The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 245

"I don't believe your cafeteria has so much stuff! You're just talking nonsense, kid!"

Xu Tian immediately said, "Butler, take him to see it."

The butler immediately replied, "Yes."

Turning his head and seeing Dongfang Tingyun's troubled expression, Xu Tian realized that although he was currently teaching and studying at Hongwen Academy, he was also employed at Moxuan Academy!

Xu Tian stood up and said, "Alright, I'll accompany Mr. Ma Liu to take a look, so he can rest assured."

Ma Liu stared at Dongfang Tingyun with a strange expression for a moment, then straightened his back and walked out.

We soon arrived at the student cafeteria, and sure enough, we saw countless food and drinks available, all of which were free.

Before I even got there, I heard the two cooks say, “The hawthorns that His Highness the Crown Prince sent are really good. When I was making candied hawthorns before, I threw the hawthorns into the soup pot and they weren’t damaged at all. They were coated with sugar and pulled up and they were bright red. The color looked just right.”

Ma Liu had never heard of the Crown Prince sending such gifts before, and immediately stammered, "Grand Tutor Xu, these candied hawthorns were sent by the Crown Prince?"

Xu Tian didn't intend to tease him and casually said, "That's right, the Crown Prince sent hawthorn berries. Anyway, I couldn't finish them all, so I had the cook in the manor make them into candied hawthorn skewers. Do you want some?"

The steward smiled and said, "That's right. There was too much rain this year, and there were few hawthorns in the mountains. The governor of the south picked some good ones and sent them to the palace."

The Crown Prince has always loved these foods, regarding them as precious treasures. But remembering that my master hadn't yet tasted these hawthorns, he ordered a box to be packed and sent out by a palace eunuch.

Actually, it was sent by the Crown Prince himself. The steward said it was sent by someone from the palace in order to keep a low profile. The Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, greatly admired his master and came to the Yang residence every day.

I just don't know why the Crown Prince hasn't arrived at this hour.

Unbeknownst to them, the Crown Prince was already standing on the long bridge outside the students' kitchen. A palace servant said, "Your Highness, let's go back first. It seems that Grand Tutor Xu has some family matters to attend to."

The Crown Prince was only seven or eight years old at the time, with a chubby face. Dressed in a brocade robe, he looked very spirited. He pointed at Ma Liu and said, "He's obviously here to cause trouble. Only Grand Tutor Xu has such a good temper. If it were me, he would have dragged him away and torn him to pieces long ago if he dared to slander me like this."

The palace servants around the crown prince shivered. Despite his young age, the crown prince exuded an imposing aura of authority.

The Crown Prince always keeps his word. Once upon a time, a palace maid took advantage of the Crown Prince's young age and stole valuables from the Eastern Palace. After the Crown Prince discovered this, he thought she would be handed over to the head clerk of the Imperial Prison for processing.

The Crown Prince was not punished. He was instead dragged to the training ground and torn apart by chariots. When the Emperor and Empress heard this, they did not punish him further. They only said that the Crown Prince was fair in rewarding and punishing and acted swiftly and decisively, just like the Emperor Daxing of yesteryear.

The eunuch pleaded, "Your Highness, you know what kind of person Grand Tutor Xu is. He's soft-hearted. If you really punish this person, I'm afraid Grand Tutor Xu will never allow you to come here again."

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes, then they regained their childlike clarity.

“You’re right. I can’t kill people at will, otherwise people will think I’m aloof and arrogant, which wouldn’t be good.”

The palace servant was somewhat helpless and didn't know what to say. Just then, Li Chengqian rushed into the student cafeteria and said, "Grand Tutor Xu, I'm here."

Xu Tian was at his wit's end, thinking to himself that he didn't know how to deal with this situation. The Crown Prince had come again, so he immediately turned around and knelt down.