Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"Zhao Dunwen, you're a veteran of the Gatekeeper's Office! How could you make such a basic mistake!"

"You're deliberately tarnishing the reputation of our Gemensi!"

"I, Cao You, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. Go ask the four officers of the Imperial Guard if anyone treats me with any courtesy! But today, you have utterly disgraced me!"

"Did you see that scoundrel Pan Zhengfu's face over there in the west? He's mocking me!"

……

As soon as the court assembly ended, the two gatekeepers summoned all the gatekeepers on duty that day and began to hurl insults at them as soon as they entered.

Zhao Dunwen was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head, and his back was bent so low that it almost touched the ground!

Gao Zhao stood calmly in the back of the trembling queue of gatekeepers.

Looking at the scene before him, he was quite moved. Old Cao came from a noble family and had been pampered since childhood. He had always been kind to his subordinates, but he never expected to get so angry today.

It seems that he was embarrassed and angry!

Seeing his superior being scolded like this, he felt somewhat sorry for him and secretly thought that Lao Cao was not very good at leading a team!

How could you scold your subordinates in public! Especially in front of your subordinates' subordinates, wouldn't that embarrass Zhao Dunwen?

If your authority is lost in the future, how can you command respect? Once the people's hearts are scattered, it will be difficult to lead the team!

Just as Gao Zhao was worrying about the management of the Gemensi team in the future, the other Gemensi on duty couldn't help but glance at him, the culprit, and their expressions became even stranger when they saw his appearance!

No, you've caused such a huge mess, how come you're still so calm, acting like nothing happened!

You're so carefree!

After Cao Youyi vented his anger, he was panting heavily and glared at Zhao Dunwen. The deputy envoy of the palace gate quickly stepped forward to smooth things over and said in a deep voice, "Envoy Cao, please calm down. Getting angry now will not help. The most urgent task is to find out the source of the error so that we can give the Emperor an explanation."

This was considered a way out, and Cao You's chest heaved. He flicked his sleeve, snorted coldly, turned away, and said no more.

The deputy envoy turned to look at Zhao Dunwen, who was bowing deeply, and softened his tone, saying gently, "Zhao Dunwen, you are a veteran of the department, and I have watched you grow step by step. The Palace Attendant and I have always placed high hopes on you, but how could you make such a grave mistake this time?"

"I...I..." Zhao Dun was also stunned by today's unexpected turn of events, stammering and not knowing how to answer for a moment.

The deputy envoy sighed and said, "You are the chief attendant in charge of supervising the procession, and you are responsible for overseeing the entire procession's etiquette and the order of inspection. Today, the imperial court is in chaos, and the officials are questioning us. You should speak first: where exactly did the problem lie?"

Zhao Dunwen's back was stiff, and a layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He glanced at Gao Zhao in the back row out of the corner of his eye, hesitated for a moment, and instinctively chose to shift the blame: "Reporting to the Deputy Envoy, today's task of guiding civil officials was assigned to the newly arrived Gao Zhao... However, I repeatedly reminded him this morning to follow the order of the shifts, but I don't know why he messed up the order when he was doing the task."

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes in the room turned to the back of the room and fixed on Gao Zhao in the queue.

The other gatekeepers couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. On his very first day in office, he had caused such a disaster. Even if he had powerful backers, his days in the Gatekeeper's Office would not be easy in the future!

Gao Zhao, however, remained calm and showed no fear. Instead, he stepped forward and bowed to the two gatekeepers, saying, "Today's mistake was indeed due to my lack of competence. I am willing to accept punishment for this dereliction of duty!"

The two gatekeepers glanced at him, then simultaneously looked away, exchanging bewildered glances before finally fixing their gaze on Zhao Dunwen.

"Zhao Dunwen, how dare you! Guiding officials is a matter of court etiquette, not to be taken lightly! You've appointed a newcomer who's been in office for less than a day to this task—what are your intentions?!"

Cao You flew into a rage again, slamming his fist on the table with a loud thud. This time, the Deputy Envoy of the Palace Gate did not speak up to plead for him.

It's not that they're trying to favor Gao Zhao, but the blame is too big for a newcomer like Gao Zhao to bear!

The emperor wasn't stupid; Gao Zhao was someone he had personally appointed, so he might remember the date Gao Zhao joined the office.

If all the blame were placed on Gao Zhao, it would not only be unacceptable to the officials, but would also confirm the Gemensi's crime of being perfunctory and negligent in its duties.

That's not giving an explanation to the officials; that's fooling them, and doing it very carelessly!

Is it necessary for me to take this risk for Zhao Dunwen?

So, all things considered, Zhao Dunwen is the most suitable person to take the blame!

Zhao Dunwen froze, his face turned deathly pale, and his legs trembled slightly. His earlier attempt to shift the blame was completely crushed by this angry rebuke.

He hurriedly bent over with a thud, his forehead almost touching the back of his hand, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate is guilty! It was your fault for being foolish! It was your failure to supervise properly and to misjudge personnel! You should never have entrusted such an important military and national matter as guiding the court assembly to a newcomer who had just joined the department. It was a dereliction of duty on your part, and you two superiors are requested to punish me!"

Cao You's anger subsided slightly. He turned to his deputy and said in a deep voice, "What do you think should be done?"

"Zhao Dunwen, you're blinded by greed! Your little schemes can't be hidden from anyone, so I won't expose you!"

The deputy envoy hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhao Dunwen with disappointment in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Considering your many years of service in the Imperial Palace and your consistent diligence, I will not impose a severe punishment! You will be suspended from your duties for three months and have your salary deducted for half a year, effective immediately, as a form of reprimand. Do you accept your punishment?"

"This humble servant accepts the punishment..." Zhao Dunwen bowed and accepted the punishment, but his heart was filled with both joy and sorrow.

The good news is that he was only temporarily suspended and penalized, not dismissed, and still has a chance to make a comeback.

Tragically, this punishment will cause his position in the Bureau of Imperial Household to plummet, and it will also be a stain on his record in the Ministry of Personnel's assessment, making the process of evaluation extremely difficult!

He felt extremely bitter. He never expected that his attempt to control the newcomer and get rid of his mistakes would backfire, resulting in him losing all his authority and face.

All the other servants in the hall held their breath and lowered their heads, none daring to speak.

As everyone watched Zhao Dunwen being punished, and then looked at Gao Zhao who remained calm and composed throughout, a storm of emotions surged within them.

This kid knocked out an old man who had been working in the Gemensi for half his life on his very first day here. He's definitely not someone to mess with!

Seeing that the punishment was settled, Gao Zhao bowed again and said, "My two superiors, this matter was all caused by me, and now Zhao Sheren is being punished. I cannot bear it and am willing to share the blame!"

Cao You glanced at him, knowing that this kid was acting innocent after getting a good deal. He was even more annoyed that his attempt to compete with Zhao Dunwen would implicate the Gemensi and cause him to lose face, so he didn't bother with him anymore.

Vice Envoy Shi sighed and said, "You were appointed by the Emperor to the Palace Gate to observe court discussions and familiarize yourself with court etiquette. You should not be in charge of this matter. This has nothing to do with you. It is Zhao Dunwen's fault for acting recklessly."

Oh dear, what a mess this has become!

Gao Zhao sighed and had no choice but to retreat.