Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"Cheer up, work hard, you can do it!" Gao Zhao escorted Qin Hui back to the Zen temple, settled him in, left him some money, and then clenched his fist, loudly encouraging him.

Having his defenses breached, Qin Hui, who was in a vulnerable period, was moved to tears and decided to write Gao Zhao down in his little notebook, so that he could repay him when he became successful in the future.

Gao Zhao didn't care whether he repaid him or not. In just a short while, he moved Qin Hui to contribute two more points of gratitude, which brought his remaining points to ten. This made him very happy, and he decided to trick Qin Hui again next time he had the chance!

After chatting for a while, Gao Zhao noticed that Qin Hui's condition was gradually recovering and he was no longer able to gain gratitude points. So he got up to leave. Who would want to talk to a useless piece of trash like him!

As soon as he stepped out the door, Gao Zhao opened his control panel.

Name: Gao Zhao

Gratitude Points: 10

Intelligence: 69+/100

Strength: 43+/100

Physical fitness: 51+/100

Agility: 42+/100

Skill: Calligraphy (Beginner)

After checking it over, Gao Zhao didn't hesitate to add the gratitude points to his physique again. A warm current flowed through his body, and Gao Zhao felt refreshed, feeling that he was one step closer to becoming a 12-foot man!

Even the way he walks is full of vigor!

He hasn't recovered from his leave at the Imperial Academy, so he can't go back. Otherwise, he'd have to come up with another excuse to come out again. He can't exactly say his uncle died next time, can he?

He doesn't have many close friends and family, so he has to be careful with his money!

Back home, just as he was about to sneak back to his courtyard, he unexpectedly bumped into Gao Qiu.

"Why are you back?" Gao Qiu stared at him suspiciously and questioned, "Today is a day off, you should be back in your dormitory tonight, did you skip school?"

"No, no..." Gao Zhao hurriedly waved his hand to deny it, then rolled his eyes and said, "I learned that you were returning today, so I stayed behind to welcome you. I have already asked the headmaster for leave."

The old steward, standing to the side, gave him a half-smile and continued, "Young master, you hurriedly returned on the Dragon Boat Festival to see the Grand Commandant, but unfortunately, the Grand Commandant was out and has not returned!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu's expression softened. He pondered to himself that Gao Zhao had grown up with him since childhood and had never left his side. Although it had only been a few days since he left home to enter the Imperial Academy, the unfamiliar environment always made him homesick!

This shows his deep affection for his son!

"The Imperial Academy gathers the best talents in the world. You should always seek advice from your classmates and broaden your knowledge and experience. How can you act like a child?"

"Yes, sir, you are right!" Gao Zhao bowed and agreed, wanting only to leave as soon as possible.

Seeing his humble demeanor, Gao Qiu immediately realized that his words had been somewhat harsh, and nodded slightly, saying, "Come to my study!"

"Huh?" Gao Zhao was taken aback. Seeing that Gao Qiu had already walked forward, he had no choice but to follow.

After Gao Qiu sat down behind his desk, he looked at him and asked, "What have you been learning these past few days?"

Gao Zhao's face stiffened. To be honest, although the Imperial Academy did not charge him tuition, he really did not learn anything from the academy, which was based on the principle of fairness.

But now that Gao Qiu had asked him, he couldn't very well say he hadn't learned anything. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and recall the story the old man had told him, stammering, "I learned the Book of Rites...King Shu thought it was a book that taught people how to manage money...and the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean...the Three Cardinal Guides and the Eight Virtues...cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world..."

"A half-baked understanding!" Gao Qiu snorted coldly, interrupting him, but he wasn't too harsh. After all, he knew what kind of person Gao Zhao was, and that he had already put in effort to learn these things in just a few days.

He then pushed the paper and pen on the table over and said casually, "Write a few words for me to see!"

Gao Zhao stepped forward somewhat awkwardly, feeling uncertain, but as soon as he picked up the pen, he immediately felt a sense of inspiration, as if he had been practicing for many years.

He picked up his brush and wrote a line: "An empty kitchen cooks cold vegetables, a broken stove burns damp reeds."

This is exactly the sentence from the "Cold Food Festival Scroll" that Gao Qiu had given him before.

Upon seeing this, Gao Qiu's gaze sharpened slightly. He reached out and took the paper, examining it closely under the lamp. Although the handwriting was still somewhat immature and the strokes were not smooth, the overall structure was already discernible.

This made him suspicious. For an ordinary person to write something like this from scratch would take at least several years of hard work, but he had only done it in a few days.

He could hardly believe it, but he had seen those words written with his own eyes, so there was no way they could be faked!

Could he really be a genius in this field?

Seeing his expression, Gao Zhao immediately understood. Although Qin Hui was a treacherous minister, his calligraphy was excellent, and the Song typeface originated from him.

The beginner-level calligraphy skills learned from him are naturally quite good!

He immediately stood up straight, puffed out his chest, and calmly said, "Sir, please give me some guidance..."

Gao Qiu raised his head, stared intently at him, and asked in a deep voice, "Did you use any opportunistic means?"

Gao Zhao was displeased upon hearing this. He reached for a book on the table, casually flipped to a page, wrote a line of text on it, and handed it to Gao Qiu, saying earnestly, "There are no shortcuts or tricks to calligraphy. It's all the result of diligent study and practice, accumulated over time!"

Gao Qiu stared at the newly written line again, now certain that he truly knew how, and asked in surprise, "How did you do that?"

Gao Zhao feigned confusion, "Is it that difficult? Isn't this something anyone can do?"

Gao Qiu emphasized, gritting his teeth, "You just said, 'Study diligently and practice hard, accumulate knowledge day by day!'"

"Don't worry about the details! The things geniuses do might be a little hard for you to understand!"

Gao Zhao waved his hand, changing the subject, "Sir, I heard that Lin Chong has been arrested by the Kaifeng Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "So?"

"We have to save him!" Gao Zhao leaned closer and said, "Lin Chong is under your command, the head instructor of the Imperial Guards. If you turn a blind eye, it will break your subordinates' hearts!"

"The Imperial Guards belong to the Emperor, not to me!" Gao Qiu said coldly. "Lin Chong was arrested by the Kaifeng Prefecture, which means he broke the law. How can I let personal matters interfere with public duty?"

Gao Zhao curled his lip. These treacherous officials were really interesting; they always loved to portray themselves as loyal ministers. He then said, "But Lin Chong was framed!"

"Then produce the evidence!" Gao Qiu slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "The Great Song Dynasty has its own laws! You must trust the court and the government; they will surely uphold justice and give Lin Chong justice!"

Gao Zhao blinked and looked at him seriously, trying to figure out whether Gao Qiu was telling the truth or not!

Seeing his upright expression, Gao Zhao was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was telling him that Kaifeng Prefecture was in trouble at this time and dared not make a false case!

And he was unwilling to get too involved!

Gao Zhao's eyes lit up. "Then I can do whatever I want! I'll go see my sister-in-law tomorrow!"