Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 18 Sikushu

"Brother Han Xian,"

After learning about Han Jin's family background, Lu Shang bowed to the handsome Korean man.

As a descendant of Han Tuidang, the famous general of the Western Han Dynasty and Marquis of Gonggao, and with his father and grandfather both being important officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty, this Jinxiulang's background was indeed extraordinary.

Compared to his ancestors who were famous generals, the most eye-catching thing is Han Jin's great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, who were important officials of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although Han Jin's ancestor Han Tuidang was a prince of the Kingdom of Han and a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, it had been more than 500 years since the Western Han Dynasty, and even if his legacy was great, it would be difficult to pass it on to future generations.

The Northern Wei Dynasty was only fifty years old, but the influence of Han Qi and Han Mao, father and son, is still there, as are their old friends, subordinates and their families. This force should not be underestimated.

It should be noted that the Northern Sui dynasty succeeded the Northern Zhou dynasty, which in turn descended from the Western Wei dynasty, which itself split from the Northern Wei dynasty. Therefore, as long as the powerful and influential members of the Northern Wei dynasty were not caught up in political struggles and their clans were exterminated, their descendants would also be nobles in the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Northern Sui dynasties.

Just like Yang Jian, Yang Jian's great-grandfather Yang Lie served in the Northern Wei Dynasty and was promoted to General Longxiang and Governor of Taiyuan County. His grandfather Yang Zhen was General Zhuguo and Duke of Xingcheng County in the Northern Wei Dynasty. His father Yang Zhong served in the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties and was promoted to Zhuguo and Grand Marshal, and was granted the title of Duke of Suiguo.

These people have a unified name, Guanlong nobles!

Wang Chong turned to introduce Lü Shang to Han Jin, saying, "Jinxiu Lang, this is the newly appointed Secretary Lang, the son of the Duke of Qi, Lü Shang, Lü Feixiong."

Han Jin was startled, and after returning the greeting, he said, "Brother Lu."

Wang Chong instructed Han Jin, "Jinxiu Lang, Lü Shang is new here and still a little unclear about the duties of a secretary. You joined the Secretariat in the second year of Kaihuang, so you already have some experience. You should help him familiarize himself with the Secretariat's affairs!"

"promise,"

Han Jin responded.

Han Jin was handsome from a young age, closely resembling Han Yan during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. His beauty made women jealous, and so the elders jokingly called him Jinxiu Lang, meaning "appearance comparable to brocade." It was also because of his exceptional beauty that he was able to enter the Secretariat at the age of twenty through family connections.

This was the case during the chaotic times of the North and the South. For those with noble family backgrounds and outstanding appearances, the starting point for officialdom was an end point that many poor families could hardly reach.

Speaking of which, Han Yan, described by Sima Qian as "serving the emperor with her beauty and enchanting him with her charm," was also a descendant of Empress Gonggao. He is listed in the "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Favorites," beginning with "The Unfavored Grandson of the Marquis Gonggao." Perhaps Han Jin inherited some of Han Yan's beauty, which is why he captivated people.

After taking over the task assigned by Wang Chong, Han Jin first took Lu Shang on a tour of the A, B, and C library offices, allowing Lu Shang, the new secretary, to show himself in front of the officials in each office, and then took Lu Shang to the D library.

The Ding Library was one of the four libraries of the Secretariat, each of which was in charge of one library. Although the Secretariat was in charge of the national library, the vast number of books in the world were accumulated through the collection of dynasties, and the Secretariat's collection could be described as a vast sea of ​​books and ink.

The head of the Secretariat during the Northern Wei Dynasty classified the national collection of books into different categories and established four libraries. Library A included Confucian classics and unique manuscripts with annotations by famous scholars from various dynasties; Library B included works of various schools of thought, military books, Taoist scriptures, and theories of divination from past dynasties.

The Bing Library contained the Records of the Grand Historian, the Old Events, the Imperial Reading Book, and the Miscellaneous History, while the Ding Library contained poetry and prose from various regions, pictorial praises, and the Jizhong Book. Thus, the Four Treasures, each with its own responsibilities and division of labor, organized the national collection into categories and catalogs, a custom that has been passed down to this day.

Lu Shang's heart was pounding as he listened to Han Jin introduce the various functions of the Four Treasuries. Especially when he heard that the B Treasure included the works of various philosophers, military books, Taoist scriptures, and numerology from past dynasties, his eyes immediately changed when he looked at Han Jin, with a fiery look.

After all, Han Jin was the secretary in charge of the Yi Library. If one could befriend Han Jin and borrow his help, it would save a lot of effort in the future, whether borrowing books from the Yi Library or searching for rare copies of the Daoist Canon. The two of them talked happily as they walked, and soon arrived in front of the Dingzi Library.

The various library vaults within the Secretariat were spacious and well-appointed, guarded by guards and heavily guarded. Their doors were heavy, decorated with bronze and inscribed with cloud and dragon designs, and could not be opened without the presence of a Secretary in person.

After Lu Shang showed his seal to prove his identity, he ordered the guard on duty to push open the heavy warehouse door.

Seeing that several guards were struggling to push the library door, Lu Shang nodded secretly. It seemed that the library door must weigh at least a thousand pounds and could not be moved without a strong man.

"Brother Han, please,"

The door to the warehouse opened, and Lü Shang and Han Jin entered. They saw a long, winding corridor. Portraits of sages from past dynasties, including secretaries from past dynasties, were hung on the walls. In the center, an incense table hung a portrait of Emperor Wenchang, a commemoration of this sage of literature and Taoism.

