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

At this moment, Li Dejiang walked out of the imperial city, holding the reins and leading his horse, heading towards the Li residence in Pingkangfang.

Suddenly he remembered that he was no longer "Li Dejiang" but was now playing the role of "Cheng Jun".

Therefore, we must go to the Cheng residence in Huai De Fang...

Without further thought, Li Dejiang mounted his horse and rode towards Huaidefang.

As soon as Li Dejiang arrived outside the Cheng residence, he heard a friendly voice coming from inside:

"Li Erlang is here!"

Li Dejiang was Li Jing's second son, so he was usually called Li Erlang.

Li Dejiang dismounted and saw Cheng Zhong approaching with a smile. He nodded slightly and then asked curiously:

"Butler Cheng, it's as if you knew I was coming."

Cheng Zhong smiled and said, "My third son came back and has already given instructions that Li Erlang will come over."

After saying that, he took the horse reins from Li Dejiang, gestured for him to come in, and said, "Please come in."

Li Dejiang followed him into the Cheng residence, asking as they walked, "Did my brother Chuxia tell you everything?"

Cheng Zhong replied, "Yes."

“My Sanlang said, ‘You are my Sanlang now, and my Sanlang is you now.’”

Li Dejiang looked around and asked, "Brother Chuxia, did you go to my house?"

Cheng Zhong nodded and said, "They've already gone."

The scene of Li Jing and Cheng Jun meeting flashed through Li Dejiang's mind, and he realized that he hadn't told Li Jing about this yet.

I wonder what my father's reaction will be when he finds out about this...

Li Dejiang muttered to himself, quickly dismissing the thought. He recalled his earlier experience at the Censorate, looked at Cheng Zhong, and asked:

“Steward Cheng, when I was at the Censorate just now, when I was on duty for my brother Chu Xia, the Censor-in-Chief Wen Yanbo asked me to come over and asked me to give him a set of sweaters and trousers.”

Cheng Zhong instructed the servants to settle the horses in the stables, then walked with Li Dejiang to the main hall and asked, "Did you agree?"

Li Dejiang shook his head and said, "No, I felt that Dr. Wen was trying to get me to bribe him, so I refused."

"..."

Cheng Zhong paused involuntarily, staring in astonishment at the serious-looking Li Dejiang, and blurted out:

"It's just a sweater, it can't be that serious."

Li Dejiang said in a deep voice, "My brother Chuxia is an imperial censor. An imperial censor is the eyes and ears of the emperor. How can he accept bribes? Furthermore, according to the duties of an imperial censor, if any official wants his subordinates to bribe him, he should impeach that person."

What, you want to impeach your boss? Cheng Zhong twitched his lips, unsure of what to say to him.

Li Dejiang seemed to realize that this was inappropriate, but he couldn't get over his mental hurdle and asked:

"Steward Cheng, I'd like to know, if it were my brother Chu Xia facing such a feeble request from Doctor Wen, would he agree or disagree?"

Cheng Zhong thought for a moment and said, "My third son will neither agree nor disagree."

Li Dejiang asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Cheng Zhong invited him into the main room and then personally poured him tea, saying as he poured:

"If Doctor Wen hints to my son that he wants a set of sweaters and trousers, my son will bring the knitted sweaters and trousers to meet His Majesty."

"Then, my son will tell His Majesty how warm and inexpensive these sweaters and trousers are..."

"It's even possible that we'll discuss foreign trade, how to import wool, and how to price this sweater and trousers set..."

Cheng Zhong laughed and said, "In the end, my third son will find a reason to get His Majesty to bestow this sweater and trousers upon the Imperial Censor."

"In this way, my third son did not have to pay a bribe, Doctor Wen received a sweater and trousers, and His Majesty also rewarded his subject."

Li Dejiang opened his eyes wide, thought carefully, and realized that Cheng Zhong was right. Following this entire process, Wen Yanbo had indeed not accepted bribes, nor had Cheng Jun offered any. He muttered to himself:

"You can do that...?"

Cheng Zhong smiled and said, "That's just how my son does things."

Li Dejiang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then asked, somewhat puzzled:

"I don't understand, why did Brother Chuxia have to go through such a roundabout way to meet His Majesty? Why not just ask His Majesty to bestow the sweater and trousers upon the Imperial Censor?"

Cheng Zhong shook his head and said, "Definitely not. My Sanlang is cautious by nature and never easily lets people know his true purpose."

"The reason he went through all that trouble with His Majesty was to get His Majesty involved, so that His Majesty wouldn't feel any resentment when the rewards were distributed."

Cheng Zhong patiently explained, "In military strategy, it's called 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass.'"

"In my son's words, this is called 'Yin is within Yang, but not opposite to Yang'."

Li Dejiang seemed to understand something, but also felt a headache coming on. "I never imagined that dealing with people would be so troublesome..."

Cheng Zhong said with a smile, "Everyone has their own way of doing things. For example, Li Erlang is straightforward. If you have a personality like yours, you will definitely help others if you encounter injustice on the road. This is a very good quality."

Li Dejiang grinned upon hearing this, while also expressing some curiosity, "What would my chivalrous friend do if he encountered injustice on the road?"

Cheng Zhong thought for a moment and said, "My third son... if nothing unexpected happens, will impeach His Majesty."

Li Dejiang was taken aback. "Why would you impeach His Majesty? The injustices I encountered on the road have nothing to do with His Majesty, who lives deep in the palace."

Cheng Zhong explained, “This is what makes my Third Son different from ordinary people. He thinks far ahead. I can only imagine that if my Third Son were to encounter injustice on the road, he would definitely report it to His Majesty. As for what he would report, I can’t think of anything.”

Li Dejiang nodded, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I understand..."

"Thank you for your guidance, Butler Cheng."

Cheng Zhong smiled and said, "Of course."

............

Pingkangfang, Li Mansion.

Today, Li Jing, who was on his day off, stood in front of his desk in his study, holding a brush and writing something on a piece of paper.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

The study door was open. Li Jing sensed someone standing in the doorway and, assuming it was his second son returning, said without looking up:

"came back?"

The person at the door responded, "You're back."

"..."

Li Jing sensed something was wrong with the voice and looked up in surprise. A tall man in a blue robe with cloud patterns came into view, and he exclaimed in astonishment:

"why you?"

Cheng Jun bowed to him, then said in a serious tone:

"father."

Li Jing's hand suddenly trembled, and the brush in his hand instantly slid across the paper, creating wavy patterns.