The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 333

Upon seeing Xu Tian, ​​the county magistrate immediately knelt on the ground and said, "This humble official was unaware of the Grand Tutor's arrival and has truly failed to greet you properly."

The magistrate looked at his advisor beside him as he spoke.

The advisor immediately replied, "How should I address Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy?"

Xu Tian nodded inwardly, thinking to himself, "As expected of the county magistrate, he is quick-witted and knows how to conduct himself."

"Then address me as Master Xu, for this imperial envoy is here to cultivate talent for the west."

Magistrate Chen and his advisor Liang exchanged a glance, their faces filled with emotion. Then they said, "I still have official business to attend to. Please take Master Xu to the inn. It's getting late, so please let all of you get some rest."

Master Liang nodded with a bitter expression, and then led Xu Tian and the others to a remote place in the north.

Master Liang pointed to a few simple houses in front of him.

"You may stay here."

Jin Yang was furious when he saw that the doors and windows were still missing.

This is even more rudimentary than the latrines in the palace.

"How dare you allow this princess to stay here!"

The county magistrate was unaware that Xu Tian had brought [something] with him when he came to the west.

The princess was somewhat incredulous.

Dongfang Tingyun sneered from the side, and then saw Qin Xian step forward.

Qin Xian was dressed in plain clothes, but he had been in the military for many years, had been on the battlefield, and had killed people.

His eyes were piercing and filled with a murderous chill, which made Liang Shiye shiver.

Qin Xian coldly rebuked, "We are an imperial envoy delegation sent to the west to cultivate talent. The princess is with us, yet you are so disrespectful as to make us stay in such a dilapidated inn."

Dongfang Tingyun chimed in, "This inn doesn't even have a manager, just a waiter. How can they possibly manage such a large inn?"

Indeed, this inn is large and dilapidated, with three floors. Obviously, three-story inns are rare in the west.

"Master Xu, please forgive us. Please convey our message to the princess. Our county is poor and not as prosperous as places like Jiangnan. We have no money to build an inn."

Xu Tian then said with a smile, "Since there's nothing wrong with staying here, let's send Master Liang back first."

Qin Xian glared fiercely at Liang Shiye, who then ran away.

That evening, after everyone had delivered Ke's luggage to their rooms, they went downstairs to have dinner.

The innkeeper had been found somewhere, clearly someone hastily brought in. He was constantly fiddling with an abacus at the counter, seemingly calculating something.

Then I saw a waiter come over and put the braised eight-treasure pickled vegetables on the table.

"Eat up." He took another plate of steamed buns from the kitchen and placed it on the table.

Jin Yang immediately slammed his fist on the table.

"How am I supposed to eat this? This plate is all black, what is this stuff? There isn't even a single stir-fried dish! I've never lived like this before! Summon your manager!"

The waiter immediately turned to the shopkeeper with a pleading look.

To my surprise, the shopkeeper remained very calm.

“These years have been years of famine. The Western Turks to the north experienced a blizzard, and many cattle and sheep froze to death. They have no food now and have started eating people! The Gaochang Kingdom to the east and the nomadic peoples to the south have also started slaughtering sheep and cattle.”

Qin Xian had been a warrior before, and he knew that these cattle and sheep were the lifeblood of these herders.