They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 161 Does the Jade Emperor know that you're doing this?

Upon returning to Heaven, Chen Guangrui did not go to the Imperial Horse Stables, but instead rode a cloud directly towards the Tushita Palace.

It's not easy for a monkey to go to heaven. What if, as soon as it gets up there, people think it's going to cause trouble in the heavenly palace again?
We need to give them advance notice.

Amidst swirling clouds, towering pavilions drew near. He had intended to find the Golden Furnace and Silver Furnace attendants, but outside the massive gates of the Tushita Palace, he stumbled upon a blue ox eating oranges.

Orange peels are scattered all over the ground; the green ox is going to turn into a yellow ox from eating them all!
"Hey? It's you, kid." The blue ox chewed on an orange and greeted him indistinctly, its bull eyes glancing at him sideways.
"You just got promoted, why aren't you in the Imperial Stables, what are you doing back here? Looking for those two lads? Don't bother looking, Laozi is at a crucial point in refining elixirs, they're fanning themselves by the furnace, they don't have time for you."

As he spoke, he stuffed in another segment of orange.

Chen Guangrui took a few steps closer, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Senior Qingniu. I have just left my post and have some... questions in my mind. I would like to ask you for some advice."

A simple, honest smile appeared on the blue ox's face.

"Confused? Hehe, I heard from those two lads, Jinlu and Yinlu, about your mission to the mortal realm. They handled it well. Laozi was quite pleased, which is why he promoted you to the position of Bi Ma Wen (弼马温).

He paused, then winked mischievously at his bull-like eyes. "I heard they even rewarded you with two Nine-Turn Golden Pills. How did they taste? Those things are potent; even I, the old bull, am craving them."

Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat, and he showed a perfectly timed look of surprise on his face. "How did you know that the pills were with me, senior?"

"Ha!" The green ox spat out a mouthful of orange peel residue and laughed gruffly.

"Guess why Laozi promoted you? And why he specifically rewarded those two golden pills to those two lads? Did those two lads give you all the inferior pills they had saved up?"

"Laojun knows perfectly well what you did in the mortal realm and the responsibilities you bore. This elixir was originally prepared for you."

A hint of bitterness appeared on Chen Guangrui's face at that moment, and he sighed.
"Senior, you are wise. This elixir is indeed excellent, but being the position of弼马温 (Bima Wen, a low-ranking official in charge of stables) is... truly a difficult job."

"Huh?" The blue ox paused in its chewing of the orange, its two huge eyes widening in surprise.

"Not easy to be? Who would dare make things difficult for you?"

His stubborn temper flared up instantly. "You're someone who came from my Tushita Palace. If anyone offends you, just tell me, and I, Old Ox, will go find them and settle things with them to help you vent your anger."

Chen Guangrui quickly waved his hand, his tone becoming more intimate.

“Brother Niu, it’s not that anyone is openly making things difficult for me. Here’s the thing: I’m the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, in charge of the Heavenly Horses and Celestial Steeds. Those people are shrewd; they don’t make things difficult for me, they specifically make things difficult for the horses.”

"What's wrong with the horse?" The blue ox was momentarily confused, its eyes showing bewilderment.

"Sigh," Chen Guangrui said with a wry smile.

“Brother Niu, you are an enlightened celestial ox whose intelligence has been awakened, so naturally you don’t know. Those celestial horses, though they have spirit, are ultimately ignorant. If the servants in the Imperial Stables are deliberately trying to fool you, they might skimp on the hay, neglect the water, or be perfunctory in cleaning and maintenance, or even deliberately let the stables leak at night.”

"Through all sorts of methods, the horses gradually became thinner and weaker. They did it without leaving a trace, and I couldn't find any fault with them. But then something went wrong, and I, as the person in charge, had to take all the blame. It's like swallowing a bitter pill; you can't express your suffering. They're not making things difficult for me, but for the horses I raise. Isn't that even more painful than being slapped in the face?"

The blue ox's face scrunched up at the sound, and it stopped eating the orange. It scratched its hard horns hard, making a creaking sound.
"So there's a trick to this? These sly foxes!"

He was indignant about those pegasus horses, but the matter was indeed troublesome.
"What should we do then? I'm not very bright, but I'm good at fighting, not at dealing with these kinds of complicated situations..."

He suddenly looked up, his bull-like eyes gleaming.
"How about I really go and beat them up? If I beat them into submission, they won't dare to do anything funny."

