Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

When Gao Qiu left the palace, he saw Gao Zhao chatting happily with Wang Zhongcheng, and his face immediately turned cold!

By the time he got closer, the two had finished their conversation and were bowing to each other in farewell. Wang Zhongcheng glanced at him, nodded, and then left.

Gao Qiu smiled and nodded in greeting. After everyone had walked away, he approached Gao Zhao and asked in a deep voice, "What were you talking about just now?"

"It's nothing, we all share similar interests, so we just chatted about things like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and literature!"

Gao Zhao gave a perfunctory reply, watching the departing Wang Zhongcheng, thinking to himself, "What a good man! He speaks so well and is so learned. Unlike Gao Qiu, ha, what a crude and vulgar warrior!"

"Speak properly!" Gao Qiu frowned and raised his voice when he saw his behavior.

Gao Zhao turned around and saw his serious expression. He felt a chill and dared not speak carelessly. He quickly asked, "Who is that person?"

"You've been talking to him for so long, and you still don't know who he is?" Gao Qiu was speechless. He wanted to yell at him, but held back and instead replied, "His name is Wang Fu. He's not a good person. You should stay away from him!"

"Ah!" Gao Zhao was taken aback. He naturally knew Wang Fu; he was one of the Six Traitors, infamous for openly selling official positions. There was even a poem praising him: "Three hundred strings of cash for a sub-prefect, five hundred strings for a secretary in the Imperial Library!"

Gao Qiu, fearing he might not understand the gravity of the situation, further warned him: "He initially befriended He Zhizhong's son, joined the He family, and was thus promoted. Later, seeing the Emperor's intention to reinstate Grand Tutor Cai, he advocated for Cai Jing and attacked Zhang Shangying. Now, he has risen from a proofreader to the Vice Censor-in-Chief!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhao secretly praised his brother, saying, "He's got some skills! His timing is amazing!"

But then I thought about it again and realized something was wrong. This was a treacherous minister!

How could I possibly have any goodwill towards a treacherous official!

He looked back at the palace, where a tyrannical emperor lived, and then at Gao Qiu, another treacherous minister... Alas, no wonder the Song Dynasty perished!

Gao Qiu, unaware that his eldest son had also insulted him, suddenly remembered what Yang Jian had said in the main hall and frowned, asking, "You raided the Beggars' Sect's hideout?"

"Ah!" Gao Zhao exclaimed in surprise, then cursed inwardly, thinking that Gao Yi must have betrayed him and that he would definitely teach him a lesson when they got back. However, he then realized that Gao Yi knew nothing about the matter, so he asked curiously, "How did you find out, sir?"

Gao Qiu retorted irritably, "How would I know! The Emperor knows! Don't you know that the chief eunuchs around the Emperor also hold the position of Director of the Imperial City Guard?"

Gao Zhao suddenly realized, then puffed out his chest and asked, "Did the Emperor praise me? I've done a great service!"

Gao Qiu opened his mouth, wanting to scold him for making enemies for no reason, but then thought that such youthful vigor was a good thing and shouldn't be wasted on him, so he waved his hand and said, "I've praised you! I praise you for your righteousness, wisdom, and courage. I also said that I can't teach you anymore, so I'll let you go to the Imperial Academy to study in a couple of days!"

Gao Zhao was delighted to hear this, and even more so when he heard that he would be allowed to study at the Imperial Academy!

Going to study at the Imperial Academy may seem like a small, insignificant step, but Gao Zhao knew very well that it would be a giant leap for him to embark on his official career and stir up the winds of change in the world!

He turned his head and looked back at the majestic palace. His heart was filled with emotion. The Holy Emperor was in power and was selecting talented people to teach!

What kind of tyrannical ruler?

Ah, let's be honest, what was it like when my Holy Emperor was on the throne?

The country is prosperous and thriving, with people living in peace and contentment!

The Western Xia, a foreign power, submitted to the Song Dynasty, and the Yan and Yun regions were recovered, marking an unprecedented golden age since the founding of the Song Dynasty!

As for the Jurchen invasion later, what did that have to do with him? He had already abdicated by then!

A bunch of mediocre officials, unable to protect their country and drive out the barbarians, are blaming their dereliction of duty on a retired old man. Is that appropriate?

Gao Zhao silently expressed his loyalty in his heart: "Your Majesty, rest assured, although I will be in the south at that time, I will always regard you as a wise ruler in my heart!"

Though I cannot go with you in person, my loyalty will always remain with you!

……

In an ordinary residential house in the south of the city.

Fu Jin knelt in the main hall and kowtowed repeatedly.

Mr. Feng, seated upright in the hall, stared coldly at him without uttering a word, until Fu Jin's head was covered in blood from kowtowing, at which point he finally raised his hand and said, "Enough!"

Fu Jin stopped abruptly, feeling dizzy, but he breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could get out, he would most likely survive!

The meaning of the Imperial City Guard is self-evident; the fact that he was able to escape can only mean that he spent money in the cave!

Worry-Free Cave is certainly not a charity. If you want him to die, why bother with all this trouble?

This shows that he is still useful and valuable!

However, the attitude that needs to be expressed still needs to be expressed!

"Do you know how much money we spent to save your life?" Mr. Feng said coldly. "And do you know how many kind words I had to say to persuade the leader, since none of the people in the cave agreed to pay to save you?"

"I know, I am eternally grateful!" Fu Jin prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and said, "My life belongs to Mr. Feng from this day forward!"

Mr. Feng's expression softened slightly, and he said calmly, "What would I do with your life? What you need to do is work properly from now on and not embarrass me!"

Fu Jin hurriedly replied, "Yes, I understand. I will certainly do my job well! I will never let you, sir, be disgraced!"

"Hmm!" Mr. Feng nodded and said, "Now that such a major incident has occurred in the Beggars' Sect, it will definitely be thoroughly investigated by the government. You shouldn't go back. Go to the brothel in the south of the city and work as a manager to avoid trouble!"

Fu Jin's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed with delight, "Yes, thank you so much for your guidance, sir! I will never forget your great kindness!"

"Go!" Mr. Feng waved his hand. "Take care of your injuries, then go and take up your post!"

"Thank you, sir!" Fu Jin bowed again in thanks, then backed away.

After everyone left, another person emerged from behind the screen wall and asked in surprise, "This Fu Jin has caused such a huge disaster, yet you not only don't punish him, but also entrust him with an important task. Why is that?"

Mr. Feng smiled slightly and instructed, "Fu Jin has committed a serious offense and has no way out. He can only rely on me and work desperately. I trust this kind of person. This is the meaning of the saying 'it's better to use someone who has made a mistake than someone who has made a merit'!"

The man laughed and said, "So that's how it is. No wonder you were willing to pay such a large sum of money to the Imperial City Guard to secure the payment!"

"Not entirely! The payment was only made because the Imperial City Guard needed money; the payment was just a pretext. Even if it wasn't him, there would have been another reason!"

Mr. Feng said meaningfully, "As for keeping the bail payment, that's the result of weighing the pros and cons! What use would killing him be? Keeping him alive, besides his decent abilities, also makes people think I have humanity, and more people will be willing to work for me in the future!"

"Oh!" The man exclaimed in sudden understanding, cupping his hands in a respectful bow and saying, "I've learned a lot, Uncle!"

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "You were able to get into the Imperial Academy from your hometown, which shows you are very smart. But to stand out from the crowd, intelligence alone is not enough! You also need to know how to use people and leverage existing resources!"

On the other side, in the Gao family's study, Gao Qiu and his son sat upright, preparing to go to the Imperial Academy!