Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

A sharp shout startled Li Qiaoniang, who quickly stood up straight and dared not jump anymore.

Gao Zhao was engrossed in his reading when he was suddenly interrupted. He frowned and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Qian Bao'er running over angrily and standing in front of Li Qiaoniang, her eyes blazing with fury.

With his view blocked, Gao Zhao tried to turn his head several times, but Qian Bao'er's unremarkable figure kept his view completely obstructed. He immediately said unhappily, "What are you doing?"

Qian Bao'er sneered repeatedly: "What am I doing? I should be asking you what you're doing!"

Seeing that she and Gao Zhao were at odds, Li Qiaoniang was afraid that she would offend the other party, so she hurriedly explained, "Bao'er, don't misunderstand, the young official wants to eat pomegranates and asked me to pick them for him..."

Gao Zhao nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes!"

"Pah! Do you want to eat pomegranates? You want to..." Qian Bao'er opened her mouth, wanting to expose Gao Zhao's dark thoughts, but she swallowed the words back. As a girl, it was not appropriate to say such dirty things.

Looking up, Qian Bao'er saw Gao Zhao's sly smile and was suddenly enraged. She turned and whispered Gao Zhao's filthy thoughts into Li Qiaoniang's ear.

Upon hearing this, Li Qiaoniang was taken aback. She first looked at the pomegranate above her head, then looked down at the bulging, high mounds on her chest. Her face flushed red instantly. She glanced shyly at Gao Zhao, stomped her feet, covered her face, and ran away.

As Gao Zhao watched Qiao Niang's surging figure, wave after wave, he couldn't help but feel his throat churning again. Only after Li Qiao Niang had run far away did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze. When he turned his head, he saw Qian Bao'er glaring at him angrily.

"Look at you, what nonsense are you spouting to Qiaoniang, making that young girl so embarrassed!" Gao Zhao shook his head and sighed.

Qian Bao'er never expected this纨绔 (playboy) to accuse her first and then turn the tables on her. Enraged, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth, shouting:

"Shameless! Do you think I don't know your ulterior motives? You're clearly flirting with Qiaoniang and taking advantage of her, and you even dare...you...what are you going to do!"

Qian Bao'er was in the middle of her rant when she saw Gao Zhao suddenly stand up and approach her directly. She was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly until she was blocked by a pomegranate tree and had nowhere left to go.

Gao Zhao's lips curled into a smile. He raised his hand and lifted the maid's chin, looking at the flustered little girl. He raised an eyebrow and said flippantly, "What? Is Bao'er jealous?"

These words struck Qian Bao'er's heart like a scalding ember.

She froze, her clear almond-shaped eyes widened suddenly, the anger in them instantly replaced by panic, and her ears burned bright red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her fair cheeks.

You...you're talking nonsense! Who...who's jealous!

"Really not?" Gao Zhao took another step closer, his gaze fixed intently on her, and whispered in her ear, "Then why are you blushing?"

"Who...who's blushing!"

Qian Bao'er panicked and at a loss, pressing her hands tightly against Gao Zhao's chest, trying to push away the reckless young man in front of her. However, with her bones and muscles weak and numb, her meager strength was like a dragonfly skimming the water, completely useless. Instead, she appeared even more delicate and powerless, seemingly both resisting and welcoming him.

Gao Zhao looked down at her, watching her feign composure and stubbornness. His smile deepened, and he lowered his voice, his warm breath brushing against her reddened earlobe, tender yet flirtatious: "Not blushing? What kind of rouge did you put on, my darling? It's so rosy. How about I taste it... Ouch!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qian Bao'er stomped hard on his foot. Taking advantage of his wincing in pain, she ducked under his arm and darted away. Only after running a long distance did she turn back to her, baring her teeth and glaring angrily.

Seeing that Gao Zhao was about to chase after him again, he quickly turned and ran like a rabbit, which only made Gao Zhao laugh out loud.

Gao Yi, who had been hiding to the side and witnessed the whole scene, stamped his feet and pounded his chest, saying, "You're not eating, so why are you always poking at her food?"

Gao Qiu wasted a lot of time today. It was past noon and he still hadn't eaten. He wanted to ask the kitchen to prepare food, but then he thought that since the servants had finally gotten some free time, it would seem like he didn't know how to be considerate of his servants if he made them work harder.

There's plenty of food outside, might as well go out and grab a bite, and maybe even catch a glimpse of those scantily clad young women...

Gao Zhao went out and walked along Ma Xing Street. After buying some food to fill his stomach, he bought a shaved ice cream from a beverage shop. He ate as he walked and enjoyed the scenery along the street. He was very happy.

After walking for a while, they suddenly realized they had arrived in the vicinity of Fengqiu Gate... Lin Chong's family lived here...

Gao Zhao originally planned to go directly to Biyong, but then he thought about his sister-in-law's attitude towards him last time, and realized that she must have misunderstood him, so he decided to go and explain.

"Sister-in-law, open the door, it's me, Lin..."

Gao Zhao banged on the door, and as soon as he called out, the door opened, and a small head peeked out—it was Zhang Zhenniang.

"Oh! It's you!" Zhang Zhenniang blushed as soon as she saw who it was, recalling the embarrassing scene from that day. Then she remembered him saying his legs were sore, and she got a little angry.

She went back and smelled it; there was no smell at all. It was clearly a deliberate trick. She immediately said in a stiff tone:

"What are you doing here? My brother-in-law has been called away on errands by the military instructor these days. If you want to see him, you'd better go somewhere else!"

Seeing her like this, Gao Zhao found her adorable. He rolled his eyes and stared straight at her, saying, "I'm not here to see Instructor Lin, I... I'm here to see you."

"what!"

Zhang Zhenniang gasped, taking a half-step back and gripping the doorframe with one hand. Her ears flushed a light red, and she frowned, both embarrassed and annoyed. "What nonsense are you talking about... I... I've only met you once. What do you want with me...?"

Gao Zhao sighed softly, his eyes burning with passion as he looked at her. "Alas, I think I'm probably ill. Ever since I saw you last time, I haven't been able to eat or sleep. You're all I see, whether I'm walking or sitting..."

"How...how could you say such filthy things..." Zhang Zhenniang had never heard such straightforward words of love before. She blushed with embarrassment, her face turning red from her ears to her neck, and then spreading to her deep cleavage. Her whole body was delicate and beautiful, pink and tender, making her even more lovable.

Gao Zhao pressed his advantage, stepping forward and whispering, "Young lady, I'm preparing to propose to your father. Are you willing?"

"Ah!" Zhang Zhenniang exclaimed softly, taking a step back and quickly covering her mouth. She lowered her head shyly, not daring to look at him, and said in a coquettish voice, "How can you ask a girl like me about such things? It's all arranged by my parents..."

"I want to ask about your feelings, young lady!" Gao Zhao wasn't about to let her off the hook, pressing her relentlessly as he continued to press her for answers.

"I...I don't know you...My sister said you're a bad person..."

"How could I not recognize you? I've kissed your feet!"

"You!" Zhang Zhenniang trembled, quickly pulling her foot back. She felt a tingling sensation on the sole of her foot, and when she looked up, she saw his teasing smile. She immediately knew he was playing a trick on her, and was both ashamed and angry. She snapped, "You really are no good person!"

With that, he slammed the door shut.

Gao Zhao laughed heartily, and without even knocking on the door, said, "That's enough for today. Now it's time to go to the brothel!"