Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 592 - 591: The Emperor Talks with Lord Chai Shao

Chapter 592: Chapter 591: The Emperor Talks with Lord Chai Shao

"Talent, something you can’t learn," Tian Peng replied provocatively, "Whether I was born in a wolf’s den or on the prairie, the result would have been the same."

His words really were provocation incarnate, but aside from talent, they truly couldn’t think of a second reason to explain Tian Peng’s prowess; he seemed to be born to become the martial arts champion.

The exam had ended, and the candidates had departed, the results would take a few days to be announced.

Just these few simple numbers added up to the total score, yet it would take several days to wait; however, Tian Peng still followed Chai Wei back to the Lord Mansion.

Lord Chai Shao had just come out from the palace; he had just finished speaking with the Emperor.

During these few days of the martial exam, there was nothing else urgent happening within Chang’an, and after morning court, the Emperor had specially kept him behind.

Lord Chai Shao didn’t know why, but he obediently stayed and followed the Emperor to the Imperial Study Room.

Once the Emperor entered the Imperial Study Room, he casually opened a book and, pretending to be casual, asked him, "It seems that today the martial exam ended. Lord Chai Shao, what do you think of your son’s performance?"

Lord Chai Shao found the Emperor’s question somewhat baffling; his wife, Princess Pingyang Zhao, often visited the palace and likely spoke of their son’s performance already; why then would the Emperor purposely keep him to ask.

Even with many questions in his heart, Lord Chai Shao still answered respectfully, "To reply to Your Majesty, my son may not be adept in scholarship, but he has always enjoyed wielding swords and spears. I believe his results should not be disappointing."

"That’s true, I’ve watched Wei grow up since he was a child. Although there are many participants in the martial exam, his results must be quite good," said the Emperor.

"Your Majesty is too kind," Lord Chai Shao said, though internally he was perplexed, feeling that the Emperor had spoken at length without getting to the point.

"I heard from Zhaoyang that you’ve had a guest at your home lately?" the Emperor inquired.

"Yes, he also came to participate in the martial exam. Although he’s a commoner, he stands tall and has an extraordinary demeanor. Furthermore, he excels in both archery and combat. My son admires him greatly, so he invited this young friend to stay at our mansion," Lord Chai Shao replied.

"Is that so?" the Emperor nodded before asking, "Lord Chai Shao, what kind of results do you think this commoner will achieve?"

"With such refined martial skills, I’m certain this year’s Top Scholar title in the martial exam will belong to this young friend," Lord Chai Shao honestly answered.

"Lord Chai Shao, you rate this young man so highly?" the Emperor said, pleased upon hearing such high praise from Lord Chai Shao.

It seemed his own judgment had not been mistaken; this commoner had not disappointed him, achieving the Top Scholar title on his very first martial exam.

"My evaluation is based on the young man himself," he had seen him on the first day, and he was not just distinguished in demeanor—a commoner who remained neither overly humble nor arrogant in their Lord Mansion—Lord Chai Shao had never encountered someone like him.

Lord Chai Shao spoke the truth, and by doing so, the Emperor felt even more confident in his judgment.

"So, according to Lord Chai Shao, once the results are released and this young man becomes the martial arts champion, what position does Your Majesty think should be conferred upon him?" the Emperor asked.

Upon the Emperor’s query, Lord Chai Shao hurriedly bowed and declined to suggest, "Whatever position Your Majesty wishes to confer is Your Majesty’s prerogative; I would not dare to presume."

"Enough, this isn’t presumption. There are no vacant positions in the court at present; I simply wanted to ask for your suggestion," said the Emperor.

Lord Chai Shao demurred several more times until he was certain that the Emperor was genuinely seeking advice, and then he slowly voiced his own suggestion.

"I believe that if this young friend becomes the Top Scholar, none of the various positions in the court would suit him."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow at his bold claim, but Lord Chai Shao was indeed daring to speak his mind. However, what Lord Chai Shao said was exactly what he had in mind; he had thought the same.

"This humble subject feels that with Little Friend’s skills and his physique, he should defend the border and protect our Great Tang’s territory from barbarian invasions. He possesses not only great ability, but also a formidably impressive stature that can provide a strong sense of security to the people on the frontier."

The Emperor nodded, "Such a talented person, rather than keeping him in Chang’an, letting him go to the frontier, Lord Chai Shao, do you realize what you are saying?"

The Emperor’s voice was stern, and Lord Chai Shao immediately fell to his knees upon hearing the tone, then said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has repeatedly mentioned that his words are not pleasant to hear, but it was Your Majesty who insisted on a response. How is it that when this subject offers a sincere answer, Your Majesty becomes angry?"

"Haha, get up, I was just scaring you." The Emperor waved his hand, signaling Lord Chai Shao to rise.

Lord Chai Shao immediately got up from the ground, knowing full well that the Emperor was doing it on purpose; his kneeling was merely a gesture.

The Emperor always liked to play these kinds of jokes with his status. Anyone who was even remotely close to the Emperor had been frightened by him. Once or twice, one might get scared, but after many times, it became easier to distinguish whether the Emperor was truly angry or just kidding.

"I think what you’ve said makes a great deal of sense, because I feel the same way," the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty is wise," Lord Chai Shao complimented.

"However, I still have reservations," the Emperor said.

Lord Chai Shao also knew what he meant, so he waited for him to continue.

"The martial arts champion has always taken up the position of the Imperial Guard. If we send this Little Friend to defend the borders as soon as he assumes his post, would that be inappropriate? If the people hear of this, might they think that I hold him in disfavor and am intentionally assigning him to a remote place?"

"This humble subject believes that as long as Little Friend is willing, he won’t mind the public’s scrutiny," Lord Chai Shao thought carefully about his interactions with Zhu Ganglie over the past few days and felt that Zhu Ganglie was not someone who cared about others’ opinions.

He was not living in his own world, but he simply disregarded others’ viewpoints.

In the common saying, to ’know the ways of the world yet not to be worldly’ - Lord Chai Shao felt that it was particularly apt.

"You’ve hit the nail on the head," the Emperor agreed, "But if he is willing, what kind of position do you think would be suitable for him?"

"As for the position, that is entirely for Your Majesty to decide," Lord Chai Shao said, "This humble subject is not yet in a position to dictate terms to a newly-promoted Top Scholar."

"Look how scared you are; I was just asking for your opinion," the Emperor said.

"The decision rests entirely with Your Majesty."

Some things are okay, but when it comes to official positions, he really couldn’t interfere. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Even though Lord Chai Shao and the Emperor were like brothers, who had faced life and death together in the past, now they stood as sovereign and subject. One could step slightly out of bounds, but not over the line. Lord Chai Shao’s ability to hold his ground in Chang’an was because he knew his place.

Seeing Lord Chai Shao’s reaction, the Emperor smiled. He had just casually inquired, and seeing that he wouldn’t get an answer, he dropped the question.

"All right, I have nothing more to ask you. It’s getting late now, so you should head back quickly, lest Princess Pingyang come looking for me if you take too long," the Emperor said, gesturing for Lord Chai Shao to leave.

When Lord Chai Shao returned, he encountered Chai Wei and the others.

"Father, how come you are returning so late today?" Chai Wei asked.

Lord Chai Shao waved his hand, "It’s nothing. His Majesty called me over for a chat. Have you finished your exams today?"

"Yes." Speaking of the examination, Chai Wei was particularly spirited and said, "Today was the hunting test in the forest, guess what happened."