The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 230

Qin Qiong stood outside the hall, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was his oversight; although Grand Tutor Xu held a military post, he was ultimately a scholar, and this ordeal nearly caused him to collapse.

It seems I need to find a time to apologize. As he said this, Xu Tian was seen being carried by two eunuchs and quickly walked out of the Vermilion Bird Gate and out of the palace.

As Xu Tian left the palace, the wind and snow woke him up completely. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and chuckled, "Hehe, I own a house now!"

The two eunuchs didn't understand what Lord Xu was laughing about. They sent the person to the Xu residence, considered their mission done, and then went back to the palace.

The housekeeper, seeing that it was the new owner, quickly helped him up: "Why did you come so early? This house hasn't been cleaned yet, and even if it were, it wouldn't be renovated. It's been in disrepair for years, and a tile could fall off anytime."

Xu Tian glanced at him, then cleared his throat and headed into the mansion.

"That's something I need to explain to you in detail."

"Yes." The butler followed Xu Tian into the living room and saw Xu Tian plop down in a guest chair.

How do you plan to decorate?

"First, spend 100,000 taels of silver to renovate this mansion inside and out. Finally, spend another 100,000 taels of silver to buy some decent furniture, and then you can move in."

In a few days, a grand banquet will be held to celebrate the Grand Tutor's housewarming. All officials will be invited to the mansion for the feast, which is estimated to cost 100,000 taels of silver.

Xu Tian felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "I have never been fond of associating with court officials. Please keep the housewarming celebration in three days as simple as possible, and besides, you've spent far too much money."

Ten thousand taels of silver is enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime; how could I, the Grand Tutor, be so extravagant?

The butler stared at Xu Tian with an adoring look, which warmed Xu Tian's heart and boosted his confidence. He then cleared his throat and continued, "I'm asking you, was the money for buying this furniture allocated from the Imperial Household Department?"

The steward was initially surprised, then nodded emphatically. Xu Tian earnestly advised him, saying, "Steward, don't you know that the Tang Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles? The Emperor has just quelled the rebellion of the Li Yuanji brothers, and the internal affairs are unstable. In addition, the national treasury is empty due to years of heavy snow. How can it be appropriate for me to spend so much money on furniture?"

The steward was thinking that his master was indeed selfless and devoted to the country and its people, worthy of being the emperor's favorite. He was wholeheartedly devoted to the country and its people, but since this commoner's mansion was in such a dilapidated state, it would be right to add some furniture.

Otherwise, if you keep using the old furniture, who knows when the cabinet door will fall off, or the wooden planks of the antique shelf will brittle and fall down, hitting someone.

Seeing Xu Tian's impartial and selfless expression, the butler swallowed the words that were about to come out, thinking to himself that he was indeed not the kind of person to be an official, that he only cared about money, unlike his master who cared about the world.

"Master, please sit down. I'll go to the manor to see if there's anything else that needs arranging."