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

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The 108 talented young men standing outside the hall suddenly spoke in unison.

The sons of the military officers echoed, "Your Majesty has a discerning eye for talent; you are wise!"

"You..." Li Shimin gritted his teeth in anger, then glared at Cheng Jun, "You still say you're not in cahoots? If you're not in cahoots, why are they speaking up for you?"

Cheng Jun solemnly replied, "A gentleman is inclusive without being partisan, while a petty person is partisan without being inclusive. I merely admire them from afar!"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Whether it is or not doesn't matter. You may leave."

"Then why did I come here..." Cheng Jun was somewhat surprised that Li Er would rather the selection of censors fail than choose him as a censor. He asked:

"Your Majesty has painstakingly prepared this selection of censors for the sake of our Great Tang Dynasty. The selection of censors is for the benefit of the country and the people. But if in the end we cannot select even one censor from more than two hundred people, won't the people of the world think that our Great Tang has no one to rely on? Is our Great Tang a country without the light of the sun and moon?"

Li Shimin laughed angrily, "Don't you have any idea why we can't select an imperial censor?"

"If it weren't for you, would I have been unable to select an imperial censor?"

Cheng Jun retorted, "Your Majesty keeps saying that the inability to select censors is my fault. What have I done wrong?"

"Since you've asked, I'll be frank!" Li Shimin pointed to the wooden plaques on the waists of the young men outside the palace and asked, "Did you give them those plaques?"

Cheng Jun said, "It was given by your subject!"

Li Shimin asked again, "The son of a military officer, a talented young man in the neighborhood, wants to abandon the exam as soon as he sees me. Is this related to you?"

Cheng Jun nodded, "It's relevant!"

Li Shimin then asked, "The son of a civil official has been branded a villain because of your wooden plaque, is that true?"

Cheng Jun nodded again, "Yes!"

"All of this shows that you are very cunning! How could I possibly choose you as an imperial censor?"

Li Shimin slammed his fist on the table indignation and scolded.

He would be delighted if Cheng Jun could win the exam with his essay.

But Cheng Jun didn't focus on writing; instead, he used military strategy, which Cheng Jun couldn't accept.

It's like playing chess. It's a game of chess, but one player cuts off the other player's hand first. You win by using an underhanded trick. Have you ever considered how I can stand it?

The boys outside the hall all looked at Cheng Jun. Some looked worried, some scratched their heads, and some gloated.

At this moment, Cheng Jun's resounding voice rang out in the hall, "Your Majesty, I do not agree with your opinion."

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask you a question: Can a tiger fight an eagle?"

Cheng Jun looked at Li Shimin and asked.

Without hesitation, Li Shimin replied, "A fierce tiger has no wings, so naturally it cannot."

Cheng Jun said, "Military officers are like tigers in the forest, while literary talent is like a soaring eagle. Even His Majesty believes that a fierce tiger cannot defeat an eagle, so how can the son of a military officer win through literary talent?"

"Eagles soar through the sky, tigers roar through the valleys; each has its strengths. In dealing with people, the wise are those who play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. The same applies to employing talented people: if you use people's strengths, there will be no one in the world who cannot be used; if you use people's weaknesses, there will be no one in the world who can be used!"

Upon hearing this, the young talents in the neighborhood gleamed with admiration, while the sons of the military officers beside them looked bewildered. Yuchi Baolin turned to the tall, thin boy next to her, whose clothes had several patches, and whispered, "What does the last sentence mean?"

The tall, thin boy explained, "This means that when employing talent, if you utilize their strengths, then there will be no one in the world who cannot be employed; conversely, if you make someone do something they are not good at, then there will be no one in the world who can be employed."

The young men outside the hall, sons of military officers, were overjoyed to hear this. They praised Cheng Jun for being able to refute His Majesty, saying that Cheng Jun's eloquence was something they could never learn in their entire lives!

The sons of civil officials at the gate were unhappy, but dared not show it.

Li Shimin lowered his head and pondered, feeling that Cheng Jun's words made sense.

At this moment, Cheng Jun's voice rang out again: "In addition, the fact that the talented people in the neighborhood gave up the opportunity to become censors may seem to be related to me, but in reality, it is not so."

