Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

Gao Zhao was promoted, but his job at the Gemensi remained unchanged.

This is the official rank and dispatch system of the Song Dynasty. The two are completely different systems and have almost no relation to each other.

As for the change in his colleagues' attitudes towards him, it has nothing to do with the promotion itself; people are looking at the significance behind it.

He continued to serve in the Chongzheng Hall, and continued to extend goodwill to the officials waiting to be received.

However, this time the gratitude points were more than before.

The reason for this is that everyone knew he had openly confronted Chao Bingzhi in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and they all assumed he was arrogant, domineering, and difficult to get along with.

Upon arriving at Chongzheng Hall, they discovered that things were not as they seemed, and this contrast naturally increased their gratitude.

This also opened up a new avenue for Gao Zhao!

If Chao Bingzhi alone could achieve such an effect, what if he were replaced by someone with an even higher official position?

Cai Jing, I fuck you...

Forget it! That's just asking for trouble!

The entire court is almost entirely composed of Cai Jing's men; we can't defeat him, so let him off the hook for now!

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) has been very busy these past few days because the suburban sacrifice is imminent. In addition to handling government affairs, he also has to follow a series of procedures and rituals.

The Imperial Observatory selected an auspicious day, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices arranged the ceremonies, the Imperial City Administration organized the ceremonial guards, and the inner court prepared sacrificial offerings and prayer books.

The selection of imperial relatives and civil and military officials to accompany the sacrifice, the pre-sacrifice fasting and bathing, the personal visits to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay homage to the ancestors, and the rehearsal of the suburban sacrificial rites—each and every step was carried out meticulously and in accordance with the established rules.

Gao Zhao could sense that Zhao Ji was not very enthusiastic about the suburban sacrifice, at least not as enthusiastic as the other ministers.

It makes sense, really. After the grand suburban sacrifice, there would surely be a general amnesty, rewards for all officials, and generous gifts for the imperial guards.

Not only would they be promoted to higher ranks and titles, but they would also be rewarded with gold, silver, and other valuables. This was no small sum, and no one would be happy about it.

However, Emperor Huizong was quite cunning. He had taken advantage of the reforms to abolish the less important official titles, thus saving on expenses.

The abolition of the system of honorary officials is reasonable. The titles of Song officials were long and complicated, but in reality, each position had a different function. The honorary officials no longer had a practical application. As long as you had served in the court for a long time, you could get a title of Grand Pillar of State for fun. This thing had become rampant!

Ever since the night of his promotion, Gao Zhao's gaze towards Zhao Ji has changed.

Being an emperor isn't very interesting!

Without money, you can't even be a tyrant if you want to!

If you manage to make money, everyone will call you a tyrant!

After much thought, I realized that my own ideals are the most reliable. The thought of indulging in extravagance and debauchery is exciting.

In the past few days, Zhao Ji has also shown a close relationship with Gao Zhao. In his spare time, he would talk to him and ask for his opinion on some matters.

Gao Zhao's answer was also very simple, completely standing on the emperor's side, emphasizing decisiveness and ruthlessness.

The job wasn't done well, so we're back!

He made a mistake, so he was executed!

His decisive and ruthless style frightened even the eunuchs who accompanied Zhao Ji, who kept giving him meaningful glances.

He didn't care; he could say whatever he wanted. After all, Zhao Ji was just trying to relieve his boredom and wasn't seriously seeking his opinion.

There are plenty of high-ranking officials in the court who can offer advice and suggestions, so why would a mere gatekeeper like him be a chance? He has a clear understanding of his role: to provide emotional value.

Emotional value is also value!

Every time he finished speaking, it would make Zhao Ji burst into laughter.

This also proves that this guy is a tyrant who, deep down, enjoys this kind of brutality and bloodshed, making himself look like a treacherous minister who aids and abets evil!

After spending these few days together, Zhao Ji became familiar with him and even took out a chessboard to invite him to play chess in his spare time!

However, this time, Gao Zhao refused, saying that he didn't know how to play chess, so he gave up.

In fact, Gao Zhao was being modest. He could play chess and had even learned a brilliant move from the Great Han Chess Saint, which could be described as a divine move!

