But once the Emperor had spoken, unless he recanted himself, even if unwilling, one would simply have to bite the bullet and go—unless one preferred not to be an official and go back to being a farmer.
Tian Peng considered it in his heart and thought he could be anywhere.
However, he must secure an official position; otherwise, arriving with empty hands would mean that his lengthy stay in Chang'an had been in vain.
"Since it is the Holy Sovereign's suggestion, I cannot well decline. Whether it's the frontier or Chang'an, to me, it is all the land of the Great Tang, and I am willing to go to the frontier," said Tian Peng, choosing his words to induce guilt in the Emperor.
The Emperor had thought he would have to use a mixture of soft and hard tactics to get the other to go.
To his surprise, as soon as he mentioned it, the other was willing, which suddenly made him feel a great deal of guilt.