Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 511: Today, a conviction must be made; no one can stop it.

Chapter 511: Chapter 511: Today, a conviction must be made; no one can stop it.

"Your Majesty, I opened a milk tea shop outside the Heavenly Court, and Fairy Chang’e often comes to buy milk tea. Indeed, I had wronged Chang’e before, and to make amends, I would always add a little extra to her order. Over time, Fairy Chang’e didn’t dislike me as much."

Tian Peng thought there would be no mistake in saying this, after all, it was true, except that his attempts at being clever later backfired, making Chang’e dislike him even more.

"Is this true?" The Jade Emperor was actually unaware of this matter.

Gold Star Taibai, who had been standing by, said, "Replying to Your Majesty, since the milk tea shop opened, Fairy Chang’e has indeed been seen purchasing milk tea."

The Jade Emperor really didn’t know much about this, and seeing that even Taibai was saying so, he had no choice but to approach it from a different angle.

"Even if she doesn’t dislike you now, did you not drunkenly attempt to harass her at last night’s banquet?"

"Yes," Tian Peng answered, as he could not conceal this incident.

"Then how do you explain that?"

"I cannot explain it. I was drunk and almost harassed Chang’e, it was my fault, and I admit to it," Tian Peng said.

"Oh, so you’re admitting your guilt, are you!" exclaimed the Jade Emperor.

"I admit I was drunk and harassed Chang’e, and it was indeed my fault," Tian Peng stated. "In the emergency, Chang’e reached out to her friends with a message, summoning many people over. Although the situation was later resolved, despite Fairy Chang’e still being angry with me, she said it was our matter."

"Since you’ve made a mistake and admitted it, it’s no longer just between the two of you!" the Jade Emperor said angrily.

"Why?" Tian Peng challenged.

The Jade Emperor was stumped; he didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to convict Tian Peng anyway.

If not for this reason, then for another; having caught hold of this issue, he would certainly use it as a pretext.

"There don’t need to be so many whys. If you’ve done wrong, you must be punished."

"But if Fairy Chang’e has decided not to hold it against me, how can you use this as a reason to punish me?" Tian Peng asked.

"This matter, whether or not Fairy Chang’e wants to hold it against you is her business. You’ve done wrong and must be punished," the Jade Emperor declared. "What, do you have an objection?"

"I do have an objection," Tian Peng stated. "Otherwise, let’s call Fairy Chang’e over, and we can clarify things face to face. After all, even in the mortal world, there’s no reason to be punished after the victim has already forgiven."

The Jade Emperor smiled again, thinking to himself that this was Tian Peng’s own argument.

"What, Tian Peng, do you think that staying in the Heavenly Court is not as good as the mortal realm?"

"I didn’t say that; I’m just saying, if you truly wish to punish me for this matter, please call Chang’e over as well, so we can confront the issue face to face."

Tian Peng was now somewhat suspicious—could it be that Chang’e, feeling resentful afterwards, went to the Jade Emperor to complain?

"You needn’t bother notifying Chang’e about this. If I say I’m going to convict you of a crime, then that’s what will happen. No need to call Chang’e over, for even if she were here, it wouldn’t stop me from convicting you," the Jade Emperor resolved.

He had initially been somewhat reluctant, considering it was not such a grave matter.

Fairy Chang’e had already forgiven Tian Peng’s actions, or rather, she herself did not wish to pursue Tian Peng’s punishment because of this matter.

Yet for a mere trifle of personal gain, he’d condemned Tian Peng, who had been his loyal follower for thousands of years – it was simply unbearable.

The Jade Emperor had indeed thought this way at first; he had even considered letting it go and speaking to Buddhism, to replace Tian Peng with someone else for the Journey to the West mission, since Tian Peng’s role wasn’t that crucial anyway.

But Tian Peng’s attitude today truly infuriated him.

This was a great general who had followed him for thousands of years, and now, having been with Shopkeeper Chen of Chaos Residence for only a short while, not only did he dare to speak directly to his eyes, but he even dared to confront him. This was something the Jade Emperor couldn’t tolerate.

With his heart aflame, he was utterly intransigent, and any pity he had felt for Tian Peng disappeared.

All he could think about was to punish Tian Peng, even if Fairy Chang’e came to plead for mercy, he was determined to banish Tian Peng to the mortal realm.

Once Tian Peng returned from his Journey to the West, he would realize the Emperor’s good intentions. What was so great about following Shopkeeper Chen, other than selling milk tea and cooking? Could being a chef possibly be better than being an immortal?

"Jade Emperor, you keep talking about punishing my crimes, may I ask, how do you plan to punish me?" Tian Peng asked.

"You said it yourself just now," the Jade Emperor replied. "You said the mortal world is better than the Heavenly Court, right?"

"Your Majesty, I never uttered such words. I merely said, don’t punish me severely over such a trivial matter. Did you make some pact with someone to ensure my punishment?"

Tian Peng’s words would have been better left unsaid, for they touched a raw nerve in the Jade Emperor.

His volume rose instantly as he glared at Tian Peng. "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think I would make a pact with someone over you? Who do you think you are? I am the Jade Emperor; I can find a reason to punish you even if you’re blameless!"

Yang Jian also sensed that something was amiss; the Jade Emperor seemed off-kilter.

His usual demeanor was nothing like this. What had happened for him to take such severe judicial action over a minor offense against Tian Peng?

"Your Majesty, please reconsider. Tian Peng has only made a minor error and doesn’t deserve to be exiled to the mortal world!"

Taibai also knelt down to plead, "Yes, your Majesty, Tian Peng is indeed at fault, but a minor punishment should suffice. Exile to the mortal world is a serious matter, please reconsider."

The Immortal Officials, who had been eager to see Tian Peng make a fool of himself, now also felt something was wrong. The Jade Emperor seemed hell-bent on having Tian Peng exiled.

Could it be that Tian Peng had unwittingly offended the Jade Emperor? The Emperor was angry but didn’t want to punish him openly and harshly, and now, having found a reason to punish him, he was preparing to do so emphatically.

With the Jade Emperor already on a tirade, he found the Immortal Officials’ pleas for mercy for Tian Peng unbearably irritating; it only made him angrier.

He had never realized that Tian Peng, who usually kept a low profile, had cultivated such good relationships with so many Immortal Officials, managing to get half of those present to plead on his behalf.

"What are you doing? Are you challenging my authority?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"I wouldn’t dare, but being exiled is no small matter; you can’t exile Tian Peng to the mortal world over such a petty issue!" Taibai insisted.

"And why not? Give me one good reason," the Jade Emperor challenged.

"This matter... it’s not a serious offense that Tian Peng committed. Moreover, Chang’e isn’t planning on pursuing his accountability over this. If she wanted to accuse him, she would’ve done so long ago. Aren’t you now considering punishing him based on hearsay?"

Taibai’s explanation was feeble, but it hit the Jade Emperor’s soft spot.

He had been looking for an excuse to decide Tian Peng’s fate all along; how could he be swayed by these people’s admonishments?