The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 337

Xu Tian was lying in the room, and in front of him was a huge grill.

The Pamir Mountains are close to the Turkic region, so it is very convenient to eat beef and mutton. In addition, with snow falling all around, beef and mutton can also ward off the cold.

Just then, a little girl dressed in Hu clothing walked in.

"Master Xu, there's something I haven't told you yet." Seeing the girl's shy expression, Xu Tian sat up and handed her a skewer of roasted lamb.

"Princess, please speak your mind."

Jin Yang looked shy and embarrassed.

“When I was young, I fell in love with someone who not only solved the problems of food, clothing, shelter and transportation for the people in the frontier, but also founded the Hongwen Academy... Anyway, I will be betrothed to someone in the future, so why don't you agree to marry me, Master Xu?”

"Pfft..." Hearing the princess bring up the issue of marriage, Xu Tian was startled. He was about to drink his tea when he was burned in the mouth by the hot tea.

"Your Highness's words have terrified me. Is everything you've said true?"

Jin Yang immediately patted herself, revealing her very flat chest, and said, "What this princess says is of course true."

Xu Tian bowed respectfully.

"Even if I were granted the title of Prince, I would only be a prince from a different clan. My status is too low to be matched with a princess."

Seeing Jin Yang's serious expression, Xu Tian asked from the side, "What exactly does the princess like about me?"

Xu Tian suddenly remembered a modern saying: "What do you like about me? I'll change it, okay?" Besides, this little girl in front of him was still young, not even up to his chest. How could he possibly marry her?

"I grew up listening to Master Xu's stories from a very young age, and every action he has taken over the years has benefited the country and its people. In my heart, he is..."

What is it? Xu Tian imagined it all. He was a hero, but that was too ordinary in modern times.

Xu Tian stared at Princess Jinyang with a somewhat helpless expression.

The princess blurted it out.

"Master Xu is the most interesting person I've ever met. If you agree to marry me, I'll return to the palace and immediately inform my mother so that she can bestow me upon Master Xu. Then you can play with me every day."

Xu Tian said with some helplessness, "Marriage is not a game! Does the princess really find me amusing?"

Jin Yang immediately nodded, staring at Xu Tian with adoration. Xu Tian then knew that the princess's feelings for him were merely ordinary, one-sided affection. It was simply the weak's admiration for the strong, and a little sister's fondness for her older brother.

Xu Tian sat down and then said seriously, "I cannot marry the princess."

Unexpectedly, Princess Jinyang's expression changed, her face filled with sorrow, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.

"What is it about me that you would look down on me, the princess?"

After saying that, he ran out.

Xu Tian couldn't help but sigh. A little while later, when it was time for lunch, Qin Xian had already brought over the vegetables and meat in a basket.

Dongfang Tingyun also came over.

"Huh? Where is Princess Jinyang? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Xu Tian was startled. Had he gone too far with what he had just said?

"Qin, go and see if the four nannies who serve the princess are in the backyard."

At this moment, Magistrate Chen's wife entered. Her husband, now serving as atoning judge, was also present. She was different from before, curtsying as she said, "Just now, I saw Princess Jinyang run out, looking very distressed. Could something have happened to her?" Qin Xian stood up, his fingers gripping his knife tightly. The terrain here was chaotic, a no-man's-land. To the west lay the Turks, and to the east, Goryeo and Gaochang. If the princess fell into the hands of these tribes, they might use her to threaten the Tang Dynasty.

Dongfang Tingyun said from the side, "General Qin, there's no need to worry. How many people among us know the princess's identity this time we've come out?"