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

"Pfft..."

In the distance, Cheng Jun stood behind a wall at the street corner, secretly observing. Hearing Li Jing's words, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Li Shaobao was able to come here because of Changsun Wuji, not because of Hu Yan.

Besides, Li Gang just said that, in his eyes, the matter of the crown prince is of utmost importance.

Even if Changsun Wuji were to intervene, he wouldn't be able to bring him back now.

Just then, Cheng Jun heard a soft voice calling from behind him.

"Brother Chuxia, how's it going over there?"

Cheng Jun turned around and saw that it was Ma Zhou leading his horse over. He nodded towards the Du family's gate and said, "The situation is alright."

Ma Zhou looked around and saw that Li Jing and the others had arrived. He breathed a sigh of relief, then solemnly said, "I just saw Princess Chang Le and Li Shao Bao."

"I never expected that Changsun Wuji could actually get Li Shaobao to come. Fortunately, our Doctor Wen went to see the Empress, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to handle the situation."

"What's going on now?"

Cheng Jun said, "It's still at a stalemate."

"how so."

Ma Zhou was somewhat puzzled. Logically, since the Empress had already intervened, the matter should have ended there. Why was it still at a stalemate?

Cheng Jun succinctly stated, "Because Changsun Wuji refuses to give up."

Ma Zhou suddenly realized, "I see..."

Changsun Wuji wouldn't give up, and this matter truly couldn't be resolved.

"Changsun Wuji should have no one to call right now. Is he going to come here in person?"

Ma Zhou asked curiously.

Cheng Jun shook his head, "He won't come."

"Why?"

Cheng Jun pointed to Li Jing and the others and explained, "See those military officers? They are giving face to Li Shaobao because they know that Li Shaobao himself has nothing to do with this matter."

“You know Minister Li’s character. If he really wanted to take his men away, he would have taken Hu Yan, the Vice Minister of Dali, and the others with him. He would have left the Magistrate of Chang’an here to deal with the situation. Without Hu Yan, Magistrate Yang alone is enough to handle it.”

"In this way, we not only give Li Shaobao face, but also help me to the end."

That makes sense; Li Jing is indeed that kind of person... Ma Zhou thought of how yesterday, when the officials from Taizhong went to Li Jing's residence to invite Li Jing's son to the Censorate for questioning, only to be forced by Li Jing to drink one hundred and twenty cups of tea. He nodded in agreement.

Cheng Jun continued, "But if Changsun Wuji comes, the situation will be different."

“It’s true that Li Gang is the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, but the reason everyone gives him face is mainly because of his high moral character and prestige. What makes Changsun Wuji stand out? They are all founding heroes, with the same status and official rank. He’s the one who’s been stirring up trouble behind the scenes. If he dares to come, the military officers can make Changsun Wuji say it himself and end the matter.”

Cheng Jun chuckled and said, "When Changsun Wuji learned that I had summoned Princess Luling and those military officers, he dared not come."

"If he doesn't come, this matter will drag on, and the two sides will be deadlocked."

"After all, those clerks have evidence to prove that Du Jingjian committed a crime. Although the evidence is problematic, it is at least plausible on the surface. As long as they confirm that the evidence is true, Changsun Wuji will have achieved his goal."

After listening to his analysis, Ma Zhou's thoughts became clearer, and he said, "But now that we're at a stalemate, he can't achieve his goal unless someone steps in..."

Ma Zhou's expression suddenly changed as if he had just thought of something.

Seeing that he had already considered this, Cheng Jun slowly said, "You guessed correctly. The stalemate, seemingly disadvantageous to Changsun Wuji, is actually advantageous to him, because as long as the stalemate continues, it will soon..."

"It reached the ears of Heaven!"

Cheng Jun pointed to the top of his head.

Ma Zhou hissed and said, "Does he want His Majesty to know about this?"

"Yes."

"That makes sense."

Ma Zhou murmured, "The other side has already seized the initiative in this matter and even produced evidence, which puts you in the wrong. Once His Majesty finds out, coupled with the fact that Changsun Wuji is related to the Empress Dowager, he will not stand on your side, neither logically nor emotionally!"

Cheng Jun sighed and said, "People are different now than they are now. This morning, His Majesty stood on my side and gave me four words that allowed me to deal with Liu Linfu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"It's afternoon now. As you just said, His Majesty will stand on Changsun Wuji's side and oppose me, both morally and logically. This is what happens when things are going well, as if heaven and earth are working together. But when fortune turns, even heroes can hardly command freely."

Ma Zhou frowned and said, "So, we have absolutely no chance of winning..."

Cheng Jun glanced at him and pondered for a moment before saying, "I was just expressing my feelings; I'm not saying we have no chance of winning."

Ma Zhou asked in surprise, "Is there still a chance of winning?"

"Have."

Cheng Jun said, "As long as we can persuade His Majesty to stand on my side."

Ma Zhou shook his head. "His Majesty will not be on your side."

What is the relationship between Changsun Wuji and His Majesty? Two years ago, Changsun Wuji brought a knife into the palace, which confirmed his crime of disrespect, yet His Majesty still managed to find a way to protect him.

On the contrary, Cheng Jun's relationship with His Majesty was merely that of ruler and subject.

Given the difference in kinship, how could His Majesty side with Cheng Jun?

Cheng Jun spread his hands and said, "Then I can only impeach him."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhou assumed he was referring to Changsun Wuji, and his eyes lit up as he said, "A preemptive strike, impeaching Changsun Wuji, that's a good idea..."

Cheng Jun interrupted him, saying, "I will not impeach Changsun Wuji."

Ma Zhou asked in astonishment, "Then who are you impeaching?"

"Your Majesty!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhou trembled with fright. "Are you crazy? How can a subject criticize the emperor?"

Cheng Jun said with a serious expression, "If His Majesty helps me, I won't impeach him. But if he sides with Changsun Wuji, then I'm sorry."

“Changsun Wuji wants to be a coward, but His Majesty won’t. I don’t believe that if I impeach His Majesty, Changsun Wuji can still sit still.”

Cheng Jun said solemnly, "The art of war says that those who resolve complicated disputes do not use their fists, and those who rescue others from fighting do not engage in combat."

"It means that to solve a problem, we need to get straight to the point. To put it bluntly, Changsun Wuji is just using someone else's name to make a big show of things. What I need to do now is to put a knife against the flagpole and see if he panics."

Cheng Jun explained, "In military strategy, this is called 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'."

"..."

Ma Zhou was stunned, then fell into deep thought, wondering if he should also buy a couple of books on military strategy. He suddenly realized that reading military strategy books seemed to have a remarkable effect on officials, at least Cheng Jun's words convinced him.

"But that's His Majesty! Can he really be impeached?"

Ma Zhou said with deep concern.

Cheng Jun asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with impeaching someone? It's not written in the Tang Code that a subject cannot impeach the emperor."

Ma Zhou smirked and said, "You dare to impeach without even writing it down?"

Cheng Jun pondered for a moment and said, "Her Majesty the Empress once told me that anything not prohibited by law is permissible, which means it is allowed. If any problems arise, she will take full responsibility."

"He's really bold..." Ma Zhou couldn't help but remind him, "But this is insubordination!"

Cheng Jun's expression turned serious. "The censor is doing nothing but insubordination!"

"..."

Ma Zhou fell into deep thought again, wondering why what he said made such a good point...

Cheng Jun turned to look at Hu Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Lin Lingshi behind him, and narrowed his eyes, saying, "Brother Binwang, do me a favor and write down the names of all the people at the Du family's gate. I'll need them later."

…………

This is the first update. There will be two more updates today.