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

This is the workplace! The workplace is like a battlefield, that's the truth! Cheng Jun thought to himself.

Cheng Chumo asked curiously, "Then how do we do it?"

Cheng Jun held up three fingers and said, "I have three solutions."

"Treat me to a meal, behead me, or take me as your dog!"

Cheng Chumo's eyes lit up and he said, "Treat them to a meal! Treating them to a meal is good. Our father is the Duke of Su, they'll give us face!"

Cheng Jun gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother, you're awesome!"

Cheng Chuliang thought for a moment and said, "I think beheading would work too. Break their legs so they can't go to the palace tomorrow!"

Cheng Jun gave him an admiring look and said, "Second Brother is tough!"

Cheng Chumo asked curiously, "Which one are you planning to choose?"

"Only children make choices; of course I want them all!"

Upon hearing Cheng Jun's words, Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang were both taken aback. Then, they clasped their hands in unison and exclaimed, "Third brother is both tall and strong!"

"Do you need our help?" Cheng Chumo asked.

Cheng Jun smiled and said, "No need, I'm fine on my own!"

"Then we'll wait for your good news!" Cheng Chumo patted his shoulder with a smile and encouraged him, "When you become an imperial censor, I'll treat you to some wine and women!"

"it is good!"

After seeing them off, Cheng Jun closed the door, picked up the papers on the table, and silently memorized the information on them.

…………

"Sanlang, the horses are ready!"

The next morning.

Cheng Jun put on a clean and tidy blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns, washed up, ate breakfast, and prepared to head to the palace.

People in the Tang Dynasty were full of martial spirit. Whether they were civil officials or military generals, they rode horses to court instead of sitting in sedan chairs.

On the contrary, if someone rides in a sedan chair, people will assume that the person is unwell.

The old steward of the mansion, Cheng Zhong, brought over a black steed. Cheng Jun took one look at it and fell in love with it immediately.

This is a tall, slender-necked, and long-limbed "Turkic horse" introduced from the Northwest region!

Thanks to careful feeding, this Turkic horse was well-fed and robust.

The horse was tied to the stirrups, and Cheng Jun walked over and took the reins and whip from Cheng Zhong.

He mounted the horse in one fluid motion!

Cheng Zhong's eyes lit up. "Sanlang's movements are so cool!"

Cheng Jun smiled. In the past, when his company went to the grasslands for team building, he spent a lot of money and time practicing horseback riding beforehand, and the men on the grasslands all praised his horsemanship.

"Uncle Zhong, tell my father and my two elder brothers to wait for my good news!"

"drive!"

Cheng Jun rode away from the Cheng residence, galloping all the way out of Huaide Lane and heading towards the palace.

Cheng Zhong watched him leave before returning to the main room, where he happened to run into Cheng Yaojin walking towards him. He quickly clasped his hands in greeting.

Cheng Yaojin nodded slightly, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the main room, saying, "Has Chuxia set off?"

"They've already left. I heard that half of the civil and military officials have gone to the Vermilion Bird Gate to await news. Should the young master go?"

"It's shameful, I'm not going!"

Cheng Yaojin snorted.

He knew his son's true worth best; Cheng Jun was just there to make up the numbers.

If I go, I'm afraid my colleagues will laugh at me.

…………

The imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty was located at the northernmost point of Chang'an.

Cheng Jun rode his horse to the palace gate and found more than two hundred teenagers standing outside.

Even though they were standing together, they gave the impression of being clearly separated.

Upon closer inspection, Cheng Jun noticed that the hundred or so boys standing on the left wore robes of various colors, including purple, red, green, and blue. The robes looked as if they were custom-made, exquisite and well-fitting.

The boy standing on the right was dressed in a white robe, while many others were wearing patched cloth shirts and shoes and socks that had been washed until they were smudged.

They would glance at the children of the powerful and wealthy from time to time, their eyes filled with envy.

When they make eye contact with the other person, they immediately look down at their feet or elsewhere.

The privileged youths who met their gazes looked at them with disdain, then turned to chat with those around them, occasionally pointing at some poorly dressed teenagers and making fun of them, their contempt undisguised.

The disparity between the rich and the poor is evident.

After all, ancient times were a hierarchical society... Cheng Jun observed this and thought to himself, ever since the Zhou people used "rites" to classify society into different ranks, every dynasty followed suit, including the Tang Dynasty, which had even clearer standards for classifying ranks.

This hierarchy is most evident in clothing.

The boys standing at the palace gate wore clothes that were basically the same color as their fathers' official robes.

Therefore, Cheng Jun could immediately tell at a glance what rank the fathers of those boys were in the imperial court.

There were also people like Cheng Jun who wore blue clothes. Blue was the color of the official robes of officials of the eighth or ninth rank. For the son of a duke to wear blue clothes was called "downward compatibility," which was in accordance with "propriety."

The sons of officials could wear clothes in colors that were commoners wore, but ordinary people absolutely could not wear the colors of official robes, not even blue. Wearing such clothes was considered impolite and would be punished by the government.

Cheng Jun withdrew his gaze and looked to the other side.

Not far from the palace gate, there were hundreds of stools, half of which were occupied at the moment.

Those sitting on the benches were all middle-aged men wearing black hats and official robes of various colors.

During the Tang Dynasty, officials' robes came in four colors: purple, red, green, and cyan. The higher the rank, the darker the color of the robe, which is the origin of the idiom "red to the point of turning purple".

Clearly, at least half of the civil and military officials were present.

