Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

The next day, I went out again.

Gao Zhao looked very dejected, sighing all the way. That old scoundrel Gao Qiu had really cut off his source of income!

How can he possibly do good deeds now!

Outside Tokyo, those poor people are still waiting for him to provide relief!

In the city of Tokyo, the scantily clad young women in the brothels are also waiting for his help!

I'm even poorer than Gao Yi now, what kind of relief am I supposed to get?

My grand scheme to harvest gratitude points was cut short before it was even halfway done, all because of Gao Qiu!

Seeing his dejected appearance, Lu Qian and Gao Yi, who were following behind him, also looked dejected and uneasy.

"Young Master, yesterday I retreated because I was worried about angering Lin Chong and accidentally injuring you. I did not intend to abandon you. I hope you understand!"

Lu Qian assumed that he was angry because Lin Chong had scared him away yesterday, so he quickly explained.

Seeing this, Gao Yi hurriedly said, "Young master, you know me. I am the most loyal and didn't want to inform the Grand Commandant, but the Grand Commandant said he would deduct my wages..."

Gao Zhao turned his head and glanced at the two of them, feeling even more frustrated. What kind of people were around him?

There isn't a single honest person among them!

But then I thought about it again. I'm not just finding out what kind of person Lu Qian is. Since I kept him by my side, I should have thought of that!

You can't expect him to betray his friends for you while simultaneously hoping he'll be loyal and righteous!

That's utter nonsense!

As for Gao Yi, what can you expect from a servant who earns a meager wage?

Do you really expect someone to be absolutely loyal to you, to go through fire and water for you, and to withstand Gao Qiu's pressure for such a small amount of money?

So, if you were in that situation, would you do it?

"Never mind!" Gao Zhao waved his hand, sighed, and walked straight ahead.

The two looked at each other, unsure of his meaning, and could only silently follow.

As they walked through the streets and alleys, the two were surprised to find that Gao Zhao was heading towards the Imperial Street, and then turned west when he arrived at Xuandemen South Street.

"Is the young master heading to Kaifeng Prefecture?" Lu Qian asked, puzzled.

"Hmm!" Gao Zhao nodded and said, "You two have betrayed your master for personal gain; I must send you to be brought to justice!"

"Ah!" The two were shocked and their legs went weak, and they could no longer walk!

What kind of business is this? Bringing yourself to Kaifeng Prefecture!

What's the difference between this and being sold out and then helping the seller count the money?

"If you dare to run, I'll have Kaifeng Prefecture issue a warrant for your arrest!" Gao Zhao threatened the two men fiercely, then turned and walked towards Kaifeng Prefecture without looking back.

The two looked at each other, unsure whether Gao Zhao was telling the truth or not, but they dared not run away, so they could only grit their teeth and follow.

……

Gao Zhao came to Kaifeng Prefecture not to bring these two to justice, nor was this a place where he could run wild.

Before the Yuanfeng reforms, the prefect was a big shot at the level of a four-in-one leader. But he stepped into the ranks of the two prefectural chiefs in one step, which can be considered as half a step into the chief executive realm.

Even though his status is not as high as before, he was still a big shot who could be promoted directly to the position of Minister of the Six Ministries. The current Grand Tutor Cai once served as the acting prefect of Kaifeng.

Let alone Gao Zhao, even if Gao Qiu came, he would still have to be polite to the prefect!

Gao Zhao entered the front courtyard inside the ceremonial gate of Kaifeng Prefecture, walked towards the Left Army Patrol Office on the east side, grabbed a clerk, inquired about the whereabouts of the Yuhou, and then went straight to find him.

The position of Yuhou was not considered an official; he was only slightly better than the patrolmen and archers. When Gao Zhao found him, this guy was bragging to a group of people!

"Don't say I'm not taking care of you because I'm doing you a favor. I have a side job going on recently. Someone is looking for a big, fat monk with a full beard and tattoos on his back. Finding him will earn you one string of cash, and if you can catch him, you'll get a reward of ten strings of cash!"

The crowd was clearly used to this kind of thing, so they weren't surprised when they heard this. While writing down the information, they joked with the guards, asking if the monk had corrupted the wives and concubines of some wealthy family, so they were offering a large reward to seek revenge.

The officer in charge of the guards laughed heartily, about to exchange a few words with the group, when he turned his head and saw Gao Zhao. His eyes lit up immediately, and he strode over to greet him, saying with a smile, "A rare guest indeed! Young master, it is an honor to have you grace my humble abode!"

Others also saw Gao Zhao. These military patrolmen were mostly seconded from the Imperial Guards and often patrolled the streets, so they naturally recognized Gao Zhao and immediately stood up to greet him.

Gao Zhao smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, then winked at the commander.

The officer understood and chuckled, then led Gao Zhao outside and asked in a low voice, "What brings you here, young master?"

Gao Zhao also whispered, "Is that thief we caught on Horse Street a couple of days ago still around?"

"A thief?" Yu Hou was taken aback. After thinking carefully for a moment, he suddenly remembered, slapped his forehead, and laughed, "He's... still in prison! That kid's lucky. Before we could even interrogate him, those beggars died. The higher-ups have been busy with this matter these past few days and have completely forgotten about him!"

Gao Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Take him away from me, how about that?"

The commander frowned slightly, clicked his tongue, and said, "This matter is probably not easy to handle. The arrests are all recorded..."

"Speaking like a bureaucrat!" Gao Zhao interrupted him, pointing at him and asking, "Isn't that speaking like a bureaucrat?"

"Oh dear, young master, you've misunderstood. How could I dare to speak so formally to you!" The officer in charge of the yamen said with a wry smile, "To be honest, this matter can actually be handled. We only thought he was capable that day, but we didn't have any concrete evidence. If you want to save him, young master, you just need to have the investigating clerk rule it a wrongful arrest. However..."

Yu Hou rubbed his two fingers together and chuckled, his meaning clear!

Gao Zhao paused, silently cursing the corruption and darkness of the Song Dynasty!

He was truly broke, and he came to rescue Shi Qian thinking that even a small amount of money was still money. He never expected that he would have to pay for this too!

He immediately retorted angrily, "You people are utterly lawless! In broad daylight, you arbitrarily arrest people on the street without any evidence, and then extort money from the people after releasing them! Where is justice?!"

The officer was taken aback and quickly said, "Young master, don't try that on me! You were the one who ordered us to arrest him!"

Gao Zhao retorted without hesitation, "I told you to arrest them, so arrest them! I have no official position or authority, what right do I have to order you around!"

"Young master, this is too much!" The officer said with a wry smile, "I'm just a lowly officer, this isn't something I can decide, so don't make things difficult for me! How about I take you to talk to that clerk? If you just ask, he'll definitely agree!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhao hesitated. According to him, it was indeed possible to get something for free, but in this world, everything that is free is often the most expensive!

If I save this little bit of money today, what if the magistrate needs something from me tomorrow? Should I help him or not?

It's really not worth owing a minor official a favor for such a trivial matter!

He thought for a moment, then looked at the officer in charge and said, "I will not give them the money, because I am an upright man and would never condone such evil practices!"

"However, I can give you some news about the fat monk you were looking for for the Beggars' Sect!"

"Young master, you..." The guard was taken aback at first, then his expression changed drastically.