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

Cheng Yaojin was both surprised and frightened. He quickly put down his teacup, stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Empress Zhangsun raised her hand again to stop him, saying, "I wouldn't dare. I can't argue with your son. If he finds out that you asked me to calm down, I'll be impeached by him again!"

Did he impeach the Empress again?

Or in person?

Cheng Yaojin's legs trembled, beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his face turned pale with fright.

Suddenly, he saw Empress Zhangsun stand up and walk over.

Are they going to punish me...? I knew it wouldn't be good to enter the palace!

Cheng Yaojin gritted his teeth and decided that no matter what happened, he would take the blame for Cheng Jun.

This kid can't handle such a big crime!

Just then, Empress Zhangsun spoke up: "Zhijie, I shouldn't have said those things to you when I summoned you to the palace last time. Today, I sincerely apologize to you."

"what?"

Cheng Yaojin looked up, bewildered, at Empress Zhangsun, who looked apologetic.

He had originally thought that Empress Zhangsun would blame him and Cheng Jun, and he was mentally prepared for it.

Instead of blaming him, the Empress apologized to him!

Cheng Yaojin snapped out of his daze and hurriedly returned the greeting, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not accept such an apology. It was my son who caused trouble and angered Your Majesty. I am ashamed to accept Your Majesty's apology!"

"Let me finish speaking."

Empress Zhangsun waved her hand and said:

"All of this has nothing to do with Cheng Jun. Or rather, it wasn't Cheng Jun who was wrong from the beginning, but rather that I and that girl Lizhi were wrong."

Seeing Cheng Yaojin's bewildered and confused expression, Empress Zhangsun explained, "It all started with that girl Lizhi making a mistake."

"You've seen the contents of the imperial edict that Cheng Jun drafted before His Majesty. With his talent, it would be easy for him to win the top spot in the selection of censors."

"His Majesty has a discerning eye for talent and has indeed bestowed upon Cheng Jun the crown of a mythical beast and the robe of an imperial censor."

"Although some unexpected events occurred, resulting in only one person being selected, the selection of censors was successfully completed."

Empress Zhangsun sighed and said, "That girl Lizhi mistakenly thought that Cheng Jun had ruined the selection of censors and angered His Majesty, so she ran to your residence in a fit of anger, wanting to avenge her father."

"Although she hit the wrong person, she still hit someone."

Empress Zhangsun gazed at Cheng Yaojin, who was listening intently with his ears perked up, and slowly said:

"His Majesty once said that the ruler is the source of the water, and the ministers are the streams. If the source of the water is muddy, it is impossible to expect the streams to be clear."

“I think Cheng Jun’s words, which he quoted from His Majesty, make a lot of sense. Lizhi also thinks they make a lot of sense. So she will apologize to your son Cheng Chuliang in person outside the palace later.”

"As for my previous rashness and the things I said to you, I apologize to you in person. I hope you won't take it to heart, Zhijie."

Empress Zhangsun said apologetically again.

"My son is so amazing! He actually managed to convince the Empress and the Princess completely..." Cheng Yaojin was stunned for a few seconds, then stood up, solemnly clasped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not take it to heart!"

Empress Zhangsun smiled and said, "In that case, I can finally put my mind at ease."

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head and said, "Is my son really that eloquent?"

Empress Zhangsun returned to the cushion and sat upright, then gestured for Cheng Yaojin to sit down as well, speaking earnestly:

"I can say with certainty that Cheng Jun's eloquence is unmatched by the likes of Wei Shuyu and Feng Yandao, and it's possible that... even Wei Zheng and Wang Gui cannot compare to him!"

Is this for real...? Cheng Yaojin hissed in shock. This praise was too much. He quickly replied, "Your Majesty flatters my son."

"I am not praising you unjustly, but stating the facts."

Empress Zhangsun shook her head and asked again, "You didn't know that your son made Wang Gui faint from anger?"

Cheng Yaojin widened his eyes and said, "Wang the scoundrel... oh no, Wang Gui was angered to the point of fainting by my son? When did this happen?"

Empress Zhangsun, seeing that he truly did not know, then recounted the whole story.

After hearing her words, Cheng Yaojin was stunned once again.

He angered Wang Gui so much that he entered the Imperial Medical Bureau and stood out from the crowd in the selection of censors, which was attended by more than two hundred talented people.

