Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 578 - 577: The Martial Exam with Pre-determined Rankings
Noticing the displeasure on the young master’s face, the examiner consoled him, "He’s just a commoner, young master. Rest assured, he probably hasn’t even touched a horse before. Your rank will remain the same as it was previously set, without any change."
Upon hearing this, the young master felt it was an insult to him.
He snorted coldly and, without even lifting his eyelids, said, "What is his status, and what is mine? Not to mention that I won’t stoop to his level, even if I encounter him at the examination site, I won’t spare him an extra glance."
"Indeed, your mere presence here has already honored us," the examiner flattered him.
After flattering him for a while, he gestured toward the back, "Young master, why don’t you take a seat first? There’s still an hour left before the exam starts, and it wouldn’t be good if the others arriving disturb you."
Actually, there was a resting place at the examination site, but they didn’t tell Tian Peng, simply because they looked down on him.
After the young master went in, several others arrived one after another; all of them were startled upon seeing Tian Peng and curious about how a commoner could appear here. However, after their curiosity, they thought nothing more of it.
Their ranks were pre-determined and would not be altered by the arrival of a mere mortal.
What they didn’t know was that this commoner really did affect their rankings.
The officials’ sons arrived at the resting area, where the air was fresh and the environment pleasantly cool, incomparably more so than where Tian Peng was.
Their conversation before had been about who had gone to drink flower wine or had arranged secure rankings with those above them.
But after they discovered Tian Peng, the talk shifted to matters related to him.
"What do you think, is this kid oblivious or just pretending? He actually came here to participate in the Military Officer examination," one man asked.
"He must be unaware; otherwise, even with all the courage in the world, he wouldn’t dare to participate in this examination," another son of an official replied.
But Tian Peng, with his great stature and a presence that did not seem to belong to an ordinary mortal, made them wonder.
Someone else said, "I think he knows why he’s here. Didn’t they say he had a personal recommendation letter from the Governor of Bianjing City? Even if he didn’t know before, the Governor should be aware, right? Wouldn’t he have informed him beforehand?"
At this comment, the other officials’ sons nodded in agreement.
"That’s right, he didn’t come here alone; he had a recommender. That means he did it on purpose."
"This kid really doesn’t know his place. The positions have already been arranged; what’s he doing sticking his foot in? Could it be that all of our prearranged rankings need to be adjusted now?"
"We all know that’s impossible," said the young master who had entered first.
His words prompted the others to turn their gaze toward him, "Young master, how do you know this?"
The young master lifted his chin arrogantly, "Naturally, I deduced it. Let me ask you, have any of you received news beforehand about a commoner participating in the Military Officer examination?"
The sons of the officials looked at each other; indeed, they had not.
Seeing their clueless expressions, the young master knew he was right and went on, "You see, if this commoner’s participation in the Military Officer examination was going to affect us, we would have received news about it long ago."
"Now that we’re already at the examination site and only just found out about this person, it’s certain that he will have no impact on our examination results."
The young master’s words were convincing, and the others agreed.
"Indeed, young master is clever; we hadn’t thought of that matter at all. Truly, as young master said, if this commoner were to have an impact on our performance, we’d have been notified long ago. There’s absolutely no need to wait until now."
In the midst of the crowd, the young master found a moment to toss a smug glance at Tian Peng.
Tian Peng noticed the gazes of those people shifting over him; all he did was smile.
These officials’ sons already had their own positions, and who knows, some might inherit noble titles or become officers in the future.
From the outset, they had been groomed according to the official roles they would eventually assume; the military examination was just a process for them.
The emperor must surely be aware of this, but since he could not interfere directly, he thought of a way to shake up the prevailing attitudes among the officials’ sons undergoing the military examination.
Initially, Tian Peng was unaware of this scheme. But once he arrived at the testing ground and saw the officials’ sons, he understood the emperor’s intentions.
But that was alright; after all, he was a commoner, and the emperor’s plan didn’t need to be disclosed to him.
If he succeeded, he would establish a foothold in Chang’an; if he failed, the emperor would have merely lost an expendable piece.
Moreover, this piece had appeared on its own. Even if he failed to excel in the military examination, it wouldn’t be because he lacked ability or prowess.
It would also serve well to both help the emperor deal with the military examination issue and when questioned, the emperor could place the blame squarely on the Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, leaving himself unaffected.
Once everyone had gathered, the examiner struck the bronze gong vigorously, and a guard bellowed in a robust voice, "The autumn military examination begins now. First event, mounted archery. Those participating in the mounted archery, please enter the testing ground."
The mounted archery ground was not at the front but rather in the back. All the officials’ sons had their own attendants, who carried large parasols to shade their masters while leading them towards the back.
Tian Peng didn’t know the way, but fortunately, everyone was heading in the same direction, so he could just follow them without getting lost.
However, Tian Peng looked disdainfully at those parasol-holding officials’ sons, thinking it absurd. These men, destined for various Military Officer positions, were afraid of the sun’s rays.
One by one, if they became officials in the future, would they really need attendants to hold umbrellas for them in battle?
One of the attendants noticed Tian Peng’s scornful look, huffed, and said, "I’ve never seen such a person before, insisting on forcing himself into a place he doesn’t belong."
"It’s one thing to barge in, but these are men whom you have to kneel before and address as ’My Lord.’ To make such a face in front of a Lord, that’s highly disrespectful."
Though just a mere attendant, foul-mouthed, Tian Peng had no intention of stooping to his level.
Initially, he didn’t plan to pay any mind to the attendant, but the latter mistook his silence for fear and became even more overbearing. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Did I strike a nerve and you dare not respond? A commoner like you should stay contented working the fields back in the countryside. Why insist on coming to Chang’an City and sharing the spoils with so many nobles?"
Tian Peng had held his peace for the attendant’s own good, yet the man dared to intensify his insults. How could Tian Peng tolerate such humiliation?
He immediately slapped his hand onto the shoulder of a young master walking ahead.
The young masters had actually heard everything but wanted to humiliate him, which is why they kept silent. Yet now he had come after them.
"Control your dog," said Tian Peng leisurely.
