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

Liu Heng was taken aback when he heard this, he really didn't expect that he would ask him for help so soon after he opened his mouth.

It feels like I'm begging you for help... Liu Heng muttered to himself, then, unable to contain his curiosity, asked:

"What can I do for you, Deputy Cheng?"

Cheng Jun did not respond directly, but instead asked, "Are you aware that Zhao Shida, the governor of Jizhou, has returned?"

Liu Heng nodded and said, "I know, I've already arranged his seating."

"It's there."

Cheng Jun looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the seating arrangement was in the middle of the Linde Hall. He nodded and said:

“Zhao Shida is the Prefect of Jizhou, a third-rank official. His position is below the Minister and above the Vice Minister. His placement there is indeed just right.”

"However, Liu Shaoqing, there is one thing you haven't considered."

Cheng Jun stared at Liu Heng and said with a serious expression:

“Zhao Shida must have a lot to say to His Majesty when he returns to the capital this time, and His Majesty must also have a lot to ask him.”

"If you put him in the middle, His Majesty can't ask him questions. Even if he does, it's only about official business. He can't ask about private matters."

Cheng Jun said earnestly, "You need to learn to think about His Majesty's feelings."

Liu Heng thought his words made sense and asked, "According to Cheng Fuduan, where would be the best place to put it?"

Cheng Jun said, "Move forward a bit."

Liu Heng walked over, moved the table forward, placing it behind Wei Zheng's seat, and asked, "How about placing it here?"

Cheng Jun said, "We still have to go forward."

Liu Heng picked up the small table and placed it behind Du Ruhui's seat, asking, "How is it here?"

Cheng Jun said, "Move a little to the side."

Liu Heng carried the table to Cheng Yaojin's seat and asked Cheng Jun, "How's it here?"

Cheng Jun said, "Go a little further forward."

Liu Heng thought for a moment, then placed it below Li Daozong's position and asked, "What about here?"

Cheng Jun said, "A little further ahead."

Liu Heng moved the object forward, placing it below Yuchi Jingde's position, and then looked at Cheng Jun.

Cheng Jun said seriously, "Go a little further forward."

Liu Heng took two steps forward and placed Zhao Shida in front of Yuchi Jingde.

Cheng Jun nodded and said, "This place is very nice."

Liu Heng straightened up, clapped his hands, and said with a frown:

“Cheng Fuduan, Zhao Shida is a prefect, but his title is not that of a duke. Placing him here is not in accordance with the rules.”

Cheng Jun said, "You just do it, I'll go and ask for permission."

Liu Heng asked in surprise, "Such a trivial matter, is it really necessary to bother His Majesty?"

If I don't bother him, he'll start bothering me... Cheng Jun said seriously, "If His Majesty knows, neither of us can rest easy."

Liu Heng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble Vice-Duan Cheng to make the trip and speak to His Majesty."

Cheng Jun smiled, cupped his hands, and said:

"I'll take my leave now."

"Take care, Vice President Cheng."

Cheng Jun bowed again, left Linde Hall, and walked towards Ganlu Hall.

…………

Ganlu Temple.

The atmosphere inside the hall was very oppressive.

Large boxes were neatly arranged on the ground.

All the boxes had been opened, and at a glance, they were filled with memorials to the emperor.

On Long Shu's desk, three stacks of memorials were piled high.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face, flipping through the books one by one.

Below, Zhang Xingcheng stood with his hands at his sides, silent and solemn.

Li Shimin put down the memorials, picked one up and started reading. The more he read, the angrier he became.

"Snapped!"

After reading the memorial in his hand, Li Shimin couldn't help but throw it on the table and scolded:

"Minister Zhang, more than four hundred memorials, how did you manage to write them all!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xingcheng cupped his hands in greeting and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty, these are all things I saw and heard in Jizhou."

Li Shimin glared at him and said, "Were you only keeping an eye on Zhao Shida in Jeju?"

"Look at what you've accused him of!"

Li Shimin picked up a memorial, waved it at Zhang Xingcheng, and said angrily, "Just because of the material of the wooden bucket he uses to relieve himself, you say he is extravagant and wasteful."

"Leaving aside whether he is extravagant or not, let me ask you, what kind of bucket does he use to relieve himself, and how do you know that?"

Zhang Xingcheng said, "I saw it."

Li Shimin asked, "Where did you see him? At his house?"

