Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Gao Zhao behaved himself well for the next two days, getting up early each day, clocking in at the lecture hall, attending one class, and then slipping out.

Sitting there in class is pointless except for honing your acting skills, and you also have to bear the psychological pressure. It's not as interesting as listening to that old man tell stories, and you can even get a free drink... Of course, the main purpose is to learn knowledge!

This old fellow is something else! The students of the Imperial Academy all choose one of the Five Classics to study, but he has mastered all five. When he talks about the Book of Rites, he suddenly goes on to discuss other things, and he does it all with great eloquence!

Sometimes they would use Laozi and Zhuangzi's words to criticize Confucianism, and then use Confucianism to criticize Legalism. It was very satisfying to listen to!

Over the past two days, he has listened to the entire Book of Rites. Whether he gained anything from it is hard to say, but he didn't remember a single word. He just found the story quite interesting!

I especially think that Zhuangzi and Mencius were both masters of verbal sparring, it's just a pity that the two of them never actually had a fight back then!

It's unclear whether this is a case of kings not meeting, or who is avoiding whose sharp edge!

That's quite a pity!

And this old guy must be a big shot too. But when I asked him for his name, he wouldn't say. So Gao Zhao simply stopped asking. He's not a woman, why is he acting all mysterious? Who cares to know!

When they returned to the dormitory, Qin Hui had already packed his luggage and was preparing to leave, saying goodbye to people he knew.

"Brother Hui!" Gao Zhao rushed forward, grabbed Qin Hui's hand, and said sadly, "Are you really leaving? Where are you going?"

Looking at his newly acquainted friend, Qin Hui forced a smile and said, "I'm staying at the South Suburb Zen Temple. I don't need to pay anything; I just need to do some chores for them on weekdays, and that will cover the rent."

"How can this be!" Gao Zhao shook Qin Hui's hand anxiously, "Brother Huizhi still needs to study and pass the imperial examinations. If he were to divert his energy to working for that Buddhist temple, wouldn't that jeopardize his future?"

"It's alright, I can always make it if I sleep a little less!" Qin Hui forced a smile, feeling helpless inside. If you really sympathize with me, why don't you just lend me a hand? What's the use of just saying it?

"I will!" The dormitory head walked over at this moment and said calmly, "I asked you to bring this up because it's a rule of the Imperial Academy, not because I'm targeting you. If you'd like, you can still come to the dormitory to study and discuss things in the future!"

Qin Hui was about to express his gratitude when Gao Zhao immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his path and spitting out with a cold smile, "Pah! Hypocrite!"

The academy headmaster's face immediately darkened, and he said sternly, "Gao Zhao, what do you mean! This is the Imperial Academy, not a place where you can bully others!"

"Bullying others with your power? Whose power did I rely on? Whom did I bully?" Gao Zhao retorted without backing down, "I didn't do anything underhanded to force anyone to move out!"

"I've always been upright and honest. If I don't like someone, I just say so. I never resort to underhanded tactics; I always state my opinion directly! So what? Just because I told the truth, does that mean I'm bullying you?"

"You...you dare to make false accusations!" The headmaster was so angry that his hands trembled slightly. If Gao Zhao's words were true, how could he command respect and maintain his position at the Imperial Academy? He immediately retorted, "Making Qin Huizhi move out is a rule of the Imperial Academy; what does it have to do with me!"

Zhaiyu also stepped forward and said, "This matter has nothing to do with the head of the Zhai family, it is..."

"It was Fan Tong who reported it!" Gao Zhao glanced at the group with disdain and sneered, "Such despicable tactics, and they think they're so clever!"

"Gao Zhao!" The headmaster glared angrily and said sternly, "You have to take responsibility for your words, don't spout nonsense! If you say I ordered it, do you have any evidence?"

Gao Zhao, however, remained unfazed, pursing his lips and saying nonchalantly, "I'm not one of those Legalist lackeys, what evidence do I need! Everyone knows the truth of this, don't you think? Zhaiyu."

