The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 1229

"Halt! Who are you people? How dare you leave the palace in the middle of the night? Don't you want to die?" At midnight, at the Xuanwu Gate, the soldiers of King Yinglan were on a tight patrol. They spotted a carriage in the distance and stopped it.

Upon hearing this, the doctor's hands clenched involuntarily. Xu Tian gave him a reassuring look, pulled back the carriage curtain, and said coldly, "Do you see who I am? Who's the one who's risking their life, me or you?"

"This humble servant was blind and had no intention of offending Lord Gao. Please forgive me, sir," the guard said immediately upon seeing Xu Tian's face.

Xu Tian nodded and was about to tell the coachman to drive the carriage when he was stopped by the guards.

"Lord Gao, King Yinglan has ordered that everyone leaving the palace late at night must be checked. I apologize for the intrusion!"

"I won't make things difficult for you. I only have one servant." Xu Tian opened the carriage curtain, letting the guards outside take a look.

Xu Tian stared intently at the guard, who only dared to glance at him, not daring to actually see who was inside.

After this little incident, Xu Tian successfully brought the divine doctor out of the palace.

"Divine Doctor, this guard will protect you. If you need anything, just let me know." Xu Tian assigned a personal guard to protect the Divine Doctor.

The doctor nodded to Xu Tian and then quietly left under the cover of night.

Back at his residence, Xu Tian reflected on the day's events, Shen Qing's behavior still vivid in his mind.

Although Shen Qing and I didn't have much of a relationship normally, the fact that he dared to stand by my side despite such great pressure at this critical moment proves that Shen Qing cares about the people of the world.

"Someone, go and call Lord Shen Qing over for a chat," Xu Tian instructed after a moment's thought.

As if he had anticipated this, Shen Qing appeared in front of Xu Tian in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"My lord!" Upon seeing Xu Tian, ​​Shen Qing knelt down immediately before even speaking.

Xu Tian was slightly taken aback, not expecting Shen Qing to be so direct.

"My lord, everything I have said today comes from the bottom of my heart. From the day I took office, I have always kept the lives of the people in my heart."

“My mother warned me that an official must never lose his conscience. If you don’t even have a conscience, then you don’t deserve to be a human being,” Shen Qing said in a rush, as if afraid that Xu Tian wouldn’t believe her.

Xu Tian almost laughed at Shen Qing's words, and helped him up, saying, "I believe what you say, otherwise I wouldn't have entrusted such an important matter to you."

"My lord, a thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend. Since I entered officialdom, many people have thought that I am the second-ranked scholar and will surely have a bright future. They have all extended olive branches to me, wanting me to join their camp."

Shen Qing seemed to want to recount all the unfair treatment she had suffered over the years.

Xu Tian simply brewed tea quietly, knowing that Shen Qing needed a quiet listener right now.

"When they can't get what they want, they try to trip me up. I've been accused of many crimes for no reason, and my rank has been reduced from the third to the fifth."