This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

"..."

Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Why don't we just stop the guards from hitting us? Wouldn't it be more enjoyable if you did it yourself?"

"Wouldn't that give me ammunition to criticize me...?" Cheng Jun said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please issue an imperial edict, and I will act immediately!"

Li Shimin said irritably, "Don't even think about it!"

Even if an imperial edict is issued, when the civil officials question why Cheng Jun was ordered to beat their son, wouldn't the blame still fall on their own heads?

Cheng Jun looked troubled and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should find someone more capable..."

Is this kid the son of a military officer? How come he's more like a civil official than a civil official? He doesn't want to take any blame at all!

Li Shimin suppressed the urge to curse and turned to the purple-robed eunuch, saying:

"Find a few guards and take all these civil officials' sons away. Give each of them five lashes as punishment, and then send them home!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

Zhang Anan, accompanied by several palace guards, led the pale-faced sons of civil officials away. Not long after, they heard the sound of whips striking flesh coming from outside the hall.

"Ah!" The cries of pain from the boys echoed into the hall.

"Pfft..."

Cheng Jun stood at the entrance of the main hall and saw the boys crying and screaming as they were whipped. He couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The next second, he sensed something was wrong, turned around and looked around. Sure enough, everyone was giving him strange looks, and he immediately became righteous and awe-inspiring.

Li Shimin's lips twitched slightly as he asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Cheng Jun cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Shimin asked, "What about the position of Imperial Censor...?"

Cheng Jun solemnly replied, "Your subject will!"

Li Shimin snorted and saw Zhang Anan walk in. He said, "Go and report Cheng Aiqing's height to the Imperial Wardrobe and tell them to rush to make official robes. Cheng Aiqing will take them back later!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

The purple-robed eunuch Zhang Anan glanced at Cheng Jun's height and waistline, then turned and walked out of the main hall. Not long after, he returned carrying an exquisite blue robe.

The robe was adorned with a xiezhi crown and a belt.

The belt was covered with silk and adorned with silver buckles.

Zhang Anan handed the official robe to Cheng Jun and said, "This is the official robe of an eighth-rank censor. Congratulations, Censor Cheng. From today onwards, you are a censor of the Censorate."

"Thank you, Eunuch Zhang."

Cheng Jun bowed in thanks and took the imperial censor's robe.

Li Shimin said, "Put it on and let me see if it fits."

Cheng Jun immediately took off his blue robe with cloud patterns.

With his robust physique, he revealed a body of well-developed muscles, each muscle looking as if it were sculpted from marble, with smooth and natural muscle lines, full of artistry.

Look at him, does he look like a censor? Li Shimin looked at his eight-pack abs, his facial muscles twitching. When Cheng Jun changed into the blue robe of an eighth-rank censor and put on the xiezhi crown, his eyes flashed with a strange light.

After Cheng Jun changed into a blue official robe and put on the xiezhi crown, he became more refined and handsome than before, exuding a more scholarly air amidst his fierceness.

"Very good, fits perfectly! Now that you are an imperial censor, you must always remember your duties and never disappoint me!" Li Shimin encouraged him, saying, "You should also come to the morning court tomorrow, so that all the officials can see the imperial censor I have chosen!"

Cheng Jun bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

"Furthermore..." Li Shimin looked at the young men standing at the door, thought for a moment, and then said to Zhang Anan:

"Ananda, I entrust these talented individuals to you. Today, assign them to various government offices, register their names, and as for their official positions, since they are interns, call them intern officials, and they will receive half the salary of a ninth-rank official!"

"Your Majesty, we bow in gratitude."

The boys in the neighborhood were both surprised and delighted.

Cheng Jun was also somewhat surprised by Li Shimin's decisive action. "Your Majesty is wise!"

"You all go with Ananda to familiarize yourselves with the government office you're going to. The rest of you, go home, especially you..."

Li Shimin looked at Cheng Jun, suddenly at a loss for words.