"I don't know about that." Zhaiyu smiled awkwardly and took a step back.

"Explain yourself!" The head of the vegetarian community was not about to let it go. What did he mean by knowing the truth? Without any evidence, wasn't this pure slander?

Gao Zhao ignored him, swung his fist to force the headmaster back, and then pulled Qin Hui, whose face was full of bitterness, out!

"Brother Hui, the Book of Changes says: 'As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a superior man should constantly strive for self-improvement!' A temporary setback is nothing to worry about. If you pick yourself up, you will surely be able to strengthen your resolve and increase your abilities!"

Gao Zhao escorted the person to the gate and bowed in farewell.

Qin Hui returned the greeting with a cupped hand, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he could only sigh and turn away.

He considered himself quite shrewd and adept at social interactions. Upon meeting Gao Zhao, he began to scheme against him. As a result, he did get closer to him, but the problem was that they got too close. This brother stood up for him several times, but ended up cutting off his own escape route!

This...this left him speechless with frustration!

As Gao Zhao watched his departing figure, he noticed that his own panel remained completely unresponsive. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What a heartless and treacherous minister! He has no sense of anything!"

My farewell words quoted two classic texts, demonstrating such literary talent, yet you remained unmoved?

Luckily, I caused a scene in the dormitory, otherwise you would have really been living a good life!

Upon returning to his study, Su Mian learned that he had once again stood up for Qin Hui. He was overjoyed and repeatedly praised him for his loyalty and sense of responsibility.

Gao Zhao waved his hand modestly, saying that it was nothing, just that he had a sense of righteousness in his heart!

Su Mian was full of admiration, praising him while taking out a new set of clothes to match.

Gao Zhao looked on curiously and asked in surprise, "Is there something important happening tomorrow? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Su Mian exclaimed in surprise, "Tomorrow is the Double Fifth Festival! Dragon boat races are held at Jinming Pond, didn't you know?"

Gao Zhao suddenly realized and exclaimed with delight, "So tomorrow's a holiday?"

Su Mian nodded and said, "That's right! We have a day off, so we agreed to go watch the dragon boat races together!"

"Just one day!" Gao Zhao said with some regret. These incompetent rulers of the Song Dynasty are too stingy. Why not give me three days?

Unaware of his thoughts, Su Mian continued, "Brother, Jinming Pond will be open to the public during the Dragon Boat Festival. It will surely be bustling with activity. How about we go together?"

Gao Zhao lost interest as soon as he heard about the excitement. What was the point of all that jostling and sweating? It would be much more fun to go drink with Instructor Lin!

So he declined, saying, "I've been away from home for several days, and my father isn't feeling well. I should go back and check on him!"

Su Mian was filled with respect: "My virtuous brother is extremely filial, which is admirable. It's just a pity that my family is in Suzhou, and I cannot be by his side to fulfill my filial duties. I am ashamed!"

The two of them sighed and talked about how much they missed their parents until late at night. The other two people in the dormitory were disturbed by the noise, but they knew that Gao Zhao was a troublemaker, so they dared not say anything and could only endure it!

The next morning, Gao Zhao woke up on time, excitedly ran out of the Biyong Gate, and embarked on his journey home.

On the way, he grabbed a loafer, threw him a handful of copper coins, and asked him to fetch Fu'an while he sat comfortably in a teahouse.

Before long, Fu'an arrived in a hurry. Gao Zhao gave him a few instructions and then went to Lin Chong's house.

It's been so long since I've seen Coach Lin, I miss him terribly!

When they arrived at the Lin family's house, they heard a chorus of weeping, and the neighbors were pointing and whispering among themselves!

Gao Zhao leaned over and asked, and learned that Lin Chong had been arrested and imprisoned by Kaifeng Prefecture for raping a respectable woman!