How could someone instigate the son of a military officer to beat the son of a civil official and escape punishment without being implicated?

Finally, he impeached the Empress with one... no, two. One impeached the Emperor until he had nothing to say, and the other impeached the Empress until she was completely convinced.

Cheng Yaojin was dumbfounded. "Is this still my son?"

"I am also very curious."

Empress Zhangsun asked curiously, "Zhijie, His Majesty knows who you are, and so do I. You are skilled in military strategy and martial arts, not in literature and rhetoric."

"Logically, your son should be just like you, so how come Cheng Jun is so skilled in literature and rhetoric?"

Cheng Yaojin suddenly fell silent, and after a long while said, "It might... be related to his mother."

"Lady Su?"

Empress Zhangsun narrowed her eyes, recalling that in June of last year, which was the second year of Zhenguan, Cheng Yaojin's wife, Lady Sun, had passed away. She asked in confusion, "What do you mean by saying that Cheng Jun's skill in literature and rhetoric is related to his mother?"

Cheng Yaojin said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but over the years, for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, I have followed Your Majesty in battles across the north and south. My wife has been in charge of all the affairs at home, so my three sons have a deeper affection for their mother."

“Last June, my wife passed away. My eldest and second sons were doing better, but Cheng Jun’s personality changed drastically. He never left the house and locked himself in his room every day to study poetry and books.”

Cheng Yaojin was not happy about Cheng Jun's achievements today. Instead, he lowered his head and said sadly, "If you ask me, Cheng Jun's eloquence is related to his studies over the past year."

"I see……"

Empress Zhangsun suddenly realized, and then asked, "I am still a little curious, why did Cheng Jun become so diligent in his studies after his mother passed away?"

Cheng Yaojin countered, "Does Your Majesty know about the blue robe with cloud patterns that Cheng Jun is wearing?"

Before she could respond, Cheng Yaojin continued, as if answering his own question: "That blue robe was prepared by my wife for our three sons before she passed away. The cloud patterns on the robe were embroidered by her stitch by stitch when she was ill."

Empress Zhangsun murmured to herself, "The blue robe with cloud patterns... it signifies a meteoric rise to power. Lady Su must want her three children to become pillars of society."

"exactly."

Cheng Yaojin clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, bowing slightly and saying, "Your Majesty, I know very well that she wanted to see her three sons become pillars of society, but she was short-lived and did not live to see the day when they became pillars of society."

Empress Zhangsun suddenly realized she shouldn't have asked, and a feeling of unease welled up in her chest, an indescribable bitterness. After a long while, she sighed and said:

"When young, one does not know the kindness of one's parents; half a lifetime is spent in a daze."

“Cheng Jun truly understood the reluctance and regret that his mother had placed on him, which is why he studied so hard. Now that he has become an imperial censor, Lady Su should be pleased.”

"You should be happy too."

Cheng Yaojin raised his head and hands, wiping the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hands, and grinned, saying, "I'm very happy!"

"So best."

Empress Zhangsun's eyes reddened as she looked at him. She turned to a palace maid and said, "Go to the Imperial Wardrobe and convey my imperial decree to summon the Imperial Wardrobe Attendant to the Lizheng Hall."

"promise!"

The palace maid acknowledged and quickly left the Lizheng Hall.

"Zhijie, if you are not in a hurry, please wait here for a while before you leave."

Empress Zhangsun personally poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him, speaking in a gentle tone.

"promise!"

Cheng Yaojin nodded in agreement, took the tea and drank it. This time, he drank the tea with a clear conscience, but he also felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Soon, a man in his thirties, dressed in a black hat and a round-necked red official robe, walked in with a solemn expression, bowed, and said:

"Your subject, Imperial Wardrobe Attendant Yan Lide, pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress!"

Then he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Cheng Yaojin and said, "Brother Zhijie, it's been a long time!"

Cheng Yaojin smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "It has been a while since I've seen Brother Lide."

Both of them were originally from the Prince of Qin's mansion. Yan Lide was serving as the military advisor in the Prince of Qin's mansion at the time, and they were old acquaintances.

Cheng Yaojin looked at Empress Zhangsun, somewhat puzzled as to why she had summoned Yan Lide. Was he to paint? If so, she should have summoned his younger brother, Yan Liben...

Empress Zhangsun slowly said, "Lide, I have a task for you."

Yan Lide solemnly replied, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

"I need you to make some clothes..."