Chen Guangrui immediately shook his head. He thought to himself, "You think you're stupid? Being Laozi's mount, you're probably quite shrewd."
"No, no. Brother Niu, I appreciate your kindness. But if I ask you to take action at the Imperial Stables for my sake, wouldn't it make me look like I'm abusing the power of the Tushita Palace to bully my subordinates? What will others think of the Tushita Palace and Laozi? This is absolutely unacceptable; it would damage Laozi's reputation."

Upon hearing that Laozi's reputation was involved, the green ox immediately wilted, its tail thrashing restlessly.

"If this won't work, what can we do? Are we just going to watch them mess with Pegasus and you?"

He was so eager that he took another bite of the unpeeled orange, making a crunching sound, just wanting to hear what Chen Guangrui had to say.

Chen Guangrui knew the opportunity was almost there, so he took a step closer and lowered his voice.
"Brother Niu, I've come up with a plan, and I need your help with a small favor. If I bring someone up from outside Heaven to do something for me, could you help me get through the gate and do me a favor?"

Upon hearing this, the blue ox patted its chest and nodded its head vigorously, like a pecking at rice.
"Hey, what's the big deal? Which Heavenly Gate dares to disrespect the Tushita Palace? Let alone just one person, as long as they're not some heinous demon, you can bring them along. Just tell me, who do you want to bring?"

Chen Guangrui looked at him and uttered a name, "The Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong."

"puff!"

The ox had just chewed half of an orange with the peel on when it sprayed out the peel and pulp, smearing its face with yellow liquid.

He didn't even bother to wipe it; his bull-like eyes were wide open, his bull-like mouth gaped open, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the three realms. His rough, hoarse laughter shook the palace gates slightly.

"Pfft, hahaha! Sun Wukong? You brought that monkey to Heaven to help you raise horses? Oh my, my old ox's belly... Hahaha! Back then, wasn't it because he thought the position of Bi Ma Wen (弼马温) was too low and that raising horses was too stifling that he turned his back on the Heavenly Palace and ran away to Flower Fruit Mountain? Hahaha, how did you manage to do that, kid?"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, his hooves stomping on the ground.

"Interesting, very interesting! What if he finds out you've made him a stable boy again..."

The blue ox finally managed to stop laughing, wiping away the tears that had streamed down its face.
"Alright, alright, I'll put in a good word for you. But even if that monkey tricks you, he might not be completely fooled. Anyway, you still need to be careful and not let things fall apart. Go through the East Heavenly Gate or the North Heavenly Gate. The heavenly generals there are on good terms with me and will definitely let you through. The South Heavenly Gate and the West Heavenly Gate... tsk, don't count on them."

The blue ox winked, clearly implying something.

Chen Guangrui felt relieved and solemnly bowed to the blue ox.
"Thank you very much, Brother Niu. I will remember this kindness."

……

Meanwhile, the Imperial Horse Stables were shrouded in gloom, as if a pot had been boiled over.

"Dead! A real dragon-scaled steed is dead!"

A terrified scream shattered the silence.
"It's all over, it's all over!" All the officers and grooms on duty, no matter what they had planned before, were now terrified by the sudden death and huddled together in a panic, like ants on a hot plate.

The fallen dragon-scaled steed lay lifeless on the ground.

Panic spread silently. Several sharp-eyed constables scanned the crowd, their gazes finally settling on the solemn faces of Ding Chou and Ji Yong in the corner.

After receiving a subtle signal from the two men, one of the tall, thin constables suddenly slapped his thigh and began to shout in a tearful voice,
"The Imperial Stables are certainly responsible for the death of this heavenly horse, but who is to blame? Tell me, we feed it hay and brush its coat every day, following the proper procedures. How can you blame us for the horse's death?"

His gaze swept across the entire room, and his voice suddenly rose.

“I think our new stable master bears the main responsibility. What has he done since he arrived? He's nowhere to be seen for roll call, his inspections are perfunctory, and he's barely even touched the horses. The heavenly horses are starving and thin, and instead of trying to fatten us up, he's berated us all as good-for-nothings. Even if we have a thousand skills, without a capable leader, we have nowhere to use our strength!”

These words immediately ignited the resentment born of panic.

Another chubby constable immediately chimed in.
"That's absolutely right! Look at the Monkey King back when he was the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. When the horses got thin, he personally cut the hay and guarded them day and night. And look at our guy? All he knows is how to curse and shirk his duties. He's good for nothing. He just got there because of his connections with Laozi. He's a complete good-for-nothing!"

The moment the phrase "good-for-nothing" was uttered, it was like a spark thrown into boiling oil. The oppressive atmosphere instantly boiled over.

Many constables, thinking of the collateral damage they faced, suddenly realized that the two men were right.