Zhang Xingcheng replied, "Outside his house."

Li Shimin angrily said, "You've been watching him for twelve hours straight? Huh? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Zhang Xingcheng said solemnly, “I am an imperial censor, and my job is to supervise all officials. Zhao Shida is extravagant and wasteful to the extreme! He is the governor of Jizhou, the head of a prefecture. If he does this, it will inevitably lead to a situation where the people follow his example. Where will the money come from? It can only be obtained by exorbitant taxes and levies to plunder the people. I am impeaching him for this crime. Does Your Majesty think this is inappropriate?”

"..."

Li Shimin hesitated, realizing that if this was the reason, then impeachment was indeed warranted. However, upon further reflection, he felt a surge of anger. He put down the memorial in his hand, picked up another, waved it at Zhang Xingcheng, and questioned him:

"And what about this one? He's just riding a horse in the city, and you want to get involved too?"

Zhang Xingcheng said seriously, "It's wrong of him to ride a horse in the city. What if the horse he's riding gets startled and hits someone?"

Li Shimin said, "Then you have to wait until he hits someone before you impeach him."

Zhang Xingcheng shouted, "Then it will be too late! We can prevent problems before they occur, so why wait until something happens before we intervene?"

Li Shimin glared at him and said, "Some people choke to death while eating. What, are you saying we can't even eat?"

"Let's not talk about anything else, just take riding horses for example. You can ride freely in Chang'an!"

Zhang Xingcheng declared firmly, "Your Majesty, I am only concerned with matters concerning Jizhou!"

You're only in charge of Zhao Shida, aren't you...? Li Shimin smirked, his expression displeased as he coldly snorted:

"I refuse to believe that there is no one in Jeju City who does not ride a horse in and out of the city."

Zhang Xingcheng nodded and said, "Indeed, some people in Jizhou ride horses. I think this trend is very bad. If we want to eliminate this trend, the only way is for the head of a prefecture to take the lead and set an example. If we only let the people below do it and don't care about what the people above do, how can we convince the people? Therefore, Zhao Shida should take the lead and set an example to change the customs!"

Li Shimin glared at him and said, "Why don't you just tell Zhao Shida directly? Why write a memorial to let me know about this? Do you think I have nothing better to do?"

Zhang Xingcheng cupped his hands and said, "I am an imperial censor, the eyes and ears of the emperor. I am only responsible for supervision and do not interfere."

Seeing that he could actually refute it, Li Shimin became even angrier. He put down the memorial in his hand, picked up another one, and asked, "What about this one? He went out and just talked to a woman for a few words, and you impeached him?"

Zhang Xingcheng said in a strong voice, "Why would Zhao Shida talk to a woman for no reason? That woman is quite pretty; he must have taken a liking to her."

"If the people below see him like this, what if they were to kidnap or plunder innocent families? Wouldn't that ruin the peace and tranquility of the people?"

Li Shimin countered, "With you watching him, would he dare?"

Zhang Xingcheng gritted his teeth and said, "When I'm around, he dares to talk to women. When I'm not around, that woman is probably already in his bed!"

"The officials in the court, such as Lord Fang, Lord Du, and Lord Wei, all only had one legal wife, but Zhao Shida alone had one wife and three concubines. This clearly shows that he is a man who is blinded by women and lustful at the sight of them!"

After Zhang Xingcheng finished speaking, he bowed deeply and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

"My ass!" Li Shimin cursed under his breath, glancing at the dozens of large boxes in the hall overflowing with memorials. He felt a headache coming on and said:

"More than four hundred memorials, all related to Zhao Shida, not a single one mentions anything else?"

Zhang Xingcheng shook his head and said, "No!"

Li Shimin slammed the memorial in his hand onto the imperial desk and scolded, "How dare you say that!"

Zhang Xingcheng said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, my harsh treatment of Zhao Shida is to show the people below. When they see the Prefect of Jizhou being watched by the Censor, they will be terrified and dare not do evil."

Li Shimin laughed angrily, "You're right, you're really right! I've never seen anyone like you before!"

At this moment, a guard walked out of the hall, clasped his hands in greeting, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, Cheng Jun requests an audience."

"......"

Inside the hall, it suddenly became so quiet that you could hear breathing.

There's another one... Li Shimin felt like his mentality was about to break down.

How could I forget about him!