Chapter Nine, all are old monsters

Looking at Han Chao, Chu Yi smiled and said, "Han Dajian must have been in the Imperial Historical Archives for quite a long time, right"

To say that Fan Heng could not have anticipated his access to the Sunflower Manual is to underestimate him greatly. It is highly likely that Fan Heng deliberately arranged for himself to take charge of the Imperial Archives, with the ultimate goal of providing himself the opportunity to study the Sunflower Manual

Figures such as Fan Heng and Wang Yue are ultimately chief eunuchs; however, due to their multiple important positions, they are distinguished in their roles. For instance, Xu Zhi is also a chief eunuch, but because he oversees the Eastern Depot, he is referred to as the Director of the Depot

As his mind returned, Chu Yi fell into deep thought. Upon meeting Chen Du and obtaining the opportunity to learn the cultivation techniques, Chu Yi could not help but doubt the true purpose behind Fan Heng sending him to the Imperial Archives.

Chu Yi thought to himself, indeed, another ancient monster

As a eunuch, many martial arts techniques are not impossible to practice, but their effectiveness is not particularly good. The most suitable one is the renowned "Sunflower Manual".

After Chen Du departed, Chu Yi briefly surveyed the room, sat cross-legged, and immersed his mind into the sea of consciousness

A thought crossed his mind, and Chu Yi felt a conjecture arise within him. He said to the little eunuch Wang Zhengdao, who was guarding outside the door: "Wang Zheng, please go and invite Grand Eunuch Han Chao to come here."

Little eunuch, grand eunuch, managing eunuch, chief eunuch, head eunuch

Chu Yi smiled faintly and gestured for Han Chao to sit down, saying: "There is no need for excessive formalities, please sit down and we can talk."

If it were not for Fan Heng's esteem, and even being appointed to oversee the Imperial Archives, how could this secret manual, the Sunflower Manual, which is only circulated among a very few high-ranking eunuchs, possibly come to his knowledge

Afterward, he inspected several more bookshelves, and when Chu Yi saw the shelves filled with the Yongle Encyclopedia, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes

Even if a portion of the fragmented scrolls has survived in the world, they are merely copies; however, even the surviving copies do not amount to one percent of the complete Yongle Encyclopedia

Chu Yi's ability to become a chief eunuch places him in a relatively mid-to-high level among the thousands of eunuchs in the palace. It is worth noting that even Chen Du and Han Chao, who have endured for decades in the palace, are merely senior eunuchs.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yi nodded towards Chen Du and said, "Since that is the case, I shall practice this technique."

If someone in later generations can produce such a scroll, they could easily exchange it for a set of housing in the imperial capital

Han Dajian is an elder of the Imperial Historical Archives, and he must be very familiar with the Archives. Please feel free to introduce the Imperial Historical Archives to me.

Han Chao said calmly: "The Imperial Library contains ten thousand volumes, categorized and classified..."

Listening to Han Chao's detailed account, it is undeniable that a person who stays in one place for a lifetime becomes exceedingly familiar with it. The fact that Han Chao can almost precisely identify the location of a particular volume on the bookshelf demonstrates his profound familiarity with the Imperial Historical Archives

Chu Yi looked at Chen Du's calm demeanor with some curiosity, wondering what kind of cultivation method Chen Du was recommending to him

Chen Du smiled and said: "The rules of the Inner Court state that various confidential documents within the Imperial Historical Archives may be reviewed but not copied, therefore the person in charge must not take the secret texts out"

Han Chao's face revealed a hint of nostalgia as he slowly said: "I entered the palace at the age of eight, selected to serve in the Imperial Archives. From a young eunuch, I have been in service for nearly fifty years now"

As Fan Heng, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was referred to as the governor, Wang Yue, due to his control over the Court of Rites and his immense power, was given the title with an added character, thus becoming the Grand Director.

