The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

The next day at dawn, before it was fully light.

Chen Han arrived at the entrance of the Sun residence ahead of time.

Zheng Dianli had already delivered everything, and the carriage had been hired. It was a small carriage with blue curtains, but it was clean and tidy.

The car was lined with thick cotton padding, a copper hand warmer, and a thin blanket.

He inspected the carriage to make sure there were no problems before instructing the driver to stop the carriage at the door and wait.

At 3:45 AM, the main gate of the Sun residence opened.

Cui'er came out first, carrying a bundle in her hand. She was somewhat surprised to see Chen Han already waiting at the door: "Supervisor Chen, you've arrived so early?"

"Of course." Chen Han bowed slightly. "Good morning, Miss. The carriage is ready, with cotton cushions and a hand warmer inside. Please check if there's anything else you need."

Cui'er peeked into the car, her smile widening: "Supervisor Chen is so thoughtful."

She turned back and soon came out, supporting a young woman.

Chen Han slightly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at it.

Miss Sun was dressed in a pale yellow jacket and had a gold-inlaid jade hairpin in her hair. She was dressed neatly, but her complexion was not good. Her lips were slightly pursed, and there was a sense of depression in her eyes.

He knew perfectly well that this young lady was probably already worried about today's poetry gathering.

He did not step forward, but bowed respectfully from a distance and then stepped aside.

Cui'er helped Miss Sun into the carriage, put the bundle away, and then sat down next to the coachman.

"Supervisor Chen, would you like to ride a horse or take a carriage?" Cui'er asked.

"I'll follow on foot." Chen Han handed the prepared blue cloth umbrella to Cui'er. "Take this, young lady. Judging from the sky, it looks like it's going to snow."

Cui'er took the umbrella, paused for a moment, then smiled: "You even thought of that?"

Chen Han smiled but didn't say anything.

The carriage hadn't gone far when, sure enough, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

At first, the droplets were fine, but they gradually became denser, rustling as they fell on the roof of the car.

Cui'er opened the blue cloth umbrella, glanced back at Chen Han, but he didn't carry anything and just walked in the snow.

She suddenly felt a little guilty, but she didn't know what to say, so she could only keep her feelings to herself.

……

The snow in front of the gate of Fayuan Temple had already accumulated to a depth of half a foot.

Once the carriage came to a stop, Cui'er jumped down first, held up the umbrella, and then went to help Sun Yue.

Sun Yue lifted the carriage curtain, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. She frowned, looked at the white expanse on the ground, and her expression darkened further.

With that kick, the cloth shoes would definitely be soaked through.

Just then, Cui'er laughed from behind, "Miss, you won't be afraid if you put on these shoe covers."

Sun Yue turned around, took the things from Cui'er's hands, and compared them to her feet.

It's made of oiled paper, and although it's a bit big, it doesn't affect walking. There are also ropes sewn on the sides so it can be tied tightly.

This item isn't valuable, but the thought behind it is incredibly thoughtful.

She smiled knowingly, put the shoes on, and tightened the straps.

It's bound by ropes and straps; it looked loose before, but now it fits perfectly.

He stepped on the snow to test it, and sure enough, no water got in. He immediately laughed and said, "Cui'er, when did you become so thoughtful?"

Cui'er had also finished tying the shoe covers. Not wanting to take credit, she replied, "Miss, you think too highly of me. I didn't prepare them; Supervisor Chen did."

"He..." Sun Yue was taken aback and looked up to find Chen Han.

Chen Han was confirming something with the young monk at the temple gate and didn't look this way.

He bent over, pointed to the straw mat on the ground, then looked up at the sky, his lips moving as if he were giving instructions.

The young novice nodded repeatedly, then turned and ran inside.

"This person is quite thoughtful," Sun Yue said softly, withdrawing her gaze.

The oiled paper shoe covers kept her out of the mud, and she walked steadily on the snow, her steps unhurried and her demeanor composed.

The other newly arrived ladies were not so lucky.

Wang Shangshu's daughter, Miss Wang, stepped into the muddy water. Half of her embroidered shoe was wet, and the hem of her skirt was also stained with mud. She was angrily scolding her maid with her head down: "How could you watch where you're going! These shoes were newly made this spring, and you've ruined them like this!"

The maidservant apologized repeatedly, but Miss Wang's expression grew increasingly grim.

The third young lady of the Zhao family wasn't much better off.

Her carriage was parked a bit far away, and the snowmelt from the mountain gate to the carriage soaked her skirt, making her shiver with cold: "What kind of awful weather is this! I should have known better than to come!"

Sun Yue walked past them, her skirt neat and tidy, her steps steady and graceful.

Miss Wang looked up and saw her, then paused for a moment: "Sister Sun, how come your shoes aren't wet?"

"The people in the family who handle things are very thoughtful; they made shoe covers." Sun Yue smiled faintly and even deliberately lifted her foot.

She didn't say anything more and continued walking inside.

But in the instant they passed each other, she glanced at the other person's muddy shoes, then looked at her own shoe covers, and couldn't help but smile.

comfortable.

She quickened her pace and entered the mountain gate. A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed towards her, but she felt much more relaxed all over.

As Miss Wang watched her retreating figure, she muttered to herself, "The Sun family certainly knows how to handle things this year."

But Sun Yue's comfort didn't last long.

She looked up and saw several people walking towards Merlin, and paused in her tracks.

The woman at the head of the group wore a bright red felt cloak, with a thin layer of snow on her hood, which made her face look as white as jade.

Two maids followed behind him, one carrying a hand warmer and the other holding a long, rectangular brocade box, which appeared to contain writing brushes and ink.

Li Wanqing is the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Li.

Sun Yue quietly withdrew the slight smile from her lips.

Li Wanqing, the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Li, was the central figure among this group of noble ladies.

At every gathering, her meditation room becomes the gathering place for everyone.

Everyone gathered around her, talking, sipping tea, and appreciating poetry.

Sun Yue also went, but she always sat in the corner, unable to get a word in edgewise, and when she did say something, no one responded.

This has been the case every year.

This year, Sun Yue did not go to Li Wanqing's place.

She went straight to the meditation room that the temple had prepared especially for her.

The moment Cui'er pushed open the door, a wave of warmth rushed towards her.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly, the daffodils on the windowsill were about to bloom, the red plum blossoms on the table exuded a subtle fragrance, and the tea on the small red clay stove was bubbling and steaming.

The cushion was soft and thick, made of clean, moon-white cotton cloth, with a small orchid embroidered on the corner.

On the table were Ding kiln white porcelain tea sets, and next to them were Chengxintang Xuan paper and Lao Hu Kaiwen's pine soot ink.

Sun Yue stood at the door, stunned for a moment.

She had visited Fayuan Temple many times, but had never rested in such a comfortable meditation room before.

In previous years, when those old officials carried out their duties, they would simply put their things here and that would be the end of it. The meditation room was cold and impersonal, the meditation cushions were hard and stiff, the tea set was made of coarse porcelain, and the tea was aged.

She could only sit for a short while before she had to go to Li Wanqing's meditation room to enjoy the warmth.

It's not that I want to go, it's that I can't stay here.

No need this year.

She sat down on the cushion, her back naturally straightening up, feeling indescribably comfortable.

Comfortable!

The word welled up from the bottom of her heart, and she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curve slightly...