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

Ma Zhou was also somewhat puzzled. "Brother Xiao Yi, it is only natural for a new official to pay a visit to his superior upon taking office. Why did you mention the word 'inappropriate'?"

Xiao Yi said in a deep voice, "I just came from the Imperial Academy and saw someone complaining to the Censor-in-Chief and the Grand Secretary!"

"Complain?" Ma Zhou asked in surprise, "Complain about what?"

Xiao Yi glanced at Cheng Jun with a strange look in his eyes and said, "Of course it's about accusing Brother Chuxia. Brother Binwang has been staying at the Censorate all day and probably doesn't know what happened. After the selection of censors today, our Brother Chuxia instigated the sons of military officers to beat up the sons of civil officials!"

Hiss... Ma Zhou gasped. Although he didn't know what had happened outside today, he knew that for the sake of today's selection of censors, the Censor-in-Chief, Attendant Censor, and Palace Attendant Censor had all sent their sons who were over fifteen years old to the palace. Wasn't this offending them all at once?

Cheng Jun frowned and asked, "Who spread this rumor?"

Ma Zhou was surprised, "This is fake?"

"fake."

Cheng Jun said in an unquestionable tone.

Xiao Yi's gaze toward Cheng Jun became even stranger, and he said, "Indeed... after all, there is no evidence yet to prove that it was Brother Chuxia who instigated the military officer's son to beat the civil official's son."

"However, their opinions were surprisingly unanimous; they all felt that you were the mastermind behind it all."

This won't do! I haven't even been an imperial censor for a full day, and I've already offended everyone in the Censorate. Forget about the future, I'm afraid they'll start making things difficult for me right now...

Cheng Jun felt it necessary to do something, so he slowly stood up and said, "Brother Xiao Yi, thank you for your reminder, but I think everything is going well for me today."

Xiao Yi asked in surprise, "You're going to see them?"

"Of course I'll go!" Cheng Jun said. "If I don't go, wouldn't that give them a handle to use against me, making them think I'm too arrogant?"

"But going there now would be disadvantageous for you."

Xiao Yi said with concern.

Ma Zhou waved his hand and said, "No, no, Brother Xiao Yi, you are mistaken. I think Brother Chuxia is right. Even if it's a pit of fire over there, Brother Chuxia has to jump in. Otherwise, the real trouble will come when they question us tomorrow!"

Xiao Yi gritted his teeth, stood up and said, "In that case, Brother Chuxia, I'll go with you!"

Cheng Jun looked at him, somewhat surprised. Knowing full well that there was a pit of fire ahead, he actually wanted to jump in with him. Wasn't he afraid of getting burned?

At this moment, Ma Zhou stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and said, "Coincidentally, I had the same idea."

Cheng Jun was even more surprised. "My two brothers, I'm not going there to collect a reward. I might be going there to get scolded. You don't need to come with me."

Ma Zhou suddenly pinched his fingers and said, "I just did some calculations for myself. Today I'm going to turn bad luck into good luck. What is bad luck? Going with you is bad luck, but as long as I go, it will turn into good luck. So I must go."

Cheng Jun asked in surprise, "You can tell fortunes?"

Why isn't this mentioned in historical records?

Ma Zhou put down his fingers, grinned, and said, "I just learned it."

That's just nonsense... Cheng Jun looked at Xiao Yi and saw him looking down, seemingly lost in thought, so he assumed he was hesitating.

Before he could speak, Xiao Yi suddenly looked up and became solemn.

“I just asked my great-grandfather, and he said that if I don’t go today, he won’t see me after I die.”

"..."

Ma Zhou laughed and scolded, "You're even more outrageous than me!"

As he spoke, he looked at Cheng Jun and said, "We'll definitely go with you today, unless you refuse to go."

"Then let's go."

Cheng Jun smiled. They had offered their good intentions, and it would be bad if he didn't accept them.

Soon, the three arrived at the university.

…………

"Doctor Wen, Vice Minister Liu, you must uphold justice for me! My son Cui Zhuo was beaten so badly by Yuchi Jingde's son, Yuchi Baolin, that I didn't even recognize him!"

