Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

After the unexpected situation on the first day, the Gemensi (閤門司) resumed normal operation.

Gao Zhao went to work as usual, and his days passed uneventfully. His only complaint was that he had to go to work too early every day!

He's still a child and needs plenty of sleep!

In this respect, both going to work and Feng Sanniang are obstacles for him!

But he had no choice; for the sake of his future extravagance and debauchery, he had to force himself to overcome it!

During this time, he also became much more familiar with the relevant court etiquette and became increasingly adept at his work.

Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in the blink of an eye. Originally, Lin Chong was away on business, and as his good brother, he should take some time to visit his sister-in-law and have a family reunion.

As a result, on that day, Emperor Huizong held a banquet in the imperial garden and summoned a group of close ministers and court officials to accompany him to admire the moon. As a gatekeeper, he was summoned to stand guard...

Gao Zhao left grumbling and cursing. He was so embarrassed by the group of people praising Zhao Ji and reciting those obscure and difficult poems!

I wanted to write a poem to give these people a shock, but unfortunately, that old scoundrel Su Shi plagiarized my "Prelude to Water Melody" decades ago, and he can't remember any other Mid-Autumn Festival poems...

So I disliked these people even more!

Look at the kind of people this group has!

Liang Shicheng, a eunuch!

Yang Jian, another eunuch!

Wang Fu, a treacherous minister!

Li Bangyan, a treacherous and sycophantic minister!

……

Is there a good person?

Does this mean that I am the only loyal minister in the entire Song Dynasty court?

Alas, the Song Dynasty is doomed!

Gao Zhao felt grief and indignation, sighed inwardly, and turned his head away, refusing to look at the group of treacherous officials who were flattering and fawning over him.

He was an upright and honest man who couldn't stand sycophants, including Gao Qiu who mingled among the crowd.

You're just a warrior, what are you doing here, trying to appear cultured... until Gao Qiu summoned him to record everyone's poems!

Gao Zhao trotted up quickly, grabbed a pen, and started writing.

How can this be called flattery!

To be a subject and serve the Emperor is the greatest honor!

Everyone knew his identity, and they understood Gao Qiu's decision to let his son show his face on such an occasion, and they responded with kind smiles.

After he finished recording, everyone took it over for their evaluation, and all of them praised it highly!

Gao Zhao also developed a good impression of these people, especially the official named Li Bangyan, who was handsome, witty, and said to be from humble backgrounds!

Indeed, being born into poverty is not a disgrace; a true man is one who can bend and stretch!

Amidst the praises of the crowd, Zhao Ji took Gao Zhao's calligraphy, glanced at it, then looked up at Gao Zhao, followed by a meaningful look at Gao Qiu, before putting the calligraphy down and saying indifferently, "The calligraphy is alright!"

Gao Zhao almost laughed out of anger!

What does "okay" mean?

You fucking explain to me what you mean by "okay"!

What a foolish ruler! He failed to recognize such a talented person right before his eyes!

Isn't this perfunctory tone a deliberate attempt to belittle me?

You forgot, you also took 80,000 strings of cash from me!

Just you wait, when the Jurchens capture you, I'll show you what it means to be "okay"!

Gao Qiu, however, was not ashamed of this; on the contrary, he was proud and fawned over his superior: "Your Majesty is too kind. Everyone knows that Your Majesty is the foremost calligrapher of our time. My son is truly fortunate to receive such praise!"

"Gao Qiu, don't flatter me!" Zhao Ji waved his hand and smiled calmly, "I don't care for empty fame! Gao Zhao's calligraphy is already quite good, but it hasn't reached the highest level yet; he still needs more practice!"

"Your Majesty's wisdom is truly admirable!" Gao Qiu secretly kicked Gao Zhao and scolded, "Having received His Majesty's praise, why aren't you thanking him!"

Gao Zhao awoke with a start and immediately bowed to express his gratitude.

Gao Qiu, however, explained with a forced smile, "My son is naturally taciturn and not good with words; Your Majesty, please do not take offense!"

"Hmm!" Zhao Ji nodded, then turned to look at Gao Zhao, a half-smile on his face, and said, "I've also heard of your reputation as a playboy. I thought you were just a spoiled brat who only knew how to cause trouble, but I never expected you could write such calligraphy!"

