Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered - Chapter 4

**Episode 4: 37,000 Books**

Unhyeon stood for a while, staring blankly at the numerous books before him, then turned around with a hollow step.

“So that’s how it is…”

Step by step.

As he walked down the stone steps outside Munyeongak, Unhyeon murmured to himself.

“Huh, so that’s how it is.”

He had long abandoned the thought that he was a person of great privilege.

From the moment he saw the residence specially prepared for him by His Highness, the Crown Prince, he had a sense that something was wrong.

The building named Changryongjeon, personally named by the Crown Prince, was also strange.

Unlike the official palaces of the Forbidden City, Changryongjeon was tucked away in a corner of the inner court, and the only scholars working there were himself and Sailcheon, who had a cold expression.

The more time passed, the more he felt that something was off.

Perhaps that’s why he poured his energy into that “Research and Investigation on the Martial Arts.” He was searching for something to prove his worth to the Crown Prince.

However, at Munyeongak, Unhyeon had to confront the true identity of that feeling that something was wrong. It was the reality of his true position within the Forbidden City.

“So, in the end, my real job is to be the scholar in charge of the Crown Prince’s hobbies. Ha ha ha.”

Laughter slipped out before he knew it.

“A thousand sacks of rice, a house of gold, a beautiful woman…”

Suddenly, a line from a scholar’s song brushed past his ear.

— In the texts, there are a thousand sacks of rice, a house of gold, and a beautiful woman.

“There was a house of gold in the texts, but…”

Unhyeon let out a sigh as if the ground was giving way.

“But it turns out to be someone else’s house.”

A hollow emptiness settled in his chest. But there was nothing he could do.

As he sighed endlessly, Unhyeon slowly headed back to Changryongjeon.

Even though all that awaited him there were just miscellaneous books on martial arts, in this vast Forbidden City, Changryongjeon was the only place he could go.

Step by step.

Unhyeon walked precariously, with the setting sun casting a long shadow behind him.

***

Eunuch Park Gyu of the Forbidden City was in a good mood.

It was early summer, and the weather in the Forbidden City was at its most pleasant.

In the scorching summer, even a little movement would make sweat run down one’s back. For eunuchs who always had to move quickly, summer was a series of days soaked in sweat.

Winter was just as hard to endure. The outer court of the Forbidden City, where official ceremonies took place, had no heating.

On cold winter days, standing motionless to serve during official ceremonies was akin to being on the verge of freezing to death.

On the other hand, warm and comfortable days like today were rare in a year, making each passing day feel like a loss.

“Hmm, hmm…”

Eunuch Park Gyu, with his hands clasped and taking quick, small steps, was now even humming a little tune.

Leaving Geoncheongmun and passing through Bohwajeon and Jungwajeon, he lightly brushed past Taehwajeon, his steps as light as air.

Click, click, click.

Before he knew it, the building with the black roof appeared in front of him.

The only place in the Forbidden City, filled with golden roofs, that had a black roof—the black symbolizing water, hoping to prevent fires—was none other than Munyeongak.

Step by step.

Eunuch Park Gyu climbed the steps of Munyeongak lightly.

Click.

As soon as he entered, Park Gyu bowed deeply to the Munyeongak manager.

Recognizing his face, the manager nodded arrogantly but did not demand that he reveal his affiliation.

No matter how powerful a manager was, they were still less than insects compared to royalty.

And eunuchs were the ones who served the royals most closely.

Thus, even though the manager of Munyeongak might not openly disregard or look down on Eunuch Park Gyu, he certainly wouldn’t offer friendly words either. To someone like him, a eunuch was nothing more than an uncomfortable presence, nothing more, nothing less.

Eunuch Park Gyu raised his head, which had been deeply bowed, and headed toward the bookshelves.

Step by step.

“Now, let’s see, what book should I deliver today?”

He passed by the grand collection displayed at the front without so much as a glance.

The grand collection, which boasted over ten thousand volumes and was considered the culmination of all knowledge, was clearly a masterpiece created over several years by thousands of scholars, but it was so vast that no one actually read it.

Moreover, gaining the Emperor’s permission to access it was another issue.

So, the grand collection proudly occupying the front spot at Munyeongak was nothing more than another decoration, like the Forbidden City itself, to showcase the Emperor’s authority.

“Hmm, hmm…”

Following the tune still ringing in his ears, Eunuch Park Gyu hummed as he went along.

Standing in front of a bookshelf, he began to run his fingers lightly over the densely packed books, up and down.

At some point, his lightly dancing fingers suddenly stopped. It wasn’t because he had found the right book.

‘What is that sound?’

Eunuch Park Kyu listened intently. The sound he had just heard was unmistakably a sigh from someone.

“Huh, I thought so, but this is…”

A small voice came from the other side of the bookshelf. A smile spread across Eunuch Park Kyu’s face as he perked up his ears.

‘Aha!’

Recognizing the voice’s owner, he moved lightly towards the source of the sound.

After rounding a few shelves, he found the person he had expected.

“Oh my, isn’t it you, my lord?”

The person, who had been sighing while looking at the bookshelf, turned his head at Eunuch Park Kyu’s greeting.

It was Unhyeon, a scholar affiliated with Changryongjeon.

“Ah, it’s you.”

Unhyeon’s expression as he turned was gentle.

Although Eunuch Park Kyu was momentarily puzzled, he soon smiled and bowed.

“Yes, Sir Unhyeon.”

Eunuch Park Kyu raised his head and examined Unhyeon’s expression.

However, Unhyeon’s complexion was still brighter than he had expected.

‘Hmm?’

Unhyeon was a scholar of Changryongjeon.

It was a place unrelated to national policy or the country’s long-term plans, merely satisfying the Crown Prince’s interest in martial arts.

That place was none other than Changryongjeon.

