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

"Your behavior just now was anything but gentlemanly, especially yours, Brother Baolin!"

Yu Chi Baolin and his sons, who were sons of military officers, had run a short distance when Cheng Jun called them all back.

As Cheng Jun picked up the wooden sign, he said sternly to Yuchi Baolin, "How could you throw your boots like that?"

Yu Chi Baolin had just put on her boots when she heard this and reflected, "I shouldn't have thrown my boots at him..."

“Yes, there are bricks over there, why don’t you use them?” Cheng Jun said, pointing to a brick not far away.

"..."

The other sons of military officers and the talented young men in the neighborhood looked at each other strangely.

Yu Chi Baolin paused for a moment, then hesitated and said, "If we use a brick... what if it hits him and he gets a bloody head wound?"

"A gentleman who lacks dignity will not command respect."

Cheng Jun instructed, "If you go too lightly, the other party won't feel your authority, so you have to go hard, understand?"

Yu Chi Baolin hesitated for a moment, "Isn't that a bad idea...? What if his father comes knocking on our door?"

Cheng Jun patiently explained, "The Records of the Grand Historian says, 'A wise man is not afraid when disaster strikes,' meaning he is not afraid when misfortune is imminent."

"But I'm scared."

Fearing he might misunderstand, Yu Chi Baolin quickly explained, "You have no idea how ruthless my father can be when he gets angry. My brother has been bedridden for almost a month!"

They're all sons of military officers, how could I not know...? Cheng Jun said solemnly, "So you must remember, a wise man does not dwell in bad places."

"Even a sage knows that a small stick will be used against a big one. They've already come knocking on your door, what are you still doing standing in front of your father? He's waiting for his fist to harden, what are you waiting for, to die?"

Yu Chi Baolin waved her hands, "No, no, my father is fast. You don't know, my father is even better at catching me than he is at taking away a horse spear."

Cheng Jun said seriously, "You can find someone who has a grudge against your father to throw at. That would be equivalent to you avenging your father. Your father would remember your kindness, so how could he possibly bring himself to harm you?"

“You’re right…” Yu Chi Baolin pondered for a moment and said regretfully, “I should have gone all out just now… Among those people, quite a few had a grudge against my father!”

Cheng Jun comforted him, saying, "There are plenty of people like this in the world. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

At this moment, he saw everyone staring at him in disbelief. Cheng Jun remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss, and said with a smile, "Let's go, the selection of imperial censors is about to begin!"

"Good!" Everyone responded when they saw Wei Shuyu and Feng Yandao enter the second palace gate.

None of the sons of military officers or the talented young men in the neighborhood were taller than 1.8 meters. Cheng Jun, being the tallest among them, was clearly the eldest brother and walked at the very front.

As Cheng Jun walked past Jiade Gate on his way to Taiji Gate, he pondered Cheng Yaojin's evaluation of Li Shimin... This was an emperor who yearned to be a "wise ruler" to the extreme. It was precisely because of this that he was willing to listen to others, even if their words were unpleasant. As long as they made sense, he would not do anything to them, and sometimes he would even reward and praise them.

Taking your anger out on your superiors not only gets you no credit, but you also get praise and benefits... Cheng Jun suddenly felt that being an imperial censor was a pretty respectable profession.

At this moment, he noticed that Yuchi Baolin kept looking around and asked, "Brother Baolin, what are you looking at?"

Yu Chi Baolin withdrew his gaze and said with envy, "The civil officials are really a bunch of old foxes. Look at Fang Xuanling's son Fang Yi'ai, Du Ruhui's son Du He, and Changsun Wuji's son Changsun Huan. None of them came today. Their fathers are really resourceful. It's no big deal that they didn't come."

So it turns out the missing ones were the three of them... Cheng Jun pondered, "That's normal. Those three's fathers are either extremely powerful in the court or call His Majesty their uncle. How could they be like us?"

He had observed carefully that among the sons of civil officials who came to participate in the selection of censors, only Feng Yandao's father had the highest official rank, being a third-rank prime minister.

The fathers of other civil officials' sons were able to kill even fourth-rank officials.

The same applies to the military officers. Among those present, apart from Yuchi Jingde, who is the Right Martial General and a third-rank military officer, the other military officers were of lower rank.

However, the military officers were straightforward and acted in accordance with the imperial edict, sending their sons to participate in the selection of censors.

Unlike those three old foxes, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji, who not only didn't come, but also forbade their sons to come...

Yu Chi Baolin said sourly, "It's true what they say, sons comparing sons drive their fathers crazy, and fathers comparing fathers drive their sons crazy..."

Cheng Jun laughed and said, "That's why the sage said, 'Is it not a gentleman who is not angered when others do not understand him?' As long as you don't know the reason behind it, you won't get angry."

Yuchi Baolin couldn't help but look at him a few more times, and said in amazement, "Brother Chuxia, we are all sons of military officers, so how come you are different from us?"

Cheng Jun said, "Because I am reading the Analects of Confucius."

The young talents in the neighborhood looked at him strangely, feeling that he had wasted his education.

Yu Chi Baolin asked in confusion, "I've read them too! I've not only read the Analects, but also the Doctrine of the Mean, the Great Learning, Mencius, and the Book of Poetry!"