These words directly exposed Gao Qiu's previous attempt to defend him, and were a blatant way of telling Gao Zhao, "I know what kind of person you are, so don't pretend in front of me!"

These blunt words left Gao Zhao feeling very embarrassed. He didn't know how to respond, so he could only lower his head and remain silent, cursing inwardly.

"Haha... I never would have guessed that Gao Zhige was such a charming figure in Tokyo."

Li Bangyan burst into laughter, teasingly saying, "Judging from your current appearance, you seem to have reformed. I wonder why? If you're deliberately pretending, then you've misjudged the situation. The Emperor's eyes are sharp and can see a thousand miles; you can't fool his discerning gaze!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Gao Zhaodou was not flustered at all when Li Bangyan challenged him. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. What he feared most was Zhao Ji's words, which left him no room to respond. But as long as he was given a chance to speak, he would have a chance to turn the tables!

He immediately bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, it is true that I acted recklessly in the past, but this was indeed because of Your Majesty!"

"presumptuous!"

"How dare you!"

……

As soon as Gao Zhao finished speaking, he was met with shouts and rebukes from the crowd.

The entire court fell silent instantly. Liang Shicheng and Yang Jian were the first to shout out in a deep voice. Wang Fu frowned, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt, and all the court officials and close advisors around him showed expressions of astonishment.

Even Gao Qiu's eyes widened in horror. In front of the emperor, he attributed his past outrageous behavior to the emperor. This sounded like blaming the emperor, which was a serious breach of etiquette at the imperial banquet.

I know you like to shift blame when things go wrong, but this is no way to do it!

Gao Qiu felt a sudden tightness in his back, his fingers clenching tightly under his sleeves, afraid that this brat would speak recklessly and cause trouble for no reason. He had to maintain a respectful demeanor on the surface, but a hint of anxiety was hidden in his eyes.

Emperor Huizong paused in his hand holding the jade cup, raising an eyebrow slightly as if intrigued. Instead of getting angry, he spoke calmly, "Oh? Your absurdity has dragged me into this? Tell me, and if you can't give a coherent explanation, I will charge you with the crime of criticizing the emperor today."

Gao Zhao remained calm and bowed again, saying in a deep voice, "The Prince of Shu once wrote a poem: 'I wish I were a frivolous youth from the Five Mausoleums, born in the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras, spending my life fighting cocks and chasing dogs, oblivious to the safety of heaven and earth!'"

"My talent is far inferior to that of Prince Shu, yet the current prosperous era under Your Majesty's rule far surpasses that of the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan periods. Therefore, I am willing to be a frivolous young man of the Five Mausoleums..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tense atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly changed. Everyone was stunned and stood there, and even Liang Shicheng, who was about to reprimand him, swallowed his words.

So... he's already praising me?

Is this how well you use the technique of praising by first criticizing?

Emperor Huizong was also surprised by this turn of events, and couldn't help but smile, his eyes flickering slightly as he gestured for him to continue.

Gao Zhao then continued, "After receiving Your Majesty's favor and being granted permission to study at the Imperial Academy, I knew I could no longer be as frivolous as before. Therefore, I have restrained my mind and studied diligently in order to repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

"I was again selected by the Emperor to serve in the Imperial Palace, where I stand guard daily in the Chongzheng Hall. Observing the Emperor's tireless efforts in governing the country, I have come to realize the hard-won prosperity of the Song Dynasty and the Emperor's difficult circumstances! Therefore, I have reformed myself and hope that one day I can share the Emperor's burdens!"

His words were impeccable. In the first half, he used Wang Anshi's poem to praise Zhao Ji's rule as surpassing that of the Kaiyuan and Zhenguan eras. In the second half, he recounted the emperor's two acts of kindness in promoting him, attributing his former dissolute and dissolute behavior to Zhao Ji's appreciation and guidance.

The expressions of the people in the pavilion changed several times, but were replaced by admiration – this kid is a formidable opponent!

Gao Qiu also had a complicated expression. "I'm an upright man by nature. How did I end up raising such a scoundrel? Won't he ruin the reputation of my Gao family in the future!"