Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

After reporting for duty, Gao Zhao did not leave the Gatekeeper's Office immediately, but stayed behind to familiarize himself with the duties of the Gatekeeper and the corresponding procedures.

Then it was discovered that this doorkeeper was just a handyman and errand runner!

Within the Gemen Division, specific business operations are overseen by the Deputy Gemen Envoy, who then assigns tasks to the relevant supervisors, namely the Attendants. The Attendants then formulate corresponding plans, which are finally executed by the Gemen Attendants.

Among these jobs, some are leisurely, some are busy, and some are just pure, miserable tasks!

For example, the job that Gao Zhao was just assigned was a really tough job!

The morning court session begins before dawn, but they must be on duty by 3 a.m. to make the necessary preparations.

At dawn, all officials were summoned, their identities were verified, and they were ordered to line up in order. There was a specific method to this, as the order of the officials was not simply based on their rank.

The Song Dynasty had a system called the "Combined Rank System," which was a complex system that combined various official ranks such as those with official salaries, those with temporary assignments, and those with supplementary positions.

Gao Zhaoguang felt a headache just from glancing at the list of students to be combined into one class, let alone memorizing it!

In addition, the court etiquette, the advances and retreats, the responses and chants, and the strict rules and regulations were extremely rigorous. Without the guidance of an elder, it was easy to make mistakes by simply memorizing the book.

He waited in the duty room until his shift ended, but not a single person came to give him any pointers or guidance. Zhao Dunwen avoided showing his face from beginning to end. Gao Zhao was not in a hurry at all. He packed up the books and went straight out of the palace to return home.

Walking down the street, he couldn't understand why Zhao Dunwen would entrust such an important task to a newcomer like himself. Was he not afraid that Zhao Dunwen would mess it up?

But on second thought, I roughly understood. People who have climbed up from the bottom are already very familiar with things like class integration and etiquette. In their eyes, these things are child's play and not worth mentioning at all!

Even if someone is not very smart, can't they learn this little bit in a whole day?

Simply put, they haven't mentored newcomers and lack experience in leading teams.

Gao Zhao decided to teach him a lesson so that he would remember the importance of "mentorship" within a team!

After dinner, he went to sleep immediately. He was woken up by Feng Sanniang around 4 a.m. He got up groggily, washed up, changed into a blue official robe, and then went out under the moonlight.

At this time, Bianliang City was still bustling with activity. The streets of Maxing were brightly lit, and people were still eating, drinking, and chatting at the food stalls everywhere.

Gao Zhao was certain: these guys had no home!

The carriage traveled all the way to Xuande Gate, where the palace gate had already been opened in advance by the officials on duty. Gao Zhao got out of the carriage, took out his personal copper waist token, and handed it to the guards at the gate for verification. After being granted permission to enter, he stepped into the imperial city.

As soon as I entered the gatehouse on the side of the palace gate, I saw several old guards on duty already in place, each wrapped in a thin cotton robe, looking tired as they flipped through the documents left over from yesterday.

Some people caught a glimpse of Gao Zhao in his brand-new blue robe, and they exchanged glances without making a sound, knowing that this was the newcomer that Zhao Sheren had specially arranged to lead the morning court ceremony.

Gao Zhao was also sizing them up; what a bunch of old fogies!

It's only August and people are already wearing cotton robes. Unlike me, I'm full of energy and don't feel cold at all!

Before long, Zhao Dunwen, dressed in a green robe, slowly stepped into the duty room. His gaze swept over Gao Zhao indifferently, and his tone revealed neither joy nor anger: "It's getting late. The officials of the Louyuan Court will arrive one after another. Today, all the civil and military officials of the Chuigong Hall are present. You and Zhao Shanren will check and guide the roster and the division of the roster. Do not make any mistakes."

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

Gao Zhao glanced at the young man standing next to him and immediately understood. Zhao Dunwen wasn't incapable of mentoring newcomers; he was using him as a comparison group!

