The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 377

A voice suddenly sounded behind Duan Hong.

"Oh, I heard someone was looking for me?"

Duan Hong turned his head and saw a man wearing a blue cloth shirt.

"So this is Master Xu. I was wrong to speak out earlier."

He then knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Xu Tian was taken aback for a moment, then turned to Master Liu and talked about the Yuezhi children coming to class.

Xu Tian walked over and said, "Old Qin, this student lives too far from the school. Why don't you go and pick him up? Hitch over a few horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts. Although the Yuezhi children grow up on horseback, there are also girls. If they ride in oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages, it will be easier to manage them."

Qin nodded and then left without even glancing at Duan Hong out of the corner of his eye.

Xu Tian was indeed somewhat excited.

Good heavens, they even have school buses now! Students will have school buses to pick them up and drop them off at school, which is so convenient.

However, these oxcarts and sheepcarts offered no protection against the cold. He would have the Persian technicians make a few more roofs and mass-produce school buses.

He wasn't in any danger while working at the county government office, so Qin Xian was put in charge of the school bus to temporarily transport the children.

Duan Hong hadn't expected to be forgotten, and seeing Xu Tian trying to leave, he immediately chased after him.

"Now that I see Master Xu leading by example and teaching in such a difficult place, I am truly impressed. I am a rough and uncultured man with no formal education, and I especially admire scholars."

Duan Hong changed the subject, noticing that Xu Tian didn't react.

"I wonder if it would be possible to send some of the children in the family to Master Xu's academy. My father admires Master Xu's character and has always wanted to send me to the border to join the army. Firstly, to express his gratitude for Master Xu's hard work in educating people for the country, and secondly, to admire Master Xu's integrity as a scholar, who can be described as a peerless national hero."

Xu Tian had been teaching in the Congling Mountains these days, and being at the grassroots level, he had become too lazy to care about the infighting in the imperial court. When he heard that someone was so eager for knowledge, he immediately nodded and said a few words to Duan Hong.

Unexpectedly, Duan Hong put his arm around Xu Tian's shoulder.

“I know that in Master Xu’s heart there is no distinction between high and low, noble and lowly, and all people are born equal. The academy that Master Xu has established this time benefits the country and the people, and its merits will be praised by future generations. If there is anything I am lacking, I would like to ask Master Xu for more advice.”

Seeing that he had said enough, Xu Tian suddenly remembered something, stopped, and said, "What did you just say you wanted me to settle?"

Duan Hong suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now, the Emperor allocated one million taels of silver and asked me to take it to the border to support Master Xu in opening the Hongwen Academy there."

The silver has arrived, but General Qin is only a minor officer; if something happens to him, he'll be in deep trouble. I urge Your Highness to personally handle this matter.”

Damn it, as the saying goes, "Those who offer unsolicited kindness are either up to no good or are thieves."

Just by looking at the general's face, he knew that this man was a shrewd and cunning person. His previous words did indeed have a hint of flattery, but he believed that there should be no problem with this job. He immediately went into the storeroom and tapped a box.

Each box contained 50,000 taels of silver, and there were a total of twenty boxes. Seeing that the boxes all matched, Xu Tian felt relieved.

Duan Hong said from the side, "Your Highness, these boxes contain a total of one million taels of silver."

Xu Tian remained calm and composed, then lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "No need. Since the box is intact, the silver will certainly not be missing either. I trust General Duan."

Upon hearing these words, Duan Hong beamed with joy and then threw his head back and burst into laughter.