In the flower hall.

After Gao Gong read the letter carefully, all his doubts about Shao Fang disappeared.

He smiled and was about to say something to win people's hearts, but he suddenly heard a commotion outside the door, and saw his eldest brother walking in with his head held high, wearing golden armor, a silver helmet, with hair and beard standing on end, eyes as sharp as torches, and holding a long iron saber in his hand.

"Aha, you're here. I've been looking for you for a long time!" Gao Jie pointed at Shao Fang and said in a loud voice, "See how I compare to Lian Po?"

"With such a great man in our country, how dare the Japanese pirates invade again?" Shao Fang hurriedly stood up and saluted.

Gao Jie also laughed loudly and said, "As long as I am still here, if any Japanese invaders dare to attack me, I will not tolerate them with this sword!"

As he spoke, the old man made a big hairstyle.

But there was a loud bang, and the large flowerpot with camellia planted nearby was accidentally broken.

"Good! This is the end of the Japanese invaders!" Shao Fang praised.

Gao Gong was stunned, thinking that Shao Fang's ability to support the main role was amazing, he could even handle such a joke.

This hero's skills might be no worse than Mao Sui's eloquent tongue.

He stood up, bowed to his elder brother and said: "The enemy has retreated, please respond and rest."

"Okay, I'm leaving now. You guys should clean up the battlefield!" Gao Jie raised his sword and turned around and walked away. "I'll reward you after we get back to the camp!"

Finally coaxing his elder brother out, Gao Gong heaved a sigh of relief, and then said to Shao Fang in a completely un-Gao Gong-like sad tone:

"It's no coincidence that my elder brother gets along well with you. When he was young, he was tall and strong, with a long beard, and he valued integrity and chivalry, and he was proud of it. When he was a child, because my father was noble, some people called him "Young Master", but he scolded them: "Why call me Young Master? I'm not that kind of second-generation rich man!"

"Yes, everyone in Jiangnan regards the old chancellor as an idol." Shao Fang said with awe.

"My brother has been fond of military tactics and martial arts since he was young. When he was older, he worked hard and vowed to 'fight for the enemy of ten thousand people in the examination hall.' However, he was too upright and arrogant. He dared to say and do what he wanted. My brother was the first to point out that the troops of the Nanjing garrisons had all become garbage like the former Song Dynasty Jingkang Imperial Army. He was also the first general to recruit northern soldiers to fight against the Japanese."

"In the Ming officialdom, telling the truth will make people hate you, and being brave enough to do something for the world will cost you a price. As a result, when the war against the Japanese was victorious and the merits were rewarded, his name was the only one not on the list of merits." Gao Gong said with a sigh:

"That means he was no longer tolerated by the officialdom. As expected, he was later demoted and transferred out of Nanjing. But those people still didn't let him go. The Nanjing censors seized on the military discipline of the northern soldiers and impeached my brother, who was already an official in Shaanxi, for letting his subordinates harass the locals. This made him end up retiring to the countryside and not feeling comfortable. My eldest brother couldn't swallow that breath, so he became this crazy."

"The Zhongcheng is so strong-willed..." Shao Daxia couldn't help but sigh.

"Perhaps, this is the fate of my Gao family. My father and grandfather both returned home sadly and died in depression for the same reason." Gao Gong's eyes were slightly moist, and his heart was touched:

"Why is it so difficult to be honest in the Ming Dynasty? Is it possible that this bright and clear world cannot accommodate a few officials who dare to speak the truth and do their job?"

"Has Prime Minister Gao ever thought about making a change?" Shao Fang asked softly.

"Change?" Gao Gong stroked his beard and said with his eyes as big as copper bells: "My Gao family has served four generations of kings, and they all have the same style. How do you want me to change? Do you want me to deny my ancestors, my father, and my brother? They are not afraid, so I, Gao Suqing, have no children, so I have nothing to be afraid of! Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Shao Fang felt his blood boiling and nodded heavily. He pushed the golden mountain and overturned the jade pillar, kneeling on one knee and said, "This is the pride and persistence of the Gao family in Xinzheng! Although I am not talented, I am willing to serve you at your service, even if I die with no regrets!"

"Okay, we can be comrades!" Gao Gong laughed and helped Shao Fang up, saying, "Tell me, what are you going to do?"

"As you command!" Shao Fang hurriedly laid out his plan of action. The most important thing was to take the route inside the palace.

"One is the eunuch Chen Hong, who is friends with Xu Butang... Chen Hong is in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and all purchases in Jiangnan will inevitably trouble the Nanjing Ministry of Works. I plan to go to Beijing and get to know Chen Hong, and then ask him to help make suggestions to the emperor."

"Then there are Li Wei, the Earl of Qinghe, and his son. Although I have never met them before, I heard that they come from a humble family and are greedy for money, so it shouldn't be difficult to take them down. I will try to ask them to persuade Empress Li to speak for the elder."

Gao Gong nodded repeatedly and said, "Teng Xiang and I have a good relationship. If Chen Hong can speak for me, and with Empress Li's words, this matter will be almost done."

Then he finally said, "Thank you for taking care of Mr. Gao's matter."

"Great!" Shao Fang slammed the table excitedly and said, "Xin Zhenggong made a prompt decision. He is indeed a hero! This alone makes him much better than Xu Huating!"

"Oh?" Gao Gong's eyes flickered when he heard this and asked, "What happened to Yuan Fu?"

Shao Fang knew he had said something wrong, but he had top-notch ability to save the situation, so he immediately said with emotion: "The situation was so good at the beginning, but he was indecisive and tried to compromise, which led to the current situation. It is time for Prime Minister Gao to help him!"

Gao Gong was fooled, and he laughed and said, "He overestimated himself, underestimated Your Majesty, and underestimated the position of this old man in Your Majesty's heart. That's why he made mistakes again and again, and ended up with great hatred."

"Just wait and see, Prime Minister Gao. I will go to Beijing to lobby for you right away!" Shao Fang clasped his fists and was about to say goodbye.

"Well, there's no need to rush. You and I hit it off right away. You can stay in the manor for a few days and have a good chat before leaving." Gao Gong held him back, as if he was reluctant to part with the guest who had come with great difficulty.

"Then I'd rather obey your command." Shao Fang was flattered and felt that Lord Gao was a thousand times better than Lord Xu.

Little did he know that Gao Gong just needed some time to ask the Jinyiwei to help investigate his background and see if this person was a spy sent by his political enemies to lure him into the trap.

There was one thing he didn't tell Shao Fang, which was that the Gao family members always looked rough but were actually very meticulous.

~~

There is a large cemetery near the Kunshan Dragon King Temple.

Led by He Wenwei, Zhao Shouzheng walked into the cemetery and saw Xiong Dianshi in white clothes kneeling in front of a grave from afar.

There were offerings in front of the grave, but there were no words engraved on the tombstone.

"This is the cenotaph he built for his wife and children." He Wenwei sighed sadly, "On the day of the completion ceremony, I repeatedly questioned him and found out that when Xiong Dianshi's family came to him from his hometown in Guangdong, the Wusong River burst its dike. As a result, his wife and three children were all washed away by the flood, and none of them were found."

"Ah..." Mr. Zhao burst into tears upon hearing this, and said with red eyes: "He is also a poor man."

p.s. Thanks to the new host 'mercury11' for his support, and thanks to everyone for their love. I feel very happy.

ps2. Oh, by the way, the stories about Lao Gao’s family are all true.