Chương 11: Chapter 9 (R)

The light of dawn filters softly through the windows of my room, scattering golden motes across the table and the book in front of me. Despite the story the tale tells, I can barely concentrate. Even now, the scene from the trial the other day and above all the state of my half-brother still fill my mind and no small number of my dreams, since I've been having nightmares in which I start practicing the famous Skin Tempering and share my half-brother's fate.

I know it can't be that dangerous, given that everyone around me has done it and one only needs to see the perfection of their skin, but without more information about the whole cultivation business I can't help my fears. I believe it was Plato who said that what we fear most is what we do not know, or at least something along those lines.

While I try to read the book before me despite my thoughts, the door to my room opens with a soft creak and, looking up, I see it's my mother, dressed in an embroidered silk outfit that clearly indicates she's leaving the Pavilion, and Lianhua, who is likewise dressed for some sort of event.

"Sun Wen, dear, I have important news for you", my mother begins, her voice as melodious as ever.

"The Son of Heaven has decided it is time for you to begin your formal studies. He has assigned a tutor for you, and he awaits us at the Imperial Library." The mention of the Imperial Library sparks a flash of excitement in me. If I can gain access to it, I'll not only have something to entertain myself with but I'll be able to search for the answers to all the questions I have.

But then I remember the state of my legs and sigh in dejection, since I'll have to depend on someone else being willing to fetch the books I want. My mother makes a gesture and two handmaidens who were at the door enter and begin dressing me. Before they start, I tell them I want to use the toilet before we leave, since the indignity of always needing someone in the bathroom to help me is not something I want to go through outside our home.

After finishing my business, Lianhua takes me in her arms and, accompanied by my mother, we leave the Pavilion escorted by a group of Nei Wei. We head toward an area of the palace I haven't visited before, and before long we approach a building that rises majestically before us. Effigies of intertwined dragons adorn its great bronze doors, and the curving rooftops seem to caress the sky.

The gardens surrounding what I assume is the library are meticulously kept, with chrysanthemums and peonies bursting in an explosion of color. Upon reaching the entrance we are received by the Jin Wei, who allow us in with a respectful bow, opening the way to the heart of imperial knowledge. The interior of the Imperial Library is even more impressive than its facade.

Shelves of dark wood, carved with scenes of what I assume are history and mythology, fill the three floors visible through the opening of the building's central courtyard. Silk scrolls, books, and ancient parchments line up like soldiers in formation, guarding the knowledge the Empire has accumulated over the centuries, while several people, librarians, I gather, appear busy reviewing everything, though they glance briefly in our direction as we enter.

There, in the middle of this temple of knowledge, a short, portly man dressed in blue and white garments that look like some kind of uniform awaits us. He is seated at one of the tables, which has a pile of books on it, reading, but rises when he sees us enter and introduces himself with a bow.

"I am Xueshi Wenxue, assigned by the Guozijian as tutor to the young princess", he says with a warm smile.

"I am Guifei Xiang, esteemed Xueshi Wenxue", my mother replies.

"And this child is Zhāohuán Wen, your pupil." She then gestures toward Lianhua and continues "And this is RuNu Lianhua. She will remain with her for the entire time she is here, to attend to any needs that may arise due to her special situation." Xueshi Wenxue waves a hand dismissively "As long as she doesn't disturb either me or my pupil, she may stay as long as she likes."

He then points toward a nearby table I hadn't noticed, and I'm astonished to see that both it and a chair beside it have been designed for my height and condition "A short while ago some servants brought this furniture, indicating it was for Zhāohuán Wen's studies. If RuNu Lianhua could seat her in the chair, we can begin. First I'd like to assess how advanced her reading ability is." After those words, Lianhua helps me settle into the chair at the table, and Xueshi Wenxue places a book in front of me.

"Try to read it, Zhāohuán, and then we'll discuss what you've understood and what you weren't able to read", he tells me kindly. I browse the book, which appears to be this world's version of the Qianzi Wen, a text traditionally used to teach vocabulary to schoolchildren in China, while keeping an ear on the conversation between the scholar, my mother, and Lianhua, which revolves around my precocious reading ability.

"Is it normal for someone Blessed by the Heavens to learn to read so early?" my mother asks, her voice tinged with pride and curiosity. The scholar chuckles softly before replying "It's quite remarkable, but it's nothing compared to some of those Blessed by the Heavens, Guifei. For example, about two hundred years ago, a Blessed by the Heavens named Long Chen began speaking at six months of age and reading by the time he turned one, in one of the neighboring Empires.

The Emperor of that realm even invited the child's family so he could be educated as a future official of his government." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His words hit me like a thunderbolt. Speaking at six months? Reading at one year? The shock leaves me speechless. All this time pretending to be a slightly precocious child out of fear they'd think I was possessed and kill me or something similar, when the reality would have been the exact opposite.

If I'd known this earlier, I would have spoken much sooner and wouldn't have been bored to death wasting my time for two years of my life. I let my head drop onto the book while I question my entire existence, when I notice someone has stopped beside me.

"Are you all right, esteemed Zhāohuán?" Xueshi Wenxue asks, having approached without my noticing while I was wallowing in my misery.

"Yes, Xueshi Wenxue. I was just resting a moment before continuing", I reply, hiding the embarrassment of having been caught in that state.

