Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

After a brief whisper, Gao Jiong, smiling, steadily raised his glass with both hands and began to swirl it in circles. He gazed at Lu Hui with a piercing gaze and said aloud, "Your Excellency, I've long heard of your great name! I've heard that Your Excellency Lu is a tribute student from the Imperial College in the capital, a man of immense talent and profound scholarship!" With that, Gao Jiong tilted his head back and emptied the wine in his glass, displaying a truly generous and forthright demeanor.

Lu Hui waved his hand modestly and responded, "Gao Jieyuan, that's really an exaggeration!" However, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart. After all, to receive such praise was also a recognition of his talent.

At this time, Gao Jiong changed the subject and said sincerely: "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, when I was in Jinzhou, I had the honor to become a disciple of the Chief Secretary of the Wang Palace. The Chief Secretary Wang also entered the official career through the path of a tribute student. Now, for various reasons, I have gone far away to Yunzhou. I wonder if I will be lucky enough to be able to become a disciple of the prefect and listen to his teachings?" After speaking, Gao Jiong looked at Lu Hui with anticipation, with a glimmer of desire in his eyes.

Hearing this, Lu Hui was stunned for a moment, then looked troubled and said hesitantly: "Ah? This..."

Before Lu Hui could continue speaking, Gao Jiong hurriedly said, "I have heard my boss mention many times that the Yunzhou prefect is dedicated to the people, honest and upright, incorruptible, and never afraid of power. Today I have the honor to see you, and I find that you are indeed majestic, just like an immortal in the clouds! I am filled with admiration for you, and I hope you will not despise me for my lack of talent and humble background!" As he spoke, Gao Jiong raised his glass again to toast Lu Hui.

Hearing this, Lu Hui showed a barely perceptible smile on his face, but he still pretended to be serious and answered: "How could that be? I have always treated all students equally. I will never treat you differently and accept you as my disciple just because you are rich." As he said this, his eyes glanced at Liu Yanzhi on the side intentionally or unintentionally, and Liu Yanzhi glared at him fiercely, obviously quite dissatisfied with his words.

Zhang Jingwei stood aside with a wicked smile, then ordered Qian Ming: "Go ask the restaurant for a salary, as soon as possible!"

Restaurants usually prepare these things. After a while, Qian Ming came running over with a red silk bundle.

The six gifts in the gift package are a piece of pork, a head of celery, a bag of red beans, a bag of dried fruits, a bag of lotus seeds, and a bag of red dates.

Gao Jiong took the bundle of gifts and presented it to Lu Hui. He knelt on both knees and said, "It is heaven's will that Zhao Xuan has met the Supreme Lord. I beg to be his disciple and have my wisdom enlightened!"

Lu Hui said with a smile, "Great, that's great! Zhao Xuan, get up quickly!" He happily accepted the gift and, without hesitation, tore off a small piece of cloth from the red lining. He then carefully wrapped a few small coins inside and sealed it carefully.

Gao Jiong hurried forward, respectfully took the "exquisite" red envelope from Lu Hui's hand, bowed deeply, and expressed his sincere gratitude.

At this moment, Lu Hui couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice as loud as a bell: "Hahaha, Yanzhi, come and look, this is my disciple, this year's Jie Yuanlang!" His words were full of pride and pride.

Liu Yanzhi, standing by, looked somewhat helpless, but still managed a forced smile and replied, "I see. Congratulations, Lord Lu, on finding such a talented person!"

Seeing this, Lu Hui became even more excited. He waved his hand and shouted loudly: "Hahaha, I am so happy today! Come on, since you and I are colleagues, you have to accompany me and have a few more drinks. We must not go home until we are drunk tonight!" After that, he pulled Liu Yanzhi towards the wine table.

Liu Yanzhi quickly waved his hand and declined, "Ah, you are the governor, you should be more careful about your words and actions!"

Unexpectedly, Lu Hui didn't care at all. Instead, he laughed jokingly and said, "Haha! I think you're just jealous!"

Liu Yanzhi retorted eagerly, "How could I? Stop talking nonsense!"

Just as the two men were deadlocked, Zhang Jingwei, standing by, interrupted with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Come on, Zhao Xuan, toast Liu Tongzhi a glass of wine. Back then, he was also a reigning champion."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jiong immediately picked up his wine glass, walked respectfully to Liu Yanzhi, and said sincerely, "I am here to pay my respects to Mr. Liu."

Liu Yanzhi smiled and nodded, looking up and down at the imposing young man in front of him. He couldn't help but praise him, "Gao Jieyuan is truly handsome and refined! But you must concentrate on your studies in the future and don't be like my disappointing student who was always unruly!"

Zhang Jingwei stood aside with a confused look on his face, wondering how this could affect him.

As the cups circulated, Lu Hui and Liu Yanzhi were already quite tipsy. Several of the owners rushed to toast Gao Jiong, and Gao Jiong took the opportunity to play drinking games. The military corps was full of educated people, and the atmosphere was very heated. Zhang Jingwei, the head owner, was observing from the side. Gao Jiong was very approachable and had no airs. He was always friendly to the owners, the shopkeepers, and the employees. He also noticed that Gao Jiong had an amazing alcohol tolerance, although not as amazing as himself...

As the sky grew darker, it was time to end the drinking party. Zhang Jingwei and Gao Jiong stood at the door and said goodbye to everyone.

Lu Hui insisted on riding in the same car with Liu Yanzhi, which annoyed Liu Yanzhi so much that he abandoned the car and walked home. Lu Hui followed them and kept muttering that he had accepted a top scholar as his student.

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but sigh, "The chief manager is really amazing. Not only can he find the prefect to endorse him, but he can also get along so harmoniously with all levels of the military." As he spoke, he cast an admiring look at Gao Jiong.

Gao Jiong quickly responded modestly, "Thank you for your compliment, Master. Everything I do is solely for the advancement of our army."

Zhang Jingwei burst into laughter upon hearing this and said, "Hahaha, it's been a long time since I've met someone who understands me so well. Brother Zhaoxuan, from now on, just like Tian Miao, just call me brother."

Gao Jiong was flattered and quickly bowed, saying, "Brother Jingwei, you are so broad-minded and generous that no one else can match you."

At this moment, Zhang Jingwei suddenly asked with great interest, "Haha, by the way, I wonder how old Brother Zhaoxuan is this year?"

Gao Ying thought for a moment and replied, "Twenty years old. In two hours, she'll be twenty-one!"

Zhang Jingwei's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said in surprise, "Oh, so tomorrow is your birthday! How about this, I give you a day off so you can have a good rest?"

Gao Jiong, however, shook his head and refused without hesitation, "Thank you, Brother Jingwei, for your kindness, but it's not necessary. Didn't you just assign me a new task this morning? My teacher, the governor, will help coordinate with the government, so I think it shouldn't be too difficult to handle. It's just that time is a bit tight."

Zhang Jingwei spread his hands helplessly, smiled bitterly and said, "Ah, customers are our gods. There's nothing I can do. I can only leave all these difficult problems to you, the shopkeeper, to solve."

Gao Jiong nodded firmly and said, "Don't worry, Brother Jingwei, I know what's going on!"