Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 597 - 596: The Givers are Endless

But once the Emperor had spoken, unless he recanted himself, even if unwilling, one would simply have to bite the bullet and go—unless one preferred not to be an official and go back to being a farmer.

Tian Peng considered it in his heart and thought he could be anywhere.

However, he must secure an official position; otherwise, arriving with empty hands would mean that his lengthy stay in Chang’an had been in vain.

"Since it is the Holy Sovereign’s suggestion, I cannot well decline. Whether it’s the frontier or Chang’an, to me, it is all the land of the Great Tang, and I am willing to go to the frontier," said Tian Peng, choosing his words to induce guilt in the Emperor.

The Emperor had thought he would have to use a mixture of soft and hard tactics to get the other to go.

To his surprise, as soon as he mentioned it, the other was willing, which suddenly made him feel a great deal of guilt.

Since this young man was willing to go to such a far place, it was only right to compensate him well before he left; he couldn’t just let him go empty-handed.

Both emotionally and rationally, it would be unacceptable; otherwise, word would spread outside, and people would think he mistreated the Top Scholar.

"Since the Top Scholar is willing to go to the frontier, that is certainly good," said the Emperor. "Before you depart, whatever reward you desire, as long as it is not excessive, I can grant it to you."

Even in making a request, one had to weigh one’s words. Tian Peng was indeed beginning to regret it, but once the arrow was notched, it had to be sent. He started to consider seriously.

"Since I am going to the frontier as the Top Scholar, surely the Holy Sovereign wouldn’t have me go without any official position, right?" Tian Peng asked.

The Emperor had long considered an official position for him and had already drafted the imperial decree, just waiting to be issued to him.

"I am granting you the position of General who Guards the Northwest, a second-rank General position. Are you satisfied with that?" asked the Emperor.

Actually, rank isn’t so important on the frontier; even if the Emperor had given him a first-rank General position, Tian Peng wouldn’t necessarily be much happier.

"Besides that, I reward you with a residence on West Street of Chang’an, a hundred mu of good farmland, three thousand taels of silver, and three hundred taels of Gold," the Emperor continued.

Essentially, such high rewards were not bestowed upon a Top Scholar.

In the past, when Top Scholars first started out, the highest they could reach was a lower third-rank position, with all else dependent on their own efforts.

Having said this, the Emperor looked at Tian Peng with a hint of pride, expecting that a commoner, upon hearing such a high position, would be frightened and hasten to express his gratitude.

Tian Peng nodded indifferently and then bowed to the Emperor in thanks, "I thank His Majesty for these generous rewards."

The Emperor did not receive the response he had anticipated and felt momentarily disappointed, yet he could not accuse him of gross disrespect over this.

He thought that perhaps the commoner felt the rewards were insufficient, so he asked, "What, do you think such rewards are not enough for you?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Your Majesty worries too much; I find these rewards to be more than sufficient," Tian Peng replied.

Whether in the presence of anyone, he did not refer to himself as ’I’ in a way that was either humble or arrogant.

According to palace protocol, one actually should not refer to oneself as ’I’, but for someone like Zhu Ganglie, referring to oneself as ’vile person’ or ’commoner’ seemed indeed inappropriate.

The Emperor had not initially thought much of it, but he found that his imperial aura was diminished in the presence of this commoner, which vexed him greatly. Yet since he needed him, he could only pick at other issues.

"Now that an official position has been conferred upon you, shouldn’t your own title also change accordingly?"

Tian Peng bowed again, "This general heeds His Majesty’s teachings."

The Emperor was finally satisfied. "Then follow the palace servants back, and in a month, you will depart for the border. The residence has already been prepared for you; you can move in right now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tian Peng thanked the Emperor and then left.

As Tian Peng walked out of the study, he remembered the words spoken earlier; it seemed he still owed those eunuchs an apology.

He asked the palace servant leading the way to find the eunuchs from before, and apologized to each of them in turn before leaving.

That night, Tian Peng lay in bed, staring at the headboard. The headboard was made of mahogany, with a barrier on the edge, and there were servants guarding outside the door. Things were indeed different from before for him.

From a penniless villager to this point, he had truly made a lot of effort.

When he first fell out with the Three Demons, he had blamed them for betraying him, but now, after so many experiences, Tian Peng felt that he was the one who had wronged them.

If it weren’t for the Three Demons, the Shopkeeper, and Mr. Monkey, he might have turned into a demon already or be burrowing in the dirt somewhere unaware.

Being able to become a legitimate person now, and relying on his own strength to become the Top Scholar, and even a second-grade General who Guards the Northwest, it really felt like a dream.

He wondered where the Three Demons were now and whether they were also striving for their dreams.

Things were not too bad the way they were now, Tian Peng thought, despite the fact that he had become a mortal, everyone was striving, and that was quite good indeed.

A month quickly passed by. In that time, his threshold was nearly worn down by all those who had taken the exam with him coming to congratulate him.

They only knew about Tian Peng’s official rank and the rewards he had received, thinking he was on the rise, and one after another, they wanted to get close to him, possibly to rely on him for many matters in the future, building the relationship now for later.

Among these examinees were those who had spoken ill of him. They, too, carried gifts, fearing that Tian Peng might suddenly remember their past insults and seek to settle scores.

Tian Peng watched them bustling about inside and out and then calmly said that in a month he would be off to the border and unless it was a special holiday, he wouldn’t likely return.

Instantly, their attitudes toward him changed, and they even regretted bringing gifts that were too valuable.

Despite his rank as a second-grade General, he was to serve on the border, which meant he would have little impact on them in the future and there was no need for flattery; it was obviously a wasted effort.

A few not only regretted the money spent but also harbored a hint of resentment toward Tian Peng.

They blamed him for not making it clear to them earlier, though the latter part of their thoughts they kept to themselves.

Even though it was unsaid, Tian Peng knew what they had wanted to express; they were essentially annoyed that they had made a trip for nothing, spending money and time without gaining anything in return.

Tian Peng smiled without uttering a word, the thought of returning their gifts now gone from his mind.

If they were willing to spend money, then let them, for money will always be there, and he did not care about this little bit.

When the month was up and it was time for Tian Peng to leave, the ones to see him off were only Chai Wei and a few palace servants.

"Brother Zhu, are you really going to the border?" asked Chai Wei.

"I’m all packed up and you’re asking this now? Do you expect me not to go and just get back under the covers instead?" Tian Peng said.

Chai Wei smiled, "You know that’s not what I mean. It’s just that you’ve stayed in Chang’an for so long, preparing for the martial examination after practicing for such a long time, and now you have to leave for the border right after the exam; it just doesn’t seem to match all the efforts you’ve made..."

Tian Peng looked at the palace servants; Chai Wei was speaking softly, and they did not hear.