The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 335

Xu Tian immediately closed his folding fan. Today he was dressed in a white scholar's robe, and without any official airs, he looked like a refined young gentleman in a turbid world, completely unaware of worldly affairs.

"Yesterday I received news that Magistrate Chen is colluding with the Western Turks in an attempt to split the Hexi Corridor. Is it true that Xuzhou and Jingzhou are involved?"

The magistrate immediately wanted to kowtow, but how could he bear such a serious crime? Conspiring with the Turks was treason, which would result in the execution of nine generations of his family.

"I have been here for ten years, enduring the wind and sand, and now I long to return to Chang'an so that one day I may serve the Emperor and the court."

"I have never served my country on the frontier, nor have I ever dared to collude with foreign tribes to betray my country. If there is even the slightest falsehood in what I have said, may I die instantly!"

Xu Tian immediately calmed down.

"The magistrate's words are far too serious. I was just asking casually. I didn't expect you to take it so seriously."

The magistrate's lips twitched, and he saw Dongfang Tingyun and Qin Xian secretly laughing to themselves.

Sure enough, Xu Tian said, "Since you are so loyal to the emperor and love your country, then this rumor must be false."

The magistrate immediately nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice. Xu Tian turned his head and said, "He's here to cultivate talent and open a chain of academies!"

“Give me a detailed account of how many schools there are in this village and the educational resources available.”

Magistrate Chen sighed and then said, "Master Xu's righteousness is admirable. I have served here for a long time, but I have never seen anyone who could give up such great wealth and honor to come to Xijian to serve the country."

As he spoke, the magistrate actually wiped away a tear, which made Xu Tian a little embarrassed. This whole thing left Xu Tian somewhat bewildered, and his face flushed with embarrassment at being praised.

"There is only one school near Xijian, and there is indeed a village called Xijian. There is only one teacher in the village who came here three years ago to teach voluntarily."

Originally, Xijian Village had several teachers, but conditions were harsh. Furthermore, the tuition fees paid to students were too meager, so these teachers left to find work elsewhere. Therefore, this was the only school in the entire Pamir Mountains.

Xu Tian was somewhat curious.

"Why is the teacher here able to overcome the harsh conditions, and why doesn't he leave?"

A glint flashed in Magistrate Chen's eyes, followed by a look of respect for the scholar on his face.

"Master probably doesn't know that Mr. Shu stayed here voluntarily, saying he wanted to cultivate talents for the Tang Dynasty."

Xu Tian nodded. He was indeed a gentleman, a peerless patriot who served the country and was a model for all scholars.

When he left Chang'an, Li Er gave him two million taels of silver notes, which he could not cash now. Although this was only a small portion of the imperial funds, the rest should have been directly allocated to the local county magistrate.

Xu Tian immediately said, "You must already know about the Western Construction Locksmith Chain Bookstore. The Emperor will allocate more silver from the supplementary fund later. How much silver is in the treasury of the Congling County government now?"

As Xu Tian was speaking, he waited for a reply, but the magistrate looked flustered, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. After struggling for a long time, he could only stammer and give a vague answer.

Xu Tian's eyes darted around for a moment, then he flew into a rage.

"How dare you embezzle a portion of the silver allocated by the imperial court? Do you know what this silver is for?"

"This place is impoverished, and you actually intend to embezzle the funds meant for establishing a school? Aren't you afraid the Emperor will punish your entire family? I will report this to the Emperor immediately, and you can expect to be beheaded."

"It wasn't that I embezzled the funds allocated by the Emperor; rather, the money never even reached the western Pamir Mountains."

What you may not know is that the silver that was escorted by officials all the way from the Hexi Corridor to the Silk Road often amounted to less than a tenth of what it was when it reached my jurisdiction.