Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Gao Zhao's tone was full of mockery and provocation. Guo Shi could not stand his ridicule and immediately cursed, "You little beast, how dare you talk to me like that! I'm going to send you to Kaifeng Prefecture to be punished for your disobedience..."

Before she could finish her tirade, Gao Zhao suddenly stood up. This sudden action startled Guo Shi. Gao Zhao then bowed to Gao Qiu and said, "My lord, since there is nothing urgent, I shall take my leave!"

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave!

"Stop right there! Who told you to leave!" Guo shouted angrily, chasing after him and yelling.

Gao Zhao ignored him and walked straight toward the door!

Seeing that he dared to ignore her, Guo became even angrier and started yelling almost hysterically.

"Enough!" Gao Qiu slammed his hand on the table, and the room fell silent instantly.

A flash of disgust crossed his eyes as he stared at Madam Guo and said coldly, "You come from a distinguished family and have been educated since childhood, yet look at yourself now! Do you still possess even a fraction of the demeanor of a lady from a respectable family?"

"he……"

Guo tried to explain, but Gao Qiu waved his hand and said, "Since we can't reach an agreement, then let's stop talking. You should go to Kaifeng Prefecture to reason with them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Weize jumped up. "Talk? Talk about what? All I heard was Guo cursing!"

They're more trouble than they're worth!

"Brother-in-law, don't be angry. My sister was just overwhelmed with anger and lost her temper!" Guo Weize stepped forward to support Guo Shi and comforted her, "Let's talk this out!"

"Hmph, blinded by anger? I think she's driven by greed!" Gao Qiu made no attempt to hide his displeasure, offering a pointed sarcastic remark before turning to Gao Zhao and asking, "Are you still going to talk or not?"

"Let's talk properly. If you keep insulting me, I won't play along!" Gao Zhao turned around and walked back, somewhat surprised. Gao Qiu wasn't telling him to just give in and try to reach a so-called reconciliation.

What's even stranger is that the Guo siblings seem very resistant to filing a complaint with the authorities.

He dared to leave so recklessly because he thought Gao Qiu would object to them going to the government office for the sake of his reputation. Now it seems that the situation is not as he thought.

However, he did not notice that Gao Qiu was also looking at him with a meaningful gaze. Gao Zhao's seemingly crude and frivolous behavior disrupted Guo's rhythm and gave him the initiative in the conversation.

Whether this kid did it intentionally or by accident, Gao Qiu decided to observe further.

"Since we're going to talk, let's sit down and have a proper discussion!" Gao Qiu turned to Guo Shi and said, "Stop with the nonsense. What do you want? Get to the point!"

"I will exterminate his entire clan!" Madam Guo said through gritted teeth, each word distinct. "You saw it for yourself today. How disrespectful he is to his elders! I never believed it when I heard people say he was causing trouble outside..."

"OK!"

"What an ingrate! Yesterday he forced my uncle to kneel, and today he's being rude to me... What did you say?"

Guo was vehemently denouncing Gao Zhao's vicious behavior to prove the legitimacy of her demands, but to her surprise, Gao Zhao readily agreed, which left her astonished.

"Didn't you want to expel me from the clan? I said yes!" Gao Zhao smiled nonchalantly.

Not only the Guo siblings, but even Gao Qiu was astonished. He wondered to himself, "Does this kid not know what clan means?"

In an era when imperial power did not extend to the countryside, clans were the cornerstone of society!

Not to mention ordinary people, even high-ranking officials and nobles dare not be harsh on their clansmen.

Just like Gao Qiu, who is now a high-ranking official, every year several of his clansmen come to him for help. Even though he knows they are there to freeload, Gao Qiu still treats them with courtesy, not only giving them money but also providing them with good food and drink.

Otherwise, someone might break your spine!

If he can mistreat even his own people, how can he love his ruler? How can he treat his people well?

Just this one sentence can ruin an official's future!

A person who can be abandoned by their clan must be utterly wicked and heinous. Once they bear this reputation, they are practically cut off from the world!

Guo made this request just to scare Gao Zhao. Her plan was to ask for an exorbitant price, then negotiate on the spot, and finally kick him out of the Gao family!

Then, under the pretext that her younger brother had been wronged, she adopted her nephew from her maternal family!

Guo was very suspicious that Gao Zhao actually agreed. Did he compromise so easily?

"I've agreed to your request, but we'll settle the score!" Gao Zhao looked at the group and suddenly laughed.

Guo breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it wouldn't be that easy, but this made sense!

She gave a mocking smile and said, "How do you want to calculate it? Name your price!"

"I don't want money!" Gao Zhao's gaze swept over the Guo siblings' faces, his smile slowly fading as he said in a deep voice, "Guo Weize has humiliated me countless times over the years; I need to settle this score properly!"

"What do you want to do!" Guo's eyebrows shot up as she shouted sharply.

"I must take his life!" Gao Zhao said, his expression unchanged, enunciating each word clearly, "For the sake of your dignity, I have endured this for many years. Now that my clan has been exterminated, let us settle our scores and avenge our grievances!"

"You scoundrel!" Madam Guo slammed her hand on the table, rising to her feet in shock and fury. "He's your uncle! How could you try to kill him!"

"Hey, let's get this straight!" Gao Zhao sneered. "He's my uncle because you're my legal mother, but after I was expelled from the clan, I'm not even a member of the Gao family anymore. So what kind of uncle is he then!"

"Besides, don't try to portray yourself as innocent. Don't you know what really happened? If you want to ruin me, then we'll all die together!"

"You..." Guo choked, finding herself unable to refute, and could only say, with a fierce but weak voice, "Murder is punishable by death..."

"I know! But I'm barely clinging to life while he lives a life of luxury and wealth. I can't swallow this!" Gao Zhao said, counting on his fingers, "Using my life, a member of the exterminated clan, to exchange for his life is a good deal! What do you say, Mother?"

Guo's face turned ashen, and she trembled with anger. She knew very well that Gao Zhao was threatening her, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

Guo Weize thought of Gao Zhao's actions last night, which were so clean and efficient that he had no doubt that Gao Zhao would do such a thing!

If that's the case, then we'll have to get rid of him first!

Seeing the murderous intent flash in his eyes, Gao Zhao laughed again, "You'd better make a decision quickly. Once my clan is exterminated, I'll immediately go to Kaifeng Prefecture to report Guo Weize for trying to kill me! Let's keep a record first, so that no matter whether I kill him or he kills me, it will make it easier for Kaifeng Prefecture to solve the case and save trouble!"

Guo Weize's gaze darkened. If Gao Zhao were to actually do that, the risks would be too great, the costs too high, and whether it was worth continuing would be debatable!

"You bastard! Do you know who you're talking to? You're always talking about fighting and killing!" Gao Qiu saw that Gao Zhao had taken control of the situation and was certain that the boy had been acting. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted at him.

Knowing that Gao Qiu was about to take over, Gao Zhao quickly stood up and apologized, "My lord, please calm down. My words and actions were inappropriate!"

Gao Qiu roared, "Get out! I'll settle accounts with you later!"

"Yes!" Gao Zhao replied and turned to leave.

After the others left, Gao Qiu turned to the two men and said calmly, "If you don't like Gao Zhao, I can do as you wish and kick him out of the manor!"

The two men's eyes lit up; this was quite an unexpected turn of events. Just as they were about to speak, Gao Qiu added, "I have a cousin named Gao Lian, who is married to a woman surnamed Yin. We can adopt a son from him!"

The smiles on the faces of the Guo siblings instantly froze!