Once this move is made, the outcome will be decided immediately!

Unfortunately, this tactic couldn't be used against Zhao Ji, otherwise he would have been accused of regicide!

Several days later, the suburban sacrificial ceremony officially began.

On the day of Xin Si in the eleventh month, Zhao Ji went to Jingling Palace to pay homage to the statue of the Holy Ancestor, performed court rites, and then returned to the palace.

On the day of Renwu in the eleventh month, Emperor Huizong personally offered sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, conducted a grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to all his ancestors, and bestowed a posthumous title upon Emperor Shenzong.

Despite Emperor Shenzong's short life and the fact that his reforms during his reign caused widespread suffering, his posthumous title is the longest in the Song Dynasty!

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, both of their sons were emperors!

We must pile up as many posthumous titles as possible for him!

On the way, we encountered a strange thing: the clouds in the sky were piled up and, under the sunlight at dusk, they were golden and magnificent, looking like palaces and buildings.

Zhao Ji immediately asked Cai You, the official in charge of the imperial guards, where that place with its many palaces and towers was.

Gao Zhao, who was standing nearby with a group of officials from the Imperial Palace, was speechless upon hearing this. "Haven't you ever seen clouds before?"

Then Cai You immediately replied affirmatively, "I see multiple layers of pavilions and terraces faintly visible in the clouds!"

Before Zhao Ji could ask again, he first stared intently at the scene, then ran forward several dozen feet to examine it carefully before running back to reply.

Emperor Huizong asked him, "Have you seen any important figures?"

Cai You immediately replied in a serious tone, "I saw many Daoist boys holding banners and staffs, moving about in the clouds; I could clearly see their clothes and features!"

Gao Zhao was dumbfounded. "If you run forward a few dozen feet, you'll be able to see these things clearly?"

Do you think my 5.3 vision is just for show?!

That's a cloud! Tell me how you can run on the ground and see it clearly!

Then something even more outrageous happened: Cai You claimed it was an auspicious omen and even requested that the historians record it.

Emperor Huizong was overjoyed and readily agreed.

The officials also offered their congratulations.

Gao Zhao: "..."

A treacherous minister and a foolish ruler are indeed a perfect match!

A loyal and upright official like myself certainly seems out of place among you all!

After the brief interlude, the convoy continued its grand journey and arrived in Qingcheng to settle in.

This Qingcheng Palace is a fasting palace. The emperor will not return to the palace tonight but will fast here. All civil and military officials will also stay here to await the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven tomorrow.

The gatekeepers were responsible for guiding and announcing important ceremonies. Gao Zhao and his group of gatekeepers also stayed here overnight, waiting for dawn the next day.

As night fell, lights began to illuminate Qingcheng.

The Deputy Envoy of the Palace Gate summoned all the Palace Gate Attendants and Imperial Envoys to the corridor. The lamplight illuminated the faces of the officials as he inquired about and confirmed the division of labor for tomorrow's ceremony, repeatedly emphasizing all the rules and precautions.

After everything was confirmed and arranged, he repeatedly gave instructions:

"At midnight tomorrow, you must rise and go around the Circular Mound Altar to summon and guide the officials, and make sure they are in their proper places. There must be no mistakes whatsoever."

The emperor performs a grand ceremony; the slightest mistake is a grave offense of disrespect. Your lives and fortunes depend on this; remember this well!

All the gatekeepers and officials under the eaves responded in unison.

After everyone dispersed, Gao Zhao headed towards the official residence. Looking up, he saw Gao Qiu in full military attire, a sword at his waist, leading a group of soldiers toward the Duancheng Hall in the inner wall.

Zhou Ang, clad in armor and wielding a spear, followed closely beside Gao Qiu, his expression solemn, the sword at his waist gleaming coldly.

Although Qingcheng was the emperor's palace, it was heavily guarded by the three military commands outside the city and patrolled day and night by the Imperial City Guard inside the palace. With such strict security, and Gao Qiu even allowing his cronies to enter, it seems that Zhao Ji did not trust these imperial guards too much!