The Library of Zhongxin Zhishi

[ann]

In the heartland of the former Qin Empire, the village of Zhongxin Zhishi sits slowly growing and returning to some form of normalcy. The village of Zhongxin Zhishi would, in fact, be nothing of note, except for two large buildings that stand in complete contrast to the rest of the village. The first, the personal villa of the new village headmaster, constructed during the reign of the Second Emperor, but even that is overshadowed by the second building. Constructed simultaneously with the villa of Zu Yanghei, the library of Zhongxin Zhi has quickly become a matter of great importance, to not only the villagers, but also scholars from across the Middle Kingdom. The library, now houses many rare books, ranging from books written in the varied scripts of the Warring States period to the forbidden books that were a death sentence to own under Qin Shihuangdi's rule, that the master librarian, Zu Yanghei, managed to save from the Qin book burning and scholarly purges. The library is even home to many rare books stolen from the Qin Imperial libraries, taken from the city of Xianyang before it was sacked by Xiang Yu. A full staff of scribes is on hand at the library at all times, fervently working to restore and maintain the books and scrolls housed at the library.

The master librarian has extended an invitation to the entire scholarly community of Zhongguo to travel to this library, hoping to create a repository of all knowledge and to create a haven for free thought and speech. All students of the Hundred Schools of Thought are welcome, and shall be protected whist in the confines of the library. Those seeking to learn and experience new lessons of life are welcome to visit the new library at Zhongxin Zhishi, the Center of Knowledge.

[LoyalistGuardian]

" A lalala, the sky is blue
so is the demeanor of the girl I left.
She's oh so needy so she won't understand,
that I'm a free man in search of artifacts."

Cai Meng happily sang to himself while wandering throughout Sai province. Some local girls had pointed out a library of sorts for Meng to visit. Now in the presence of such a wonderful building, this, he thought to himself, has to be the place.

"A lalala, this place is nice
just like the sweet embrace of the girl I left
I will continue to wander this here land
seeking treasures of both craft and flesh."

The place seemed rather quiet and empty, bereft of any visitors who had surely fled due to misfortune the region suffered. He calmly walked towards the front entrace, sauntering in through the front.

"Hello? Is it alright to come in?"

[Brother Dun]

The scholars at work in the library looked up for a moment to see the stranger enter the library. It was at this time that the head librarian, and master of the village, Zu Yanghei came strolling down the work aisles. The scribes immediately went back to work under his stern gaze. Zu Yanghei slowly approached the stranger, sizing the man up as he stood at the door.

Sighing deeply, the master spoke, "Yes, you may enter stranger. This sanctuary is open to all... But remember, this is a house of learning, and our work here is very great. Please keep this in mind and keep your voice to an acceptable, conversational tone."

Once the stranger was completely inside the library, the scholar gave him a once over, "Welcome, to the Library at Zhongxin Zhishi. I am the headmaster, and leader of this village, Zu Yanghei. If you seek knowledge and enlightenment, you have come to the right place. What would be your name, stranger?"

[LoyalistGuardian]

Cai Meng gave the headmaster an innocent look. He replied in a silky tone.

"I am Cai Meng, from a small village in Sai province. I passed through Xianyang just a few weeks ago and got these..."

Brandishing a book that looked torn and weary, it must have been surprising to see Cai Meng handle the book with so much care. The second item was obviously valuable, a brilliant ruby the size of a baby's fist, dazzled in the light.

"I found this book written by the Qin treasury officials on how to appraise treasures. In the back, I found a note leading me to discover the Glory of Xianyang, this gem. As you can see, Xiang Yu's folks didn't do a great job dealing with the city other than torching it. I've heard that this place contains many books of all kinds. Maybe there's a catalog or some text that will reveal what else remains buried under rubble in Xianyang..."

[GreenFabre]

	Soldiers From The Sky i looked up the sky and saw pillars of gray with smoke and cloud, stacked up like hay~ i felt the wind, there was a heavenly roar with thunders that spoke angry like a boar~ and then it came down, little soldiers of the sky a thousand drops falling, the bombs from up high~ i ran for cover but there was nowhere to go a battle that could not be won, and this i know~ ______________________________________________________

[Brother Dun]

Cai Meng gave the headmaster an innocent look. He replied in a silky tone.

"I am Cai Meng, from a small village in Sai province. I passed through Xianyang just a few weeks ago and got these..."

Brandishing a book that looked torn and weary, it must have been surprising to see Cai Meng handle the book with so much care. The second item was obviously valuable, a brilliant ruby the size of a baby's fist, dazzled in the light.

"I found this book written by the Qin treasury officials on how to appraise treasures. In the back, I found a note leading me to discover the Glory of Xianyang, this gem. As you can see, Xiang Yu's folks didn't do a great job dealing with the city other than torching it. I've heard that this place contains many books of all kinds. Maybe there's a catalog or some text that will reveal what else remains buried under rubble in Xianyang..."

The headmaster looked at the man's treasures and gave the book a smile, "Ahh... That is a fine piece of scholarship you have there..."

The scholar paused for a moment and motioned for the man to begin making his way towards the books, "As for a catalog of what is in Xianyang... I cannot say if it will be here. I have a large collection of scholarly articles, many that I managed to free from Xianyang itself. However, official Qin records are very difficult to come by, they... Would not be housed here. If you are looking to find other fine articles like the ruby you have, perhaps you would be interested in a history of the Qin? Whatever treasures the Qin family once held would no doubt be in Xianyang, and that would be the most obvious place to look. If you are in fact interested in finding more things that shine, then I would suggest looking through the ruins of Epang Palace. The Second Emperor was a very vain man, and he filled the halls of that massive structure with many treasures. Such matters do not interest me much, I am far more interested in what knowledge can be gleaned from these tomes," he said, giving a gesture to the great collection.