Yes, the commander was incompetent, and the entire army died from exhaustion. He's the one who ruined us!
"Yes, yes, we still have to take care of the horses. All the credit goes to him. Now that a horse has died, who else should we blame but him?"

"He's even cursing at us? Without us, all the horses here would have died from his care. If he doesn't want to be punished, he'll have to beg us!"

Some people started stirring up trouble, inciting everyone to elevate their own value as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the new弼马温 (Bima Wen, a high-ranking official in charge of horses).

"Silence!" Ding Chou finally stepped forward amidst the clamor, his face stern, his voice carrying a mature and authoritative authority that instantly silenced the noise. He said with deep sorrow,

"Gentlemen, calm down! Now is not the time to complain! Lord Bi Ma Wen may be new to this place and unfamiliar with horse administration, which is understandable. The most important thing right now is to work together to help him overcome this difficulty! We should go and plead with him to personally step forward, take charge of the overall situation, and lead us to stabilize this situation."

He had barely finished speaking when a cold voice rang out from the direction of the prison gate, like ice water poured on a newly risen flame.

"No need to beg me, I'm back. What happened?"

Chen Guangrui's figure had appeared silently at the entrance of the Imperial Stables at some point, his gaze calmly sweeping over the dead dragon-scaled horse on the ground and the chaotic crowd.

Ding Chou quickly stepped forward, his face filled with deep sorrow and helplessness, and bowed, saying...

"My lord, you're back! Something terrible has happened. A precious dragon-scaled steed has just... died without cause. This must be the result of the Heavenly Horse losing weight these past few days."

"This humble servant is just about to ask for your instructions, sir. I humbly request that you step forward and lead us to regroup and carefully feed the animals so that we can't afford to make any more mistakes."

He spoke with sincerity and sincerity, demonstrating his loyalty in wanting to share the burdens of his superiors.

Chen Guangrui's gaze swept over the dead Pegasus on the ground.

Ding Chou whispered in his ear, "My lord, King Li will also be coming to our Imperial Stables to inspect the warhorses today."

How could it be such a coincidence?

Today, the Heavenly Horse died, and Li Tianwang came to inspect it?
His gaze swept over everyone.

"This Imperial Stables has nearly a hundred officials, grooms, and servants. How could they not raise a few heavenly horses? Before I arrived, everything was running smoothly for many years. But as soon as I arrived, problems immediately arose?"

"I said everything will remain the same, and you just keep doing it the same way? How many Pegasus horses must have died before?"

"I understand. You guys usually work like this, with one person risking their life while the other nine just watch, right? Now that I've asked you to take care of your own horses, some of you won't do it, and you'll kill the horses. Then you want me to take the lead so you can continue to hide in the back and shirk your responsibilities?"

Ding Chou forced himself to defend himself.

"You flatter us, sir! We dare not... but raising celestial horses is not something that can be accomplished in a day. It is indeed necessary for you to be present and oversee the task..."

"No need!" Chen Guangrui interrupted him sharply, her tone resolute and unwavering.
"Whoever owned that dead horse, just let it go. Don't make things too embarrassing for yourself."

When he said that, everyone was stunned. They didn't expect Chen Guangrui to be serious.

You must understand, they are just ordinary servants in the Heavenly Court, without any divine positions. If they are driven away like this, it's hard to say where they will go.

Ding Chou's face instantly turned incredibly ugly. He never expected that when a horse had died and all the blame was being directed at him, Chen Guangrui would not only not seek help, but would instead overturn the table!
This drastic measure directly targets the livelihoods of the constables.

Ji Yong, standing to the side, also gave a bitter and stiff smile, and whispered to the surrounding constables, "Sigh. Sir, you're new here, so you probably don't know the intricacies of the Imperial Horse Administration. We're all veterans here; if any one of us is missing, even the Heavenly Horses might be in trouble... raising them won't be easy..."

His words implied that Chen Guangrui couldn't do without them, and he was trying to rally people's support to fight against them.

Chen Guangrui completely ignored that, "What, do you want me to personally escort you out?"

The crowd fell silent. Most of the constables were terrified by this sudden, ruthless rule, their faces turning ashen.

Just then, a ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the sharp-mouthed, monkey-faced bailiff who had been leading the charge.

He suddenly jumped out, pointed at Chen Guangrui, his voice sharp and venomous, filled with a resolute sense of desperation:

"Fine, fine, Chen Guangrui! You really think these heavenly horses are so easy to raise? Once they leave us, let's see what you'll use to raise them! We'll see what you, Lord Chen, are capable of. Hopefully, all the horses in the Imperial Stables will die out by then."

His words already signified a complete breakdown in relations.

Just then, Li Jing arrived.

(End of this chapter)