Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Gao Qiu was a very vulgar man!

As soon as Gao Zhao returned home, he was met with a barrage of insults!

The boldness of the word choice is astonishing!

The richness of the vocabulary is truly astonishing!

They hurled a string of foul language for ages, and each one was unique!

Gao Zhao could only sigh silently in his heart, "Gao Qiu really is a street hustler; his tongue is truly remarkable!"

Looking at the arrogant and hurling insults at Gao Qiu, and then at himself standing like a lackey, Gao Zhao felt a deep sadness. He clenched his fists and secretly vowed, "One day, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

"You dare clench your fists!" Gao Qiu, perhaps tired of cursing, glanced down and saw his clenched fists. He immediately shouted, "Do you intend to hit me?!"

Gao Zhao immediately loosened his fist, looking bewildered, and said, "How could I dare to have such treasonous thoughts? I was only happy to see that you, sir, are full of energy and in good health, so I clenched my fist to celebrate!"

"Hmph! That's easy for you to say!" Gao Qiu sneered, waving his sleeve and sneering, "I think you're just afraid that if I get angry enough to die, no one will back you up, and you can do whatever you want!"

"Hehe, Your Excellency is wise!" Gao Zhao hurriedly stepped forward with a grin, pouring tea and water for him, and said obsequiously, "If it weren't for Your Excellency's divine protection by my side, how dare I go to that treacherous banquet today!"

"Hmph! You do know your own limitations!" Gao Qiu glanced at him sideways, took the tea, and sipped it. "You rely on my power, acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's might. Do you know that if we really encountered those vicious villains, I might not be able to protect you!"

"Your Excellency is right!" Gao Zhao replied respectfully. He had no choice but to be respectful; after all, they gave him power, status, and money to spend. Why shouldn't he be respectful to them?

We should all know how to be grateful!

"But this is what I think!" Gao Zhao continued, seeing that Gao Qiu's expression had softened somewhat, "Everything I have now is given to me by you, sir. Others give me face only because of you! Therefore, if I lose face in public, it's not just me who loses face, but also yours!"

"Today, the Beggars' Sect ostensibly sent someone to invite me, but in reality, they wanted to establish their authority by using your name, sir! How could I allow them to succeed? What face would you have in front of your colleagues afterward?"

"You're quite the trickster, twisting the truth and turning black into white. The trouble you caused is now being presented as something for my own good!" Gao Qiu, being the shrewd man he was, naturally saw through his schemes and sneered, "Have you considered what you would do if you were actually in danger? Do you think I would feel any pride?"

"How could there be no light!" Gao Zhao stepped forward and said, "My lord, think about it, I couldn't stand those villains committing acts of murder and cruelty, which is why I offended the Beggars' Sect! Even if I were killed by them, it would be a righteous act, a death well-deserved!"

"Hmph, you wish! Sacrificing yourself for righteousness!" Gao Qiu sneered. "Let me tell you what kind of reputation you'll leave behind after you die! Bullying the weak, harassing beggars, and ultimately being killed in anger!"

"The day before yesterday, many people saw you beating up beggars and robbing them of their money. Today, someone saw you whipping them in the street and taking you to a banquet at Shenjia Garden. If you die there, what do you think people will think?"

"Ah!" Gao Zhao was stunned. He hadn't expected the matter to be interpreted this way. He exclaimed, "Isn't this turning black into white?"

"Then you'll have to see who decides right and wrong!" Gao Qiu's expression turned cold as he said calmly, "You are my son, suddenly rich without any foundation. In other people's eyes, you should be that arrogant and domineering spoiled brat. Compared to you punishing evildoers and upholding justice, they are more willing to believe in bullying the weak!"

Gao Zhao stared at him blankly, remained silent for a long time, and then nodded heavily.

This principle is not hard to understand. Everyone has a label in other people's minds. Just like when you introduce someone you know to others, your evaluation of them is "kind", "righteous", "shrewd". These are all labels!

The other party's actions must conform to this label, otherwise it will feel awkward and unreal!

For example, Gao Zhao's image in other people's minds is that of a "playboy". Once he stops being lecherous and starts doing good deeds, other people's first reaction is that there must be a conspiracy!

As Gao Qiu said, no one would believe that he acted bravely and righteously, but everyone would believe that he bullied a beggar!

Even though he really did do a good deed!

Gao Qiu reached out and patted his shoulder, saying earnestly, "So you know how ridiculous your recent behavior has been! Your so-called good deeds are just a joke in other people's eyes. Trying to whitewash your reputation this way is wishful thinking. Don't do such stupid things again!"

Gao Zhao nodded subconsciously, then realized something was wrong. Who wanted to clear their name? I wanted their gratitude points!

He immediately said seriously, "Sir, I think you are wrong. Although my good deeds cannot clear my name, they have indeed helped those poor people..."

"Naive!" Gao Qiu scoffed. "What's the use of helping them? You can save them for a while, but not forever. Even if you help them this time, they'll still starve to death next year. If you want to turn things around in this world, you have to learn to eat people..."

Gao Zhao's eyes lit up. Didn't this mean he would have the opportunity to repeatedly earn gratitude points?

"That's a very dark way of putting it. I do good deeds to cultivate myself. As the saying goes, what Heaven ordains is called nature, following one's nature is called the Way, and cultivating the Way is called education."

"You've even read 'The Doctrine of the Mean'?" Gao Qiu asked in surprise.

Gao Zhao smiled proudly, feigning nonchalance, and slowly said, "A few days ago I told you, sir, that I was preparing for the imperial examinations, but you didn't seem to believe me. So I took a look myself, and unexpectedly benefited greatly. The words of the sages are indeed pearls of wisdom, profound in their conciseness!"

Gao Qiu looked at him suspiciously, his face full of disbelief. Suddenly, he pointed at him and said, "Come on, recite another passage. If you can recite it, I'll believe you!"

Gao Zhao's face stiffened. He had only heard Chen Dong say this sentence the day before yesterday, so how could he remember it? He couldn't help but think that Gao Qiu was not playing by the rules. Shouldn't you let me explain the meaning at a time like this?

As soon as I finish speaking, you should be amazed and exclaim, "My son has the potential to be a prime minister!" and then give him money and resources!

"Memorizing a passage or two is unimportant!" Gao Zhao waved his hand and said, "Studying is for increasing knowledge, not for showing off. For adults to demand this is putting the cart before the horse and falling into a low-level trap."

Gao Qiu sneered repeatedly, pointing a finger at him and saying, "You must have heard this from somewhere and are trying to show off in front of me!"

"Don't worry about the details!" Gao Zhao emphasized, "What we're talking about now is the principle of doing good and cultivating oneself!"

"so what?"

"So when I heard the adults were going to stop my monthly allowance, I felt it was inappropriate!"

"Yes, but I think it's even more inappropriate for you to use my salary for charity!"

Gao Zhao's expression was solemn: "Is there no room for negotiation?"

Gao Qiu decisively shook his head: "No!"