Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

As the sun began to set and darkness approached, Gao Jin bid farewell to Lu Zhishen and rode alone slowly towards the city.

Lin Chong had already left. After all, he was a married man. It was already difficult enough for Xiu Muri to spend most of his time drinking with his brothers. He also had to make time to go shopping and enjoy the scenery with his wife.

When Lin Chong left, he invited his two older brothers to come along. Gao Jin thought to himself that it was enough to accompany Lin Chong's family shopping occasionally; there was no way he could go shopping with them every time, so he politely declined.

Although Lu Zhishen seemed to have nothing to do every day, he did have the responsibility of being the head of the Xiangguo Temple Vegetable Shop, unlike Gao Jin who had free time every day.

As for the young master's attendants and servants, they were all driven away by Gao Jin half a month ago.

Those people just ate and drank outside the courtyard every day, never offering to come over and practice with him. They just took the reward money and watched him practice martial arts.

This made Gao Jin feel like he was being treated like a monkey show, and he couldn't stand it, so he immediately chased everyone away.

Upon entering the Suanzao Gate, it was already dusk, but the streets and alleys were still teeming with people. Lanterns and candles were lit in every shop and stall, making the city seem like daytime. Everywhere, one could see respectable women draped in colorful veils, accompanied by maids and attendants, strolling and enjoying the sights.

These familiar scenes made Gao Jin feel as if he were still in the present world, simply playing around on the Hanfu pedestrian street.

The snorting of his horse reminded Gao Jin that he was already in the Song Dynasty. He touched his nose and chuckled sheepishly. Fearing that the horse might be startled and trample someone, he dismounted and led it back to the mansion.

As he walked, he pondered how to proceed with the plan to join Liangshan. Lin Chong's plummeting favorability at the banquet earlier felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

You should know that Lin Chong was just an instructor in the Imperial Guards. There were countless people in the city of Tokyo with the same rank as him, and he was unwilling to join the Liangshan bandits because of his low rank and insignificant position.

Could the powerful Grand Commandant Gao, whose father was merely a cheapskate, really allow his son to become an outlaw? Even if Gao Jin was free, he could disregard everything and join Liangshan to live a carefree life, but what about Gao Qiu? What to do? Let him die in Dongjing City because of Gao Jin?

Although Gao Qiu was a bad person, he never mistreated Gao Jin. Even Lin Chong knew that although Gao Qiu had a bad reputation, he was also a person who would repay kindness.

As the initial excitement subsided, Gao Jin thought back and forth, feeling a cold sweat break out. If he had simply joined the Liangshan bandits, he would have been carefree, while Gao Qiu and his entire Gao family would likely have met their demise in this very city of Dongjing.

It's like a trolley problem: on one side, there are over a hundred different abilities, and on the other, there's the Gao clan led by Gao Qiu. Because of the values ​​shaped by the better environment of his later life, Gao Jin finds himself in a difficult position.

Gao Jin could only rack his brains for a compromise. Unfortunately, his brain had never been properly enlightened before; the first month was filled with the warmth and beauty of women, and the second month with alcohol and meat.

It's true what they say, "You only realize how little you know when you need it." The same principle applies to the brain; if you don't use it for a long time, it will break down.

"Young master! Young master!" someone shouted from the front. The surrounding crowd of children looked around curiously, wondering which family's young master had come out to play.

A few busybodies spotted the tall and imposing Gao Jin. After whispering amongst themselves, the people on both sides ran into the alley below the river to hide. Faint shouts could be heard, "Hurry and hide, it's that playboy..."

Prejudice in people's hearts is truly a mountain...

Seeing this, Gao Jin could only smile bitterly. He glanced at the woman unintentionally. Because her head was covered with a blue veil, he could not see her face or tell her color. However, her figure was exactly like that of a little "flower monk".

Upon hearing the fearsome name of the playboy, the woman's ring of wealth and status trembled with each breath, clearly indicating she was terrified. After a brief pause, she turned and rushed headlong into the alley behind her. Her petite maidservant tried to stop her, but the moment her delicate hand touched her mistress's arm, she was pulled to the ground.

In her desperation, the noblewoman displayed considerable strength. The alley, already teeming with noblewomen of all kinds, along with their maids and attendants, was completely rammed into by her and disappeared without a trace.

Gao Jin was filled with resentment; this was the worst he had ever been slandered in his life, bar none.

The former Prince Gao was not picky about food at all; he could eat anything!

