Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 560
"Seventeen," Tian Peng replied, and then said, "Don’t think that I’m incapable just because I’m seventeen. I was able to repair the village’s irrigation channel, and in doing so, I have made my own contribution to the Great Tang."
"If it weren’t for the irrigation channel, many villagers would die every year. You wouldn’t punish me for asking for a bit of silver, would you?"
The emperor naturally wouldn’t, not only would he not punish him, but he would also reward him greatly, provided that he was telling the truth.
"Are you certain you don’t want your share of the silver?"
Could Tian Peng not detect the probing nature of this question? He nodded along with the emperor’s words, "Definitely, I don’t want the silver. The silver you give me, I will distribute to the strong men who helped repair the irrigation channel. I will not take a single coin for myself."
"Good," the emperor smiled, "Since you don’t want a single penny, I won’t give you any. I will have someone fetch the silver for you now, but you must remember what you said before, not even to take a single penny."
Tian Peng did not hesitate at all, and nodded, "I am sure, I will not take any of the silver, it will all go to the strong men. The official from Kaifeng Prefecture will supervise me. If I secretly take even a penny, punish me immediately for the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Having said this, he guaranteed he would do it; furthermore, what use could mortal silver have?
At most, it could be used to have a few more meals, and could the mortal world, even at its most prosperous, compare to Chen Nuo’s Chaos Residence?
In Tian Peng’s mind, nothing could compare to the food prepared by Chen Nuo.
The emperor found the young man’s earnest promises very interesting, and then glanced at the official from Kaifeng Prefecture with a meaningful look in his eyes.
It meant that he should watch this young man closely, and if he really did not take a single penny, then the emperor would surely cultivate him well. Without desire for fame or wealth, how many people in this world could there be like that?
Seeing the emperor’s admiration for Tian Peng, the official from Kaifeng Prefecture immediately thought of this year’s autumn military exam and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I also have a matter to report to you."
The eunuch was genuinely displeased now. How could these people from insignificant places always lack proper manners?
It was not just a matter of lacking manners; they also seemed to say things out of turn. This wasn’t just anybody; this was the emperor. Did they think they were speaking to a family elder? They couldn’t even articulate their thoughts clearly in one go.
The emperor was also somewhat displeased with the way these two spoke to him, but as an emperor, he would not express his dissatisfaction immediately.
One was a governor and the other a common citizen, neither were imperial appointees. Even if they were somewhat unruly, he could still tolerate them to an extent.
"What is the matter?"
"This young man said, after the matters of Huang’an Town are resolved, he wishes to participate in this year’s autumn military exam, so he may serve the Great Tang. I would like to endorse him to you," the official reported.
The emperor was surprised but still quite pleased inside.
Indeed, this young man was a talent seldom seen, responsible, and not greedy for money. It would indeed be good if he truly came to join the army and serve the country.
There are several ways to become a military general. The most common is to enlist in the army and rise through the ranks by accumulating military achievements and being promoted.
Another less common way is to take the military exam, which requires an official’s endorsement,
Usually, the ones who take the military exam are children of official families, seeking a bit of fame and a minor official position.
These people are mostly destined to inherit noble titles, and moreover, candidates for the military exam undergo special training and unless they are offspring of official families, ordinary people simply cannot participate.
Of course, the official from Kaifeng Prefecture had considered this too, but he saw that Tian Peng truly did not seem like an ordinary person.
His facial features, physique, and aura were all extraordinary; perhaps even without my recommendation, he would certainly find a good path for himself in the future.
But I still wanted to be his Bole, and Tian Peng was clearly a Thousand-Mile Horse at first glance.
The Emperor originally thought that the official from Kaifeng Prefecture was asking for some sort of authority, but was surprised to find that he was there to request a nomination quota for the military examination. Seeing that the youth was also talented, he naturally would not refuse.
"Since you have asked, I cannot refuse. Very well, once this matter is resolved and you return to report, I permit you to participate," the Emperor said.
The official from Kaifeng Prefecture looked at Tian Peng happily and then knelt down respectfully, "Thank Your Majesty. Your humble servant will surely complete the task you’ve entrusted to me as quickly as possible."
Tian Peng also knelt down, his thanks to the Emperor brief and to the point.
That night, the official from Kaifeng Prefecture and Tian Peng found an inn to stay in. The next morning, with the imperial edict in hand, the official went to the Ministry of War to lead troops, and with a group of soldiers, he headed straight for Huang’an Town.
Since they brought a large number of soldiers, the journey was much faster. All were skilled riders; indeed, traveling without carriages proved to be much swifter.
In just half a month, they had already arrived at Huang’an Town.
Though Tian Peng had lived in Huang’an Town for quite some time, he was not at all familiar with the place and felt no sense of belonging. However, he remembered that his first task was to deal with the County Magistrate.
It had been one or two months since he had left Huang’an Town, and, to his surprise, in just this short period, the crops in the fields had already begun to grow.
It was not just the crops that had grown, but also wild grass near the river and in the vicinity, unlike the cracked, drought-stricken earth of the past.
The official from Kaifeng Prefecture naturally observed the scenery as well, noting the robust growth of the crops and the well-defined division in the fields, where many farmers were busily watering their land.
If it weren’t for the young man letting him know in advance that this place used to be impoverished, so much so that people had starved to death, he would not have believed it.
"It seems that mending the irrigation channels really was useful," said Tian Peng. "If the channels hadn’t been repaired, the situation you see now would not be the case."
The official from Kaifeng Prefecture naturally believed what he said and nodded along with Tian Peng’s words, "Indeed, had it not been for your work on the irrigation channels, I would not have witnessed this scene."
Tian Peng led the Kaifeng official into the village. They were still on the outskirts; the deeper they went, the more obvious the full view of the village became.
The place had transformed into an idyllic paradise, with even the passing villagers wearing smiles on their faces.
In a trance, the official from Kaifeng started to doubt the truth of Tian Peng’s words. Had this place really been in dire straits just a few months ago?
As they walked further into the village, the official from Kaifeng’s attention was drawn to the river, planted on both sides with two rows of trees that were clearly cultivated by humans.
Not just the trees, but the banks of the river were covered in green grass.
Unlike the turbulent and muddy waters of the Yellow River, the water in this canal was crystal clear, and a closer look even revealed moss.
"This canal is?"
"This is the channel we repaired," Tian Peng explained.
Having traveled from Huang’an Town to Chang’an, he knew what the official-funded channels looked like; they were completely different from his. His method was the simplest one he could think of; after all, as a Military General, he was only used to leading troops, and channel repair was really not his forte. He could only draw a gourd according to a model and barely managed to get the job done.
