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

Inside the Linde Hall, all was silent.

Everyone looked at Cheng Jun, and then at Li Shimin.

Cheng Jun is right...

Everyone in the court knew Yuchi Jingde's temper; if anyone had tried to mediate, they would have been punched twice.

Cheng Jun persuaded Li Daozong, and not only was he not at fault, but he was actually meritorious!

"My son has quite the silver tongue..." Cheng Yaojin was overjoyed. He stood up decisively, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, my son did nothing wrong. Please, Your Majesty, judge this clearly!"

Yuchi Jingde also realized what was happening, and decisively stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said with remorse:

“Your Majesty, I was in a fit of anger at the time. Anyone who tried to mediate would have been beaten. Cheng Jun’s actions were not only correct, but also meritorious!”

Li Daozong thought for a moment, then stepped forward, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Cheng Jun's advice did indeed save me from disaster, and Your Majesty should not punish him."

Li Shimin stood there stunned, truly not expecting Cheng Jun to be able to turn black into white, and moreover, to do so with such righteous indignation that no one could find fault with him.

Li Shimin came to his senses and, seeing that the parties involved had come out to plead for Cheng Jun, twitched the corner of his mouth and waved his hand at Cheng Jun, saying:

"Alright, alright, you're not wrong. I misunderstood you!"

However, it's an undeniable fact that Yuchi Jingde assaulted someone... Li Shimin pointed at Yuchi Jingde and said to the four guards, "Take Yuchi Jingde away and give him fifty strokes of the cane!"

Before the four guards could respond, Cheng Jun's voice suddenly spoke:

"If the Duke of Wu is to be punished, then His Majesty should also be punished!"

"Zhao Shida was beaten because of the seating arrangement. His Majesty made the decision on Zhao Shida's seating arrangement, so His Majesty is also at fault!"

Li Shimin had already planned to release Cheng Jun, but he didn't expect him to turn his anger towards him. He instantly flew into a rage and said:

"If I, the one making the final decision, am wrong, then aren't you, the one who made the suggestion, also wrong?"

Cheng Jun nodded and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Your Majesty, I was indeed wrong. I should not have made that suggestion. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"..."

Li Shimin stared blankly at him, then instantly understood what he wanted to do.

This kid's planning to trade one for one!

Li Shimin was both shocked and furious. "Damn it," he thought, "you're willing to take a beating just to drag me into this? Are you even human?!"

Li Shimin retorted, "No, no, no! I did nothing wrong! What's wrong with me letting Zhao Shida sit closer to me at the banquet?"

Cheng Jun solemnly said, "However, Zhao Shida was indeed beaten because of the seating arrangement you made for him."

Don't you feel guilty?

"..."

"I blame myself, my ass..." Li Shimin almost blurted out, staring intently at Cheng Jun.

He knew that Cheng Jun's goal was definitely not a one-for-one trade.

Cheng Jun wanted the emperor to retract his decree and spare Yuchi Jingde from the caning punishment.

You are so kind and righteous, yet you expect me to be heartless and ruthless... Li Shimin frowned. How could he possibly agree? Zhao Shida had been beaten, and if Yuchi Jingde was not punished, it would not only chill Zhao Shida's heart but also invite criticism.

Li Shimin severely punished Yuchi Jingde for two reasons: firstly, he was genuinely angry, and secondly, he wanted to quell rumors, rectify public opinion, and avoid unnecessary criticism.

But now, Li Shimin thought about it again and felt that something was wrong. Cheng Jun was a meticulous young man and it was impossible for him to only care about Yuchi Jingde and not about him, the emperor.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then looked up at Cheng Jun and asked, "What do you want from me?"

As expected of Li Er, he understood immediately... Cheng Jun sensed that Li Shimin was probing him and immediately replied:

"Your Majesty should first go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to visit Zhao Shida, instead of subjecting the Duke of Wu to caning. I believe this is the action of a wise ruler."

Li Shimin seemed to understand something and asked:

"When you go to the Imperial Medical Bureau, Zhao Shida wants me to punish Yuchi Jingde. Will you then have nothing to say?"

Cheng Jun nodded and said, "The Duke of Wu was at fault first. Zhao Shida asked His Majesty for justice. His Majesty is fair in rewarding and punishing, and it is only right and proper for him to punish the Duke of Wu. I have nothing to say."

Li Shimin was somewhat surprised that he actually had a solution. After pondering for two seconds, he turned his head and said:

"Ananda, prepare the carriage for the Imperial Medical Bureau!"

"Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Jun, you two come with me to the Imperial Medical Bureau."

When Yuchi Jingde saw that there was a real chance to avoid the punishment of fifty strokes of the cane, he was overjoyed and quickly said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Cheng Jun smiled and agreed.

Cheng Yaojin grew anxious and asked urgently from the side, "Your Majesty, where is your subject?"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "You wait here!"

After saying that, he led Cheng Jun and Yuchi Jingde toward the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Inside the Linde Hall, the civil and military officials exchanged bewildered glances, all wondering what Cheng Jun was up to...

…………

The aroma of Chinese medicine, along with the white smoke rising from the charcoal fire in the stove, permeated the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Outside the room where the sickbed was placed in the Imperial Medical Bureau.

It was still dusk when Chao Yuanfang sat on a stool, carefully decocting medicine by the light.

Wen Yanbo sat next to him and chatted with him from time to time.

Zhang Xingcheng stood aside, his gaze solemn as he stared intently into the room at Zhao Shida, who lay unconscious on the sickbed.

After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, looked at Chao Yuanfang who was decocting the medicine, and asked:

"Imperial Physician Chao, Zhao Shida has only fainted. He will wake up on his own in a moment. Why do you still need to prepare medicine for him?"

Chao Yuanfang held a round fan, fanning himself as he glanced up at him and said:

“I just took his pulse and found that he has palpitations. This medicine is to treat his palpitations.”

Zhang Xingcheng frowned and said:

"Doctor Chao, how much did you pay for these herbs you brewed? Isn't it a bit wasteful to give them to Zhao Shida? Is there a cheaper alternative?"

"..."

Chao Yuanfang stared at him blankly, stopped fanning himself with his fan, put it on the ground, stood up and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Xingcheng explained, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just felt that the government's money was the hard-earned money of the people, and we should save as much as possible on Zhao Shida."

Chao Yuanfang had initially thought he was being accused of embezzlement, but upon hearing this explanation, his expression softened, and he said:

"There are indeed a few alternative herbs, but they've already been cooked, so we can't let them go to waste."

Wen Yanbo chuckled and said, "I'll drink it. I'm feeling a little palpitated right now too."

"..."

Chao Yuanfang snorted and said, "Alright, you can drink this medicine once it's brewed."

After saying that, he added, "Although there are alternative medicinal herbs, none of them are as effective as these herbs."

Zhang Xingcheng waved his hand and said, "It's alright. If we shorten his lifespan by a few years, we can use the money saved from the people's hard-earned money to do things that benefit the people. I think Zhao Shida can understand."

Being able to understand and being able to accept are not the same thing, right...? Chao Yuanfang muttered to himself.

"Okay, whatever you say."

After speaking, Chao Yuanfang looked at Wen Yanbo and said:

"Your Censorate has suddenly gained two great generals, Zhuge Liang and Feng Chun. You, the Censor-in-Chief, are truly blessed."