Having some understanding of the rules within the Imperial Archives, Chu Yi knew that Chen Du was not targeting him personally, but was merely acting in accordance with the established protocols. He was aware of the existence of the Sunflower Manual, and thus understood that Chen Du did not casually impart a skill to him, which at least indicated that Chen Du harbored no ill will towards him

As he reached out to take it, just a glance was enough for Chu Yi to involuntarily narrow his eyes, as the four large characters "Sunflower Scripture" came into view

Upon exiting the library area, Chu Yi, under the guidance of Chen Du, arrived at his residence in the Imperial Historical Archives

This set of the Yongle Encyclopedia consists of a total of 11,095 volumes, approximately 370 million characters, encompassing a vast array of subjects, and can be regarded as the ancient version of an encyclopedia, gathering the essence of various texts that survived in China after the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Removing the previous backtracking memory and reinforcing the memory of the Four Books and Five Classics consumed 100 points of fortune, which means that his own fortune has at least surged by over 1,000 points

Adults may rest, and should there be any matters, you may summon us at any time

Above the chief eunuch are the leader eunuch and the supervising eunuch

A room that is clean and tidy, though not luxurious, is nonetheless extremely comfortable, and at least Chu Yi is very satisfied

Eternally still, atop the altar of fate that suppresses the sea of consciousness, Chu Yi clearly saw that his own fortune had actually reached as high as four thousand five hundred.

I have met the person in charge

Soon, Wang Zheng invited Han Chao over.

Chu Yi nodded

Without saying much else, in the world of martial arts, countless heroes have perished both openly and secretly for the sake of the Sunflower Manual, yet he, on the other hand, obtained it effortlessly

However, this precious set of the Yongle Encyclopedia has unfortunately been lost to later generations

It seems that I have been promoted to the position of chief eunuch of the Imperial Archives, and my fortune has greatly increased

To be honest, the martial arts manual that Chu Yi was eagerly hoping to find was indeed this Sunflower Manual, but he never expected that obtaining this Sunflower Manual would be so remarkably simple

From the small eunuch beside Fan Heng and the martial skills displayed by Fan Heng, Chu Yi could almost conclude that the Sunflower Manual is certainly still being passed down within the imperial palace.

After a while, as Chu Yi waited for Han Chao to finish introducing the Imperial Archives, he suddenly asked: "Have the several chief officials ever been in charge of the Imperial Archives?"

The title of the Yongle Encyclopedia is indeed very illustrious. During the Yongle period, Zhu Di ordered the black-clad chancellor Yao Guangxiao and the head of the cabinet Xie Jin to gather over 2,000 scholars, spending six years compiling books from around the world to produce this set of the Yongle Encyclopedia.

Chu Yi has actually underestimated the situation; his ability to obtain the Sunflower Manual so easily is entirely due to his identity.

The Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as the largest encyclopedia in the history of the world

For the time being, set aside the secret manuals, as this place will eventually become his territory. Once he has some leisure time, it will not be difficult to memorize all the martial arts manuals stored here.

It must be said that the quantity of collections in the Imperial Historical Archives is not as great as that of the Wenyuan Pavilion, but the quality is far superior to that of the books housed in the Wenyuan Pavilion

Chen Du and Han Chao, two high-ranking eunuchs in the Imperial Historical Archives, had a relationship that Chu Yi was unclear about. In any case, adhering to the principle of not being biased or credulous, and ostensibly to demonstrate his fair treatment, he also had to summon Han Chao.

A glimmer of brilliance flashed in Han Chao's lowered eyes as he slightly nodded and said: "Indeed, the Grand Controller, Governor Fan, and Lord Xu have all held the position of overseeing the Imperial Archives."

Within the Imperial Archives, Chu Yi serves as the chief eunuch, while Chen Du and Han Chao are the senior eunuchs. Wang Zheng and three others are junior eunuchs, with a clear hierarchy established.

Han Chao and Chen Durnian are of similar age. According to what Chen Du previously mentioned, the two of them are considered veterans within the Imperial Historical Archives, having spent their entire lives there

An old eunuch who has spent several decades in the Imperial Archives and is guarding such a collection of martial arts manuals, even Chu Yi, with a muddled mind, knows that this Chen Du is likely a highly skilled master hidden within the inner palace

The gaze fell upon the secret manual, and it was evident that this manual had indeed been around for some time. The paper was somewhat yellowed and even mottled, suggesting that it had at least a history of over one hundred years.