Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Gao Qiu, his face ashen, sat on a pearwood chair dressed in plain clothes.

Gao Yanei knelt on the ground, his obese body trembling, and a fat, short hand covered his left cheek.

I want to cry but I don't dare to.

"Do you know why I hit you?" Gao Qiu's voice was not loud, and it was somewhat soothing.

However, Gao Kan was so frightened that he immediately fell to the ground, trembling as he said, "Child, child knows, child shouldn't have gone to find Lin Chong's wife. Lin Chong is a member of the Imperial Guard."

Snapped.

Gao Qiu suddenly smashed the teacup he was drinking from onto the ground.

Tea splashed everywhere, and tea shards flew all over the place.

Gao Kan dared not move an inch. All his wealth and glory in life depended on Gao Qiu, so how could he dare to refute him?

"Your son was wrong, your son was wrong, your son will never dare to do it again!" Gao Kan knelt on the ground, banging his head against the ground.

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu's face turned even more ashen, and he hissed, "Fool, utterly foolish fool!"

Gao Kan knelt on the ground, trembling, and could only beg for mercy repeatedly.

Enraged, Gao Qiu stood up from his chair, strode over to Gao Kan, raised his right foot, and kicked him hard.

Dong dong dong

He kicked Gao Kan, who was kneeling on the ground, to the ground and made him lie half-reclined there.

"Idiot, idiot, still haven't realized the problem!"

"The first time I found out she was Lin Chong's wife, it was a misunderstanding, but she actually had a second thought."

Upon hearing this, Gao Kan covered his head with his hands and said hurriedly, "I was wrong, I was really wrong, I shouldn't have provoked Lin Chong."

Gao Qiu was old; his blows didn't hurt anymore.

But Gao Kan had to make a show of it, because he was worried that Gao Qiu would no longer love him, and then he would no longer be able to live a carefree and wealthy life.

Who knew that Gao Qiu, who had calmed down a bit after kicking him a few times, would get angry again upon hearing this!

"Fool, who gave you this plan? Even if you succeeded the second time, so what?" Gao Qiu kicked the pile of mangled flesh on the ground a few more times.

Gao Qiu was furious, but he knew that this was all he could do. Could he really kill him?

This is your own child, even if they aren't your biological child.

Upon hearing this, Gao Kan froze, and stopped crying and shouting.

He couldn't help but think, what should he do if he actually succeeded?

Should we marry Lady Lin and bring her home?

Impossible. It's just a fling; I would never marry her.

Should we send Madam Lin back?

What about Lin Chong?

"Father, I know I was wrong." Gao Kan immediately stopped crying, got up from the ground, and remained kneeling on the ground, saying in a low voice, "I didn't think things through and left some trouble for the future."

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu's expression finally softened a bit. Since it was just the two of them, father and son, in the room, they could naturally have some heart-to-heart talks.

"It's okay to do bad things, but you have to do them well and leave no future troubles. This kind of scheme is really low-level. Whoever came up with it, throw them out and don't keep them around anymore. They'll get you killed," Gao Qiu said calmly.

"I know you have many people around you, and most of them aren't good people. It's okay if they're not good people, but they can't be stupid!"

"Do you understand?"

Gao Kan nodded emphatically: "Yes, I understand. I'll go back and kick them all out!"

"Slap!" Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu couldn't help but slap him again.

Gao Kan was stunned, this time covering his right cheek: "Father, why are you hitting me again? Didn't you tell me to kick you out?"

"Fool, if you're so direct, who will be willing to do your dirty work in the future? Find an excuse, make use of your trash, or use someone else to do your dirty work—anything is fine, just don't just drive them away!" Gao Qiu sincerely advised.

These are all principles of conduct and interpersonal relationships, which are not discussed in books.

It is essential to learn by example and instruction.

Gao Kan's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly, excitedly saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Father. There are plenty of reasons. I'll stay a few more days and just kill some time."

"Hmm," Gao Qiu said approvingly, "So, what are your next steps?"

Gao Kan was taken aback. What did "next step" mean?

After pondering for a few moments, his obese head still couldn't come up with an answer. However, he had become a little smarter now, and stopped trying to be clever. He smiled and said, "Please enlighten me, Father. My wisdom is not as good as yours."

Seeing this, Gao Qiu chuckled softly, "Lin Chong, what do you think Lin Chong should do?"

"Lin Chong, what can he do?" Gao Kan was taken aback: "I didn't do anything to his wife!"

Gao Qiu's face turned ashen again. Had he just wasted his breath?

However, I'm tired too. I'm getting old, and I can't hit people anymore.

"If your wife were harassed like this, how would you respond?" Gao Qiu asked rhetorically.

Gao Kan didn't hesitate. He raised his head and said directly, "Let's see who dares to skin him alive!"

After saying that, he realized what he had said.

His expression changed drastically, and he said in a low voice, "Father, do you mean Lin Chong will retaliate?"

"No way, we're his superiors. Does he not want his future anymore? Does he not want to continue working here?"

Gao Qiu nodded, then shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure about Lin Chong, but his martial arts are too high, so he's ultimately a potential threat."

"What should we do then?" Gao Kan was also a little panicked, as he still had to wander the streets every day.

Gao Qiu's eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "We need to think of a way. We can't let Lin Chong make the first move. What if he goes all out and we have to live in fear every day?"

Gao Kan fell silent. He didn't understand much about officialdom; he only knew the surface of its intricacies.

"Go and summon the steward!" Gao Qiu ordered directly.

He was an expert at flattering Emperor Huizong of Song, and he was also adept at persecuting people, but he had to rely on his subordinates.

What official system, imperial guard system, military management?

To be honest, he never cared, nor did he need to.

If you can appease Emperor Huizong, everything will be fine.

Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, it will all be in vain!

The steward had long served in the Grand Commandant's office and was an old hand around Gao Qiu, so he knew the regulations of the Imperial Guards by heart.

"Grand Commandant." The steward bowed.

Seeing Gao Qiu's signal, Gao Kan said directly, "Steward, I've offended Lin Chong and I'm afraid of his retaliation. What should I do?"

The steward remained expressionless and asked in a low voice, "How far have you planned to go, young master?"

"I want to harm Lin Chong, then I won't be afraid anymore." Gao Kan's expression remained unchanged, as if he were talking about something ordinary. "But I can't harm his wife; I'm still thinking about that."

After a moment's thought, the steward looked at Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu nodded slightly.

The steward then said, "There are many ways to deal with Lin Chong. You can find any excuse for his lax discipline to punish him."

"Or send him to guard the border and escort grain, or arrange for him to complete a task that he can't finish."

"Or we could arrange for someone to investigate whether he neglected his duties or was secretly taking on apprentices and teaching others."

The supervisor rattled off more than a dozen rectification measures in one breath.

Gao Yanei was stunned, muttering, "Are there really so many methods?"

"Yes, these are all common occurrences," the steward said with a smile. "Those who work for others are subject to their authority. The Grand Commandant is a superior; dealing with a subordinate is a piece of cake."

"Which method does the young master prefer?"