Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

After leaving the palace, Gao Zhao went straight to the Imperial Guard camp.

Upon returning to his quarters, Gao Qiu, still shaken, immediately darkened his expression and sneered, "The Gao family is truly formidable!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhao's expression turned desolate. He looked up and sighed deeply, lamenting, "I had heard people say that the Censorate was imposing and extremely dangerous, but I never imagined that seeing it today, it would be nothing more than that. In my opinion, they are all just sycophants!"

"You wretched child, do you think you're so great?!" Gao Qiu laughed in anger. In the Song Dynasty, no one had ever truly disregarded the Censorate!

So what about Su Shi?

Even such a wild, unrestrained, and magnanimous person, after spending a few days in the Censorate, would be made obedient and say whatever they were told!

If it weren't for Empress Cao and Prime Minister Wang pleading for him and persuading Emperor Shenzong to issue the order personally, the Censorate would definitely have made him use all those poems that led to his death!

At that time, Li Ding, the Imperial Censor, had a deep-seated hatred for Su Shi's sharp tongue and was plotting to kill him!

"Let me tell you, watch out! You got one of the Censors removed from his post today, making them lose face so badly! They won't let this go!"

Gao Zhao scoffed dismissively, "So what? They themselves are morally corrupt, yet they willingly serve as henchmen. Now that their crimes have been exposed, they deserve what they get. They still have the nerve to blame me!"

"Hmph, naive! They already hold a grudge against you!" Gao Qiu sneered. "When you are sent to a post outside the capital, they will surely accuse you of some crimes, such as harboring disloyal intentions!"

Gao Zhao's expression turned solemn. After a moment of contemplation, he said softly, "What if I truly harbor rebellious intentions?"

Gao Qiu's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly got up and went outside the tent to check. After confirming that no one was there, he returned and hissed in a low voice, "You wretched creature, are you out of your mind?!"

Gao Zhao realized he had misspoke and chuckled awkwardly, saying, "I was just kidding..."

Gao Qiu glared at him and coldly shouted, "Don't say such things again!"

Gao Zhao nodded hurriedly in agreement, thinking to himself that Gao Qiu had only forbidden him to speak, but had not forbidden him to do...

Seeing that he remained silent, Gao Qiu assumed that he knew he was wrong, so he stopped talking about it and said instead, "I have already arranged the soldiers you wanted. Let Zhou Ang go and choose them."

"Oh, I see! You handle this. I trust you with your work." Gao Zhao waved his hand dismissively, plopped down next to Gao Qiu, and leaned closer, saying, "I came to see you about something else!"

Gao Qiu was speechless at his tone. It sounded like a superior ordering his subordinate around. Whether in public or private matters, was it appropriate for him to speak to him like that?

When he said he had other things to do, she said impatiently, "Speak!"

Gao Zhao, used to his rough manner, didn't mind and said directly, "When I came out, I ran into Cai Jing. He told me that someone had wiped out Wuyou Cave before. Tell me what method they used? I'd like to learn from it!"

Gao Qiu clearly hadn't expected him to ask that question. His face darkened, and he fell silent, seemingly remembering something.

Gao Zhao was not worried but happy. This reaction meant that he must know something. He did not urge him, but sat quietly to the side and watched him.

After a long while, Gao Qiu finally came to his senses. Looking at Gao Zhao's expectant gaze, he sighed and slowly said, "You can't use his method!"

Gao Zhao was immediately displeased. "You say it can't be used, so you just say it can't be used! I've been waiting for so long, and this is what you tell me!"

"Just tell me, whether it's okay or not, I'll make the decision!"

"Who do you think you are, the father or the father? Who are you talking to?! If you dare to be disrespectful again, I'll smash you to death with a pigeon spin!"

Gao Qiu slapped him on the head and said irritably, "If you can capture the leader of Wuyou Cave first, and then wipe out all their leaders, then you can wipe out Wuyou Cave!"

"Then why would I need to suppress them!" Gao Zhao raised his voice, disdainfully saying, "If I could do that, I would have already incorporated them into my own ranks..."

Before Gao Zhao could finish speaking, he saw Gao Qiu looking at him with a half-smile and asked in astonishment, "Could it be that Wuyou Cave was already incorporated before?"

"Things succeed because of people, and they also fail because of people. Later, without supervision, chaos naturally ensued!" Gao Qiu said calmly. "The current leader of Wuyou Cave emerged from that chaos!"

Gao Zhao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Sir, you don't happen to know that leader, do you?"

Gao Qiu smiled arrogantly and said disdainfully, "He's not worthy of my acquaintance! That was true before, and it's true now!"

Wow, what a show-off!

Gao Zhao quickly wrote down this sentence, thinking he might need it later!

You're never too old to learn!

The young master is so diligent in his studies!

No, we've been so busy listening to his boasting that we haven't even taken care of our own business yet!

Gao Qiu smiled slightly and continued, "The trouble with Wuyou Cave isn't just that its underground channels are too complex. If you push them too far, they can easily find an exit and escape, blending into the populace. With a million people in the capital, finding them will be very difficult!"

Seeing that he was being deliberately mysterious, Gao Zhao played along, saying, "Oh! But I see that you are calm and composed, as if you have everything under control. You must have a good plan!"

Gao Qiu smiled arrogantly, confidently saying, "It's actually quite simple; it's just a matter of numbers defeating the few! Although there are many in Wuyou Cave, compared to the people of the capital, they are but a drop in the ocean!"

"Mobilize the masses!" Gao Zhao suddenly realized, clapping his hands and laughing, "I understand, I'll go arrange it right away!"

Having said that, he got up and ran off, but when he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Sir, I think your pigeon's circling is definitely not as good as mine! My record is verifiable!"

"You little bastard!"

Gao Qiu was furious and got up to give chase, but Gao Zhao turned and ran, leaving only a burst of laughter echoing in the camp.

……

Back in his tent, Gao Zhao first greeted Zhou Ang and Qiu Yue, instructing them to select another thousand elite soldiers to bolster the bandit suppression army.

The two men had no idea what extraordinary feat this man had accomplished, managing to coax a thousand elite soldiers from the government, but since there was an order, they would carry it out.

Upon entering the main tent and meeting Shi Qian, Gao Zhao praised him highly and promised to give him a major credit and a high-ranking official position if the matter was accomplished.

Shi Qian was overjoyed and immediately volunteered, "Whose ancestral graves are they going to dig up next? I'll go right now!"

"Uh... no need, no need!" Gao Zhao quickly waved his hand to stop him. He was joking. This was a proper army, not a tomb raiding gang. He just occasionally let Shi Qian play the role of a tomb raider!

He then offered Shi Qian a few words of encouragement, sent him away, and had Yang Zhi summoned.

"Greetings, High Gate!" Yang Zhi entered the main tent, cupped his hands in greeting, his gaze complex, and deliberately emphasized the word "High."

Gao Zhao, however, didn't care at all and laughed loudly, "Haha... Old Yang, you won't blame me for lying to you, will you!"

Yang Zhi was stunned. He had imagined all sorts of scenarios for Gao Zhao after the truth was revealed, such as embarrassment, guilt, and anger, but he never expected the other party to be so calm!

Does this person really have no sense of shame at all?