, sprinkled some salt on top, skillfully added the filling to the rolled-out wonton wrapper, and then squeezed it with his hand, thus completing a wonton.

Watching the vendor's series of skillful actions, Ban Dingyuan had no appetite at all.

He found the vendor's hands so filthy they made him want to vomit, so he made up an excuse and left.

As he walked along the main street, he passed the entrance of an alley and found that many people were defecating inside. The stench made him quickly cover his nose with his sleeve.

In contrast, the State of Chu was very strict about hygiene. Even in the old army, there were designated places for urination and washing, and urinating or defecating anywhere would be severely punished.

The reason why the Chu Kingdom experienced a plague that killed tens of millions of people was because of the dirty and chaotic environment.

Since then, hygiene has become an issue that emperors of all dynasties must pay attention to.

Clearly, the people of Wuzhao Kingdom lacked this awareness.

Ban Dingyuan endured the stench as he walked along the sandy streets. After walking through two streets, he saw a brightly lit building in the distance, from which the faint sounds of opera calls could be heard.

That was a brothel, a place for the wealthy to relax, naturally quite different from other places, except that foreign envoys and merchants were not allowed to enter.

"Ugh."

Ban Dingyuan sighed and decided to return to the post station to record what he had seen and heard that day in his writing.

Just as he turned around, he suddenly heard a hesitant voice beside him.

"Sir, are you trying to play games?"

Ban Dingyuan was taken aback and looked at the man who had spoken.

The man was a young man not yet thirty, wearing a gray long gown and hunching over, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"What are you playing?"

"Want to play around, girl?"

"Is this a brothel? Sorry, I'm not interested."

After Ban Dingyuan refused, he made a move to leave.

But the man blocked his way again, pleading, "Sir, please have mercy and only do this once. This isn't a brothel."

It's a private job, but don't worry, this is my wife, she's absolutely clean. Please, just this once.

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan trembled with anger: "You actually let your wife sell herself into this business? Are you even a man? You call yourself a scholar?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of humiliation flashed across the young man's face, but he quickly put on a smile and made a move to grab Ban Dingyuan's arm.

But seeing the expensive fabric of Ban Dingyuan's clothes, he felt ashamed and lowered his head in self-consciousness.

Just as Ban Dingyuan was about to leave, the young man choked up and said, "Sir, please, just this once. We're starving at home, and my two children are crying for food; they haven't eaten for three days."

If all else fails, just buy them some pancakes to fill their stomachs; they'll really starve to death if they don't eat soon.

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan stopped and turned around to ask, "You're a grown man with hands and feet, why don't you find some work to do instead of doing such a despicable thing?"

The young man shook his head: "Sir, you are a foreigner and do not understand the rules of our Wu Zhao Kingdom. But all scholars of Wu Zhao..."

They are forbidden from engaging in other lowly professions; if discovered, even those who have passed the imperial examinations with flying colors will not be hired.

If I had any other means, I wouldn't have ended up forcing my wife to sell herself.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

Ban Dingyuan gave the young man some instructions, then walked into a nearby shop selling cakes and dried fruit.

Before long, Ban Dingyuan carried a large bag of sesame seed cakes and some pastries and dried fruits and stuffed it into the young man's arms.

Before the young man could react, Ban Dingyuan said directly, "Come on, take me to your house."

Upon hearing this, the young man became extremely excited: "Thank you, sir. Please come with me."

As he spoke, he led the way into an alley.

Ban Dingyuan thought for a moment, then immediately took a Browning pistol from his waist, put the safety on, put it back on his waist, and followed.

……

"Grandpa, my house is just ahead. Please walk slowly and carefully."

"Young Master Chen, do you live in such a remote place?"

"Please excuse my poor appearance, sir. This is the only house my parents left me after they passed away. It's a bit dilapidated, so please don't mind."

Along the way, Ban Dingyuan learned that the man's surname was Chen and his name was Chen Zhong. According to him, he was a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations), but he had failed the Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) three times in a row.

At the end of the alley was a low house with a dim light shining inside.

After a careful look, Ban Dingyuan could basically determine that it was a house built of a mixture of yellow mud and wood.

Chen Zhong walked to the courtyard gate, raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Honey, open the door quickly, I'm back."

A short while later, footsteps sounded from behind the door.

When the wooden door was opened, a woman who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old appeared. She was dressed in typical commoner's clothes and had some beauty, but nothing particularly remarkable about her.

"This is my wife, Madam Wang. Sir, do you think she's clean enough?"

Upon hearing Chen Zhong's words, Wang's face flushed with humiliation, but she still forced herself to step aside and clear a path for the two of them.

After Ban Dingyuan entered the house, he couldn't see the furnishings in the courtyard because it was too dark, so he followed the couple into the house.

"Daddy."

As soon as I entered the house, two boys immediately came to greet me.

Ban Dingyuan looked at the two children with mixed feelings; one looked six years old, and the other four.

Perhaps due to a lack of nutrition or prolonged hunger, the two children were much thinner and weaker than children of the same age in the Chu Kingdom today.

Chen Zhong immediately spread out the oil paper, took out two sesame cakes, and stuffed them into the children's hands. He said with a loving expression, "Look, Dad brought you some good food. Are you hungry? Eat up."

As he spoke, he gave Wang a wink.

Wang understood, glanced at her children, and saw that their eyes were fixed on the sesame seed cakes, their mouths watering. She couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, and quietly turned away to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

At this moment, the two children took the pancakes and couldn't wait to take big bites.

"Tong'er, be good, come with your brother to eat in the next room."

Wang comforted the two children who were wolfing down their food and took them to the next room to settle them in.

Soon only Ban Dingyuan and Chen Zhong remained in the room. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Chen Zhong took a deep breath, stood up and said to Ban Dingyuan, "Thank you, sir. Please wait here for a moment, I will make the arrangements right away."

After saying that, he lowered his head and walked out of the house.