Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

Everything was as Gao Jin had expected. He went to the East Garden of the Cai Mansion, but Cai Xiu was not there, so he could only return to the West Garden of the Cai Mansion.

Sure enough, he waited for half an hour at the entrance of the West Garden, and then the servant came out and asked him to go to Fanlou.

Gao Jinqiang suppressed his anger and followed the instructions all day, finally receiving Cai Xiu's reply under the cover of night, inviting him to a banquet at Xiyuan the following evening.

It's good to have something to talk about, but I'm afraid that Cai Xiu won't give us a chance to talk and will just kill Lin Chong first.

According to the original owner's memories, Cai Xiu acted without any scruples. Lin Chong, an instructor, had his life in his hands and could indeed be treated like a firecracker.

Feeling that most of the matter had been resolved, Gao Jin was extremely tired and immediately returned to his residence to rest.

Upon reaching the gate of the mansion, Gao Jin saw the personal attendants he had arranged to be stationed in the mansion prison during the day. He waved them over and inquired about the situation.

He had made prior arrangements: two close attendants would take turns looking after Lin Chong in the prison, and the one not on duty would return to the manor to report on the situation.

Upon learning that Lin Chong's health had improved and that he was able to drink alcohol and eat meat, Gao Jin was finally relieved and went back to his room to sleep.

Nothing happened that night, and Gao Jin got up early the next day. He first practiced his martial arts before preparing to leave the mansion to go to the Kaifeng Prison.

Gao Jin thought that since Cai Xiu was willing to negotiate, his brother should be fine in the near future. He shouldn't scare himself and lose his composure.

As I was leaving the mansion, I ran into Old Deng, who was sitting in a sedan chair carried by several armored soldiers. I didn't know where he was going.

As Gao Qiu saw Gao Jin leave the mansion, he glanced at him sideways and suddenly said, "My son, have you needed to see your father recently?"

Gao Jin was about to step forward to pay his respects when he was startled by Gao Qiu's words. How could he not know that Gao Qiu must have lingered too long outside the West Garden yesterday, and gossip had reached Old Deng's ears?

In Gao Jin's view, he and Cai Xiu were of the same generation, and Lao Deng and Cai Jing were of the same generation.

The fact that Lao Deng has now gotten involved in the feud between him and Cai Xiu is reminiscent of calling on parents for help when you can't win a fight.

"It's alright, Old Deng, you just focus on your work. I'm about to go out of the city for some fun..."

Gao Qiu snorted coldly and said irritably, "You good-for-nothing! All you do is enjoy yourself all day long, and you don't even try to make this old man feel a little more relaxed."

After his usual reprimand, Gao Qiu changed the subject: "This city of Tokyo is rife with inconsistencies and moral ambiguity. If my son can't see things clearly, he can come to me. Though I'm old, my eyesight is still sharp."

Gao Jin pondered for a moment, realizing that Old Deng had indeed treated him well, and then comforted him, saying, "Forget it, Old Deng doesn't need to get involved; I already have a plan."

"Oh? What method? Tell me about it."

"At worst, we can admit our mistake and apologize to Cai Xiu. Taking a step back will make things much easier."

With a half-smile on his face, Gao Qiu looked at Gao Jin and said in a deep voice,

"Retreat? Some people think they only need to retreat temporarily, but it turns out that retreat is for a lifetime."

"Fine, I can still shield you from some hardship, you scoundrel. Go ahead and try if you want, but remember to come back to me if things don't go well."

Gao Jin felt a warmth in his heart, but his face showed an expression of complete indifference.

"Alright, Old Deng, I understand. If you, Old Deng, get involved in young people's fooling around, wouldn't our Gao family lose all face?"

Gao Qiu waved his hand weakly and said wearily, "Go! You bastard, you're an eyesore."

Goodbye, Old Deng!

After quickly saying goodbye, Gao Jin hurriedly climbed into the carriage and headed towards the Kaifeng Prison.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Kaifeng Prefecture government office, Gao Jin dismounted from the carriage and cautiously observed the two large stone lions, fearing that Chen Liqing might suddenly appear from behind.

