The Southern Depot, under the jurisdiction of the governor, is a secret service agency similar to the Eastern Depot, established by the emperor only three months prior.
The Southern Depot's commander was none other than Eunuch Wang, a favorite of the emperor.
When Yi Wu reported this, Qin Wenjun was pouring tea for Xiao Qingyin. Upon hearing the news, she shook her hand, spilling tea all over the table.
"sorry!"
She took out a handkerchief and hurriedly wiped away the water stains.
"It's nothing," Xiao Qingyin reassured her. "Did you burn your hand?"
Qin Wenjun shook her head: "No."
Xiao Qingyin turned to Yi Wu and asked, "What do you mean by 'bending the law for personal gain'? We didn't even know Bai Yanzhang before, so how could there be any personal relationship between us?"
Yi Wu glanced at Qin Wenjun but didn't say anything.
Qin Wenjun looked ashamed: "I'm sorry, I lied before. Lord Bai and I were once engaged."
Xiao Qingyin raised an eyebrow.
"You were the one who broke off the engagement with Bai Yanzhang when the Bai family was in trouble?"
Qin Wenjun's face paled slightly.
"She is indeed a slave."
"So, Lord Bai really did act out of personal favoritism?"
"How is that possible!"
Qin Wenjun vehemently denied it.
“When I was at Dali Temple, I did not know that the presiding official was him. After I was transferred to Dali Temple, I never saw him again. He should not have known that the defendant was me.”
Xiao Qingyin asked in confusion, "Isn't your name on the file? How could he not know it's you?"
“This servant was not called by this name before.”
Qin Wenjun replied.
"This name was given to me later."
After saying that, she told Xiao Qingyin about her past in detail.
She was originally a concubine's daughter in the Meng family. Her biological father was Meng Bocheng, the Minister of Rites at the time, and her biological mother was a distant cousin of the Meng family.
When her mother came of age, both her parents died. Because she had no brothers, her relatives plotted to seize her family property, and she was nearly killed. She had no choice but to seek refuge with the Meng family.
She had planned to marry a poor scholar, but unexpectedly, she caught the eye of Meng Bocheng. Before she knew it, she lost her virginity to him and had no choice but to become his concubine.
Her mother was deeply troubled and depressed for many years. Before she even reached adulthood, her mother fell ill and passed away.
She met Bai Yanzhang at a temple.
That day, she went to the temple to add oil to her mother's lamp and saw a cluster of hibiscus flowers in full bloom by the temple pond. She wanted to use them in her embroidery and admired them closely.
Unexpectedly, he became so engrossed that he lost his footing and fell into the pond.
Bai Yanzhang was passing by while discussing Buddhist scriptures with the abbot when he saw her slip and fall. He offered his help and saved her life.
Later, by chance, they met several more times, and feelings gradually developed between them.
After she came of age, he asked her how she felt, sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, and they were betrothed.
After she finished her mourning period, the two families set a wedding date.
Unexpectedly, just as the betrothal ceremony was about to take place, trouble struck the Bai family.
Fearing that he would be implicated, her father immediately broke off the engagement and locked her in the courtyard, forbidding her to step out.
It wasn't until the dust settled and the Bai family was exiled to the Northwest that she was finally able to leave the mansion a month later.
Her father tried to arrange another marriage for her, but she still longed for Bai Yanzhang.
He then took his travel expenses, secretly left the mansion, and followed a group of merchants to the Northwest.
After arriving in the county where the Bai family was exiled, they accidentally stayed at a shady inn. When they woke up, they found themselves in the flower garden.
She managed to escape her cell, and while trying to find her way out and avoid the madam, she fell into a room.
The room was filled with aphrodisiac incense, which she did not recognize. Soon after entering, she lost her senses and was taken advantage of.
She woke up at dawn, finding herself alone in the room with her clothes scattered all over the floor.
She was filled with shame and indignation. She hurriedly dressed and sneaked out.
As I passed through the lobby, I heard a familiar voice coming from behind the pillars; it was Bai Yanzhang's.
He was talking to the madam, saying that he would temporarily take the girl who served him last night, and that he would redeem her after two months when he had raised enough money.
She was so angry she wanted to slap him a few times.
She traveled a long way to find him, but he was in a brothel frequenting prostitutes!
Just then, Gui Gong appeared with his thugs. Terrified, she hurriedly fled the flower courtyard.
After all that running around, her beloved had changed his heart, and she had lost her virginity.
Filled with remorse, she rested at an inn for two days before finding a caravan to return to the capital.
On the way back to Beijing, she was depressed and contemplated suicide several times.
In her despair, she remembered her mother.
She used to resent her mother, feeling that she was only concerned with her own depression and didn't care about her life or death.
She was bullied by her elder sister and other women in the clan. Unlike other concubines, she not only tried to stand up for her children, but also gave her father a cold shoulder, causing their situation to deteriorate.
Now that she has experienced the same thing, she knows how much her mother hates her father.
She wanted nothing more than to kill the person who had wronged her, but she didn't even know who that person was.
My mother said more than once that if she hadn't been pregnant with her, she would have hanged herself long ago.
She passed on her double-sided embroidery skills to her, hoping that she could live a good life.
That was what she had hoped for.
But now...
She traveled in a daze, and when she was about to arrive in the capital, she became severely carsick and had to see a doctor.
She was pregnant.
Without thinking, she asked the doctor for abortion pills.
But after she finished boiling the medicine, she hesitated and didn't pick it up until it had cooled down.
After losing her child and returning to the capital, what kind of life could she possibly lead?
She had sneaked out of the manor. Even if her grandmother and father didn't know about her past, they wouldn't tolerate her after she returned. Even if they didn't send her to the family temple to become a nun, they would just find someone to marry her off to.
She didn't want to get married anymore. Even someone as refined and respectful as Bai Yanzhang, who came from a noble family and was known for his self-discipline and adherence to propriety, would keep prostitutes. Who could she trust?
Moreover, she had lost her virginity; how many men could tolerate that?
In that case, what's the point of going back to the mansion?
It's better not to go back at all.
But not returning home, not starting a family, and drifting alone outside, all that's too miserable.
After much deliberation, she finally decided to keep the baby in her womb.
Her father treated her like dirt, and only her mother cared about her.
After her mother died, she had no one left to love in the world.
If she gives birth to the child, she will have a blood relative.
With this in mind, she mingled among the disaster victims who were walking to Beijing.
At that time, the Central Plains were flooded, submerging many counties and leaving the victims homeless. They flocked north to find a way to survive.
Because the county government office was flooded, the disaster victims evacuated in a hurry, and many of them did not have travel permits. When they arrived outside the capital, the officials made records by falsely reporting their household registration and name, thus establishing a female household.
After that, she made a living by selling embroidery.
To avoid attracting attention, she usually sells ordinary embroidery, only selling one or two double-sided embroideries when she urgently needs a large sum of money.
During those difficult days, the only comfort was the children.
Tianci is not only good-looking, but also well-behaved and filial. To her, he is like a gift from God.
He gave her a reason to live and gave her meaning in life.
"...After that brief glimpse of Lord Bai in the flower garden, this servant has never seen him again."
She said to Xiao Qingyin.
“My original name was Meng Ke, now I am Qin Wenjun. My place of origin is completely different from before. Even if Lord Bai reads the file, he would not know that I am a servant. How could he show favoritism?”
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