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

"The eldest and second eldest brothers are really good at this..." Cheng Jun almost burst out laughing. He turned around and saw the little novice monk trembling with fear in front of the three burly men.

The old monk jumped up and down in frustration.

"This is robbery!"

Cheng Chumo raised an eyebrow and asked, "When did I rob someone?"

The old monk pointed at the wooden box in Cheng Chuliang's arms and shouted, "Taking it away is robbery!"

Cheng Chumo retorted, "Didn't I leave you here?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the old monk's blood pressure spiked instantly. He grabbed Cheng Chumo's wrist in agitation and roared:

"If that's what you mean, then this humble monk will have to take you to the authorities!"

"No need for that complicated process, he is an official."

Cheng Chumo gave a thumbs-up, pointed at Cheng Jun, and said:

"Do you know who he is? He is Cheng Jun, the Imperial Censor, my third brother!"

The old monk narrowed his eyes and looked at Cheng Jun. His emotions had calmed down considerably. He bowed and said, "So you are Imperial Censor Cheng. This humble monk has long admired your name!"

After saying this, he questioned, "Your brother has treated my Buddhist community this way. I beg Imperial Censor Cheng to speak a word of justice."

Cheng Jun hesitated for two seconds, then looked at Cheng Chuliang and said, "Second Brother, put the donation box down."

He then looked at Cheng Chumo and said, "Brother, you too, how could you take the donation box?"

Just as the old monk's expression softened, Cheng Jun's voice rang out again:

"The Buddha promised to give you money, it's not a donation box. Take the money out of there and leave the box here for them!"

The old monk roared in anger, "Imperial Censor Cheng, you're covering up for someone!"

Cheng Jun asked in confusion, "What did I cover up?"

The old monk pointed at Cheng Chumo and questioned, "Your brother committed robbery, and you condoned it. What is this if not harboring a criminal?"

Cheng Jun retorted, "Who did my older brother steal from?"

The old monk said, "They robbed my Daxingshan Temple!"

Cheng Jun then asked, "Is this money from Daxingshan Temple?"

The old monk declared firmly, "Yes!"

Cheng Jun asked again, "Who is in charge of Daxingshan Temple?"

The old monk said, "Of course it's the abbot."

Cheng Jun then asked, "So, who does the abbot worship?"

"My Buddha..."

As soon as the old monk finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed. Oh no, he had been tricked.

Sure enough, the next second, Cheng Jun looked puzzled and asked:

"So, Daxingshan Temple listens to the abbot, and the abbot listens to the Buddha. The Buddha is now saying that this money should be given to my elder brother, and my elder brother gladly accepted it. This is a matter of mutual consent, so how can it be considered robbery?"

The old monk retorted, "The Buddha didn't say that!"

Cheng Jun solemnly said, "Why wasn't it mentioned? Didn't the Buddha already make the gesture of walking?"

The old monk trembled with rage, grabbed Cheng Jun's wrist, and said excitedly:

"This humble monk will not argue with you, and you should say nothing more. This humble monk will take you to the authorities! Let the officials judge this matter!"

Cheng Jun looked at him, a gentle and kind smile on his face, and grasped the old monk's wrist, saying:

"Seeing officials? That's so boring. Come with me, I'll take you to see His Majesty and let him judge this matter!"

The old monk sneered, "Fine, I'll go!"

As Cheng Jun pulled the old monk toward the exit of the Dharma Hall, he turned back and said:

"Big brother, second brother, wait here for me to come back!"

"go Go."

As Cheng Chumo waved his hand, he turned to Cheng Chuliang and said, "Second brother, see? I told you that coming to Daxingshan Temple would be useful. Now, our third brother has a reason to go and cause trouble for His Majesty, doesn't he?"

Cheng Chuliang gave a thumbs up and said admiringly, "Big Brother is so smart!"

…………

"Your Majesty, Cheng Jun requests an audience!"

In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin was holding a rabbit-hair brush, writing on a memorial with his head down. The words that came from outside the hall made him slip his hand.

Seeing the neat handwriting on the memorial now illegible due to a slip of the hand, Li Shimin immediately became furious and said angrily:

"not see!"

