Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

The next day, Gao Jin got up early as usual and went to the backyard to find Lin Chong with Chen Liqing and the maid.

By the time he arrived, Lin Chong had already left.

Gao Jin felt a pang of disappointment, and fearing that Lu Zhishen might also leave without saying goodbye, he hurriedly went to the small building where the brute monk was.

Fortunately, as soon as I arrived near the small building, I heard the monk's deafening snoring.

Gao Jin was relieved to find that the monk was still with him.

Gao Jin stopped outside Lu Zhishen's small building, pondered for a moment, then turned to Chen Liqing, who was following him, and said...

"Qingmei, I want to see Old Deng, do you want to come?"

Chen Liqing's blue gauze cover swayed from side to side.

"Brother, you go ahead, I'll just stroll around in the garden."

Gao Jin glanced at Chen Liqing, who was three steps away from him, clicked his tongue, but maintained a forced smile.

"I'll be going now..."

"Brother, please go ahead. I have my adopted son to keep me company..."

When Gao Jin followed the steward to the study, Gao Qiu was reading a military report.

When Gao Qiu entered, he didn't say anything, just glanced at him, and then continued looking at the military report in his hand.

After observing carefully for a moment, Gao Jin concluded that Gao Qiu was in a good mood today.

"Old Deng, what good thing happened last night?" Gao Jin asked, rummaging through the pastries in the fruit bowl on the table.

As Gao Qiu looked at the military report, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards. "Last night at the Emperor's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, I gave Cai Jing a surprise."

Gao Jin grabbed some dried fruit and started popping it into his mouth while asking,

"Old Deng, you told me not to leave the mansion and make a scene, so why did you go and provoke Cai Jing?"

"Foolish! They've bullied us so badly, and we're not even fighting back? That's a clear sign of something to hide!"

Gao Qiu glared at Gao Jin, "You're always so frivolous; you really should settle down and start a family!"

"Old Deng, speaking of the Cheng family, what did Uncle Chen say?" Gao Jin was also a little anxious. He felt that if things continued like this, he would get sick sooner or later.

"That young lady comes to my Gao residence every day, how could I let her escape? I used quite a bit of persuasion, and it was settled. A few days later, we will begin the six rites of marriage."

"That's wonderful!" Gao Jin exclaimed with delight.

He secretly rubbed his hands together, determined to teach Chen Liqing a lesson once she married into the family. He was sure she would know how formidable she was, since she had dared to keep him hanging for the past two days. He would then put on a different act for her every day.

"Chen Daozi and I have quite a history. After that young lady marries into your family, you must not go to brothels or other such places. If you find someone you like, bring her home. Don't go out and flirt with other women, or you'll only become a laughingstock."

"Old Deng, what are you talking about? Do you think I'm that kind of person?!"

"You scoundrel! Who was it that went to 'Fan Hua Ju' and stayed there for a month? Now that you're about to get married, you should know that 'a beautiful woman of sixteen is as soft as butter, with a sword at her waist to slay foolish men. Though no heads fall, she secretly drains your marrow!' Stop indulging in bed matters. After you get married, I'll shamelessly go to the government and get you a job."

"Old Deng, I wasn't greedy either..." Gao Jin was saying when he saw Gao Qiu looking at him with an unfriendly expression, so he changed the subject, "Speaking of which, what surprise did you give Cai Jing last night?"

"Didn't Cai Xiu marry Princess Maode? He didn't even come to the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion banquet last night..." Gao Qiu winked at Gao Jin, "...As a former servant of the Emperor, how could I allow Cai Jing to deceive the Emperor? I stepped forward on the spot to impeach him."

Gao Jin was greatly disappointed. That's it?

"This shouldn't have much impact on Cai Jing, right?"

"What do you think matters in the imperial court? In the end, it's all about who the emperor trusts more. This matter may seem small, but Cai Jing has clearly deceived the emperor."

Gao Jin was about to refute Liu Shan by citing Zhuge Liang when he suddenly realized that Liu Shan seemed to genuinely trust Zhuge Liang, so he fell silent.

Seeing Gao Jin hesitate, Gao Qiu said, "Do you understand now? Regardless of your ability or whether you want to do things, the first thing you need to consider when you enter the court is the Emperor's trust."