He looked up again and saw that the person who had shouted was Fu An. The wound on his face had long since healed, and he was now working in the Grand Commandant's mansion, mainly responsible for serving Gao Jin.

Since Gao Jin only practiced martial arts outside the Suanzao Gate every day and didn't go to other places to fool around, Fu An was simply sent back to the Grand Commandant's mansion to serve as a servant. If there was anything to do, he could go to the vegetable garden courtyard to deliver messages.

When Fu'an saw that Gao Jin had finally noticed him, he ran over excitedly.

"Young master, young master..."

Hearing the somewhat distorted call, Gao Jin felt as if he had been struck by a dead memory. He looked solemnly at Fu An, who was panting in front of him, and his hand unconsciously reached for the iron rod on the horse's back. If Fu An dared to suddenly dance, he would kill him in the street if necessary.

Fortunately, Fu An didn't dance. "Young Master, Cai Xiu has sent an invitation. He plans to host a banquet for Princess Maode at the West Garden of the Cai Mansion next month for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and invites you to join him."

"So it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival..." Gao Jin exclaimed, recalling who Cai Xiu was and what this Princess Maode was.

It turns out that social circles have existed since ancient times. Although the sons of officials interact on ordinary days, they don't care about feelings or loyalty. When they get together for holidays, they compete to show off their status, comparing this year and that year.

This Cai Xiu, courtesy name Renzhi, was also a valiant member of the playboy circle in Dongjing City. Though not yet twenty, he possessed a ruthless and sinister demeanor. He never reaped any good karma, preferring murder and arson, and never acted in public, only flaunting his crimes within the playboy circle.

He was heavily involved in the construction of the West Garden at the Cai residence, and he was the one who instigated many of the destructions and tamperings that occurred there.

He still had a grudge against the original Gao Yanei. Once, at a gathering of the young masters, that fellow somehow found two respectable young women and said that if Gao Yanei would fawn over him and call him "brother," he would give them to him. This would save Gao Yanei from harassing respectable women in the streets and alleys every day and tarnishing the reputation of their circle of young masters.

The young masters laughed heartily, and everyone applauded. Gao, the young master, angrily left the banquet, but on the way, he accidentally fell into the water. The young masters, already frail and delicate, suddenly caught a cold, and Gao, naturally, fell ill and couldn't get out of bed. Day and night, he couldn't stop thinking about Cai Xiu's face at the banquet, lying in bed depressed and melancholic, his illness escalating for three months.

Gao Jin touched his nose, unsure whether to thank this guy for bringing him here to enjoy life, or to teach the original owner a lesson.

Princess Maode is simpler to describe. She was the fifth daughter of Emperor Daojun, and her original name was Zhao Fujin. She was initially granted the title of Princess Yanqing, then changed to Princess Kangfu. In the third year of the Zhenghe era (1113), she was renamed Princess Kangfu according to the regulations. In the first year of the Chonghe era (1118), she was finally granted the title of Princess Maode.

Known as the most beautiful woman in the Song Dynasty, when she was conferred the title of Princess Maode last year, the original owner of this body had caught a glimpse of her from afar with her father, the Grand Commandant. At sixteen, her beauty was indeed unparalleled in the world. Gao Yanei also understood that he was not worthy of such a princess in terms of age, family background, or talent, and could only swallow his saliva and drink in the corner.

As far as Gao Jin was concerned, she was just so-so, barely ranking in the upper-middle range among the beauties he had ever seen. After all, all the artificial beauties of later generations conformed to the national aesthetic standards, so it was indeed a bit difficult to compare them with traditional aesthetic standards. But Zhao Fujin also had something that beauties of later generations did not have, namely that noble air of being worshipped by the masses.

Gao Jin thought to himself, if she could wear a dragon robe and an emperor's crown, she would be top-notch with that kind of noble air! It's just a pity that I heard she was going to be married off to Cai Xiu by the Daojun Emperor. It's really like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.

Having figured out who the two people were, Gao Jin lost interest in the invitation.

Just look at his newly acquired abs; you can tell Cai Xiu is about to start showing off again, after all, he's about to marry the most beautiful woman.

"No, no, I'll reply to the invitation and say I'm going back to my hometown to sweep the tombs for the Mid-Autumn Festival." After Gao Jin finished speaking, he shoved the horse reins into Fu An's hand and strode straight into the mansion.

Everyone's run away from here, and there's no good scenery to see. Why stay here instead of hurrying back home?