But as he stepped into the government office, the sunlight was blocked by the eaves, and no one held his wrist, leaving him feeling empty inside.

Gao Jin cursed himself for being a worthless scoundrel and stopped thinking about these things, striding towards the prison.

Gao Jin still wasn't used to the smell in the cell. When he arrived at Lin Chong's cell, the smell was much fainter, probably because the jailers had used some method yesterday.

When Gao Jin arrived, Lu Zhishen and Lin Chong were sitting at the table drinking together. Lin Chong was facing the prison door, his face full of worry and his eyes downcast, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

The senior monk had his back to the cell door, so Gao Jin couldn't see his expression, but from his words and actions, Gao Jin felt that he was quite happy.

That makes sense, though. He seemed happy most of the time since I met this monk. He only became a little depressed when there was no wine, no meat, and no one to fight with.

"Brother, don't look so miserable. Don't you know how capable our brother is?" Lu Zhishen, with his back to the prison door, kept praising Gao Jin.

Gao Jin had only heard a few words when he thought of what had happened yesterday, and his face flushed red. He deliberately coughed twice to interrupt the monk.

Lin Chong raised his face, his eyes gleaming: "Brother, my crime..."

Gao Jin nodded slightly and said, "It seems everything should be alright."

"Right? I knew you were reliable, brother." Lu Zhishen filled the empty wine bowl and handed it to Gao Jin. "Here, brother, you must be tired from your journey. Please have a bowl first."

Gao Jin, holding his wine bowl, hesitated for a moment before finally telling the truth: "Brother Lin Chong's misfortune this time is entirely your fault, brother."

"Cai Xiu and I have a history of discord. He probably wants to embarrass me this time, which is why my brother is suffering this ordeal."

Lu Zhishen slammed his wine bowl on the table and said fiercely, "That Cai Xiu is a despicable man. He doesn't dare to cause trouble for my brother, but he's come after Brother Lin Chong instead. How hateful!"

Lin Chong's expression changed several times before he finally picked up his wine bowl and said in a low voice, "The other day, I was practicing martial arts in the training ground. Suddenly, a group of palace guards rushed in, pinned me to the ground, took out a portrait, compared it to mine haphazardly for a couple of seconds, and sent me to the torture chamber."

"After being severely tortured, they framed me for assassinating the king. I was wondering if I was involved in some heinous crime and was going to be the scapegoat."

"I believe I possess extraordinary abilities. If I advance, I can achieve great success and secure a prosperous future for my family and children. If I retreat, I can ensure a worry-free and peaceful old age for my entire family."

"Who would have thought that this great calamity was just caused by a spoiled brat..."

Lu Zhishen patted his bald head and interrupted Lin Chong, saying, "Brother..." Gao Jin reached out and pressed down on the monk, "Let him speak. This matter was originally caused by me."

Lin Chong continued, "...A spoiled brat casually playing with things. I pitifully thought there was a natural order in this world, that those who work hard wouldn't be let down..."

"What I didn't expect was that my brother would tell me about this directly..." Lin Chong paused, raised his wine bowl to Gao Jin, and said, "...Brother, why did you tell me? If you had kept this from me, I would have only been grateful for your saving my life. There was absolutely no need to tell me, was there?"

"Wouldn't it be better if I were just a clueless, hapless pawn?"

Gao Jin raised his glass in return to Lin Chong and said, "This whole thing started because of me, and we're brothers. Seeing you suffer like this has already caused me immense pain. How could I bear to keep it from you any longer?"

"What a brother!" Lin Chong tilted his head back and finished the wine in his bowl, then smashed the bowl on the ground. The shattered porcelain shards flew everywhere.

"Since this world is so corrupt, and we have to choose, then I'll choose my brother!" With that, Lin Chong stood up and knelt down on one knee in front of Gao Jin.

"Regardless of the outcome, for my brother's honesty..." Lin Chong bowed, not as if he were worshipping his brother, but more like a warrior swearing an oath of loyalty.

"...From now on, I, Lin, will follow my brother's lead without question!"

Lin Chong's favorability rating: 70.