The emperor in the portrait is dressed in a dignified crown, a royal robe, a scarlet robe, a jade belt, and a golden crown. His face is like a full moon, his beard is flowing, he holds a ruyi in his left hand and a scroll in his right hand, his demeanor is graceful, showing his power and prestige as a scholar and in charge of fame and honor. Two children, the deaf and the mute, stand by his side.

The library was filled with bookshelves, all crafted from sandalwood, a fine-grained wood with a subtle aroma. The shelves were arranged in layers, each one neatly arranged. The bookshelves were wrapped in brocade cloth to protect them from dust and moth. Thirty-six small windows, each with intricately carved lattices, let in sunlight, which fell onto the shelves.

Facing this seemingly endless library, Lu Shang sighed, "It took the combined efforts of a nation and generations to create the Siku collection. These books represent the hard work of countless people; they are truly the nation's literary legacy!"

Han Jin, standing by, bowed solemnly to the image of Emperor Wenchang, then turned and said gently, "Brother Lu, this is the Ding Zi Ku. I've explained its responsibilities along the way. From now on, you only need to follow the established regulations to maintain the normal operation of the Ding Zi Ku."

Lu Shang bowed and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Han."

Han Jin said humbly, "Since we are colleagues, and since it is Lord Wang who has requested this, I will do my best. If Brother Lu has any questions about the D-Zi Library in the future, you can ask me at the B-Zi Library. As long as Han Jin can help, I will never refuse."

Han Jin's words made Lu Shang laugh and say, "Brother Han, you don't know my reputation in Daxing City. If you knew, you wouldn't dare say this. I, Lu Shang, have never known what courtesy means. With what you said, I'm bound to bother you from now on." Han Jin laughed in surprise and said, "What do you mean by bothering me? Brother Lu, you can come to the Yi Character Library to find me anytime. The door of the Yi Character Library is always open for you."

Lu Shang stared at Han Jin with a sharp gaze and said, "Is it a deal?"

"A word is settled!"

------

After seeing Han Jin off, Lu Shang returned to Dingziku again.

"Go, gather all the officials and have them come to the library to discuss this matter."

He pointed at a guard and gave a direct order.

"Yes," the guard on duty responded and trotted towards the office.

Lü Shang didn't wait long. After receiving the guard's instructions, the subordinates hurried to the library. Naturally, none of them dared to disobey the orders of the new superior. They say a new official starts with three major changes; no one wants to experience the pain of getting burned.

Three ninth-rank proofreaders were responsible for proofreading books, one ninth-rank calligrapher was responsible for correcting texts, ten scribes were responsible for recording documents, and ten calligraphers were responsible for transcribing documents. These were all the officials and clerks of the Dingzi Library at that time.

"Greetings, sir," the officials gathered in the library and bowed.

"You all should know who I am. Just now, Lord Han took me to the A, B, and C warehouses and introduced me to the officials in each warehouse. He only didn't take me to the D warehouse. I know what he meant. He wanted me to get acquainted with everyone."

"After all, I'm the chief officer of the Dingzi Depot. It's a bit unreasonable to ask my colleagues to take me to identify my own officers. He's afraid that I'll lose face, so he's saving my face."

Lu Shang sat under the portrait of Emperor Wenchang and spoke casually.

"From now on, please state your names. This officer wants to recognize someone."

The officials looked at each other, and one of them, the most senior, stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant, I am Fu Bin, a ninth-rank proofreader."

"Your humble servant is Fang Yingchang, a ninth-rank proofreader."

"Your humble servant is Tieshan, a ninth-rank proofreader."

"This humble official is from the ninth rank official's house."

Starting with the one with the longest seniority, these officials spoke out one after another, and all twenty-four officials gave their names.

Lu Shang clapped his hands and said, "Okay, now I know everyone."

"However, although I have met you all, I am still not entirely clear about your talents. Would anyone like to come forward and recommend themselves so that I can see their talents?"

The officials were silent. It was hard to say whether it was a blessing or a curse for the superior to let his subordinates demonstrate their talents. It all depended on whether there was anyone who dared to be the first to test the superior's intentions.

Lü Shang smiled at the hesitant officials and said calmly, "Since you are still debating whether to be the Mao Sui, I will ask the question first."

"I heard from Lord Han that our Dingzi Library houses poems, fu, pictorial eulogies, and Jizhong books donated from various places. Could you tell me how many volumes of poems, fu, pictorial eulogies, and Jizhong books we have in our library?"

When talking about the Jizhong Book, Lu Shang looked calm on the surface, but his heart was actually turbulent.

The so-called Jizhong Books are a group of ancient books written on bamboo slips that were discovered by people from Ji County during the Taikang period of the Western Jin Dynasty when they were robbing the tomb of King Xiang of Wei in the Warring States Period. These ancient books are called the "Jizhong Books".

It records the events of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, and also contains the complete "Mu Tianzi Zhuan", which details the words and deeds of the Zhou emperor when he met the Queen Mother of the West.

In his previous life, when Lu Shang was robbing tombs and stealing gold, he had heard of the name of Jizhong Book for a long time.

Legend has it that the Jizhong Book contains the secrets of Western Kunlun, passed down by the Queen Mother of the West to Emperor Mu, and that obtaining them could lead to immortality. Although Lü Shang knew that immortality was impossible in the Dharma Ending Age, he still harbored a glimmer of hope and, seeking the secrets of immortality in the Jizhong Book, he robbed fifteen major Western Zhou tombs.

The last tomb he robbed was said to be the tomb of the grandson of Emperor Mu. That was the closest Lu Shang came to death. It was after that incident that Lu Shang finally gave up his greed for the Ji Tomb Book.

It was not until just now when Han Jin was introducing the Dingzi Library that Lu Shang heard the three words "Jizhongshu" again.

(End of this chapter)