"Such a rebellious child must be severely punished!"

In the main hall of the Imperial Academy, Wen Yanbo sat at the head of the table, wearing a round-necked purple robe and a xiezhi crown. Looking at Cui Renshi, the Imperial Censor who was still babbling incessantly, he felt his head was about to explode.

He winked at Liu Xiangdao, the Imperial Censor-in-Chief who was sitting to his right in a red robe, signaling him to quickly persuade him to do the same.

Liu Xiangdao was about thirty-three years old. At this moment, he lowered his head and remained silent.

Wen Yanbo then remembered that Liu Xiangdao's son had also participated in the censor selection today and had been beaten by the son of a military officer. Feeling greatly troubled, he had no choice but to personally intervene, slamming his hand on the table to interrupt Cui Renshi's incessant chatter, and said sternly:

“Imperial Censor Cui, I deeply sympathize with your son who was beaten.”

"But I must remind you that the rebellious child you speak of has been ordered by His Majesty to be strictly disciplined by his father. His father, Yuchi Jingde, has also been punished by His Majesty and is now guarding the palace gate outside the Zhuque Gate."

"His Majesty has already upheld justice for you, what more justice do you need me to uphold?"

"Wrong, wrong!" Cui Renshi stared at the fifty-something-year-old Imperial Censor with graying temples and gritted his teeth, saying, "The rebellious brat I was referring to is not Yuchi Jingde's son, Yuchi Baolin, but Cheng Yaojin's son, Cheng Jun!"

“My son was beaten. Yuchi Baolin was at most a henchman. Cheng Jun was the mastermind! If it weren’t for his instigation, how could the son of a military officer have beaten my son... and the son of Liu Zhongcheng!”

"As far as I know, the one who was beaten by the military officer's son was not only my son and Liu Zhongcheng's son, but also the sons of several imperial censors and palace censors!"

Cui Renshi said angrily, "Cheng Jun is the mastermind, but His Majesty has punished a henchman. How can we accept such an outcome?"

Wen Yanbo glanced at Liu Xiangdao, and seeing him look up at him, he knew that Liu Xiangdao was also waiting for a result. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Does Imperial Censor Cui have any evidence for what he just said?"

Cui Renshi said loudly, "Yes, but it hasn't been confirmed yet!"

Wen Yanbo was speechless. "Doesn't that mean there isn't one?"

Cui Renshi clicked his tongue and said, "If the evidence is conclusive, I have already gone to His Majesty to impeach Cheng Jun and his father Cheng Yaojin!"

Wen Yanbo frowned and said, "You have no evidence, yet you expect me to uphold justice. How can I possibly do so?"

“That’s easy!” Cui Renshi said. “As long as Doctor Wen hands Cheng Jun over to me for processing, I will make him confess his crimes!”

"No."

Wen Yanbo said decisively, "Cheng Jun has not broken the law, you have no reason and no right to punish him!"

“Doctor Wen, you are mistaken.” At this moment, Liu Xiangdao suddenly spoke up: “His Majesty has appointed Cheng Jun as the supervising censor of the Censorate. As a censor, he should be under the jurisdiction of the Censorate.”

“A new official should pay respects to his superior upon taking office. His Majesty appointed him this morning, and it is now afternoon, yet Cheng Jun has not come. This shows that the boy is extremely arrogant, rude, and immoral! Based on this alone, he can be charged with disrespecting his superior.”

“Lord Liu!” Wen Yanbo looked at him, his expression unwavering.

"You just said that Cheng Jun was a newly appointed censor by His Majesty this morning. It's only afternoon, and you're already trying to punish him. Are you targeting Cheng Jun or His Majesty?"

Liu Xiangdao raised his head to meet his gaze, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This humble official is not targeting anyone, but is merely fulfilling his duties as the Censor-in-Chief! Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If Cheng Jun hadn't been disrespectful, who could have punished him?"

Just then, a young boy's voice suddenly rang out from outside the hall.

"What Liu Zhongcheng said makes sense. I, Cheng Jun, have come to pay my respects to you, my superiors!"