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

"..."

Fang Xuanling stared at the indifferent-looking Changsun Wuji, feeling that Changsun Wuji had changed a lot since he came out of prison in place of the Emperor.

He used to have a calm and collected demeanor, but now he exudes a nonchalant air of easily passing the buck.

Fang Xuanling withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and asked, "You plan to have Cheng Jun take over?"

Changsun Wuji said calmly, "This whole thing started because of him. If he doesn't step up, who will?"

Fang Xuanling reminded him, "But you are the presiding judge!"

Changsun Wuji chuckled and asked, "Do I have a grudge against the Five Clans and Seven Families? Not necessarily. As the Minister of Personnel, in the past two years, many people from the Five Clans and Seven Families, or those who have their backs on the Five Clans and Seven Families, have obtained official positions through my intervention."

"From this perspective, I not only have no enmity with the five surnames and seven clans, but I also have a friendly relationship with them."

"Take another look at Cheng Jun."

Changsun Wuji clicked his tongue and said, "The Cui family has become what it is today because of him. Not long ago, many people from the other six families were transferred out of the capital to take up positions in the provinces because of him. It is clear that Cheng Jun has a grudge against them."

"So it's only natural for Cheng Jun to deal with them, but for me to deal with them is like a dog catching a mouse, meddling in other people's business."

Fang Xuanling frowned and said, "His Majesty's suppression of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families is already common knowledge in the court. His Majesty has finally found an opportunity to suppress them. What you are doing is hindering His Majesty!"

Changsun Wuji sized him up and asked, "Xuanling, what brings you here?"

Fang Xuanling knew that Changsun Wuji was reminding him of the purpose of his visit, but he still couldn't help but say:

"I came here this time for other reasons, but mainly to remind you not to be too radical, but you also cannot disobey His Majesty."

Changsun Wuji shrugged and said, "I'm very conservative."

"If we're talking about radicalism, then it's His Majesty and Cheng Jun who are radical."

As he spoke, he patiently said, "His Majesty needs a reason to suppress the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families. It doesn't matter whether this reason comes from me or Cheng Jun."

"In other words, if I take the reasons given by Cheng Jun and present them to His Majesty, wouldn't Cheng Jun have taken the blame?"

"As for me, I'm still as conservative as ever!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling solemnly said, "But you have already done it. You led the Ministry of Justice to arrest those people from the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families. You cannot escape responsibility!"

Changsun Wuji waved his hand and said, "What you said is not right. I did arrest people, but I did not punish them."

"Reporting them for punishment is the only thing that will offend people. As long as I don't step on that landmine, I'll be fine!"

Fang Xuanling caught a glimpse of the doorway out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat. Without making a sound, he walked up to Changsun Wuji, had the latter turn his back to the door so he was facing him, and asked:

"You asked Cheng Jun to take over, but he refused. What should you do?"

Changsun Wuji chuckled and said, "You're overthinking it. It's not a question of whether Cheng Jun agrees or not, but whether I agree or not."

"If I play it safe, he'll definitely become more aggressive. Then I can reluctantly agree to his request, and things will be settled, right?"

Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment and said, "Cheng Jun is a shrewd person. He will definitely notice if you do this."

Changsun Wuji said indifferently, "So what if he finds out? Cheng Jun is the kind of person who repays evil with justice. If someone bullies him, he will definitely retaliate. So, whether he finds out or not, he will definitely teach the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families a lesson. I'm just going with the flow."

Fang Xuanling asked, "Aren't you afraid Cheng Jun will find out?"

Changsun Wuji asked in confusion, "How did he know?"

Fang Xuanling raised his finger, pointed to the doorway, and said, "Look there."

Changsun Wuji turned around and looked.

At the entrance, Cheng Jun, wearing a xiezhi crown and a scarlet official robe, gave him a kind smile.

"..."

The Ministry of Personnel's hall fell silent instantly.

Changsun Wuji's pupils contracted a few times, then he glared at Fang Xuanling. Judging from Fang Xuanling's position, he knew that Cheng Jun had arrived long ago.

Isn't this embarrassing for him?

Changsun Wuji pursed his lips, glanced back at Cheng Jun standing at the door, and said with feigned composure:

"When did you come?"

Cheng Jun said, "I just arrived."

Changsun Wuji was not entirely convinced and asked, "How much of my conversation with Master Fang did you hear?"

Cheng Jun shook his head and said, "I just arrived, I didn't hear anything."

Still stubborn... Changsun Wuji beckoned him in, then said:

"You've come at the right time; I need to discuss something with you."

"What do you think should be done with those members of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison?"

Cheng Jun hesitated for two seconds, then asked, "Are those people guilty?"

Changsun Wuji was stunned. "Whether they are guilty or not, you were there assisting them, how could you not know?"

Cheng Jun solemnly said, "If that's the case, then I think they are innocent and should be released immediately!"

"..."

I'm conservative, but you're even more conservative than me, right...? Changsun Wuji's face darkened. Clearly, Cheng Jun had overheard his conversation with Fang Xuanling word for word.

No, I can be conservative, but you can't. If you are, then I'll have to take the blame for offending people... Changsun Wuji cursed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he wentaded him:

"Imperial Censor Cheng, are you afraid of offending them?"

Cheng Jun shook his head and said, "I'm not afraid of offending people."

Changsun Wuji questioned, "Since you're not afraid of offending people, you shouldn't have said that they were released without charge!"

Cheng Jun's expression turned serious, and he said, "However, I am an upright person. I believe that right is right and wrong is wrong. They are innocent, so why should they be punished?"

Changsun Wuji stared at him and said, "These people are all involved in the assassination attempt on the censor; how could they be innocent!"

Cheng Jun asked, "What crime did they commit?"

Seeing that he was still pretending to be ignorant, Changsun Wuji was annoyed and said, "Cui Caiqi has already confessed. You were right there at the time, so don't pretend you don't know anything!"

Cheng Jun said solemnly, "If that's the case, then Minister Changsun, you should truthfully convict and report it."

"Then it's none of your business, isn't it? I'm the one who has to take the blame..." Changsun Wuji said angrily, "I'm here to judge them, but what about you? What are you doing?"

Cheng Jun said earnestly, "I'll report it for you!"

Changsun Wuji almost couldn't hold back his curses, but he held back, took a deep breath, and looked at Fang Xuanling.

"Brother Xuanling, what do you think is the best way to handle this?"

"..."

Fang Xuanling looked at him intently, thinking, "They're really trying to shift the blame onto me like crazy." Without hesitation, he said:

"I have other matters to attend to at the Ministry of Personnel, so I'll be leaving now!"