Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Emperor Huizong strode away, glanced at the two men, and then went directly to his desk to sit down and begin handling state affairs.

Gao Zhao looked up, somewhat surprised. "I'm already a foolish ruler, is it really necessary for me to handle state affairs personally?"

Why not just have the three provinces write it down, and then approve it with red ink?

It's laughable that Emperor Huizong of Song couldn't even be a good, incompetent ruler!

If I were the emperor, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't even attend the morning court session. I would just indulge in extravagance and debauchery every day. I don't care what anyone says!

After busying himself for a while, Zhao Ji said a few words to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch then gave instructions to the attendant who was waiting nearby, and then another attendant relayed the order to Gao Zhao and the other man: "Arrange for the foreign official to have an audience!"

The two men received the order and, carrying official credentials and official certificates, went to verify their identities.

Gao Zhao, being a newcomer, needed to learn as much as possible, so he took on these simple tasks. Meanwhile, his brother, with a stern face and upright posture, patrolled around the officials, exuding an imposing aura, occasionally reprimanding them for their posture, demeanor, and so on...

Those officials dared not speak out in anger, and could only smile and agree repeatedly.

Gao Zhao glanced at the brother and knew that he had been suppressed in the Gemensi for a long time and was holding back his anger. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to vent his anger!

Gao Zhao neither approved nor disapproved of this behavior; he could understand it, but he did not advocate it.

As an official, one must uphold impartiality. Although one may have a little power, it is all granted by the government and the court, so how can one abuse it?

Wouldn't this betray the emperor's trust?

This is not good!

He would never do such a thing!

Gao Zhao believes that this is mainly because he has a peaceful mindset and is kind to everyone!

After he finished his work, he had the attendant lead the officials who were standing guard inside to pay their respects to the emperor.

Then he walked up to the green-robed official who had been reprimanded and was now red-faced, and smiled, saying, "That brother's words were a bit harsh, but it was for your own good. If you lose your manners in front of the emperor, it will be troublesome! Don't take it to heart!"

"No, no!" The green-robed official waved his hands repeatedly. Although these gatekeepers held low-ranking positions, they were close attendants of the emperor. It might be difficult to get them to help you, but it would be easy for them to ruin your plans.

Gao Zhao was very satisfied with his attitude, nodded, glanced at his attire, and smiled, "Have you come to bid farewell to His Majesty?"

The official nodded and said, "I have been transferred to Yuncheng County as magistrate and am about to take up my post. I have come to Your Majesty to bid you farewell!"

Gao Zhao was taken aback and gave the official a deep look. Wasn't Yuncheng County Song Jiang's territory?

Then the county magistrate must be Shi Wenbin!

"Yuncheng County? Jingdong West Road, that's a wonderful place!" Gao Zhao quickly regained his senses and smiled, "Governing a place brings blessings to the people! With your talent as magistrate, the people of Yuncheng are truly fortunate!"

"You flatter me, Zhige!" Shi Wenbin quickly became modest. After a few polite exchanges, his face relaxed, and his goodwill towards Gao Zhao increased greatly.

[Gratitude points from Shi Wenbin +1]

Gao Zhao then turned to talk to other people, not for any other reason than to make a good impression on them!

Of course, such popularity is of little use. In officialdom, relationships are very pragmatic; the value of a relationship determines its value.

Such petty favors are not worth mentioning at all!

But having something is better than having nothing. At least you can become a familiar face, which will make it easier to deal with people in the future!

Yes, that's how I, Gao Gongming, am. I treat everyone with kindness, consider all people under the sun as brothers, and have friends all over the world!

Before long, a voice called out from inside the hall, "Retreat!" The attendant escorted the person out and then summoned another official in. This process was repeated until nearly noon, when all the officials had been received.

After finishing their work, Gao Zhao and his team were done and could go home. The Emperor would be going to other places to handle government affairs in the afternoon, so they wouldn't be needed here anymore.

However, their work was not yet finished. They still needed to organize the documents from today's official audience and submit them to the East Upper Gate Office for reporting.

