Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

The person who came was none other than Cao You, his superior at the Gatekeeper's Office!

He dared not neglect this superior. Since he entered the Gemensi, the superior had taken good care of him. Moreover, the superior came from a prominent family and had a powerful background, so he was not someone who could be easily offended.

"Greetings, Lord Cao!" Gao Zhao greeted him with utmost respect.

"Haha... Gongming! You've done a great service this time, bringing honor to our Director of the Imperial Palace!" Cao You approached and patted him on the shoulder, then pulled his arm and laughed, "Come on, come on, let's go sit at my place. I just got some good tea, let's try it together!"

Gao Zhao actually hated it when a man was being cuddled and pulling at him, but he also knew better what it meant to be overly solicitous and dishonest!

He did not resist at the moment and let Cao You pull him into the Gemensi.

Upon arriving at the public room, Gao Zhao sat down without saying a word, watching Cao You prepare the tea and pour the water. He then got up to take the tea and began to eat it with a smile. During their conversation, he only mentioned that the tea and water were good, without saying anything else.

Cao You tried to steer the conversation several times, but seeing that Gao Zhao didn't respond at all, he could only mutter "little fox!" under his breath. Then, he looked at Gao Zhao with a smile and asked, "Gongming, were there any dangers during this bandit suppression?"

"Danger? Not at all!" Gao Zhao continued to feign ignorance, saying, "Your Excellency is unaware of this! Although I am young, I have practiced martial arts since childhood. My friends in the martial world give me face and have even given me the nickname 'Invincible with Spear and Staff'! Haha... Though the bandits are fierce, none can withstand a single blow!"

Cao You's lips twitched repeatedly, and he almost couldn't help but curse out loud. "Is he really that unhumble? Invincible with spears and clubs? My archery skills are unparalleled, but do I flaunt them like this?"

This is utterly absurd!

"Gongming's martial arts are excellent, but we cannot be careless. If we push those thieves too far, they might resort to desperate measures. It's easy to defend against a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!"

Cao You said meaningfully, "As the saying goes, 'If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.' One should not go to extremes!"

Gao Zhao blinked, tilted his head suspiciously, and said, "Is Lord Cao acting as an intermediary? Or are you perhaps the protector behind the Worry-Free Cave?"

"No, no, no... don't talk nonsense!" Cao You was startled by Gao Zhao's sudden remark and quickly waved his hands in denial. However, seeing Gao Zhao looking at him with a half-smile, he could only sigh and say, "It's true that someone asked me to act as a mediator..."

"Who is it?" Gao Zhao interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Cao You looked up at him, smiled, and shook his head, saying, "It doesn't matter who it is. That's how it is in the capital; it's always about connections and backroom deals. It's just that someone found me. Don't worry about it. Why don't you tell me your thoughts on this?"

Gao Zhao nodded; he wasn't surprised that it was related to the Worry-Free Cave.

To his surprise, the network of connections in Wuyou Cave had extended to Cao You!

This is a high-ranking official of the Hengban level or above! He also holds the prestigious position of Gemenshi. The fact that even such a person could be dragged down by them shows just how powerful the Wuyou Cave is!

No wonder the Song Dynasty was doomed!

He pondered for a moment, then looked troubled and said, "I wholeheartedly agree with your words, Your Excellency. What we officials seek is nothing more than a stable and prosperous life. I also wish to blend in with the world, but the matter of privately minting coins has angered the Emperor. I cannot disobey the imperial decree!"

Cao You laughed and shook his head, saying, "Haha... Gongming, your thinking is still too extreme! Nothing in this world is absolute. Don't see things in black and white; learn to be moderate and balanced!"

"Oh?" Gao Zhao became interested and asked curiously, "I'd like to hear the details!"

"Official orders cannot be disobeyed! But the encirclement and suppression will be difficult!"

Cao You leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "It's not that we won't suppress them, but rather that we will suppress them slowly, gradually, and systematically! As time goes on, the Emperor's interest will wane, and the matter will naturally be dropped! In this way, Gongming can both preserve the Emperor's favor and escape unscathed!"

"That's it?" Gao Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Cao You with a half-smile.

The method was indeed provided and it is indeed feasible, but I didn't feel any sincerity!

You think you can make me obey your orders just because of a single sentence? That's treating me like I'm not even human!

Seeing that he didn't express his opinion, Cao You guessed what he was thinking and laughed, "Gongming, just rest assured, they won't treat you unfairly after this matter is over!"

Gao Zhao looked up at him and smiled meaningfully, "His Majesty just promoted me, a promotion beyond my rank. What boundless imperial grace! Only by sacrificing my life can I repay such kindness!"

Cao You's smile faded; he knew Gao Zhao wasn't some easily fooled young lad. After a moment's thought, he said, "Five thousand strings of cash. I can make the decision for them!"

Gao Zhao's face also darkened, and he said calmly, "I just seized 400,000 strings of counterfeit money yesterday!"

"That's different! No matter how much you seize, it's none of your business, but these five thousand strings of cash are real gold and silver. That's enough for you..."

Before Cao You could finish speaking, Gao Zhao suddenly stood up, looked at him coldly, his face full of righteous indignation, and said, word by word, "Lord Cao, they are insulting me!"

Cao You was taken aback and stared at him in astonishment, unsure whether he was angry that he had brought this up or felt humiliated because of the small amount of money!

"Gongming, what do you mean by this? It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. If you're not satisfied, I can talk to them again. What do you think is a suitable amount?"

"Lord Cao, you must have misunderstood! Although I, Gao Zhao, hold a low-ranking official position, I am not the kind of merchant who haggles over prices!"

A cold smile appeared on Gao Zhao's face as he said, "I think it's better for them to set the price! As for me, I will demonstrate my value!"

"Lord Cao, farewell!"

Gao Zhao cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left, leaving Cao You standing there dumbfounded.

As Gao Zhao walked out of the palace, he became angrier and angrier. His hatred for Wuyou Cave came from Fu Jin and Mr. Feng, who had been showing off in front of him.

But after learning about the immense power of the Worry-Free Cave, he wasn't so angry anymore...

Besides, he had already made 100,000 strings of cash, and he wasn't the kind of person to be petty!

So when he learned that Cao You had come to act as a lobbyist, he welcomed him.

As long as the other party shows enough sincerity, everything is negotiable. Everyone can turn hostility into friendship and everyone will be happy. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

But to everyone's surprise, the other party actually asked for five thousand strings of cash!

What can you do with this little bit of money?

They can't even afford a decent house in Beijing!

It's not even as much as Gao Qiu's annual salary!

It might only be enough for an ordinary family's expenses for about two hundred years...

I don't need your money!

This is blatant humiliation!

Gao Zhao had only one feeling about this offer: he hadn't really hurt them enough before!

Let's do it!

Now that he has just been promoted by Zhao Ji, he doesn't believe that Wuyou Cave would dare to do anything underhanded to him. If they really dare to do that, it would be like slapping Zhao Ji in the face, and they would be facing annihilation!

In fact, many things are not impossible, but whether they are worth doing!

Ultimately, it all comes down to interests!

Arriving at the military camp in a huff, Gao Zhao was about to order the troops to march when suddenly the tent flap was lifted and Shi Qian walked in, carrying a huge bundle on his back!

Gao Zhao was overjoyed and rushed forward, saying, "Having met you in your old age is like adding wings to a tiger!"