"The censors oversee all officials and report matters based on hearsay. Although their rank is low, they wield great power. If they truly believe they have a chance to be selected as censors by His Majesty, how could my few words possibly persuade these talented individuals from the brothel to give up what may be their only opportunity to become officials in their lifetime?"

Cheng Jun said with a serious expression, "The reason they abandoned the exam is related to me, but ultimately, the problem lies with Your Majesty!"

"?"

Li Shimin opened his eyes wide and said, "What does this have to do with me? Is it wrong for me to select censors?"

Cheng Jun pointed outside the hall and said, "If Your Majesty truly intends to select talented individuals, why would you put the talented young men from the neighborhoods and the sons of civil officials together for the selection of censors?"

“They all resemble Yan Hui, virtuous gentlemen, but compared to the sons of civil officials, what do these young men in the neighborhood have to offer? They don’t have as many books, as broad of knowledge, or as deep of background. No matter how outstanding their talents are, do they dare to compete with them?”

"This is the real reason why the talented young people in the neighborhood gave up the exam!"

Cheng Jun declared firmly, "Therefore, the fault lies with Your Majesty. I was merely speaking out for justice and giving them a way out!"

Li Shimin opened his mouth, as if that made sense... Damn it, he couldn't refute it!

Cheng Jun suddenly became lost in thought. “Actually, I don’t need to be an imperial censor. What’s the point of being a censor? My father is Cheng Yaojin, who is both the Duke of Su and the Right General of the Imperial Guard, a third-rank official in the court! As the son of a military general, I should follow in my father’s footsteps, join the army to expand the territory of the Tang Dynasty, take up arms, and aspire to conquer the Xiongnu!”

"What benefit is there for me to serve as a censor? Absolutely none!"

"I did this so that Your Majesty would not be laughed at. Since ancient times, there have been ministers only after there is a ruler. Now that Your Majesty has carefully prepared the selection of censors, not a single person has been selected. There are only two possibilities."

"One possibility is that they are truly incompetent, and the other is that the emperor is foolish and unable to recognize talent. I do not want the world to say that our Great Tang has no capable people, or that Your Majesty is a foolish ruler!"

Cheng Jun clutched his chest, heartbroken.

"..."

Li Shimin was stunned. How did it all come to the conclusion that it was all my fault?

"Don't you have any problems at all?"

Li Shimin couldn't help but say.

Cheng Jun resolutely replied, "If Your Majesty commands me to die, I have no choice but to die. Since Your Majesty believes I am guilty, then so be it! I can bear this fabricated charge!"

"I resign!"

After bowing, Cheng Jun decisively turned and walked out of the hall without a trace of lingering.

Li Shimin's expression changed, and he jumped up and chased after him, grabbing his sleeve tightly.

"Stop, you can't go!"

Cheng Jun's last sentence was incredibly powerful!

There are still the sons of officials and the talented young men of the neighborhood watching outside the palace. If Cheng Jun is really let go today, and the news gets out, the three words "fabricated charges" will be enough to make the whole world think that he is a foolish ruler!

Li Shimin gave a smile that didn't seem very genuine, and said in a gentle tone, "Cheng Jun, my dear Cheng, why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

Cheng Jun looked up at the sky and sighed, "His Majesty sent me away; I was merely following orders."

Li Shimin's sharp eyes swept around like a drawn sword: "Who just said that I let Cheng Jun go? Who said that? Step forward and see if I don't exterminate his entire family!"

Cheng Jun glanced at him sideways and asked, "Your Majesty won't let me leave?"

Li Shimin nodded and said, "That's right!"

Cheng Jun then asked, "Do you still want to select officials to serve as censors?"

Li Shimin nodded hastily, "That's right!"

Cheng Jun said in a deep voice, "Then I have a request!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin readily agreed, "Go ahead and ask!"

"As long as it's not excessive, I will grant your request!"

Cheng Jun raised his hand and pointed to the young men in the neighborhood outside the palace, saying sincerely, "Your Majesty, the young men in the neighborhood are all virtuous and talented. We should make good use of them."

"But they are young and cannot be entrusted with important responsibilities. I think we can first let them learn how to be officials in various government offices under the guise of internships. Since it is an internship, their salary can be half that of a normal official. In this way, they can not only support their families, but also reserve virtuous and capable people for the court. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

"practice....."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up. "Interesting! I grant your permission!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you!"

