Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

There are no secrets in the Song Dynasty imperial palace. What happened on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival spread throughout the streets and alleys the very next day.

The emperor's benevolence even managed to reform one of the most notorious playboys in the capital!

Such a curious topic naturally attracted the attention of the people!

Upon further reflection, the spoiled young master had indeed become much more restrained recently and had stopped causing trouble, which made the people even more convinced of his abilities!

Immediately, everyone praised and lauded the Holy Emperor for ruling the country and bringing great order to the world!

However, when this rumor reached the ears of officials, it was interpreted in a completely different way!

Gao Zhao is quick-witted and eloquent, and with the support of Gao Qiu, a former official from the Prince's residence, it seems that another favored minister will soon emerge in the court!

Many insightful people are deeply worried about this. The emperor is by nature ambitious and fond of grand achievements. If these opportunistic officials cater to his preferences and accuse him of his vices, the consequences could be unimaginable!

However, reality proved them wrong. In the days that followed, Emperor Huizong did not show any favor to Gao Zhao, and was even somewhat indifferent.

However, Gao Zhao didn't care about this. The foolish emperor didn't pay attention to him, so he could take it easy. He wasn't one of those treacherous or sycophantic officials, so there was no need for him to force himself to get close to Zhao Ji.

Becoming an official? How high an official position is considered high?

He continued to work with the brother who had been bought in, serving in the Chongzheng Hall. Every day, they sat in a row to lead the way and teach and discipline etiquette. The two of them played the roles of good cop and bad cop, and they were quite content as their gratitude points increased.

September arrived in the blink of an eye, and Gao Zhao received his salary for the first time.

The clerks of the Gemensi went to the Ministry of Revenue to collect the money and grain, which was then distributed, saving him the trouble of running errands.

Looking at the meager salary, Gao Zhao was still very happy. This was the first salary he had earned since coming into this world... uh, the first paycheck he had received!

He generously had the money returned to his home and put into public funds, so that Gao Qiu wouldn't think he was freeloading and always talking sarcastic and unpleasant things.

Of course, the important thing is that he doesn't lack this salary. He also receives extra rewards and subsidies for his daily shifts, which are no less than his salary!

He also discovered a way to make money!

When officials from the capital were to take leave to express their gratitude for their postings, or when officials from other regions were to travel to the capital to report on their duties, they all had to be arranged in order of seniority. Some officials always wanted to speak with the emperor alone and have a longer chat.

This requires these officials to move their positions forward in the ranking. It would be inappropriate if they were to be ranked at dusk or when the officials were tired.

There are also those who are selected for official positions or promoted through rigorous evaluation, and they also need to come to the Chongzheng Hall to express their gratitude. First impressions are very important, so they need the guidance of the officials.

Of course, Gao Zhige is a kind and honest person who has always been good to others. He will help others whenever he can, so as not to ruin their future!

And these officials who needed his help would visit him in advance with sincerity, explaining the difficulties of their official careers!

Gao Zhao deeply abhorred such acts of bribery and corruption!

It's all the people's hard-earned money, so he naturally wouldn't accept it. Whenever he encountered such a situation, he would firmly refuse and never show favoritism!

But the other party said it was a gift...

When friends visit each other, it's only natural to exchange gifts, so it's hard to refuse. Otherwise, you might seem too cold and unfriendly!

Of course, he couldn't keep all these gifts for himself; his companions and the attendant in charge also had to share some.

The servant didn't react much; he simply nodded slightly and accepted the gift without asking any questions.

His companion, on the other hand, was extremely excited and thanked him repeatedly, saying that he had spent all his money since entering the Gemensi, and today he was finally seeing a return on his investment!

Gao Zhao was quite surprised by the other party's reaction: "Liang Yuan, you've been with the Gemensi for quite some time now, how come you can't even figure out this? Has no one ever given you a gift?"

Liang Yuan shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "They didn't share any with me..."

Gao Zhao suddenly realized, this is workplace bullying!

People look down on Liang Yuan and others who bought their way in, and they don't even include him in their games!

Gao Zhao felt this was going too far. Those of you who entered the Gemensi through your own abilities certainly had the strength, but you can't bully people like this!

What? Economic strength isn't real strength?

Gao Zhao raised his hand and patted Liang Yuan's shoulder heavily a few times, saying in a deep voice, "Old Liang, don't worry, from now on, if I get a share, you'll get yours too!"

Liang Yuan was deeply moved and quickly bowed to express his gratitude. He stared blankly at Gao Zhao, feeling his eyes well up with tears.

He came from a wealthy family and managed to scrape together enough money to become a palace attendant. He thought that once he entered the palace, he could have a stable future. However, his colleagues secretly ostracized and suppressed him. Whenever there was something good, they would do everything they could to exclude him and only assign him menial tasks such as standing guard, clearing the way, and checking documents.

He didn't care about the gift; it was just that this was the first person to show him kindness since he joined the Gemensi!

[Gratitude points from Liang Yuan +1]

Gao Zhao glanced at the pop-up window that flashed by, but his mood didn't fluctuate much.

People's emotions are influenced by their environment, but that doesn't mean anything. Zhang Yunniang even contributed gratitude points to herself!

It's still the same now; they turn their backs on you once they've done their job!

Every time they see me, they don't even give me a friendly look!

Who knows, one day, if the benefits are enough, Liang Yuan might lead the way in betraying him, or even kick him when he's down!

Don't confide in each other, we're just ordinary colleagues!

By the way, it's been so long since I've seen my sister-in-law...

"By the way, Gongming, I heard that Zhao Dunwen was suspended from his post because of what happened last time, and now the higher-ups intend to transfer him to the West Shangge Gate Division!"

Liang Yuan suddenly dropped another bombshell, which startled Gao Zhao.

The West Upper Gate Guard Office was of the same rank as their East Upper Gate Guard Office, both being important military posts.

However, the two have different functions: the East is in charge of auspicious ceremonies, and the West is in charge of inauspicious ceremonies!

All auspicious days and grand ceremonies of the imperial court, such as regular court sessions, grand court assemblies, New Year's Day, and the Emperor's birthday, were handled by the Eastern Upper Gate Office. This included foreign envoys paying tribute, promotions and expressions of gratitude, and celebrations of nobles.

The Western Upper Gate Office was responsible for all the funeral rites and ceremonies, including those for the death of members of the royal family and the imperial clan, the mourning rites and funerals of officials, as well as the mourning rites for the death of foreigners, the demotion of officials, and the reporting of disasters and anomalies to temples.

Both have their own roles and seem to be equal, but the difference between the west and the east is indeed significant.

People value good fortune and avoid misfortune. The west is full of sinful deeds, which are considered unlucky. It is far less respectable than the officials in the auspicious departments. Moreover, they cannot meet with the emperor as often as those in the east, let alone earn extra money or side income!

Therefore, in terms of actual status, the East Upper Gate Division is far superior to the West Upper Gate Division!

Take Liang Yuan for example. If he hadn't been quick-witted and spent money to bribe his way in, he definitely wouldn't have been able to get into the Dongshanggemensi.

Now that Zhao Dengwen is to be transferred to the west, even if his official position and duties remain unchanged, it is a demotion in disguise!

Could it be because I shone so brightly on the Mid-Autumn Festival night?

Sure enough, once you succeed, you're surrounded by good people. Before I even knew it, I could feel the abundance of kindness in the world.

Seeing his surprised expression, Liang Yuan added, "But you must be careful. I heard that the attendant who is about to be transferred here is a close friend of Zhao Dunwen!"

Gao Zhao's gaze sharpened, and his expression became solemn.

Sure enough, there are always treacherous officials trying to harm me!