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The library tower within Cai Yong's estate was a standalone two-story brick-and-wood structure—or more accurately, two and a half stories. To prevent the books from being too close to the ground and suffering from dampness or mold, the floor had been deliberately raised by about one meter. Beneath the floorboards, lime was spread liberally to ward off insects and pests. Such meticulous care spoke volumes about the reverence for these texts.
Leading up to the library was a short gallery, beside which stood a small pavilion. Inside, Cai Yan was reading a bamboo scroll. When she noticed Cai Yong approaching with Fei Qian, she gracefully rose and offered a slight bow.
Cai Yong halted and said to Fei Qian, "My legs are not what they used to be, so climbing the tower is difficult. Let your senior sister accompany you instead…" He then instructed Cai Yan to take Fei Qian up to the library while he settled himself in the pavilion.
Cai Yan's eyes flickered toward Fei Qian, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Is this your first time visiting our family's library tower, junior brother?" Her tone was casual, devoid of any formality, as if they were simply friends engaging in light conversation.
"Yes," Fei Qian replied, gazing up at the towering structure with admiration. "A library of this scale is the dream of every scholar in the world…"
Holding the scroll in her arms, Cai Yan led the way while speaking softly. "At first, the books were kept in ordinary rooms. But as the collection grew, space became scarce. The lack of ventilation also made them susceptible to insects. It became too difficult to maintain, so we eventually built this tower."
She gently pushed open the slightly ajar door, as if turning the page of a scroll, then stood aside and gestured for him to enter.
"After you, senior sister."
Cai Yan smiled faintly and, without further ceremony, stepped inside gracefully.
Following her, Fei Qian entered the library and was immediately struck with awe.
The scale was staggering.
This was the Han Dynasty, after all. Every scroll had been painstakingly carved or written by hand—nothing like the mass-produced books of later eras, churned out by printing presses by the thousands.
In this age, a single book could be worth a fortune, and yet, Cai Yong's library housed such an extensive collection. By market value, this was the treasure trove of an unparalleled magnate.
Of course, Fei Qian kept these thoughts to himself. Voicing them aloud might earn him a smack from the scroll Cai Yan was holding—or worse, expulsion from Cai Yong's tutelage.
In the Han Dynasty, knowledge was treated with the utmost reverence.
Cai Yan moved through the shelves with familiarity, explaining as she walked. "This floor mostly contains works on mathematics and poetry. The Six Classics and the philosophies of various scholars are kept upstairs. As for medical texts and military treatises…"
She turned gracefully between the shelves, stopping before one to place the scroll she had been carrying back into its proper place. "…Medical and military texts are closely guarded by their respective schools, making them difficult to acquire. So…"
Fei Qian quickly estimated that this floor alone held about fifty or sixty bookshelves, each with four tiers. Every shelf was filled, to varying degrees, with scrolls and books of different lengths. The multicolored silk threads binding the scrolls stood out against the dark bamboo, creating an abstract yet beautiful mosaic.
The Cai family's classification system followed the official method established during the Han Dynasty. From the Spring and Autumn Period through the Qin Dynasty, constant warfare had made large-scale book organization impossible. It was only after the Han Dynasty stabilized that Liu Xiang and his son Liu Xin undertook the monumental task of sorting the surviving texts into six major categories: the Six Classics, the philosophies of various scholars, military treatises, mathematical works, medical texts, and poetry. Along with an introductory section, these formed the Seven Summaries—the earliest known system of bibliographic classification.
Military texts were closely guarded secrets of their respective families, rarely shown to outsiders. Medical texts, likewise, were the foundation of physicians' livelihoods and seldom shared. Given that Cai Yong's own studies focused on classical and historical texts, the absence of medical and military works was understandable.
Even so, the sheer volume of books here was astonishing. Fei Qian roughly calculated that this floor alone held over five thousand scrolls and books. With both floors combined, the collection likely exceeded ten thousand.
Some small libraries in later eras wouldn't even match this.
Marveling, Fei Qian casually picked up a scroll from a nearby shelf and unrolled it. The text read:
"The Western Capital of Han lies within Yongzhou, known as Chang'an. To the left, it is guarded by the narrow passes of Hangu and the twin peaks of Xiao; to the south, it is marked by the grand heights of Taihua and Zhongnan…"
What an uncanny coincidence. With the court now preparing to move the capital to Chang'an, he had randomly selected The Two Capitals by Ban Gu. Fei Qian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Closing the scroll and returning it to the shelf, he noticed Cai Yan watching him with amusement before she turned to lead the way again.
As they rounded another shelf, she paused and gently reminded him, "The stairs are steep, junior brother. Be careful."
To maximize space for bookshelves, the library's staircase was far from the ornate, winding steps found in other towers. Instead, it was a simple, narrow, and almost vertical wooden ladder—difficult to navigate, especially for someone like Cai Yong, whose age made such climbs strenuous.
Upon reaching the second floor, Fei Qian was surprised to find that, unlike the first floor, many shelves here were sparsely filled. Some were even completely empty. It seemed Cai Yong had given away a significant number of books.
Cai Yan stopped beside an empty shelf, her fingers lightly tracing its edge. A trace of melancholy crossed her face as she murmured, "…These shelves used to be full. Now… they are scattered elsewhere."
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled patterns across the empty shelves and over Cai Yan's figure, as if trying to soothe her sorrow.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Fei Qian felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though he had returned to his university's library in another life. The resemblance was uncanny.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Cai Yan smiled softly and said, "Having seen so much, have you decided which books to borrow, junior brother? You may take up to three at a time. Remember, greed has no place in scholarship."
"Borrow…" Fei Qian gave a wry chuckle. "Senior sister, I'm not here to borrow books this time. I'm here… to move them. All of them."
"What?!" Cai Yan's eyes widened in shock. A ridiculous thought flashed through her mind—was this junior brother actually a bandit in disguise?