Gao Jin pursed his lips. "Old Deng, do you think there are people who don't need the government's trust and can just do whatever they want?"

Gao Qiu chuckled, "Silly child, of course there are. The biographies of powerful ministers like Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao are full of such people."

"It was because of the Emperor's trust that I was able to rise from a mere servant to the position of Grand Commandant of the Imperial Guard. So, my son, the most important thing for you when you enter the court as an official in the future is to find a way to gain the Emperor's trust."

Gao Jin was somewhat displeased when he heard Gao Qiu want him to curry favor with others.

Upon seeing this, Gao Qiu again tried to persuade him with kind words.

"Aren't those pedantic scholars, led by Cai Jing, also forming cliques to seduce the Emperor? My son, don't feel ashamed. So many people want this opportunity to flatter the Emperor, but none of them have it yet."

Gao Jin felt that all parents in the world were the same.

In his past life, he had just graduated when he was pressured to work for a relative, even if it meant paying out of his own pocket, because they were afraid he would live too comfortably.

Now, he is in the Song Dynasty. His family elders want to send him to become an official and tell him to please the emperor.

What was Gao Jin supposed to say? He composed himself and changed the subject.

"Wouldn't it have been better if Cai Jing had just admitted that Cai Xiu had disappeared sooner?"

Gao Qiu glanced at him and said seriously,

"This is exactly what I wanted to tell you. Why didn't Cai Jing speak frankly to the Emperor? First, he was greedy, so he harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality), always thinking that his child had simply gone missing."

"Secondly, he was all bark and no bite. He dared not let the emperor know that he couldn't even find his own son, because he considered himself a capable minister, and a capable minister must be competent."

"Unlike your father, who sees things very clearly, I am just a favored subject. If you, you scoundrel, were to go missing, I would definitely kneel before the Emperor and beg him to help me find you."

"My son, remember this well: when you become an official in the court, all you need to do is keep an eye on the Emperor... nothing else matters."

Gao Jin touched his nose. He still didn't want to be an official, let alone such an official, whose safety depended on the whim of others.

"Old Deng, my brother told me that the Imperial Guards are going to hold a grand competition to determine ranks?"

"That is indeed the case. This year, the pressure from the Northern Liao has intensified. I plan to hold a grand competition at the Grand Parade Ground of the Palace Commander's Mansion in five days to boost the morale of the people in the capital."

Gao Qiu stroked his beard and looked at Gao Jin, "What, you scoundrel, what are you thinking?"

"My brother asked me to help him get revenge. It's rare for a brother to ask me for a favor, so I thought I'd give it a shot..."

"Nonsense! That's a military competition. You have no military rank and you're getting involved. If you lose, you'll disgrace the Gao family; if you win, you'll disgrace the Commander's Mansion... Your brother truly deserves to die!"

Gao Qiu seized the opportunity to manipulate the situation.

Gao Jin thought about it and realized it made sense. It was a military martial arts competition, and it wouldn't look right for someone like him, a civilian, to get involved.

Touching his nose, Gao Jin was also unhappy that his first attempt to do something for his brother had ended prematurely. "Old Deng, how about I take a position at your commander's mansion?"

"What position? I'll just ask you to take up a military post through hereditary privilege. After the competition, I'll recommend you to the emperor. You scoundrel, you'll be able to protect the emperor for me in the future."

"Okay, I'll take care of things for my brother first."

Upon hearing Gao Jin's agreement, Gao Qiu waved him out, saying, "Alright, the competition is just around the corner. Take care of your health and don't aggravate your old injuries."

As for Gao Jin's martial arts skills, Gao Qiu didn't care at all.

He had already made arrangements.

After leaving the study, Gao Jin walked towards the back garden, pondering along the way, feeling that something was amiss.

Competitions, marriage, taking a job, having children...

Something's not right," Gao Jin thought to himself. He felt like he was being completely taken care of by Lao Deng.

A thunderbolt flashed through Gao Jin's mind, and he realized, "Isn't this the arrangement of my parents in my previous life?"

Graduation, taking the civil service exam, getting married, having children...

"Hiss!" Gao Jin gasped.

The thought of such a life filled him with a sense of suffocation.

Is China, with its five thousand years of history, still trapped in this vicious cycle?!