The guard said, "However, Imperial Censor Cheng has a golden tablet bestowed by His Majesty, and we dare not stop him. Imperial Censor Cheng is already outside the palace."

Li Shimin's blood pressure spiked, and he roared, "You're already at the door, why are you still asking me what I want!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Jun darted into the hall, chuckled awkwardly, and bowed, saying, "Your subject Cheng Jun greets Your Majesty."

Li Shimin stared at him, growing increasingly displeased. He had just bestowed upon him a golden tablet, and the boy had come to see him the very next moment. Logically speaking, this fellow should have been too afraid to do so.

Does he really dare to come to me for no reason? He's got some nerve!

"This humble monk, Kongdu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Just as Li Shimin was frowning in thought, an aged voice rang out. Only then did Li Shimin notice that an old monk in a cassock was following behind Cheng Jun. He frowned and said:

"Cheng Jun, why have you brought this master into the palace to see me?"

Cheng Jun explained, "Because this master wanted to summon the minister to meet with the officials."

Li Shimin was even more puzzled, "Then why didn't you go with him to see the official? Why did you come to see me?"

Cheng Jun said, "I feel that the government is not necessarily fair and just, so I brought him to see Your Majesty and ask Your Majesty to judge the matter."

Li Shimin scolded, "Do you think I'm idle?"

Cheng Jun pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will go with you to the Chang'an magistrate and see what he has to say."

The old monk beside him said calmly, "Daxingshan Temple is located in Jingshan Ward, which is under the jurisdiction of Wannian County. If you want to see an official, you should see the magistrate of Wannian!"

Cheng Jun turned to look at him and explained:

"I've arrested Wan Nianling and brought him to the Censorate. Currently, there's only Chang'an Ling in Chang'an City."

"..."

The old monk's pupils contracted. "Is that so?"

Cheng Jun ignored the other party and instead looked at Li Shimin, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, I take my leave."

"return!"

Li Shimin immediately stopped him, and said with a stern face:

"If Yang Zuan, the magistrate of Chang'an, cannot give you justice, or if Master Kongdu is dissatisfied, do you still want to see me?"

Cheng Jun nodded and said, "I'll have to come and see His Majesty again then."

"Then don't leave!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "I will judge this matter for you. Speak, what is it?"

Cheng Jun asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is it wrong for a layman to seek Buddha's help?"

Li Shimin shook his head and said, "If ordinary people didn't seek Buddha, there would be no temples in the world. Of course, it's not wrong for ordinary people to seek Buddha."

"Your Majesty is holy."

Cheng Jun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "My elder brother went to Daxingshan Temple today. He prayed to Buddha in the Dharma Hall and asked Buddha for his blessing. Buddha said it was acceptable."

"and many more!"

Li Shimin's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "What did the Buddha say? What did he say?"

Cheng Jun said, "My elder brother asked Buddha, 'I want to do something, is that alright?' Buddha said, 'Yes.'"

Li Shimin pressed further, "What is the meaning of this word '可'?"

Cheng Jun explained, “I have read a book that records that there is a Western writing system called the English alphabet, which has 26 letters in total, divided into uppercase and lowercase. Among them are two letters, o and k, which together are pronounced ok.”

“Oh dear…”

Li Shimin pondered these two words, puzzled, and asked, "What does it mean?"

Cheng Jun patiently explained, "Yes, it means yes, okay, no problem, permission, and agreement."

Li Shimin frowned and said, "You mean, your elder brother asked Buddha for a favor, and Buddha told you, 'Ou Ke'?"

"Correct."

Cheng Jun nodded.

Li Shimin asked in surprise, "Is that possible? Did Buddha open his mouth and speak?"

Cheng Jun shook his head. "No."

Li Shimin became increasingly puzzled, "Then how did you know?"

"The Buddha gesture, the OK gesture, is this one."

Cheng Jun touched his thumb and forefinger together to make an OK sign.

"..."

Li Shimin pursed his lips, stared at Cheng Jun, and clenched his fist.

He felt his temper rising.