Cheng Jun glanced at him and said, "You've read a lot of books. I'm different; I only read the Analects."

After saying that, he walked through the last palace gate.

"Why do I feel like he's lying to me?" Yu Chi Baolin was stunned for a long time, then turned his head to look at the talented young men in the neighborhood and asked.

The talented men in the neighborhood all turned their heads away from him, but the shrugs on their shoulders betrayed their true feelings.

…………

The selection of imperial censors was held in the Taiji Hall.

The Taiji Hall is the main hall for court discussions, where the daily morning court session is held.

The fact that the selection of imperial censors was held here shows how important this matter was to Li Shimin.

At this moment, a burly middle-aged man, wearing a crown and imperial robes, sat solemnly in the main hall.

He stroked his beard with one hand and held the memorial in the other, looking down at it carefully, afraid of missing a single word.

Chairs did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, and stools were considered inappropriate for formal occasions. Therefore, cushions were prepared for people to kneel on in formal settings.

All the necessary items for the selection of imperial censors have been prepared in the palace.

All that's left is for the sons of officials and the talented young men of the neighborhood to enter.

At this moment, a middle-aged eunuch wearing a purple round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe walked in with a joyful expression and said, "Your Majesty, the talented individuals who have entered the palace have already entered the Taiji Gate and are now on their way here!"

Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at the outside of the hall, and smiled.

"finally come!"

Today's selection of censors was a decision he made after careful consideration.

Two years after ascending the throne, he still felt that there was a shortage of manpower in the court, especially the censors who could serve as the emperor's eyes and ears.

There are quite a few censors in the imperial court these days, but after being immersed in the corrupting influence of the court for a long time, it is inevitable that some will form cliques, engage in favoritism, and protect their colleagues.

To break this trend, it is necessary to promote a group of young censors every now and then.

These people had no power base in the court, were young, and had the fearlessness of newborn calves. They dared to speak the truth and were not afraid of offending people.

Therefore, the selection of censors is of utmost importance.

There are three types of people who came to participate in the selection of censors this time.

One category consists of the sons of civil officials, another of the sons of military officials, and yet another of the sons of talented commoners.

Since the position of censor was a civil service position, it was normal and reasonable to select the sons of civil officials to serve as censors.

The selection of commoners' sons was based on the fact that these talented young people had no connections in the court. It was also a way of showing the world that as long as one possessed both virtue and talent, one could become an official even without taking the imperial examinations!

As for why he chose the son of a military officer, it was because Li Shimin wanted to take this opportunity to tell all the civil and military officials that officials should not be clearly separated into civil and military roles, but should possess both.

This time, the selection of military officers' sons by the Imperial Censor was included; next time, when a hundred personal guards are selected, the sons of civil officials will also appear.

Li Shimin wanted to tell his officials that his statement, "I will not show favoritism," was not just empty words.

Therefore, the three candidates for censor this time will be selected from the sons of civil officials, military officials, and commoners, respectively.

This is also why, upon hearing that Wei Zheng had come to offer advice, they refused to let him out of the palace gates.

How could Wei Zheng, that country bumpkin, possibly fathom my thoughts!

Li Shimin stroked his beard with a smug look.

Soon, Li Shimin saw a large group of people walking towards them.

Everyone is young enough!

"what?"

At this moment, Li Shimin keenly noticed that the crowd was clearly divided into distinct groups.

A group of boys with wooden signs hanging from their waists walked on the east side, while boys without signs walked on the west side.

How is this going?

Li Shimin was somewhat bewildered. The selection of censors hadn't even started yet, so how come these people were already forming cliques?

Cheng Jun walked in the middle of the crowd. At 1.85 meters tall, he stood out among the group of teenagers.

Upon entering the Taiji Hall, Cheng Jun saw the Tang Emperor dressed in imperial robes and wearing a crown.

Li Shimin was around thirty years old. His face was imposing without being angry, and his gaze was like a sword hidden in its sheath, calmly scrutinizing everyone without any sharpness.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

The crowd bowed deeply and said.

Cheng Jun followed suit, bowing and shouting along.

"No need to pay tribute."

Li Shimin spoke in a dignified voice.

He took in the expressions of all the boys and found that they were all very reserved, except for one boy who seemed relaxed and at ease, unlike anyone else.

The man was dressed in a blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns. He was the tallest man, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, sword-like eyebrows that reached his temples, square lips, and an exceptionally handsome appearance.

Li Shimin withdrew his gaze, suppressed his doubts, and smiled as he said, "Today is the selection of imperial censors. Three of you will become imperial censors of my Great Tang Dynasty."

"It is the power of the censor to supervise all officials and report matters based on hearsay. Therefore, to become a censor, one must possess both virtue and talent, and at the same time, dare to stand up to the powerful and influential in the court and speak with conviction! Do you understand?"

At this moment, a group of burly young men suddenly stepped forward, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, we are of limited talent and learning, and are not qualified to serve as censors!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another group of simply dressed young men stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said in unison, "Your Majesty, we are inexperienced and fear we will fail Your Majesty's grace. We dare not assume the position of Imperial Censor!"

Li Shimin's smile instantly froze on his face.

I haven't even set the questions yet, and more than half of the people have already given up on the exam?

And why are all these boys wearing wooden tags around their waists?!