His initial plan was to wait until the three selected censors were chosen, then have lunch with the Empress at the Lizheng Hall to strengthen the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. But now he couldn't muster any interest at all. He made an excuse and said indifferently, "Go back and tell your father the good news that you've become a censor, so he can be happy too. I won't keep you here any longer!"

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

Everyone bowed and greeted him, and Cheng Jun imitated them, speaking loudly in a similar manner.

After Zhang Anan led the boys away, Li Shimin picked up the memorial on the table and glanced at it a few times, but he couldn't concentrate on it. Thinking about how Cheng Jun had ruined the selection of censors that day, he slammed the memorial on the table and muttered to himself:

"I don't think I chose the wrong person..."

…………

The imperial palace in Chang'an was divided into two parts. One part was the Taiji Palace, where the emperor held court and lived with his empress, concubines, princes, and princesses.

The other part is the imperial city, where officials from the three provinces, six ministries, twelve departments, and all other departments worked.

With his cloud-patterned blue robe draped over his arm, Cheng Jun, along with the sons of military officers and talented young men from the neighborhood, passed through Taiji Gate, Jiade Gate, and Chengtian Gate, leaving Taiji Palace and arriving in the imperial city.

Along the way, the young men in the neighborhood looked at Cheng Jun's xiezhi crown and imperial censor's robe with curiosity and envy. Although it was only the official robe of the eighth rank, it was something that many of them dreamed of but could not obtain.

The sons of military officers didn't think the clothes were particularly valuable. Most of them were descendants of founding heroes who would inherit the title in the future. They just thought that the clothes looked exceptionally elegant and charming on Cheng Jun.

"Brother Chuxia, you look really handsome in that official robe!"

"I'm convinced, I'm completely convinced!"

"Brother Chuxia, you were born to be an imperial censor!"

"That's what you call being both scholarly and martial! We should learn from Brother Chuxia's strengths!"

Hearing the envious voices around him, Cheng Jun smiled, cupped his hands and said, "You flatter me. It's all thanks to you that I was able to become an imperial censor."

Just now, inside the hall, thanks to them standing outside, they provided a divine assist.

The tall, thin young man among the talented men in the neighborhood said sincerely, "Brother Chuxia has recognized us as friends, so we will naturally not be the kind of people who betray our friends for personal gain."

Cheng Jun remembered that the tall, thin boy was named Du Jingjian. Of all the boys in the neighborhood, he was the one who took the best care of the wooden plaque, wiping it with his sleeve from time to time and remarking with emotion:

"A gentleman helps others achieve good, not evil. Today's selection of censors has truly produced too many gentlemen."

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed.

Zhang Anan stood next to Cheng Jun, looking at him with a strange expression.

Cheng Jun's behavior was completely unlike that of a teenager. He spoke and acted with impeccable tact, much like an old fox who had been immersed in the ways of the court for many years.

Looking at the government office buildings not far away, Zhang Anan said in a gentle voice, "Imperial Censor Cheng, let me take them to see the various government offices first."

"Thank you for your help, Eunuch Zhang."

Cheng Jun bowed in thanks, then said to the young men in the neighborhood, "Everyone, wait for my news. I will definitely host a banquet another day, and we can get together again!"

"it is good!"

"Farewell, Brother Chuxia!"

"Farewell!"

The young people in the neighborhood bowed and bid him a reluctant farewell.

"Brother Chuxia, then we'll head back too!"

At this moment, Yuchi Baolin spoke up.

"Just a moment."

Cheng Jun grabbed his arm and said seriously, "Let's ambush the civil official's son here."

Upon hearing this, the sons of military officers were all taken aback. Yuchi Baolin asked in confusion, "Didn't His Majesty already reprimand them?"

Cheng Jun earnestly instructed, "His Majesty is His Majesty, and we are us. His Majesty has eaten, so are you full too?"

He hadn't forgotten the incident where those civil servants' sons threw the wooden plaque at his feet.