If I'm not mistaken, this Zhao Shanren is his nephew, who has been waiting anxiously for a permanent position but has yet to be appointed.

This is a deliberate attempt to embarrass himself in order to highlight Zhao Shanren's ability to turn the tide!

Haha... This guy is really interesting!

Naïve to the point of being foolish!

You've climbed to your current position step by step through your own abilities, which is indeed a path to promotion, but that doesn't mean it's the only path!

Besides their regular duties, the most important value of the Gemensi (a type of official) lies in being a meritorious subject who receives imperial favor. This value even surpasses their regular duties!

You may want to show off your nephew's abilities, but you can't step on me!

Don't you realize that I am a palace attendant appointed by the Emperor himself? If you make me look foolish, it's not just me who loses face, it's the Emperor who loses face!

What an absolute idiot!

When Gao Zhao and his entourage left the public quarters and arrived at the Chuigong Hall, the left and right Jinwu Guards, the left and right squads of the Hall Commander, and the Imperial Dragon Bone-wielding Guards were already in formation and had completed the clearing work.

The elite guards, including the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Weapon Officers, and the Gatekeepers, went directly into the inner hall of the Chuigong Hall to stand guard.

After Gao Qiu finished inspecting the guards at the Palace Gate, he was leading a group of officials to prepare to enter the palace to take their leave when he ran into Gao Zhao. He was stunned!

What are you doing here?

Gao Zhao declared confidently, "I am the Palace Attendant, responsible for guiding the officials into court!"

"Nonsense!" Gao Qiu frowned and scolded in a low voice, "You just reported for duty yesterday, you're not familiar with class procedures or etiquette, what right do you have to guide the officials!"

Gao Zhao immediately retorted angrily, "What are you yelling at me for? This is an order from my superior in the Palace Gate Division! It's not in your Palace Guard Division, so how dare you interfere in matters here?"

Zhao Dunwen stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "Lord Gao is exceptionally intelligent; he should gain practical experience as soon as possible!"

Although Gao Qiu held a high position and wielded great power, Zhao Dunwen was not afraid of him. The Gemensi was under the jurisdiction of the Zhongshu Sheng, and the three departments could not interfere with personnel appointments, removals, or transfers.

Gao Qiu gave Zhao Dunwen a deep look, nodded, and said, "Thank you for your trouble!"

"You're too kind!" Zhao Dunwen smiled slightly, then turned and instructed, "Gao Zhao, you'll be in charge of guiding the civil officials today!"

"Yes!" Gao Zhao agreed without hesitation.

Zhao Dunwen bowed to Gao Qiu again, then turned to greet the two chief ministers, princes, members of the imperial clan, and others.

He bowed to such a powerful and influential person with practiced ease, led him into the waiting courtyard for a short rest, and then withdrew.

He first glanced at Zhao Shanren and saw that he was guiding the generals in the order of their ranks in an orderly manner without any omissions. He then nodded in satisfaction and went to check on Gao Zhao.

The civil service ranking system is much more complicated than that of the military. Their titles are very complex, and it is easy to make mistakes just by looking at their official positions and assignments. Their official posts and additional titles are symbols of their status. Gao Zhao, a newcomer, must be making a lot of mistakes and feeling very embarrassed right now!

As soon as he entered, he heard a voice rebuking him: "How did you arrange the order like this? I hold the position of Attendant-in-Waiting of the Heavenly Pavilion, an official in the emperor's entourage. I should be ranked before the Grand Master of the Palace. Why have you placed me here? Who taught you to arrange things this way?"

"Don't take it out on me!" Gao Zhao said innocently, "I was just following orders!"

The official flew into a rage: "Whose orders are you on?!"

"That's an interesting question. Of course, it's my servant, Xuanzan!"

"How dare this lowly attendant dare to humiliate me like this! What's his name?!"

"Zhao Dunwen!"

……

Zhao Dunwen was completely numb. Standing in the autumn wind of August, he felt a chill run down his spine and was covered in cold sweat!