Journey to the West: Starting from the Imperial Horse Stable

Sun Mingyuan left the Imperial Horse Stables and went straight to the Carriage and Cavalry Office.

When he found Wu Gongcao, Wu Gongcao was reviewing documents. As soon as Sun Mingyuan entered, his face was filled with resentment and helplessness.

"My lord, you have to do something about this," Sun Mingyuan said. "The Imperial Horse Stables are in complete chaos."

Wu Gongcao didn't look up, nor did he stop writing. "Speak."

Sun Mingyuan then recounted the events of the day. He naturally omitted the parts where he first made veiled accusations, only saying how Wang Chen had made trouble without cause, how he had roared and argued in public, how disrespectful his words were, and how he had even threatened to take the matter to the Imperial Censorate and the Emperor.

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Gongcao stopped writing.

Wu Gongcao raised his head and looked at Sun Mingyuan. His eyes were expressionless, but they made Sun Mingyuan's heart skip a beat.

"Is that all?" Wu Gongcao asked.

"Absolutely true!" Sun Mingyuan said. "This boy is so arrogant. If he is not severely punished, how can the Imperial Horse Administration maintain its authority? This official truly..."

"Sun Mingyuan." Wu Gongcao interrupted him, his voice not loud, but with a hint of seriousness.

Sun Mingyuan immediately shut up.

Wu Gongcao put the pen on the pen mountain and leaned back.

"Do you think that once Li Tianwang's army moves, your position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses is a sure thing?" Wu Gongcao asked slowly.

Sun Mingyuan opened his mouth, but didn't dare to answer.

"So, you're in such a hurry to get rid of these eyesores to make room for your relative?" Wu Gongcao continued, each word like a needle, "Can't you even wait a few days? Why resort to such methods at this critical juncture?"

Sun Mingyuan's expression changed, and he tried to explain, "This humble official did not, it was really that Wang Chen..."

"Do you take me for a blind man or a fool?" Wu Gongcao's voice suddenly turned cold. "You really think I don't know about the petty affairs at the Imperial Horse Stables? That assignment at the South Heavenly Gate was a trap from the start. You know perfectly well what your intentions were in sending him there. Now that he's done it, you're embarrassed and want to frame him. And what's the result? You've been publicly humiliated and turned the tables on him. Aren't you ashamed?"

Sun Mingyuan's face turned red and then pale from the words, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Wu Gongcao stood up and walked up to him.

"Let me tell you, Sun Mingyuan," Wu Gongcao stared at him, his voice low but each word piercing, "What time is it now? Heavenly King Li has been ordered to subdue the demon, and 100,000 heavenly soldiers are about to descend to the mortal realm! Everyone in the Heavenly Court is watching this campaign! At this moment, what is most important? Stability! Preventing any mishaps!"

He pointed at Sun Mingyuan with his finger.

"And you, for your own selfish reasons, are making a fuss over a mere celestial official, and making such a huge scene! What, are you afraid the higher-ups don't know how chaotic things are in the Imperial Horse Stables? Or are you afraid others don't know that you, Supervisor Sun, are so eager to eliminate dissidents? Do you have a dog's brain on your neck?!"

Sun Mingyuan was so scolded that he couldn't even lift his head, and could only repeatedly say, "This humble official dares not, this humble official knows his mistake..."

"You admit your mistake?" Wu Gongcao sneered. "I think you've lost your mind! With King Li about to go on his campaign, if the Imperial Horse Administration were to be embroiled in a scandal at this time, with superiors bullying subordinates and subordinates filing complaints in anger, do you expect me to suffer along with you?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, almost wanting to slap Sun Mingyuan. Even with Sun Mingyuan's embellished explanation, he could tell that Sun Mingyuan had acted too hastily.

They assumed Wang Chen was just a newcomer to the Immortal Scroll, with no real background, and wanted to suppress him all at once. But even if you use some tricks, you still need to understand the situation.

Now that the Heavenly King's army is about to set off with great momentum, do you, Sun Mingyuan, still dare to cause trouble at this time? Especially since you are not even a stable boy, and Wang Chen has only been at the Imperial Stables for two or three days.

"I gave you this position to get things done for me and keep things stable, not to cause trouble! Put away your little schemes! At least for now, keep them all out of the picture!"

Sun Mingyuan trembled in fright and bowed even lower: "Yes, yes, I understand, I would never dare to cause any more trouble."

Wu Gongcao took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, but his tone remained stern.

"Go back. I don't want to hear any more trouble from the Imperial Horse Stables. As for Wang Chen, the fact that he was able to retrieve the documents from the Southern Heavenly Gate proves he's not useless. You better behave yourself for now and don't provoke him anymore. We'll discuss everything after Li Tianwang's triumphant return. Do you understand?"

"I heard you clearly, I heard you clearly," Sun Mingyuan quickly replied.

"Get lost." Wu Gongcao waved his hand, turned around, and stopped looking at him.

Sun Mingyuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon, but he still gritted his teeth and did not leave.

Wu Gongcao raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything else?"

Sun Mingyuan has too many ulterior motives. He's still here at this point, he must still be plotting something. Thinking of this, Wu Gongcao got angry and naturally didn't give him a good look.

Sun Mingyuan was also frustrated. He hadn't expected that his attempt to mess with the newcomer would not only fail but also result in him being scolded. Most importantly, he couldn't leave now.

"My lord, Wang Chen is still in the Imperial Stables. This matter is probably not over yet."

Wu Gongcao almost laughed out of anger, "What, you can't even handle something this simple now?"

Sun Mingyuan: "My lord, I know I was wrong..."

"Now you know you were wrong? Where were you before? You're more trouble than you're worth."

Seeing that the cursing had gone on long enough and that Sun Mingyuan had fallen silent, Wu Gongcao said, "Hand over Wang Chen, and I'll talk to him about it."

Sun Mingyuan nodded in agreement, then turned and walked out.

After leaving the driver's office, Sun Mingyuan was no longer the cowardly man he had been earlier. However, he couldn't understand why Wang Chen had suddenly turned on him this time.

He gritted his teeth. Today's conflict had completely exposed his antagonism towards Wang Chen. He was currently the supervisor of the Imperial Stables, so there was nothing he could do. But once he became the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, the first thing he would do was get rid of that brat.

However, now that Wu Gongcao has spoken, let's suppress this anger for now, since he won't be able to cause trouble for more than two days anyway.

Sun Mingyuan didn't show his face again. Whether he won or lost the conflict with Wang Chen today, he had lost face to some extent. He first found Feng An and obtained the document from the Southern Heavenly Gate. With this document, the Heavenly Censorate could remove Sun Wukong from his position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. He could quietly take the position, and once Li Tianwang returned victorious, he could then deal with Wang Chen.

As for finding Wang Chen, Sun Mingyuan naturally wouldn't get involved. He simply gave Feng An a few instructions, and Feng An relayed the message. Meanwhile, Sun Mingyuan had already started contacting the relevant people with the documents in hand.