The sage said it well: repay kindness with kindness and repay injustice with justice. If we don't retaliate after being humiliated like that by the sons of civil officials, how will we ever have the face to live in Chang'an again?

Although Li Shimin helped him vent his anger, venting one's own anger is not the same as having someone else help one vent their anger!

Yu Chi Baolin scratched his head. "You're right... those civil officials' sons humiliated Brother Chuxia like that when they entered the palace, they deserved a beating, but... won't something bad happen?"

Cheng Jun said firmly, "No, you can fight with confidence!"

Yu Chi Baolin hesitated: "What if their father causes us trouble?"

The boys all looked at Cheng Jun; Yu Chi Baolin's words were also something they were worried about.

Cheng Jun reassured them, saying:

"If their fathers cause you trouble, your fathers will take the blame. If your fathers cause you trouble, I will take the blame for you. If your fathers question you, just say that I ordered you to do it!"

The group felt a little relieved.

Yuchi Baolin rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Since that's the case, then I won't hold back. My father has scolded those civil officials in the court a lot at home, and today I'm going to take this opportunity to vent my father's anger!"

His words instantly brightened the eyes of the young men, sons of military officers, and their guilt vanished completely.

Well said... Cheng Jun looked at Yuchi Baolin approvingly. Yuchi Baolin raised her chin smugly and leaned closer to whisper, "Before going to war, you need to inspire the three armies. I've also studied military strategy!"

Cheng Jun gave a thumbs up and said, "As expected of Brother Baolin, you'll be the one to lead the charge later!"

Hearing this, Yu Chi Baolin felt relieved and said with a beaming smile, "Just you wait and see!"

Before long, everyone saw the young men, sons of civil officials, walking towards them with pained expressions, supporting each other and limping.

"They're here!" Cheng Jun winked at the group.

The crowd understood immediately, and more than fifty burly young men stood in a row, blocking the way for the sons of civil officials to leave the palace.

The sons of civil officials immediately sensed something was wrong, stopped in their tracks, and stood facing the sons of military officials from a distance of about ten meters, watching them warily.

"What are you trying to do?" one of the young men among the civil officials shouted, his voice sharp but his tone weak.

Yu Chi Baolin rubbed his right fist with his left hand, glaring at them menacingly, and said, "What are you doing? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

The civil official's son panicked, "Are you going to hit me?"

"Ouch, I'm not hitting anyone today, I'm hitting you instead!"

Yuchi Baolin gave a strange look, then turned around and roared, "Brothers, charge!"

"Wait!"

As fifty or so burly young men rushed over, one of the sons of a civil official, a boy with a mole on his neck, stepped forward and shouted, "Yuchi Baolin, let me tell you, my father, Cui Renshi... is now a seventh-rank Palace Attendant Censor!"

Yu Chi Baolin waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, don't give me that! And stop bringing up your background in front of me. No matter how high your father's rank is, is it higher than my father's? My father is a third-rank Left Martial Marquis General!"

"Brothers, give it your shot!!"

After saying that, he raised his fist and punched the boy with the mole in the cheek.

boom!

"Ouch!"

The boy with the mole suddenly felt dizzy, lost his footing, and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

When the sons of the military officers saw that Yuchi Baolin had made a move, they rushed into the group of sons of the civil officials without any politeness, punching and kicking them until they cried out in pain.

"Wait, wait! Don't go too far, just beat them half to death!"

Yu Chi Baolin gave a reminder, then grabbed the boy with the mole by the collar, lifted him up, slapped him across the face, and cursed, "How dare you throw away my brother Chu Xia's wooden plaque! You shameless bastard! Today I'll vent my anger for him!"

"Yuchi Baolin, my father will not let you get away with this!"

The boy with the mole, his cheeks swollen, still cursed defiantly.

"How dare you speak so harshly!"

Yuchi Baolin cursed and slapped him a few more times, making him see stars.