Previous scholars who had realized this reality had all been unable to shake off the shock.

It was common for them to lock themselves in their rooms for days or wander around with dazed expressions.

Those who lived like that eventually disappeared within a few days.

Therefore, the relaxed expression with which Unhyeon spoke was naturally puzzling to Eunuch Park Kyu.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.”

Eunuch Park Kyu, who had been observing Unhyeon, bowed his head and replied.

“Yes, my name is ‘Kyu.’ I use the surname Park.”

“Ah, so you’re Eunuch Park.”

Unhyeon nodded.

“But Kyu, huh? That’s an unusual name.”

Eunuch Park Kyu smiled.

“Having brought shame to my family name and having betrayed my parents’ grace, how could I use the name I was given? It’s just a name I attached to myself as I became who I am.”

Unhyeon’s face hardened slightly.

Though Eunuch Park Kyu smiled as if it were nothing, it wasn’t so.

Unlike the palace maidens, eunuchs who had given up their masculinity were always objects of contempt and ridicule.

Unhyeon felt ashamed and embarrassed for not having considered that.

“Ah, I didn’t realize…”

As Unhyeon stammered and faltered, Eunuch Park Kyu covered his mouth with one hand and laughed. It was unmistakably the demeanor of a palace maiden.

“Hoho, it’s a natural thing for a lowly person like me, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Unhyeon found no words to reply.

After a moment, when Eunuch Park Kyu stopped laughing, an awkward silence filled the space.

“Seeing that you’ve come to Munyeongak again today, I guess you didn’t find the book you were looking for yesterday?”

Unhyeon, who had been awkwardly avoiding eye contact, raised his head at Eunuch Park Kyu’s words.

“Ah, well…”

Unhyeon’s gaze naturally drifted towards the bookshelf.

While the books on the other shelves were carefully and meticulously placed, the books in front of Unhyeon were numerous, filling the shelves without any categorization.

“How many books are in this section… Do you know?”

Unhyeon asked, half in disbelief.

Eunuch Park Kyu tilted his head for a moment before answering.

“Well? Since I don’t pay much attention to this side, who could know the exact number, but there are roughly about 37,000 volumes.”

“Huh!”

A sigh escaped Unhyeon’s lips.

37,000 volumes.

Even if one read a book a day, it would take 100 years.

In a way, this was to be expected.

Every year, hundreds of books are written by scholars from the royal palace and Hanlimwon. Moreover, this section is full of ‘miscellaneous books,’ isn’t it?

“37,000 volumes, you say…”

Unhyeon murmured with a despondent expression.

It was a moment of overwhelming realization as to why the Crown Prince needed scholars.

No matter how fascinating the stories might be, searching for them in such an enormous pile of miscellaneous books would naturally lead to despair.

Moreover, if the books found were dry and far from entertaining, no matter how intriguing the task, it would quickly lose its appeal.

Eunuch Park Kyu, noticing Unhyeon’s sighing at the sight of the shelves, spoke beside him.

“These are, indeed, miscellaneous books, my lord. If you skim through and pick out only those related to martial arts, there won’t be too many.”

That was true.

Even though there were 37,000 volumes, it wasn’t necessary to read them all.

If only the ones related to martial arts were selected, there wouldn’t be many.

But first, wouldn’t he have to look at the titles of all 37,000 volumes?

Even if one checked the covers of 100 books a day, it would take an entire year just to confirm the titles.

Unhyeon felt despair creeping in.

He had resolved that he could not sit idly by, that retreating in the face of difficulty was not the attitude of a true gentleman. He had made this firm resolution just this morning.

Moreover, no matter what anyone said, he was a scholar affiliated with the future ruler, the Crown Prince.

If he managed to complete this task well, it might even turn into an opportunity in disguise.

However, the firm resolve he had built up in the morning was now melting away like snow.

‘If I had known it would be like this…’

He was starting to think it would have been better not to have resolved anything.

What a shame it would be if a man’s resolution did not last even a single day!

“Hoooh.”

Unhyeon unknowingly let out a deep sigh. Noticing Eunuch Park Kyu’s concerned gaze beside him, he quickly mumbled.

“Ahem, ahem. Ah, thank you, Eunuch Park.”

Eunuch Park Kyu realized that Unhyeon’s mind was not at ease and quickly bowed his head.

“Well then, I shall take my leave now.”

Eunuchs are quick-witted. Park Kyu was especially good at it.

When someone was uncomfortable, the best course of action was to step away.

“Ah, please do. Then, until later…”

Eunuch Park Kyu, letting Unhyeon’s farewell trail off, turned his steps back to the bookshelf.

Behind him, Unhyeon’s exhausted voice could be faintly heard.

“In the end, I’m still stuck wrestling with books…”

A slight smile appeared on Eunuch Park Kyu’s lips.

After all, being a top scorer in the imperial exams meant he must have read until he was sick of books.

He might have even dreamed of living a glamorous life as an official in the Forbidden City by now.

But instead, here he was, facing a mountain of 37,000 miscellaneous books, not even classics like the Four Books and Five Classics, but a pile of random texts. No wonder he was sighing.

‘But still, it’s admirable that he’s not backing down. I wonder how long that will last…’

At first, everyone tries to find some way.

But most eventually realize there’s only one path.

If you don’t want to rot away here, you have to use whatever connections or bribes you can to get transferred elsewhere.

One option is to resign and retire to a village to run a private academy, but who could easily abandon a position they’ve studied for over a decade to secure?

‘Then again, if he had connections, he wouldn’t have ended up in this situation in the first place.’

So, all he could do was sigh.

Before he knew it, Eunuch Park Kyu’s fingers had stopped over the books he was borrowing today.

He carefully selected a few books, then left the bookshelf and hurriedly walked away.