The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 627

“That gentleman was your father’s good friend.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Qingyuan suddenly realized what was happening, and then his face lit up with excitement.

"Mother, from now on I'll be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Let's see who dares to laugh at us then!"

Meng Qingyuan said indignantly.

The mother and son rarely went out from this house. They had lived here for more than ten years. Some people in the neighborhood knew them well and knew that they were the mistresses of some important person, so they often gossiped about them.

Even every time Meng Qingyuan went out, he would be mocked by some of the neighbor's children. Over time, Meng Qingyuan also stopped liking to go out.

The woman never mentioned these things to Meng Ji, as she didn't want to cause him any trouble.

The woman smiled when she heard this.

"Good boy, from now on your mother will be counting on you to support me."

The woman suppressed her grief, looked at Meng Qingyuan, and smiled.

Meng Qingyuan carefully put away the envelope left by Zhou Chu, afraid of losing it.

That night, Meng Qingyuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The day's experience made him feel like he was in a dream. He had transformed from an illegitimate child into a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Southern Garrison.

The identity of being an illegitimate child and his mother's status as a mistress brought him a lot of trouble, but Meng Qingyuan never resented his father and mother because of it. He knew the story of his parents back then, and he knew very well that his father was also forced into it. Back then, his grandmother threatened to kill herself to force him to marry his mother and father, which would be unfilial. In the end, he had no choice but to compromise.

Moreover, over the years, his father had never shortchanged him and his mother in terms of food and daily necessities, and Meng Qingyuan had never stopped receiving instruction in martial arts. Only now did Meng Qingyuan realize that his father had planned ahead for him from the very beginning, otherwise he would not have insisted on him learning martial arts.

After all, he was a civil official.

Meng Qingyuan missed his father. He wished he could go see his father the day after he put on his Imperial Guard robes.

Lost in thought, Meng Qingyuan fell asleep.

The next morning, Meng Qingyuan was awakened by the loud crowing of his own rooster.

He opened his eyes groggily, and then, as if realizing something, he sprang to his feet.

Meng Qingyuan got dressed and went to the courtyard, where his mother was already washing up.

"Mother, I won't be late, will I?"

Meng Qingyuan looked at his mother with some trepidation.

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled and shook her head.

"It's not even dawn yet, how could you be late? The government offices haven't opened yet, no need to rush."

"That's what the woman said."

Seeing her son's dazed look, the woman's initial sadness lessened somewhat.

Upon hearing this, Meng Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief and then began to wash up. After his mother finished cooking, he ate a couple of bites but couldn't sit still any longer.

"I won't eat, Mother. Don't be late again. I'll wait at the entrance of the South Garrison Command. It's always good to go early on the first day."

As Meng Qingyuan spoke, he picked up a steamed bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and then walked outside.

"Go on, but don't be so impulsive. Be steady. People in the government dislike impulsive people the most."

The woman looked at her son and gave him some instructions.

"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing."

Meng Qingyuan had already stepped out the door when he said this.

Meng Qingyuan's home was relatively remote, about ten miles away from the Southern Garrison Command. This was quite far in the capital city at that time. The capital city was not the capital city of later generations, but the inner city, with the total length of the four walls being only about fifty miles, and each wall being only a dozen miles long.

Fortunately, Meng Qingyuan had practiced martial arts since childhood and trained diligently every day, so he didn't feel tired and soon arrived at the gate of the Southern Garrison Office.

The Southern Garrison Command was already open, with Imperial Guards on duty at the entrance.