Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Gao Zhao was very happy. The question that had been puzzling him had been answered. Since he was a good person, it was only right that he should go see his sister-in-law on his day off tomorrow!

Thinking of this, his thoughts drifted away, and he didn't even hear what the old man said later about the three grades of nature, the two divisions of temperament, and the differentiation of principle.

However, the old man was kind; he only spoke his own mind, and as for how much Gao Zhao could learn, he believed in fate and didn't force it.

I felt that this person was a bit contradictory. He was clearly teaching me something, but many times he would tell me to sit in oblivion and throw away all those messy thoughts. It was quite contradictory!

After finishing his meal, Gao Zhao excitedly headed towards the dormitory, wanting to show off his newly learned debate on good and evil. Of course, showing off was not his intention; his purpose was to elicit further discussion.

When they arrived at the dormitory, they were dumbfounded to find a large group of people gathered together, discussing righteousness and profit. Several scholars from the Imperial Academy were also involved, debating with each other in a lively and bustling manner!

These people are no longer just arguing about righteousness and profit; they're using current affairs as a pretext for criticism!

Some even went so far as to say that Grand Tutor Cai claimed to be a proponent of the new laws, but his actions contradicted them.

Holy crap! Are you all this brave?!

Gao Zhao was a little flustered, wondering if he would end up getting into trouble himself!

We need to ask Gao Qiu to help us with this!

Forget about showing off, he pulled the instructor out of the crowd, said hello, and ran out of the Imperial Academy!

Once outside the Biyong Hall, he disregarded everything else, found a carriage, and raced home.

Who was Grand Tutor Cai? He was a notorious traitor, the kind who spared no effort in eliminating dissidents!

Of course, he himself was not afraid, but as the only loyal subject of the Song Dynasty, if he were to be targeted by him at this time, he would definitely nip him in the bud.

For the sake of the Song Dynasty, for the sake of the people, and for the sake of the government, he had to seek help from Gao Qiu!

Upon returning to the palace, Gao Zhao learned that Gao Qiu was home that day. He was overjoyed, absolutely delighted by Gao Qiu's habit of skipping work!

Gao Zhao carefully pushed open the door and entered the study, where he saw Gao Qiu writing and drawing, clearly busy with the military review before the suburban sacrifice.

"My lord." Gao Zhao stepped forward and bowed respectfully. After all, he needed a favor from the other party, so he had to be respectful. For the sake of the Song Dynasty, he should be humble and not lose face!

Gao Qiu looked up at the sound, glanced at him, then looked at the sky outside, frowned slightly, and said with displeasure, "Today is not a day off, why are you back at this time?"

Gao Zhao almost laughed out of anger when he saw his face. How dare you say such a thing to me!

You know today isn't a day off, so why are you at home?

However, now was clearly not the time to dwell on this issue. Gao Zhao took a deep breath and said seriously, "My lord, something has happened in the Biyong Hall. I sensed something was wrong, so I came back specifically to report to you, lest the situation get out of control and we be caught off guard!"

"Stop making baseless accusations!" Gao Qiu paused, silently put down his pen, and said calmly, "I am a military officer. What business does the affairs of Biyong have with me? Have you caused trouble again?"

Gao Zhao looked conflicted and stammered, "Well...it does have some connection..."

"Hmph!" Gao Qiu snorted coldly, looking as if he had just expected it, and said in a deep voice, "Speak! What trouble have you caused this time? Have you offended the officials in the Imperial Academy?"

"No, no..." Gao Zhao waved his hands repeatedly, explaining, "These days, the students in the Imperial Academy are debating the issue of righteousness versus profit, arguing endlessly, and even using current affairs as examples to criticize the government..."

"That's all?" Gao Qiu was taken aback, his expression suspicious. "Aren't these imperial students always like this? What's so surprising?"

"Something's not right this time!" Gao Zhao hurriedly explained, "It all started when a student had some questions about the Great Learning and asked his classmates for help. Then it gradually sparked a debate about righteousness and profit, which then attracted more people to participate. Now it's getting more and more intense, and almost all of the more than two thousand students in Biyong are involved."

"Hmm?" Gao Qiu frowned, his expression turning serious. After a long pause, he said, "There is indeed something strange about this matter. The court is currently peaceful and there are no major events that could trigger such a large-scale controversy. It seems that someone is manipulating things behind the scenes!"

"My lord, that's what I think too!" Gao Zhao quickly chimed in, "Grand Tutor Cai is promoting new laws, and the new learning is official learning. Now, many people are using the concepts of righteousness and profit in the new learning to criticize Grand Tutor Cai's policies. I'm afraid their real intentions are not what they seem."

Gao Qiu nodded in deep agreement, then suddenly asked curiously, "The students of the Imperial Academy are debating the debate between righteousness and profit, but what does this have to do with you?"

Gao Zhao choked. These words seemed ordinary, but they were full of contempt for him. What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? Am I not a student of the Imperial Academy?

"Um... I'm the student who asked my classmate for help with the 'Great Learning'..."

Gao Qiu was taken aback: "You even read 'The Great Learning'?"

Gao Zhao nodded shyly: "Just skimming..."

Gao Qiu: "..."

You've really gotten yourself into trouble while studying!

"This matter is clearly someone using it as an excuse to target Grand Tutor Cai; it has nothing to do with you!"

"I know that, I'm just afraid that others might try to use me to implicate the adults!"

"You're oversimplifying things! Grand Tutor Cai isn't stupid; he won't fall for that so easily!" Gao Qiu sneered. "However, it's never good to be in a compromising situation. You should go to the Imperial Academy and ask for a few days' leave to avoid the limelight!"

"Yes!" Gao Zhao responded, then looked troubled and said, "It's just that asking for leave might be difficult; I've never done it before..."

Gao Qiu interrupted with a cold laugh, "You didn't ask for leave, then who was that person who fought with Guo Weize at Xiaoxiang Pavilion a few days ago?"

"Your Excellency is right, I will go and do it right away!" Gao Zhao's expression changed drastically, and he fled in panic, riding his horse straight to Biyong.

"What? You're asking for leave again?" Xueyu stared wide-eyed at Gao Zhao, his face full of disbelief. He didn't know how Gao Zhao could even bring himself to ask for leave.

You've only been back from your leave for a few days! And here we go again!

Gao Zhao said with a sorrowful expression, "My uncle is seriously ill!"

Suppressing his anger, Xueyu gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't your uncle just pass away a few days ago?!"

Gao Zhao: "I have three uncles!"

Instructor: "..."

Judging from your tone, you still have time to ask for leave!

A moment later, Gao Zhao left with a smile on his face, holding the leave slip. Just as he was about to go back, someone called out to him, "Brother Gao, please wait!"

Turning his head, he saw Chen Dong, who had brought a young student with him.

"Brother, this classmate's name is Xu Qing. He's run into some trouble and would like to ask for your help!"

"Oh? What's the trouble?" Gao Zhao didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked the reason with a stern face. He had done a lot of good deeds and understood a principle: things that are easily obtained are often not cherished by the other party, let alone appreciated.

"I...I was in a den of iniquity...I owed money..." Xu Qing said, head down, face flushed.