After traveling through time, I was raised by a little brat

Mo Wenyu grew up in the bustling, magnificent Imperial City. This city holds countless fond memories and childhood joys. However, her fate changed dramatically when she was 12 years old.

At that time, Mo Wenyu's father, the highly respected General Mo, shouldered the heavy responsibility of defending his country and led his army in a fierce battle against the aggressive barbarians. However, General Mo unexpectedly suffered repeated setbacks on the battlefield and suffered defeat after defeat.

The most brutal battle took place in the crucial city of Yizhou. General Mo and his men desperately held this last line of defense, trapped within the city for 25 days and nights! They desperately awaited reinforcements, but ultimately, they were met with despair. Deprived of supplies, General Mo and his soldiers starved and froze, ultimately succumbing to starvation within the isolated city. Even more tragically, the 18 innocent civilians within were not spared either, brutally massacred by the barbarians.

This was already a heartbreaking tragedy, but the story didn't end there. Following General Mo's heroic death, his nefarious political enemies seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and slander against him. They falsely accused General Mo of treason and claimed to have found a letter from a barbarian prince in his study. This letter detailed how General Mo had feigned defeat in three battles, orchestrating a scheme to force Zhao to cede territory and pay indemnities.

At this critical juncture, the frail and aged Emperor suddenly fell ill, and the court became turbulent. The princes fought openly and covertly for the throne, engaging in power struggles. The exact decree convicting General Mo of treason and ordering the execution of his entire clan remains unknown.

In this way, the Mo family suffered a devastating disaster: all adult men in the family were beheaded in public, the women were exiled to remote and cold places to suffer, and young girls who had not yet reached the age of marriage were sent to the Jiaofangsi - that terrible place that specialized in training official prostitutes.

Mo Wenyu had already spent three years in the Jiaofangsi. Time was fleeting, and next month she would be celebrating her coming-of-age ceremony. This also meant that she would have to start accepting clients and enter a world that filled her with fear and disgust.

Just then, a new emperor ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty. This news was like a ray of hope, illuminating the corner of Mo Wenyu's heart longing for freedom. So, she resolutely left the Jiaofang Bureau, deeply concerned for her loved ones, and embarked on a long journey to find her mother and grandmother, who had been exiled to Youzhou.

However, fate always seems to play tricks on those in vulnerable situations. Although Mo Wenyu knew that her beauty was a sin when she wasn't strong enough to protect herself, she underestimated the dangers of the outside world. To avoid conspicuousness, after leaving the Jiaofangsi, she smeared a thick layer of dust on her face, neck, and hands, attempting to conceal her natural beauty. Unfortunately, she remained in the thin, sheer gauze dress issued by the Jiaofangsi, barely revealing her graceful figure.

The moment she stepped out of the Imperial City, several malicious eyes locked onto her. Unfortunately, she eventually caught the attention of a group of street thugs. Fortunately, they didn't insult her outright, as she had imagined. Instead, they treated her as a commodity to be traded for money and sold her to a caravan heading to Yangzhou. Hidden within this caravan were human traffickers, their bags filled with women scavenged or abducted from the Imperial City.

After a bumpy journey, they finally arrived in Yangzhou. Naturally, the traffickers, not wanting to miss any opportunity to make money, immediately seized Mo Wenyu, forcibly washed her face, and dressed her in gorgeous clothes. Taking advantage of Mo Wenyu's outstanding appearance and temperament, the traffickers easily sold her to the largest brothel in the area. From then on, Mo Wenyu once again fell into an endless abyss of darkness...

Amid the bustling brothels of Yangzhou, a woman named Mo Wenyu stood out. Not only was she strikingly beautiful and elegant, but she was also incredibly talented, possessing a mastery of the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Throughout Yangzhou, Mo Wenyu's name was known to everyone.

However, these days of glory were short-lived. One day, a group of noble young men from the imperial city arrived. Having heard of Mo Wenyu's fame, they came to see her beauty. One of them fell in love with her at first sight and insisted on marrying her. Although Mo Wenyu adhered to her principle of selling her art rather than her body, she was ultimately no match for the powerful, and her innocence was ultimately tarnished.

However, this was just a whim of the man. On his way back, he mercilessly abandoned Mo Wenyu in the brothel, leaving her to fend for herself. The once highly respected and admired upright official was now reduced to a prostitute, his status plummeting.

In just three years, Mo Wenyu's worth steadily declined, her former glory vanishing. Fortunately, after years of hard work and savings, she was finally on the verge of scraping together enough money, and joyfully began planning to redeem herself. Once free, she planned to travel to Youzhou to find her long-lost mother, honor her, and live out the rest of her life.

However, fate is like a naughty child who loves to play tricks on people, always dealing a heavy blow when people are full of hope. Just when Mo Wenyu was about to realize her dream, the wife of Liu County's tax ambassador passed away due to illness.

Before her death, the wife was most concerned about her children. She feared her husband would marry a woman of equal status, which would lead to her children being bullied. So, she begged her brother to help her find a barren woman to be her husband's second wife, so that she could take care of the children wholeheartedly.

As the saying goes, "A rich family marries a daughter, a poor family marries a wife." This is common sense. The tax ambassador's current position was entirely due to the support and assistance of his wife's family. Faced with his wife's final wishes and her family's arrangements, he naturally dared not disobey and could only accept them silently. Thus, by chance, Mo Wenyu became the tax ambassador's second wife.

After her marriage, Mo Wenyu's life in the Xia family was harmonious and happy. Master Xia showed her immense care and concern. He not only gave her the authority to manage household affairs, allowing her to fully utilize her talents and keep them in good order, but also allowed her relative freedom, allowing her to plan every aspect of her life according to her own preferences. Furthermore, Master Xia showed her due respect, consulting with her on all matters and listening to her opinions and suggestions. This relationship of equality and mutual respect brought Mo Wenyu a deep sense of happiness and satisfaction.

Just recently, the chief clerk at the county yamen strongly recommended her to teach Miss Tang there. Mo Wenyu was filled with gratitude for this opportunity, as it was not only a recognition of her abilities but also a rare form of help and support. She understood the immense responsibility of this teaching assignment, but with her solid knowledge and extensive experience, she was confident she could accomplish it with distinction, further demonstrating her value and perhaps even gaining access to news from Youzhou.