Journey to the West: Starting from the Imperial Horse Stable

Imperial Horse Stables.

When Wang Chen heard the news, his reaction was calmer than those around him. He had long anticipated Li Jing's defeat. He wasn't even particularly surprised that the Jade Emperor ultimately chose to send Taibai Jinxing to offer amnesty. That was how it was in the original story.

He was thinking about something else at that moment.

If he hadn't conveyed the message through Bai Jian, would Venus have been able to step forward so opportunely in the palace today and propose the strategy of amnesty? Would the Jade Emperor have thought of him first when selecting generals?

How much impact did his appearance have on the already predetermined Journey to the West story? He was somewhat curious about the specific content of the Jade Emperor's decree to recruit Taibai Jinxing this time, and whether it was exactly the same as before.

Unlike his contemplative state, Zhou Quan and Zhao Deshun were genuinely happy.

Zhao Deshun rubbed his hands together, his face showing relief at the weight of his burden. "King Li is back so quickly... uh, the Great Celestial Venerable is going to offer amnesty again, so we don't have to fight anymore! The pressure of feeding and caring for our old and weak celestial horses can finally be eased! At least in the short term, we don't have to worry about delaying military operations!"

Zhou Quan nodded, but his gaze held a hint of amusement as he glanced towards the direction of the supervisor's office, then lowered his voice and said to Wang Chen:

"I heard that Supervisor Sun went to great lengths to secure the position of Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, pulling strings at all levels and even smoothing things over with the Imperial Censorate, just waiting to complete the final step of the process today. Now, the Great Heavenly Venerable wants to offer him amnesty, so Sun Wukong will probably have to go back to Heaven."

Zhao Deshun didn't understand and asked, "What's wrong with Sun Wukong going to heaven? What does that have to do with him being the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?"

Zhou Quan gave Zhao Deshun a look as if he were an idiot, and explained helplessly, "Think about it, when Sun Wukong comes up here and sees that the seat he used to sit in is now occupied by Sun Mingyuan, and he's sitting there comfortably, given Sun Mingyuan's temper and abilities, wouldn't he do something? Even if Sun Mingyuan doesn't do anything, would Sun Mingyuan still dare to sit in that seat?"

Zhao Deshun suddenly realized, and clicked his tongue: "Then Supervisor Sun's efforts were all for nothing?"

As he spoke, a smug smile crept across his face.

"It wasn't a wasted effort." Zhou Quan looked at Wang Chen, his tone more relaxed. "That Sun Mingyuan has been jumping around all over the place; he's definitely got the position of stable boy this time. He chose it himself, so it's too late for him to back out now."

Zhao Deshun scratched his head. "So, after all this, only Supervisor Sun is suffering, while we're all having a good time?"

"That's not necessarily true." Zhou Quan gestured with his chin toward the courtyard gate.

Feng Anzheng walked briskly past, his steps faster than usual, his face expressionless, heading straight for the supervisor's office. This was already his umpteenth trip there today.

"See?" Zhou Quan said, "This Brother Feng probably isn't happy either. He's hoping that Supervisor Sun will be promoted to stable boy so he can take over the supervisor's position. But look at his long face, it seems like being supervisor isn't going to be easy."

Zhou Quan watched Feng An's figure disappear behind the door, then suddenly turned to Zhao Deshun and said, "Deshun, it seems that the position of Supervisor may not necessarily belong to Feng An now. Do you want to take this position?"

Zhao Deshun was taken aback, blinked, and looked somewhat bewildered. "Me? I'm going to be the Supervisor?"

He repeated it unconsciously, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his clothes. After a moment of silence, he hesitantly asked, "Can I do it?"

That's what he said, but a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, clearly indicating he was tempted. However, that light was quickly overshadowed by confusion. He did want to, but he had absolutely no clue how to become the supervisor.

Seeing his expression, Zhou Quan said, "If you really want to, then you should try to get closer to Wu Gongcao. You can't just wait for the position to fall into your lap."

Zhao Deshun's face flushed slightly, and he lowered his head in embarrassment. "If I go to Wu Gongcao's place, wouldn't that be seen as currying favor with my superior? If people see that, they'll probably look down on me."

His voice trailed off, clearly realizing that his idea was somewhat outdated, yet he couldn't bring himself to say no.

"If you don't speak up or make any moves, how will Wu Gongcao know that you want to be the supervisor?" Zhou Quan said calmly, but he was telling the truth.

Zhao Deshun was stumped by the question; he opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He looked up at Zhou Quan and suddenly asked, "Then, Brother Zhou, what about you? Do you want to be one?"

The courtyard fell silent for a moment. The wind blew through the fallen leaves under the eaves, causing them to swirl gently.

Zhou Quan was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice lower than before: "I originally had a chance at this position of Assistant Supervisor." He paused, looking into the distance, "But Sun Mingyuan found a way and used some methods to get it. So now, if he gets promoted, I don't really want to take the position."

This was the first time he had spoken out about the conflict between himself and Sun Mingyuan.

Wang Chen listened quietly from the side. Only now did he understand why Zhou Quan had always looked down on Sun Mingyuan, and why Sun Mingyuan had marginalized Wang Chen.

Zhao Deshun sighed upon hearing this, his gaze shifting between Wang Chen and Zhou Quan before finally settling on Wang Chen. "Brother Wang, have you...?"

He stopped mid-sentence, his wry smile fading. "You just contradicted Supervisor Sun to his face yesterday. If he really becomes the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, the first person he'll probably remove is you, Brother Wang."

Zhou Quan nodded without saying anything. Everyone knew the truth of the matter.

In the Imperial Stables, everyone might be considering becoming the supervisor, but Wang Chen is the only one who shouldn't even think about it. He already had a falling out with Sun Mingyuan yesterday; if Sun Mingyuan were to allow Wang Chen to become the supervisor, that would be unreasonable.

Thinking of this, the two of them couldn't help but feel sorry for Wang Chen's situation.

Zhao Deshun comforted him, saying, "Brother Wang, don't worry about it. People like Sun Mingyuan won't last long. But you, Brother Wang, will always have a place wherever you go. Tonight, I'll make the arrangements; let's find a place to have a good drink."

Zhou Quan nodded in agreement, saying he would do everything he could to help Wang Chen calm down tonight.

However, Wang Chen shook his head at this moment, "Today, I will not drink with you. Sun Mingyuan has just become the stable master, so I don't care. But you should stay away from me and don't let him misunderstand."

But now that we've gotten to the point about temperament, Zhao Deshun waved his hand and said, "Whether he misunderstands or not, he's targeting me. Do you think I'm afraid of him? I'm telling you this: even if it rains knives today, even if I, Zhao Deshun, am struck by lightning and can't walk, I'll crawl over to you and drink this wine together."

Zhou Quan nodded and patted Wang Chen on the shoulder, "We brothers aren't afraid of Sun Mingyuan. If he misunderstands, so be it."

A short while later, the door to the supervisor's office opened. Feng An came out, his face expressionless, but his steps seemed heavy. His gaze fell on Wang Chen. "Wang Chen."

Feng An stopped a few steps away, his voice flat, "Wu Gongcao has sent someone to tell you to come over."