Journey to the West: Starting from the Imperial Horse Stable

Sun Mingyuan stood there, feeling a chill slowly creeping up from the soles of his feet.

He looked at the various expressions on the faces of the people in the courtyard, then at Wang Chen, who had a calm expression as if he were just stating an ordinary matter, and at Old Qian, who had lowered his eyelids and clearly expressed his support for Wang Chen.

How could this happen?

He hadn't shown up at the Imperial Stables for only two or three days, and Wang Chen, the stable boy, had actually "given up" his position himself, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

How come the Imperial Horse Stables seem to have changed so drastically in the blink of an eye?

When did Lao Qian side with Wang Chen? Although Lao Zheng didn't say anything, judging from how readily he handed over the immortal herb, he was probably already considering it. Zhou Quan and Zhao Deshun were originally with Wang Chen. Feng An… let's not even mention him.

A sense of isolation and being sidelined crept into Sun Mingyuan's mind. He suddenly realized that his words, as the former head of the Imperial Horse Stables, no longer seemed to carry as much weight.

But that's not all.

Wang Chen seemed oblivious to Sun Mingyuan's unpleasant expression and continued in his steady voice, "Since everyone is here, I would also like to announce something. According to the old rules of the Heavenly Court, the number of cultivation subsidy pills allocated to the Imperial Horse Administration each year is limited, but they are intended to support the celestial officials within the administration who are in need, so that they can make progress in their cultivation while diligently performing their duties."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Old Qian: "This year's batch of pills will prioritize those most in need. Old Qian has worked diligently at the Imperial Horse Administration for many years and is currently on the verge of breaking through to the late stage of the Celestial Immortal realm, urgently requiring resources to assist him. Therefore, this year's share of pills will be allocated to Old Qian first. We hope that Old Qian can take this opportunity to advance further, and also bring glory to the Imperial Horse Administration."

After he finished speaking, he was still thinking to himself, "Everyone saw it. It was Sun Mingyuan who started it. So when I strike, don't cry out in pain."

His words struck Sun Mingyuan like another blow to the head.

Sun Mingyuan's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at Wang Chen, both shocked and furious.

So that's how it is! No wonder Old Qian suddenly changed his tune! It turns out that Wang Chen bribed Old Qian with pills that should have belonged to... or rather, that Sun Mingyuan had always considered his for the taking!

Sun Mingyuan's mind was buzzing, and countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant. He almost blurted out "No way!"

Those were resources only the head of the Imperial Stables could access. He had planned to use them long ago, once he had secured his position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, to consolidate his cultivation or reward his trusted subordinates.

Now Wang Chen is giving my things to Lao Qian for nothing, and Lao Qian is even grateful to him.

No, absolutely not.

But the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back. No, saying "no" now wouldn't just be a public slap in Wang Chen's face, but would completely push Lao Qian to the opposite side, leaving no room for reconciliation.

What kind of time is this to be making enemies?

But if he agrees... then the pill will really be gone, and Old Qian will only be grateful to Wang Chen, it will have nothing to do with him for even half a spirit stone.

Sun Mingyuan felt a tightness in his chest, as if Wang Chen had taken his treasured possessions to do him a favor, and he had to put on a smiling face. That Wang Chen was utterly despicable.

His face was flushed and pale, and he forced a very unnatural smile, his voice dry as he spoke: "Wang Bi, the stable boy... how could you... not discuss such an important matter with me in detail beforehand?"

He wanted to save face with this statement, implying that Wang Chen was acting arbitrarily.

Before Wang Chen could answer, he hurriedly added, trying to take some credit for himself, though it sounded incredibly far-fetched: "Actually, I've been paying attention to Elder Qian's situation for a while now. I've just been busy with other things lately and haven't had time to make arrangements. Since Wang Bima has brought it up, then it's only right to do it this way. It should be done, it should be done."

After he finished speaking, he felt that his words were weak and powerless.

Wang Chen also said with a smile, "I originally planned to discuss this matter with the Supervisor today, but since everyone is here, I thought that the Supervisor is a man of great integrity and would certainly not disagree with such a good thing, so I took the liberty of speaking directly."

Sun Mingyuan's lips twitched. "Then you're right. This kind of thing is mainly beneficial to our Imperial Horse Stable, so we should do it."

After speaking, he dared not look at the expressions of the people in the courtyard, especially Old Qian's grateful gaze as he looked at Wang Chen.

He felt his face burning and couldn't stay any longer, so he hastily said, "You all continue your discussion."

He turned around and hurried back to his duty room as if fleeing, his back view showing a bit of panic.

The courtyard was quiet for a moment, then low murmurs arose. The way everyone looked at Wang Chen changed slightly.

……

Inside Sun Mingyuan's duty room, the door was closed.

Feng An followed him in and carefully closed the door.

Seeing Sun Mingyuan's gloomy face, he leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with obvious provocation, "Supervisor, look at Wang Chen! He's only been the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses for a few days, and he dares to distribute elixirs privately and win people over. He's clearly plotting a rebellion! If this continues, the Imperial Horse Administration might end up in the Wang family's hands!"

Sun Mingyuan suddenly turned around, staring at Feng An with a sinister look in his eyes, his chest heaving with anger.

He knew, of course, that Feng An was exaggerating, but those words had indeed struck a nerve.

"Rebellion? He's not qualified." Sun Mingyuan forced out the words through gritted teeth.

"He won't be in that stable boy position for long. Once that monkey-monger's affair is settled... Hmph."

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He would remember this humiliation. He would not let it go until Wang Chen was gone.

Sun Mingyuan's gaze fell on Feng An's face, scrutinizing him, and he slowly asked, "Feng An, in the current situation, can I trust you?"

......

Old Zheng watched Sun Mingyuan walk away, feeling a little uneasy.

He wanted to go over and say a word to the newly appointed Bi Ma Wen Wang Chen, but he stopped after taking only half a step.

He felt somewhat embarrassed. Firstly, Wang Chen was too inexperienced. When Wang Chen was a servant in the Imperial Stables, he was the one in charge. Now that Wang Chen had become the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, he could maintain appearances, but he couldn't bring himself to stoop down and curry favor with him.

What's more, Wang Chen just gave the pills to Lao Qian, but didn't mention Lao Zheng at all. Not only did he not give him the pills, but he also took away the "Heavenly Stable Immortal Grass" that he could easily take. Thinking about this, he felt even more annoyed, so he simply turned around and left.

Just as he reached the pillar, he caught a glimpse of Feng Anzheng emerging from Supervisor Sun's office. The boy was walking hurriedly, and his face, illuminated by the lamplight in the corridor, appeared unusually gloomy, clearly harboring some mischief.

Old Zheng had a sudden thought. It was almost time to go home, and this kid didn't have any work to do right now. What would he do back in the duty room by himself?