"When you've finished reading the book, let me know so we can assess your reading level", he tells me before sitting back down in the chair where he was when we entered, to carry on with the book he'd been reading. Looking around the library, I see Lianhua has stationed herself to one side of the room, waiting in case I call, and my mother has already left.

I turn my gaze back to Xueshi Wenxue with a skeptically arched eyebrow, wondering what kind of unreliable teacher my father has sent me, one who seems more interested in reading his own books than in helping his pupil, before turning to my own book and beginning to read so I can astonish everyone with just how clearly Blessed by the Heavens I am going to be from this moment on. With determination I set to reading the text before me, and drawing on all my knowledge I begin to analyze it.

Let no one say my studies in Historical Linguistics and various master's degrees were undertaken for nothing. As I delve deeper into the text I notice myself concentrating, and surprisingly I enter a state of mental flow. It has only happened to me a few times before, but on those occasions my mind was never as clear as it is now.

Rapidly I begin reading the characters, and when I don't know one, I start breaking it down into its radicals and deciphering its meaning by comparing it with other characters that share those radicals and with the Mandarin Chinese characters they appear to share a root with.

Without noticing the passage of time, I continue enjoying the analysis and decipherment of the text, something that has only happened to me before when I was in my office trying to translate fragments of ancient texts recovered from excavations around the world. But just as I'm enjoying the moment most, I stop abruptly when I realize I've finished the text and there's nothing left to do. And as I blink and look at the book before me, the understanding of what I've just done hits me. What I've done is impossible.

To do the same thing in my former world I would have needed multiple dictionaries over days of searching and note-taking, or even a specialized computer program for the task. But now I've done it alone, from memory, and considering no one interrupted me for having taken too long, in just a few hours. Furthermore, with only a moment's reflection, everything I've read in the text I remember clearly. It doesn't seem to be the controversial eidetic memory but rather something closer to hypermnesia.

And the strangest thing of all is that I'm certain I didn't have it before I started analyzing the book. I can't help thinking about everything I knew about the Blessed by the Heavens, about what has just happened to me, and about everything I'd noticed while learning the spoken language and had been setting aside, thinking it was simply due to my prior knowledge of Chinese. It's clear that something is going on with me and that I may truly be one of the Blessed, beyond the fact that I remember my past life.

Apart from which the whole subject of the Blessed seems to be something more serious than simply being a genius, but without more references to compare against, I can't reach any clear conclusion. Raising my eyes from the book, I glance discreetly around and see that my unreliable tutor is still seated reading a book, while Lianhua has let herself be carried away by the atmosphere and has found something to read while she waits in case I need her for anything.

As I consider whether to call my tutor or not given how quickly I've finished, I remember the earlier conversation about this Long Chen fellow, and with resolve I look at him and say "Xueshi Wenxue, I've finished reading the book." Xueshi Wenxue looks up from his book and regards me, blinking a couple of times as though puzzled "Already, esteemed Zhāohuán? It might be better if you went over the text again to see if you can understand a few more characters."

"Xueshi Wenxue, I mean I've finished reading the entire text of the book", I reply with conviction. I see a look of surprise cross his face, and setting down the book he's reading on the table, he quickly moves to my side.

"If you don't mind, esteemed Zhāohuán, may I ask you a few questions about the text to check how deep your comprehension was?" he asks, picking up the book from the table.

"Of course, Xueshi Wenxue", I reply. He begins questioning me about the text and I answer with conviction. At first his questions are easy, but as time passes they grow increasingly difficult, targeting the rarest characters in the book. Thanks to my newfound memory I can answer all of his questions with ease, and as I do, his face increasingly betrays his growing astonishment. When he finishes, he closes the book with a sigh and looks at me intently.

"Zhāohuán, I'm sorry to say that for today we are done. The study plan I had prepared assumed it would take you several days to finish comprehending this book, but your brilliance has surpassed me", he tells me, conveying an exceptional gravity with his words.

"I need to consider how to proceed from here and give you an education worthy of your Blessing." I look at him, blinking a couple of times, and putting on my best puppy-dog eyes I ask "May I take a book home to read until tomorrow?"

"Of course, Zhāohuán, since it is you who asks. But you should know that the penalties if anything happens to a book from the library are severe", he replies. Lianhua suddenly answers my tutor, having approached us without my noticing "Don't worry, Xueshi Wenxue. I'll be at her side the entire time to make sure nothing happens to the book."

"Perfect", my tutor replies, turning back to me.

"What kind of book would you like to take, Zhāohuán?"

"Is there a book that has lots of words and tells me what they mean?" I ask, clearly aiming for some kind of dictionary. He strokes his chin as he thinks, and after a moment tells me "Wait one second, Zhāohuán. I'll go find what you're asking for." He disappears among the library's shelves and after a moment returns with a book of considerable size, which he hands to Lianhua "That should keep her reading for a while. When I've created her new study plan, I'll send word to your Pavilion so she can return."

Nodding, Lianhua takes the book with one arm and then picks me up with the other in what I consider an act of juggling and strength that should be impossible, but I've seen and experienced enough strange things by now not to be surprised by something like this. The only thing I can think about as we leave the Library is that the moment I can get my claws on that book, I intend to put this supposed Blessing of mine to the test and see just how far it can take me.