After Cheng Jun finished bowing, he turned around and winked at the young people in the neighborhood outside the hall.

The boys bowed excitedly and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

"Good good!"

Li Shimin's face lit up with a smile. "I have always been worried that there are very few virtuous and capable people in the court. Before you even became a censor, you have already relieved me of a worry. I am at ease knowing you will become a censor! I will immediately order the Imperial Workshop to rush to make robes!"

Cheng Jun frowned. "I haven't agreed yet!"

Li Shimin asked in surprise, "What, you have other requests?"

Cheng Jun pointed to the boys standing outside the hall who were not wearing wooden plaques and asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with them?"

Li Shimin looked over and saw that the boys' faces had turned pale in an instant. He pondered and said, "Didn't I just reprimand them?"

Cheng Jun said seriously, "If reprimands were effective, there wouldn't be so many corrupt officials in the world."

Li Shimin's lips twitched. He could never refute the young man's words. After a long while, he finally said, "Then what do you want?"

If I were to speak, wouldn't I offend all the officials...? Cheng Jun decisively replied, "It's not what I want to do, it's what Your Majesty wants to do."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

Li Shimin immediately understood his meaning and unceremoniously passed the buck back to him, saying, "You don't want to offend the officials, and neither do I!"

Cheng Jun solemnly said, "How about... we kill them all?"

"what?"

Li Shimin was taken aback.

"Waaaaah..." Among the sons of civil officials at the gate, several teenagers were so frightened that they cried, and some even collapsed to the ground with their legs weak.

"No, no, no!"

Li Shimin quickly waved his hand and said, "Their crimes do not warrant death!"

Cheng Jun then asked, "So, will he be stripped of his academic honors and never employed again?"

"That's not OK!"

Li Shimin shook his head again. These were all sons of civil officials. If he didn't hire them, the civil officials would be furious.

Cheng Jun clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I really can't think of a way to punish them. Please make the decision yourself."

"Can't you figure it out?" Li Shimin laughed in exasperation, almost blurting out his true thoughts. Cheng Jun clearly didn't intend to take the blame, but he still wanted to teach these sons of civil officials a lesson.

After a moment's thought, Li Shimin pondered and said, "Since that's the case, I will make the decision on this matter myself. This time, I will give them a verbal warning, but if there is a next time, I will punish them severely!"

The next second, Cheng Jun's decisive voice rang out: "Your Majesty, I am not competent for the position of Imperial Censor. I take my leave!"

After saying that, Cheng Jun turned and left.

"you come back!"

Li Shimin grabbed his arm, refusing to let him leave. Luckily, he was strong, otherwise he really couldn't hold him back. He said irritably, "I'll punish them by making them go back to copy books. Is that alright?"

Cheng Jun looked ahead and said firmly, "Your Majesty, please let go. My father is waiting for me to go back for dinner!"

Li Shimin said in embarrassment and anger, "Scolding them won't work, copying books won't work either, you can't expect me to whip them a few times, can you?"

Cheng Jun suddenly stopped abruptly, turned around to look at Li Shimin, who was wearing a crown, and said with a gentle and kind smile, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"..."

Li Shimin's lips twitched as he looked at the sons of civil officials standing outside the hall, their bodies trembling like leaves. He was somewhat troubled; if he beat them, how would he explain it to the civil officials?

But if he doesn't punish them, Cheng Jun won't become an imperial censor!

Finally, Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said, "Ananda!"

"The slave is here!"

The middle-aged eunuch in purple robes who had come to deliver the good news and then stayed in the main hall responded quickly.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Go and call a few eunuchs, take them away, and give each of them five lashes!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

The purple-robed eunuch immediately understood Li Shimin's unspoken meaning. He felt that the eunuchs were too lenient, so he immediately accepted the order and was about to leave the palace to find a few more eunuchs when he passed by Cheng Jun. His arm was grabbed by Cheng Jun, and he stared at him in surprise.

"Eunuch Zhang, wait a moment!"

After Cheng Jun finished speaking, he turned to Li Shimin and asked seriously, "Your Majesty, what's the point of using eunuchs? Aren't there guards at the gate?"

"You really want them dead?" The purple-robed eunuch opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.