A large group of people entered the library together.
At the head were surely Li Shimin and his wife. Li Lizhi was holding Li Jingyun as she walked beside them. Cui Tian mingled among the crowd, sizing up this magnificent building.
Once inside, row upon row of shelves were filled to the brim with books. Labels were pasted on the shelves, indicating which category the books belonged to. A smell of ink wafted through the air. The central hall had a three - story high ceiling. A thin man dressed as a Confucian scholar stood behind the counter. Seeing Li Shimin and the others approaching, he quickly came out to pay his respects and introduced himself.
"I'm Zhang Jie, the curator of this library. Greetings to all. I've always had a good memory. I can remember clearly what books are placed in which part of each floor. That's why I was transferred from the Secretariat to work in this library.
If any of you are looking for a book and can't find it, you can come and ask me. If you've read half of a book, put it back on the shelf, and can't find it the next day, you can also ask me. I even know what drinks are sold on each floor."
Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh. "Good. Yan Lide made a good arrangement. You're just right for this position."
"Your name is Zhang Jie (Chapter)? It's really related to books!"
Li Jingyun exclaimed. This man was such a perfect fit for the library that she felt he was born specifically for it.
"Your Majesty, Princess, you're overpraising me. I'll surely guard the library well." Zhang Jie bowed and watched as the crowd dispersed. Some went to look at the Four Books and Five Classics, some to browse knowledge about astronomy and geography, some to read medical works, some to study algorithms. There were even those like Li Jingyun, who went up to the second floor on their own to buy drinks.
The place on the second floor that sold drinks was quite large, with dozens of seats. The owner was a middle - aged woman in her forties or fifties. Seeing Li Jingyun coming, she quickly came up to greet her. "Greetings, Princess. May I ask what you'd like to drink?"
"Bring me a bowl of fermented milk."
This was something fermented from cow's milk or goat's milk, similar to future yogurt, with a unique flavor and very popular.
"Yes, Princess. Please wait a moment. I'll bring it right away." The female owner smiled gently and immediately went to the back to scoop up the fermented milk. "I didn't expect that the first customer of my little shop on its opening day would be the Princess. It's truly an honor."
Li Jingyun smiled and went to the window to look down. The view was really nice. It must be very comfortable to lie in the grass and look at the stars at night.
There used to be a lot of broken tiles and stones in this area. To make it look nicer, they were all picked up to make cement, and gardeners were invited to plant many flowers and plants. Although they were all very common varieties, it looked much better than before.
Spending time here every day, reading books, having drinks, and enjoying the view was also a pleasure.
The female owner brought over the fermented milk. Just as Li Jingyun took a sip, Cui Tian came up with a book in her hands. "Princess, you have such a good mood. When coming to the library, shouldn't reading books be the top priority? Why did you come here to drink fermented milk instead? Before I made a bet with the Princess, I once said that since you're young and don't read books, you don't understand the rules. After a few months, even the library has been built, but why hasn't the Princess made any progress?"
"How haven't I made progress? I'm just thirsty and having something to drink. It doesn't mean I won't read books." Li Jingyun felt so choked up that she couldn't even enjoy the sweet and sour fermented milk anymore.
"The Princess is only five years old this year, yet she can supervise the construction of such a huge library, bringing benefits to all scholars in the world. What were you doing when you were five? Could you even read the classics? I'm afraid you were still playing recklessly and bullying the servants."
A young man in a long blue - collared robe walked out from behind the bookshelves and retorted to Cui Tian without any courtesy.
He really couldn't understand why this woman had been picking on the Princess. Did she think her head could be cut off and then come back to life? Or did she think the Boling Cui Clan was so powerful that it could protect her from royal punishment?
Judging from her behavior in front of the Princess, it was not hard to imagine how mean - spirited she was at home. No wonder she had such a younger brother.
"Who are you? Just a poor candidate for the imperial examination. Where do you get the nerve to mock me? Are you reading a book about building bridges and roads? Hahaha, if you can pass the exam by reading such a book, it would be a disgrace to heaven." Cui Tian was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and immediately flew into a rage.
Li Jingyun was attracted by the book about building bridges and roads. The book was called *A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang*, written by Yang Xuanzhi of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Its main content was about the construction of Buddhist temples, gardens, and farmhouses in Luoyang, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
This man was interesting. While others were either reading poems and odes or the Four Books and Five Classics, why was he reading about architecture? Minister Yan should have a lot to talk to him about.
"Cui Tian? I've been looking for you. Don't you know? The execution date of your younger brother has been set. It's on the fourth day of next month. Don't you want to go and see your brother?" Li Yin walked up from the first floor. These words were like a sharp sword stabbing into Cui Tian's heart.
Cui Tian's face instantly changed. She even could hardly hold the scroll in her hand. Since her younger brother had been imprisoned, they hadn't seen each other again.
Li Yin spread his hands, indicating to Li Jingyun that it wasn't difficult at all. Just like hitting a snake at its most vulnerable point, dealing with Cui Tian was the same.
"I've taken the risk to tell you such an important piece of news, yet you don't even say thank you? Is this how your Cui Clan teaches its rules? It seems you still have to go back and copy *Stories for Children* a few more times." After Li Yin said that, he also asked the female owner on the second floor for a bowl of fermented milk and watched Cui Tian's reaction while drinking.
"Thank you, thank you, Your Highness, the King of Shu."
Cui Tian gritted her teeth and bowed to express her gratitude.
After saying that, she turned around and walked downstairs. Li Jingyun shouted from behind, "What do you think of this library?"
She deliberately raised her voice. Her childish voice echoed in the library.
Already in a state of panic, Cui Tian almost stumbled and fall. She held on to the handrail to steady herself. "Princess, I've only read one book in this library. I need to read a few more before I can give a proper opinion."
"Alright."
Li Jingyun wasn't the least bit annoyed by her words. Instead, she happily lowered her head and sipped her fermented milk.
Looking at the well - printed books, after the craftsmen had spent three days selecting and weeding out the misprinted and incomplete ones, she was sure Cui Tian couldn't find any faults.
Li Jingyun tugged at Li Yin's hand. "Sixth brother, how do you know when Cui Xian will be executed?"
"Normally, it's around these days. I made it up to scare her. Otherwise, she would keep pestering you relentlessly." Li Yin smiled.
He planned to go and watch the execution of Cui Xian. Seeing the head fall off with his own eyes would be more exciting than his imagined scenes. This was also a warning from their father to all the children of the noble families. With Cui Xian as an example, they should rein in their wayward thoughts.
Anyway, things like riding horses for hunting, trampling on farmland, and beating farmers without reason would never happen to him.
"I see." Li Jingyun understood. Li Yin looked down and saw that there were milk stains around his younger sister's mouth. He smiled and gently wiped them off for her.
Nearly an hour later, it was time for lunch. Li Jingyun's stomach was growling.
Li Shimin led the crowd out of the library and announced, "From now on, everyone can enter the library and browse the books at will!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"