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

The money-collecting clerk and the government's capital are both related to the Ministry of Personnel!

Cheng Jun was clearly there for Changsun Wuji.

But every single one of them is aimed at him!

Li Shimin grew angrier the more he thought about it, and the force in his hands became increasingly fierce, as if he wanted to shake Cheng Jun like an egg until it crumbled.

Cheng Jun, like a lone boat at sea, swayed and rocked, letting himself be tossed about, and asked with a puzzled look, "Your Majesty, when did I have a conflict with Minister Changsun?"

Don't you have any idea whether you're right or wrong?

When Li Shimin saw that he refused to admit it, he angrily scolded, "Changsun Wuji sent the money-collecting clerk and the people from the Dali Temple to investigate Du Jingjian. You didn't like it, so you came to me to bring up the system of public office capital. It's obvious, why are you still pretending?"

Cheng Jun frowned and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, was the system of public office capital implemented by Minister Changsun, or was the position of the money collector established by Minister Changsun?"

"It was all my doing!"

Cheng Jun spread his palms and said seriously, "So, I am impeaching His Majesty. What does this have to do with Minister Changsun?"

"Ha ha...."

Li Shimin laughed, purely out of anger, and said furiously, "Don't think I can't see through you, you shoot the horse first and capture the king first!"

"I've fought wars my whole life, I can see through your military tactics!"

Cheng Jun retorted, "I did not, Your Majesty! Please do not misunderstand me!"

"Your Majesty, I have come today to pay my respects!"

Li Shimin withdrew his hand, glared at him and said, "Fine, I'll give you a chance to impeach Changsun Wuji. Will you do it?"

Cheng Jun asked, puzzled, "What does Minister Changsun have to do with this?"

"This is a beast!" Li Shimin almost cursed. Cheng Jun clearly wanted to impeach Changsun Wuji, but he realized that he was on Changsun Wuji's side, so he turned his attention to him, the emperor.

Li Shimin calmed himself down, forced himself to stay calm, and stared straight at him, saying, "You bring up the capital of the government office, then let me tell you, do you know that the money collected by the money collectors is used to pay the monthly salaries of all the officials?"

"I am doing this for the sake of all my officials, do you understand?"

Cheng Jun frowned and said, "So Your Majesty is taking the people's wealth and giving it to the officials? Your Majesty once said that the people are like water and the ruler is like a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Isn't this contrary to the saying?"

"The people are the water, the ruler is the boat, and the ministers are the oars."

"When the waves are raging, does Your Majesty think my oars can protect Your Majesty's boat?"

Li Shimin choked upon hearing this. Although Cheng Jun's words were infuriating, he couldn't deny that they made sense.

Cheng Jun continued, "If my oars can protect your boat, why did the Qin Dynasty fall during the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising? Why did the Han Dynasty perish during the Yellow Turban Rebellion?"

"Your Majesty once said that when Yu the Great tamed the mountains and controlled the floods, the people did not complain because it was in the best interests of the people. When Qin Shi Huang built palaces, the people complained and plotted rebellion because Qin Shi Huang harmed the people for his own benefit."

"It is clear that the downfall of dynasties throughout history was always preceded by popular uprisings, all because the emperor seized power from the people, leading to their destruction and death. Your Majesty claims to be a wise ruler, how can you not understand this?"

He actually used the words I had said before to advise me... Li Shimin was somewhat surprised that Cheng Jun actually raised the banner of the Emperor's words to advise him. The anger in his heart was like being hit by a bucket of cold water, and he calmed down instantly. After pondering his words, he found them to make more and more sense.

"Besides, is it really beneficial for the officials to appoint officials to capture money?"

Seeing that Li Shimin was deep in thought, Cheng Jun continued, "I think not, I think quite the opposite!"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Cheng Jun explained in detail: "Your Majesty wants the officials to remember your good deeds, but the existence of the money-collecting clerk will only make Your Majesty hated by the officials. Please think carefully about how many officials there are in the capital?"

"There are 643 civil and military officials in the court."

Without hesitation, Li Shimin finished speaking and then added, "Not counting you."

What do you mean? You don't want me to be this censor anymore? Old Li, there's something behind your words... Cheng Jun pretended not to understand and slowly said, "There are currently more than 600 civil and military officials in the court, and there are also more than 600 money collectors. According to His Majesty's decree, after the money collectors have collected money for the court, they can be granted official positions. By next year, will the court have more than 600 new officials?"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, he felt a chill run down his spine. In the past, this matter was handled by Changsun Wuji, and he had never asked about it. Now that Cheng Jun had brought it up, he felt his hair stand on end.

Zhang Anan suddenly said, "Your Majesty, when you appoint officials to various departments in the capital, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will be granted positions in the capital. They can be local officials."

Li Shimin remained silent, lost in thought.

Look, this is Li Shimin, he understands immediately. The one next to him didn't think so far ahead... Cheng Jun glanced at Li Shimin, then turned his gaze to the purple-robed eunuch, and shook his head, saying, "Eunuch Zhang only knows one thing, not the other."

"It is precisely because the appointment of officials can be transferred to local areas that from the Wude era to the present, the issue of public office capital and money-collecting clerks has not revealed any drawbacks."

"But you should know that the number of money-catching clerks increases by more than six hundred every year!"

Cheng Jun raised his arm and made a gesture, then said in a deep voice, "If this continues, what will happen when there are no officials to appoint in the local areas?"

"Furthermore, if we continue to allow the number of officials in charge of collecting bribes to increase, what is the point of the imperial examination system?"

Cheng Jun stared at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty opened the imperial examination to recruit talented people. But once the number of officials in charge of collecting money grows large, who will be willing to participate in the imperial examination? I'm afraid they will all become officials in charge of collecting money!"

"Because if you become the money collector, you can get an official position the following year, participate in the imperial examination, and there is a chance that you will fail the exam."

"Furthermore, the clerk in charge of seizing money deals with money and is also engaged in the business of robbing the people of their wealth. Can Your Majesty trust such a person?"

Cheng Jun cupped his hands and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, please think about it carefully. Isn't this the truth?"

Zhang Anan also turned to look at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin raised his head, stared at Cheng Jun, and said, "So you really came here for me?"

Cheng Jun nodded and said, "That's right. My visit to the palace this time has nothing to do with Minister Changsun."

…………

I will add an extra chapter later for those who have given me gifts.