【Orchid Chapter】
In the 13th year of the Yanwu reign of the Liao Dynasty, natural disasters occurred repeatedly in the north, the imperial court imposed heavy taxes and levies, and the people suffered.
The Liao emperor moved the capital to the south, and Jiangzhou became the last prosperous place in the entire Liao Dynasty.
Even in such a prosperous and wealthy place, there are still many people fleeing for their lives on the official road.
Some people fell on the roadside, starving but no one cared.
A young man in plain clothes was leading a white horse, on which sat a woman in her early twenties, holding a baby girl who was a little over one year old in her arms.
What is somewhat intriguing is that the woman on horseback has a slightly disheveled hair, her clothes have obviously not been washed for many days, and her eyes appear a little timid.
The young man leading the horse looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a fair face and a pair of bright eyes that never looked away.
There was a younger boy following behind him, also walking, looking around with some curiosity.
The four of them entered Jiangzhou City and stopped in front of the gate of "Pinyue Tower", the most prosperous restaurant in Jiangzhou.
"Is it here?"
The older boy spoke, his voice slightly deeper.
The woman on the horse nodded nervously, "He said... it's called Pinyue Tower."
The young man helped the woman get off the horse, looked around, pointed to the tea stall opposite, and said:
"Wait for me there."
The woman hesitated for a moment holding the child, then went obediently.
The young man raised his head and took another look at the magnificent sign of Pinyue Tower, a hint of sneer flashing in his eyes.
There are starving people all over the north, but the government has not thought of providing relief. Instead, it has exploited them at every level, resulting in corrupt officials everywhere in the country.
I don't know which big shot was the one who created this extravagant and decadent Pinyue Tower.
He was about to go in, but the younger boy behind him stopped him. When he spoke, it was a tender female voice.
"Miss, do you really want to go?"
The boy's eyes widened, "What did you call me?"
"Sir..."
The young man continued, "Also, Ah Xian, didn't I teach you how to change your voice a long time ago? Why haven't you learned it yet?"
The girl named Lin Xian said unhappily: "You just taught me before I left. Do you think everyone is like you and can learn anything at a glance? If you think I'm stupid, then I'll go home by myself..."
Seeing that she was about to get angry, the boy quickly comforted her:
"Okay, Ah Xian, I was wrong, okay? I finally escaped from home. If you don't protect me, then if I meet bandits or something, won't I be beaten to a pulp?"
Lin Xian burst out laughing and followed the young man into Pinyue Tower.
The waiter immediately came forward and said:
"Young Masters, are you here to play chess?"
The lobby of Pinyue Tower was already filled with guests, because today two extremely famous national players were going to play chess here.
Pinyue Tower opened the betting market, inviting everyone to guess who will be crowned the “No. 1 National Player of Liao Dynasty” today.
The young man neither placed any bets nor spoke a word. He just ordered a pot of tea and sat on the second floor to watch.
Although the downstairs was bustling with activity, her eyes hardly lingered on the stage. Instead, they wandered among the crowd of people placing bets.
Lin Xian said softly: "Young Master, look."
She pointed at one of them, who looked to be about thirty years old, with drooping eyes and rich clothes. He was talking confidently about today's gambling game with others.
The young man nodded slowly. Judging from his appearance, he was exactly the person he was looking for.
He was the husband of the woman he had been with before—no, it should be said that he was her ex-husband, Chen Youde.
The woman's surname was Miao. She came from a wealthy family. After her parents passed away, she took her family property and married Chen Youde, who came from an ordinary family. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, but she injured her body during childbirth and could no longer give birth.
When Chen Youde learned that she could not give birth to another son, he began to take concubines one after another. In the end, together with Chen's mother, he kicked Miao and her one-year-old daughter out of the house and took over the family business alone.
In the Liao Dynasty, women were destined to be vassals. For a woman like Miao who could not give birth to a son and was divorced by her husband, it was basically equivalent to a death sentence.
She had no land to cultivate, so she went to live with her relatives, but was turned away. She wanted to do some handicrafts to earn a living, but because she was in public, she was pointed at and laughed at by the people on the street.
She was desperate and wanted to ask Chen Youde to let the child stay with her no matter what, but she learned that Chen Youde had already brought all his belongings to Jiangzhou, hoping to make a fortune through gambling.
put all one's eggs in one basket.
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