The group of boys standing at the palace gate were deliberately divided into two groups based on their wealth.

The dozens of civil and military officials sitting on the benches, though all dressed in official robes, were deliberately divided into two groups.

One group sat on the east side, and another group sat on the west side; they couldn't stand each other.

At this moment, everyone noticed Cheng Jun riding up on horseback.

In the group of benches to the west, an elderly minister in a red official robe suddenly stood up and said in a cold voice:

"A warrior certainly has style; he arrived on horseback! If you didn't know better, you'd think he was here to participate in the selection of imperial censors, but if you didn't, you'd think there was military intelligence coming from the frontier!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers around him burst into laughter.

Cheng Jun frowned. This was no kind remark. In ancient times, those who delivered military intelligence were couriers. To compare the son of a duke to a courier was no different from calling someone a country bumpkin. It was an insult.

Who is this person?

Cheng Jun dismounted and, holding the reins, approached the palace gate while sizing up the other person.

The other person was in his fifties, about 1.75 meters tall, thin, with a stern face that gave the impression that he was about to lose his temper.

At this moment, a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged man stood up from the east and shouted, "Wang Gui, no matter what, he is still the son of the Duke of Su. Do you have to be so rude?"

Is he Wang Gui, the Grand Counselor? What a fine critic!

During the Zhenguan era, two critics were most famous: one was Wei Zheng, and the other was him.

Cheng Jun was a little confused. He hadn't offended him, so why was he saying hurtful things?

Wang Gui looked at the dark-skinned military officer who was nearly 1.9 meters tall and said in a calm tone, "What did I say wrong? Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants should each do their own thing. To have a mere military man become an official in charge of remonstrance is like a merchant becoming a prime minister. I would never stoop to associating with such a person!"

The charcoal-clad military officer sneered, "You talk as if your son could become an imperial censor."

Wang Gui chuckled and said, “Like begets like. I am an official in charge of remonstrance, so my son should naturally be an official in charge of remonstrance as well. If your son can become an official in charge of remonstrance, then you should be careful whether he is your son or not.”

"You scoundrel, what did you say? Say it again if you dare!"

The charcoal-faced warrior could easily tell that his words were barbed, and he retorted angrily.

Wang Gui pointed at Cheng Jun, who was walking over, and said, "I'm talking about him, why are you in such a hurry?"

In an instant, the civil officials sitting on the benches on the west side fixed their gazes on Cheng Jun, pointing and whispering at him with amusement, as if they were enjoying the spectacle.

The military officers on the east side, however, looked displeased.

On the surface, Wang Gui was mocking Cheng Jun for participating in the selection of censors and officials despite being the son of a military officer. In reality, he was telling them that he was dissatisfied with the emperor's decree that he "did not want to favor one over the other" and that the emperor was biased towards military officers.

That was indeed what Wang Gui meant.

In his view, it was absurd for the sons of military officers to participate in the selection of censors!

Yesterday, he was on leave and did not attend court. Upon hearing the news that His Majesty was going to select censors, he immediately set off for the palace to advise His Majesty!

Unexpectedly, His Majesty refused to see him at the palace gates and sent someone to tell him that the memorial regarding the selection of censors would be discussed after the selection was completed!

Wang Gui came here today to wait until the selection of censors was over so he could enter the palace to advise the emperor. He saw Cheng Jun today and, unable to contain his anger from yesterday, he vented it on him.

The charcoal-skinned general understood Wang Gui's veiled insult, but since the other party hadn't explicitly mentioned it, taking it personally would be asking for trouble. Yet, he felt uneasy not refuting it. Seeing Cheng Jun arrive alone, he shouted:

"Chuxia, where's your father? Someone's insulting him, and he's still hiding and refusing to come out?"

Cheng Jun had been observing Wang Gui and pondering his words. He had already realized that the old man was not only targeting him, but all the sons of military generals. He was just unlucky to have run into Wang Gui's gun.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jun shifted his gaze to General Black Charcoal.

The memories within him jolted like wild donkeys, reminding him that this person was General Yuchi Jingde, Duke of Wu and Right Martial Marquis, who had a close personal relationship with Cheng Yaojin. He quickly clasped his hands and said:

"So that Uncle Yuchi knows that my father didn't come, but when he did, he repeatedly told me not to argue with those who couldn't protect their master."

Yuchi Jingde was taken aback for a moment, then his lips twitched a few times before he finally burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Well said!"

The military officers stared at Cheng Jun in surprise, then looked at Wang Gui with great interest, as if they were watching a funeral and not caring about how big it was.

As a censor, Wang Gui was extremely perceptive to words. He sensed Cheng Jun's sarcastic tone, his expression changed slightly, and he angrily said, "You brat, what did you just say?"

Cheng Jun patiently explained, "Your Highness, these words were not spoken by me, but by my father."

Wang Gui sneered, "Is that so? I'll remember that. Go back and tell your father, and I'll definitely impeach him in court!"

"I'm trying to talk to you nicely, and you take it for granted?" Cheng Jun said, his voice hardening as he saw Cheng Jun brandish his gun, "What are you impeaching him for?"

Wang Gui said coldly, "Insulting a colleague!"

Cheng Jun then asked, "What did my father say to you?"

Wang Gui stared at him and asked, "You just said that your father told you not to bother with those who can't protect their master. Did your father say those words, 'can't protect their master'?"

Cheng Jun said "Oh," and then added, "Then remember to participate. Don't be a coward and dare not participate."