The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 235

Cheng Chuliang rolled his eyes and said, "However, if Brother Xu goes to my father to plead on my behalf, this matter might be resolved smoothly and with twice the result for half the effort."

Xu Tian cursed inwardly, "Who do you think I am? I am the Duke of Lu, a man of great stature."

"Don't be fooled by my dad. He looks respectable most of the time, but that's all a lie. When he gets home, he grinds his teeth and snores. He even lost at cards yesterday."

"Brother Chen Xu, have you encountered any difficulties these past few days? I've noticed your life palace is dim and your brow is dark these past few days."

Xu Tian immediately kicked him hard: "Get out of here! How can you tell someone's fortune like that?"

Cheng Chuliang immediately patted his firm chest and said, "Don't worry, leave this to me."

As he spoke, Cheng Chuliang walked out of the Xu residence, looking very furtive, which made Xu Tian chuckle.

Cheng Chuliang waited for two days and sure enough, he saw the coachman who had gone to sue Xu Tian before. He casually went over and grabbed him from in front of the stall.

"That's not right, Xu Tian lost five taels of silver, right? How come you're now eating and drinking like a madman and going to the gambling den? Well, I have a grudge against Xu Tian too. He hit me a few days ago."

I figured I had a bit more money on me, and since he's a rich man, I could try to extort some from him.

Upon hearing this, the man burst out laughing: "Brother, we're truly kindred spirits. To tell you the truth, someone asked me to do this, and they promised me ten taels of gold after it's done. That's a full ten taels! I told you you'd never come across such a good deal."

Cheng Chuliang inherited his father's personality; he loved to stand up for the weak and hated intrigue and backstabbing. He immediately gave a cold laugh.

"That's not necessarily true. It's just that Moxuan Academy is giving you a two-day head start so they can recruit enough students. If I help Moxuan Academy delay for a couple of days, they'll give me double the money when the enrollment period finally starts."

The coachman's eyes lit up immediately, and he said, "Why should I! I started this business. If you want money, go do business elsewhere. Moxuan Academy made me cause trouble for Xu Tian first."

He then started arguing with Cheng Liang. Cheng Liang sneered and picked up Yang Er like a chick, bringing him in front of Xu Tian.

"Say what you just said to me again."

"My lord, I really dare not. This matter was entrusted to me by Wei Quan, a member of the Wei clan and the dean of Moxuan Academy. I dare not refuse, I really dare not." Cheng Chuliang kicked him away.

“Look at him, he’s still thinking about that money. If I hadn’t tricked him, he would never have revealed Wei Quan’s name.”

"It's just about finding a few students, why make such a fuss?"

Cheng Chuliang's eyes widened, and then he said, "I thought I was naive enough, but I didn't expect there to be someone in the court who is even more naive than me."

He patted the chair next to him and sat down.

Cheng Chuliang sighed and said, "Brother Wei, you are too naive. Perhaps you don't know, but you are now a favorite of the Emperor. So many people want to curry favor with you. However, there is a similar saying: for every person who wants to curry favor with you, there is just as many people who want to kill you."