Chapter 59: Wende Hall
In Wende Hall, Chen Xiyi was flipping through an ancient book. Thanks to the built-in language pack of the home world game, he was still able to understand the various books in Wende Hall.
However, there was a small issue: punctuation.
He wasn’t trained in reading, so while he recognized the characters, he struggled with the punctuation. He could understand the words, but linking them together was somewhat laborious.
If punctuation was not placed correctly, the meaning would become strange.
The diary of that true disciple of the Mountain River Sect he read earlier was different; the writer’s casual way of diary-keeping leaned towards colloquial language, making it more accessible.
In the Great Li Kingdom, however, colloquial writings were not allowed in the palace; classical literature contained cumbersome literary language.
It wasn’t that Chen Xiyi was bored and just browsing the palace’s collection; he felt that the royal library was extremely rich, and it would be beneficial to read more.
For instance, the book he was currently reading was a travelogue by a sage. It was readable, but the heavy philosophical concepts presented throughout made his head ache.
What he needed wasn’t grand theories; he already understood the principles well enough.
Chen Xiyi was looking for records related to the sects before the end of magic, not those principles of ruling a country or being a good person; those principles were of no use to him.
Theories are good, but like chicken soup, they need to be suitable for the audience.
It would be like trying to reason with red-named NPCs or red-named monsters; he didn’t need to use alloy firearms to deal with those red-named figures. The fact that he had restrained himself from going up to them to talk was already quite commendable.
After casually browsing through the travelogue, he found that nine and a half pages out of ten were filled with expressions of scenery, with the remaining half page describing the landscape and local features.
He flipped through several more books and found that they were basically all of the same style, which made Chen Xiyi feel somewhat distressed.
There were no serious travelogues to speak of; any serious travel writings might not even be allowed in.
These kinds of travelogues, even if not written in colloquial language, would be relegated to miscellaneous books due to their nature.
In the Great Li Kingdom, there was a prevailing attitude that all forms of education were lowly and that only pursuing knowledge through study mattered. Although it hadn’t reached the point of stressing scholarly pursuits over martial ones, the inherent sense of superiority among scholars was starting to become apparent.
“If travelogues have this kind of virtue, what about those serious articles?” Chen Xiyi thought it was quite unbelievable that they could fill an entire palace.
It was also true that he didn’t study, so naturally, he had no interest in these grand theories.
If someone told him that managing a large country was like cooking a small fish, he would probably start dozing off. But if someone talked to him about gossip or comedic dialogue, he could not only listen with interest but also enjoy some sunflower seeds and tea.
After spending most of the day checking a large amount of books in Wende Hall, he found that they were mostly the same type discussing grand theories.
“Are there any other texts, such as medical books, travelogues, theories of Yin and Yang, or Feng Shui and landforms?” Chen Xiyi helplessly placed the book back on the shelf and asked.
The Yellow Gate attendant waiting nearby hurried over: “Reporting to the Immortal, these books are stored in the side hall.”
“Lead the way.” Chen Xiyi immediately replied.
To be honest, he would rather read medical books than these grand theories; they were of no use to him, and talking about them was pointless. After learning, he couldn’t just feed others with empty platitudes.
“Please, this way, Immortal.” As he spoke, the Yellow Gate attendant clapped his hands, and the other attendants began to make arrangements up front.
This feeling was quite pleasant; at least Chen Xiyi didn’t have to deal with those trivialities.
Event.
“Lü Xian’s ascension to the position of Empress is quite a clever move. With a strategist like Lü Xian, Wang Li will find things much easier. Gathering the things I need should also be more efficient.”
As Chen Xiyi walked along the road, he kept pondering this matter in his mind.
Of course, he couldn’t rely solely on himself to search slowly. With the existence of the Great Li Dynasty, he might as well make use of it.
This way, the efficiency could be greatly enhanced.
This is not just a simple operation; it involves coordination among various departments, running at very high efficiency.
Moreover, since everyone in the court wants to curry favor with Chen Xiyi, the Immortal Fuyao, just showing his face might allow him to impart some immortal techniques, which would be immensely beneficial.
Hence, the usually discordant court has rarely come together harmoniously over a single matter. Although there are still verbal disputes and hidden struggles, at least they are striving towards a common goal.
Chen Xiyi followed the Yellow Gate attendant into the side hall of the Wende Hall.
Although this side hall is also clean and tidy, it is still quite inferior compared to the main hall, which stores the profound classics of the sages.
For instance, the books here aren’t displayed on shelves; instead, they are piled in boxes and loosely categorized. If he wanted a specific book, he would still have to search for it himself.
Unlike in the main hall, which not only has a more detailed classification but also features name, time, author, and a series of other information labeled on each book’s cabinet.
“How many books are stored in the side hall?” Chen Xiyi asked.
“There are a total of one thousand three hundred seventy-two volumes,” replied the Yellow Gate attendant hurriedly.
Chen Xiyi frowned, “So few?”
To say nothing of the main hall, which probably has around one hundred thousand books, the mere one thousand three hundred volumes in the side hall seemed quite absurd in comparison. Even though the number may look impressive, the actual word count isn’t much; some volumes might only have around a thousand words, resembling more of a short piece than a full volume.
“Immortal, these miscellaneous books are not allowed in the Wende Hall. Therefore, after numerous cuts and revisions, plus the fact that such miscellaneous books are already rare, there remain one thousand three hundred seventy-two volumes,” the Yellow Gate attendant responded cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiyi felt that even retaining one thousand three hundred seventy-two volumes was due to having this side hall; otherwise, they might all have been discarded.
“Hmm, I understand.” After simply responding, Chen Xiyi picked up a book and started flipping through it.
How to put it? It was much more interesting than the grand truths outside.
Seeing this, the attendants didn’t dare to say much and stood by in silence.
Wang Li was reviewing memorials at his desk, periodically listening to reports from his close attendants. Suddenly, he set his brush aside, rubbed his temples, and thought to himself, ‘This Emperor role is indeed difficult.’
He then asked, “Is there any progress on the items needed by the Immortal?”
“The Hanlin Academy is already sorting through them. It shouldn’t take long to compile them into a catalog,” a nearby attendant quickly replied.
“What about the collection from the people?”
“It has been announced to the public and sent to various places, but it will take some time to receive news.”
Through their question and answer, they clarified the situation simply.
“Make it quick. Also, for the soil, stone, gold, and silver, have the officials from the six ministries respond promptly,” Wang Li advised while holding his forehead.
He consumes these spiritual nourishment items daily, and since he occasionally rewards them, the stock is actually not substantial. A careless mistake could deplete it all.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The attendant had no other options. All he could do was urge the officials from the six ministries to expedite their actions. What else could he do?
(End of Chapter)
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