Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 596 - 595: Finally Arriving at the Royal Palace, Tian Peng Sets Off for the Frontier

Chapter 596: Chapter 595: Finally Arriving at the Royal Palace, Tian Peng Sets Off for the Frontier

"I wouldn’t deceive you," the eunuch said, finding himself without proof and becoming somewhat panicked at this point.

This Top Scholar was strong and robust; if it really came to blows, they would not stand a chance against him.

He felt wronged as well—if he were truly to fall here, not even jumping into the Yellow River would wash him clean of this predicament.

"Forget it, I won’t waste words with you all." Tian Peng could not confirm whether what they said was true, but if he did not go to the palace now, he feared he would indeed be late.

Tian Peng stepped out of his sedan chair, "I’ll go to the palace first. If what you’ve said is true, I’ll apologize to you eunuchs later; if you are lying, I will not let you off the hook."

Leaving those words behind, Tian Peng departed, leaving the still stationary eunuchs frantic with anxiety.

The Top Scholar simply did not believe them. Now what were they to do? Failing to accomplish this task would displease both the Emperor and the Top Scholar.

The eunuchs hurried to follow Tian Peng’s steps; even if they went to the palace with Tian Peng, it would be easier to explain then.

Along the way, Tian Peng rented a horse and galloped quickly to the palace.

Outside the palace, a notifying eunuch, seeing the approaching figure and prepared to welcome him, asked carefully and learned it was the Top Scholar, leaving him unsure of what to do.

After all, the Emperor had said that if the Top Scholar arrived early, he must be stopped.

"Top Scholar, the Emperor is currently busy. Allow me to take you to wait in a side hall first, and once the Emperor is free, I will come and notify you," he said.

Tian Peng did not miss the change in the eunuch’s expression and realized this was the situation; he truly had misunderstood the previous eunuchs—it was truly the Emperor’s command.

However, he was somewhat unable to understand why the Emperor would order to stop him.

Tian Peng sat in the side hall waiting and suddenly, he understood what the Emperor meant.

He wanted to see him alone, but as there was no reason, he had resorted to this method.

Thinking this way, everything about the eunuchs on the road, and the one who received him in the palace, their evasive words and anxious demeanor, all made sense.

After figuring everything out, Tian Peng felt much better.

Sitting in the hall and waiting no longer felt unbearable, especially since a meal was sent at noon. The food was exquisite, and the taste was good. Tian Peng ate well and drank his fill, then waited for the Emperor’s summons.

Two hours later, the receiving eunuch at the door arrived, smiling and calling Tian Peng over, "Top Scholar, the Emperor has finished his business and now wishes to see you."

Tian Peng followed the eunuch out, passed through the great hall, and arrived at the Imperial Study Room.

"Greetings to Your Majesty," Tian Peng said to the elegantly dressed middle-aged man sitting in the main seat.

"Rise," the Emperor instructed, setting down his pen as he saw Tian Peng approach, "Indeed, you have not disappointed me."

"I thank Your Majesty for your high regard," Tian Peng replied.

"I originally only sought a reason to keep you in Chang’an. Although untrained, you clearly have great potential, which is why I wanted you to stay in Chang’an to serve me," the Emperor explained.

"What I did not expect was that you would achieve such excellent results, truly impressing me," the Emperor continued.

"I simply followed the normal examination process. My results are not a testament to my excellence but rather to the weakness of the other military exam participants," Tian Peng stated.

"Ha ha," the Emperor laughed upon hearing Tian Peng’s words, unable to contain himself.

"Do you understand what you’re saying? If you were in the great hall, I fear the Officials would have already condemned you by now," the Emperor remarked.

"What I said was merely the truth," Tian Peng didn’t think there was anything wrong, "Isn’t it precisely for this reason that His Majesty summoned me alone?"

"You are indeed clever," the Emperor said, "In recent years, the military examinations have become increasingly inferior, gradually turning into a stepping stone for the noble clans’ youth to find assignments. These exams are practically meaningless, and thus the talented generals I can truly rely on are ever more limited."

The Emperor’s considerations were not whimsical; Tian Peng could probably guess them—it was nothing more than the fact that the participants in the military exam were mostly from noble clans, and they occupied all positions within the palace.

When the time came for the Emperor to need people to lay down their lives for him, those military officers would definitely not be willing to sacrifice their own sons, leading to his inability to make full use of his subjects.

This situation, however, couldn’t just be resolved bluntly.

"Does His Majesty wish to solve the issue with the military examinations through me?" Tian Peng asked.

"I have My own considerations, you are indeed talented, but I feel that Chang’an is not where you belong," the Emperor said.

He left Tian Peng utterly confused; one moment He claimed Tian Peng was talented and wanted him to stay in Chang’an, yet the next He said that Chang’an was not where his destiny lay.

Could it be that the Emperor was preparing to send him somewhere else?

"Your Majesty, please speak plainly. I am a straightforward man and do not understand the implications in Your Majesty’s words," Tian Peng said.

The Emperor let out a light chuckle, "You are a clever man, probably already guessing the meaning behind My words. You just wish to hear it from My own mouth, don’t you?"

Tian Peng did not speak, but neither did he deny it. He was waiting for the Emperor to articulate it himself.

The Emperor also knew what Tian Peng meant, and he didn’t wait for Tian Peng to respond, choosing instead to speak for himself.

"I’ve been thinking, a talent like you, if kept only in Chang’an, at most would become My personal bodyguard. However, if you were to venture out to other places, your room for growth would be much greater, and perhaps you would prefer the latter."

"Does His Majesty mean to send me to other places?"

Tian Peng thought it over, with the current peace, even being stationed in a military camp might not guarantee promotion, but if it was a place with frequent conflicts, it would be a different story.

Tian Peng made his questioning more detailed, "Does His Majesty intend for me to go to the borderlands?"

At the borderlands, Japanese Pirates and barbarians would often stir up trouble at the frontier, and occasional battles were a regular occurrence.

Apart from the borderlands, Tian Peng could not imagine any other place.

"I told you that you are clever. With only a few words spoken, you’ve already figured out what I want you to do," the Emperor said.

The borderlands were hard places to be—basically, apart from major conflicts, the only people who went there were those who had been demoted.

Tian Peng was somewhat uncertain about the Emperor’s intentions. Could it be that he had already offended the Emperor before even taking office?

Sensing Tian Peng’s doubt, the Emperor explained, "You must not misunderstand; you have not offended Me in any way. On the contrary, I value you highly."

"Then why does Your Majesty wish this?" Tian Peng asked.

"I merely feel that, compared to Chang’an, you might be better suited for that place. As a warrior of Great Tang, you are surely willing to make sacrifices for Great Tang," the Emperor explained.

"Sacrifice my ass. If there was a choice, who wouldn’t want to live a good life?"

The Emperor himself knew that for a young man who had just claimed the Top Scholar title, to be assigned to the borderlands before his Top Scholar’s chair even had a chance to warm up would be a bolt from the blue for most people. But it was also for the sake of Great Tang; someone had to make sacrifices.

Tian Peng, too, was weighing his options. He had thought the Emperor would have him serve in a military camp just outside Chang’an; who could have imagined the Emperor would send him off so far away.

That was the borderlands; not to mention going back and forth, just reaching Chang’an alone would take three to four months.