The boy with the mole wanted to resist but couldn't. Compared to Yuchi Baolin, whose physique was like that of a silverback gorilla, he was a mischievous monkey from Mount Emei.

"Brother Chuxia, you should go back. Leave this to me!"

Yu Chi Baolin turned around and said, "Remember to give my regards to Uncle Cheng!"

"Good!" Cheng Jun looked at the boy with the mole whose nose was bleeding profusely from being hit by Yu Chi Baolin, thought for a moment and said, "Remember, a gentleman who is not serious will not command respect."

"Understood!" Yuchi Baolin understood his unspoken meaning and shouted at the boys beside him who were beating the sons of civil officials until they were howling in pain, "Don't hold back, beat them to death!"

Cheng Jun then turned and left, walking towards the palace gates, relieved.

…………

Are there any more bets?

Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, Yuchi Jingde roared loudly.

Behind him, a burly lieutenant wearing a bright armor with two plate-like breastplates held a pen in one hand and an account book in the other, recording the name of each person who came to place a bet and the amount of money they wagered.

At this moment, an elderly civil official sitting on a stool could no longer stand it. He stood up, straightened his crimson official robe, and walked up to Yuchi Jingde with a stern face, questioning him: "Lord Yuchi, don't you think it's too disgraceful to gamble on the selection of censors?"

Upon closer inspection, Yuchi Jingde recognized him as Li Baiyao, the Vice Minister of Rites. He raised his fist, the size of a sandbag, and cursed, "If you're not going to place a bet, get out of here!"

"Vulgar!" the middle-aged civil official cursed, then took out a handful of copper coins bearing the inscription "Kaiyuan Tongbao" from his sleeve and said, "Ten coins, bet on Wei Shuyu!"

Yuchi Jingde took the money from him and muttered, "Minister Li, couldn't you have chosen someone else to bet on? You'll only get three coins if Wei Shuyu becomes an imperial censor. I think Cheng Jun is quite good. Bet on him becoming an imperial censor. If you win, you can earn a hundred coins!"

Li Baiyao said without a doubt, "We'll take Wei Shuyu as collateral!"

Yuchi Jingde asked, "Not going to change it?"

Li Baiyao resolutely replied, "No change!"

As Yuchi Jingde turned to instruct his deputy to write down the name of the Vice Minister of Rites and the amount of money he had bet in the ledger, he grumbled:

“You civil officials, you all bet on Wei Shuyu, Feng Yandao, or one of the sons of civil officials. You don’t even consider the sons of military officials or the boys in the neighborhood!”

That being said, he actually knew why this was the case. The highest odds for this bet were for the sons of military officers, followed by the boys in the neighborhood, and lastly for the sons of civil officials.

Among them, Wei Shuyu and Feng Yandao had the lowest odds.

All the civil and military officials present at the court tacitly believed that Wei Shuyu and Feng Yandao would definitely be among the three selected censors this time.

As for the other person, that was truly a gamble.

Although the odds are slightly higher, there is still a risk involved.

Unlike betting on Wei Shuyu and Feng Yandao, which is a sure-fire way to make money.

Crunch!

At that moment, Li Baiyao, with his sharp ears, heard a sound coming from the Vermilion Bird Gate and pointed in that direction, shouting loudly, "The palace gate is open!"

A dozen or so civil and military officials outside the palace stood up and looked on expectantly.

Who wants to come out first?

"Is it Feng Yandao or Wei Shuyu?"

Everyone eagerly awaited the outcome. Whether it was Feng Yandao or Wei Shuyu who came out, as long as it was one of them, they could go to Yuchi Jingde to collect their money.

At this moment, a handsome, tall young man with square lips and a straight face, wearing a xiezhi crown, a blue official robe, and a silver belt around his waist, walked out leisurely.

"Why is it him?!"

"Fuck!"

A series of sounds of armor being breached came from all around.

The civil and military officials stared in disbelief as Cheng Jun walked out of the palace.