The headmaster motioned to a set of cushions laid out off to one side of the room, situated around a low table, "If you are interested, I once hailed from the city of Xianyang. Upon the reign of the Second Emperor, I began to have this library and my own villa built in this village. Perhaps I could impart upon you some wisdom of that once great city? If you would join me for but a moment," he said, taking a seat upon one of the cushions.

[LoyalistGuardian]

Cai Meng followed the headmaster deeper into the Library. While listening, he imagined in his head the wonders of the Qin Empire that only the Imperial Family saw. Who knows what kind of fantastic things they had run across?

"I trust your judgment, whatever you think will help me comb through Xianyang. I'm not searching for anything in particular, just things that amaze me."

After being invited, he sat down at the seat.

"I definitely have time. If it's not too much trouble, I'd love to listen to what knowledge you have ..."

[osiris]

Xinrichu heard of a library in the neighboring province, in an obscure village, and immediately sought the place out. He went with a newly made follower, a man who served him loyally. Xuan was back home training the new recruits, and now he had ten soldiers and Cheng Linpeng following him. The soldiers did not desire to enter the library and stood guard by the horses that rode them there.

Linpeng and himself wandered through the libraries. Xinrichu went off to explore the civil rule and domestic policies books. He went in that section for some time. Linpeng had already sat down and began reading his books, about construction and fighting, casually looking over to the section the boy was in. When he finally emerged, Linpeng wasn't looking, and did not see him carrying a mountain of texts, which he promptly lost control over, causing him to fall forward with them. Quickly he sat up and began to gather them and check for damage, when another person started to assist in picking up the literature.

((Open RP))

[Brother Dun]

Cai Meng followed the headmaster deeper into the Library. While listening, he imagined in his head the wonders of the Qin Empire that only the Imperial Family saw. Who knows what kind of fantastic things they had run across?

"I trust your judgment, whatever you think will help me comb through Xianyang. I'm not searching for anything in particular, just things that amaze me."

After being invited, he sat down at the seat.

"I definitely have time. If it's not too much trouble, I'd love to listen to what knowledge you have ..."

The scholar smiled at the man's words, "My, my... You have certainly come to the right place then. If there is anything I have to share with the world, it is most certainly knowledge."

The scholar paused a moment and looked to the door as two new men entered and made their way towards the collection. While he wished he could have spoken with them to judge their character, he didn't seem too worried, neither man appeared all that threatening, and one of them even sat down and began reading. To see others taking part in his life's work further heightened the man's sense of worth.

"Now, young Cai Meng, if you are most interested in finding what lies buried in Xianyang, I suggest you look into the ruins of Epang Palace. But once again, I advise caution... The Magistrate of the city is a man who is hard on crime and looters, he may see your attempt at rummaging as a crime. Back to the palace, Epang was the seat of the Second Emperor's power. He was a vain man who surrounded himself with whatever treasures he could find from through out the land. He brought in some of the finest pieces from the Qin royal collection, as well as what the Qin took from the other kingdoms during their conquests. Outside of Xianyang, you may wish to embark upon a quest to find the great tomb of the First Emperor... However, no one knows where he is actually buried, for all those who worked upon the project were killed, and then the soldiers that killed them and returned home to report the job complete were killed, to keep its location secret. It is said, though, that Qin Shihuangdi was buried with treasures befitting of the man who united all of China under his rule, his tomb would more than likely be the single greatest location of any such treasures... I must warn you though, it is said that an army of demons and monsters protects his tomb from any such treasure seekers. The death that they are said to deliver is one most excruciating ever conceivable. People who have just traveled near the location of the tomb have vanished to never return."

The scholar paused a moment more to collect his thoughts, "If you are looking for knowledge, a place to look would be the former Imperial Records building in Xianyang, or perhaps what remains of the royal library. However, I must admit, I have searched there many times myself, and it would probably difficult to find anything much el-"

It was at that moment that the man across the room tripped and toppled with a huge stack of books. As they clattered across the floor, the master librarian shot up from his seat and began moving towards the men, "Excuse me, Cai Meng," the scholar managed to choke out through his rage before storming off.

"You there," he bellowed, "What in the name of the Heavens do you think you are doing? Do you know what those are worth? How valuable they are? They are beyond any sum of gold! These are works of very few remaining copies! Why would you try and carry so many at one time? This is a place of higher learning, not some place of buffoonery? I demand that you tell me who you are, and if any of these tomes are damaged... You will be quite sorry," he yelled, stomping his foot upon the floor, as he looked down, seething at the man on the floor.

[osiris]

The boy fumbled with the books checking for scars. Nothing was terribly torn, just some covers slightly ripped. He looked over to the man now berating, and silently and nervously uttered an apology, "S-sorry sir. I overestimated my might, it was an accident."

Cheng Linpeng had heard the books crash and heaved a resigned sigh. He got up and helped the boy pick them up. He turned to the fellow who was shouting and gave a careless smile than said in a quiet tone of mock politeness, "Excuse me mister, but this is a library, and so such a place is meant to be kept quiet. You know, some the ones here that are reading can focus." He shook his head disapprovingly, then said slowly, "Affording guests to this town with so little respect, tsk, tsk, tsk." Linpeng carried the books with ease and placed them on a solid service in carefully separated piles.

Xinrichu regained his composure and then bowed to the fellow, "Much apologies good sir, for the book spill and my company. It was incidental and none of it was meant to offend. I am Fasho Baipan, by the way." He said slowly and graciously.

Linpeng walked back over. "What? I stand by my words." He said lightly, with his careless smile still there, "This man owes me an apology. I owe him nothing. Its rude to yell in a library, and its even more rude to threaten someone."

Baipan sighed, "Perhaps we ought to just go." He mumbled somewhat audibly.