The two returned to the desk in the corridor. Gao Zhao followed his colleague and methodically collected the ivory tokens and edicts that had just been verified, stacking them neatly according to the order of audience. Then he went to coordinate the follow-up work with the Palace Guard, the Imperial City Guard, and the Imperial Pharmacy.

After finishing a series of tasks, it was time to go off duty. Gao Zhao stretched, yawned, and left the palace.

I thought working at the Gatekeeper's Office was a leisurely job, but I never expected it to be so busy!

Emperor Huizong of Zhao was such a foolish and heartless ruler!

Fortunately, Zhao Dunwen was suspended from his post, and his duties were taken over by someone else. He no longer had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the palace for his shift. He only needed to show up on time, which made things much easier!

Back home, I felt incredibly tired and was about to go to sleep when I saw Gao Qiu's dark face!

"M-My lord..." Gao Zhao felt a little guilty. He had been somewhat impolite when speaking to Gao Qiu in the palace earlier that day...

But considering Gao Qiu's magnanimity and composure, he probably wouldn't hold it against him!

"Come with me!" Gao Qiu said expressionlessly, then turned and left.

Gao Zhao watched his retreating figure, sighed deeply, and had no choice but to follow him!

That's the downside of living at home; you have no freedom at all and are restricted in every way.

Ah! If only I could move out and live anywhere—in the yard, under the big tree, in the flowerbed… I could be wherever I want, how carefree that would be!

"What exactly happened today?" The two entered the study, and Gao Qiu went straight to the point.

Gao Zhao blinked, looking completely bewildered, and said, "What? What's going on? I was just on duty as usual!"

"On normal duty?" Gao Qiu sneered, tapping the table with his finger. His sharp gaze fixed on Gao Zhao, he said in a deep voice, "You were on normal duty, yet you managed to get Zhao Dunwen fined and suspended?"

Gao Zhao, his face full of shame, said, "It is indeed my fault. I was unfamiliar with the etiquette of the class assembly and messed up the task, even causing Zhao Sheren to be punished. I am very ashamed!"

Gao Qiu remained silent, simply staring coldly at him.

Gao Zhao felt a little uneasy under that gaze, and quickly added, "My lord, this is only my first day in office, and it seems that Zhao Sheren is targeting me. Did you offend him before?"

Gao Qiu almost laughed out of anger. Whenever he was questioned, Gao Qiu would immediately shift the blame and completely absolve himself of any responsibility!

"Don't think you're so clever. Your little tricks have been seen through long ago!"

Gao Qiu's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Do you know what people are saying about you today? You think you're clever, but in other people's eyes, you're just an unruly troublemaker!"

"You may have won against Zhao Dunwen this time, but you've lost the overall battle!"

Seeing that he had made his point clear, Gao Zhao stopped hiding it and said with a grin, "Even so, it's still better than being bullied!"

Gao Qiu shook his head and said, "There are many ways to deal with this, but direct confrontation is definitely not the best strategy. You must understand that officialdom is not about fighting and killing, but about interpersonal relationships and social interactions!"

Gao Zhao curled his lip, dismissively saying, "Social etiquette? Does Zhao Dunwen even deserve it? I'm just throwing a punch to avoid a hundred more!"

Gao Qiu frowned, shook his head, and said, "You think Zhao Dunwen is a complete fool who has been able to stay in the Gemensi for so long? This time, he just underestimated you because he didn't expect you to dare to rebel!"

"Then let's try again!" Gao Zhao straightened his back and said in a spirited tone, "If I can't even handle Zhao Dunwen, how will I overcome any more difficulties in the future?"

Gao Qiu suddenly looked up at Gao Zhao's tall and upright figure, his gaze blank. After a long while, he waved his hand dejectedly, signaling Gao Zhao to step down.

After leaving the study, Gao Zhao pondered for a moment. Since Gao Qiu hadn't forced him to change, it meant that he supported his approach!

Let's do it!