The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

The Temple of Heaven is located outside Zhengyang Gate. To get there from Guanglu Temple, one has to cross most of the capital city.

Chen Han walked in the middle of the group, with Sun Sicheng and Liu Shuzheng in front of him, and several supervisors and clerks behind him.

The group walked south along Qipan Street, passed Daming Gate, and then went to Zhengyang Gate.

Chen Han remained silent throughout the journey.

He was thinking about the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven.

He had long since memorized the rules and regulations of the Temple of Heaven.

The Circular Mound Altar has three levels, with nine steps on each level.

The number of railings is always a multiple of nine, a regulation changed in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign, to signify "the supreme ruler of the nine-five."

He was also very familiar with the ritual procedures of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, from fasting to the burning of offerings, there were a total of thirty-seven rituals, each with its own rules.

But what use is it for him to know all this?

Yan Dang also knew.

They knew even better than him, because they had the records of the ceremonial procedures from previous years, they could ask senior officials from the Ministry of Rites, and they could have scholars from the Hanlin Academy write the congratulatory texts.

What makes him, a low-ranking official of the eighth grade, compare to others?

Chen Han's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Just then, someone gently tugged at his sleeve from behind.

He turned around and saw a young clerk in a ninth-rank official uniform approaching him with a smile on his face, whispering:

"Supervisor Chen, I am Zhao Ping, Ambassador of the Sacrificial Animals Department. Today I am going to the Temple of Heaven with you to broaden my horizons."

Chen Han nodded: "Brother Zhao, you're too kind."

This is a huge favor to Zhao Ping.

After all, his position as ambassador was that of a low-ranking official who was in charge of feeding livestock.

Zhao Ping looked around and whispered, "Supervisor Chen, is this your first time visiting the Temple of Heaven?"

Chen Han nodded.

"Let me tell you, there are many rules at the Temple of Heaven, especially the Circular Mound Altar. The height and width of each level are particular, and the placement of the offerings cannot be off by even an inch."

"Last year, a supervisor misplaced his item and was severely reprimanded by a doctor from the Ministry of Rites."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhao." Chen Han smiled faintly.

Seeing that he didn't react much, Zhao Ping leaned closer and said, "Supervisor Chen, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You'd better be careful."

Chen Han glanced at him: "What do you mean?"

"You don't know," Zhao Ping said, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear, "our Guanglu Temple, on the surface, looks harmonious and peaceful, but in private, it has long been divided into two factions."

"Sun, the Vice Minister of Justice, is close to the Yan family; Qian, the Vice Minister of Justice, is close to the Qingliu faction. The two groups have been fighting each other openly and secretly for several years."

"You did something for His Highness Prince Yu and got on the list with Qingliu. People on Vice Minister Sun's side are keeping an eye on you."

"Liu Shuzheng is one of Sun Sicheng's men. Look at his smile today. The happier he is, the more he's thinking about you."

Chen Han's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhao. However, I am merely an eighth-rank supervisor. I only need to do my job well; these matters have nothing to do with me."

Zhao Ping smiled, said nothing more, took two steps back, and followed behind.

Chen Han continued walking forward, his expression unchanged, but his mind was racing.

He had already guessed what Zhao Ping was talking about.

Although the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was a relatively obscure government office, wherever there are people, there are factions.

Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, had served in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for twenty-three years. It's impossible that he didn't have connections to reach the sixth rank.

This is not a good thing.

……

We've arrived at the Temple of Heaven.

The blue glazed tiles of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests gleamed with a cool light in the morning sun, and the three-tiered white stone railings of the Circular Mound Altar stood in layers, appearing solemn and majestic from afar.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites had arrived and were standing in the square in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Leading them was Zhou Langzhong, the fifth-rank official in charge of sacrificial rites from the Ministry of Rites. He was dressed in a scarlet robe and had an extraordinary bearing.

Several officials and clerks followed behind him, whispering among themselves.

Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Zhou, I am Sun Zhengmao from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. I have brought men to survey the site. Thank you for your trouble."

Doctor Zhou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the people from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, lingering for a moment on Chen Han before moving away:

"Lord Sun, you are too kind. The regulations this year are the same as in previous years, except that His Majesty asked the two princes to perform the sacrifice on his behalf, so there were some minor adjustments to the ceremony."

"Your job at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is to prepare the offerings and materials and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Your humble servant understands," said Vice Minister Sun with a smile. "Rest assured, Lord Zhou, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will do its utmost and will not delay the ceremony."

Zhou Langzhong nodded and turned to lead the group toward the Circular Mound Altar.

Chen Han followed behind the group, looking around as he walked, his mind racing to remember what he was learning.

He knew the three levels of the Circular Mound Altar by heart, including the height, width, and number of railings on each level.

But knowing is not enough; he needs to see the placement of the offerings with his own eyes and confirm every detail.

When he reached the altar, he suddenly noticed something: there was one person from the Ministry of Rites who seemed a bit off.

The man stood behind Zhou Langzhong, dressed in a blue official robe and wearing a black gauze hat, looking like an ordinary clerk in the Ministry of Rites.

But Chen Han had spent so many years in the county government office that he had long since developed the ability to judge people.

When that person walked, his steps were smaller than others, and although he deliberately suppressed the twisting of his waist, he was still more flexible than a man.

Her neck was long and slender, and her Adam's apple was completely hidden by her neckline.

There's a hole in my earlobe, and although it's been filled with powder, you can still see it if you look closely.

A woman dressed as a man.

Chen Han's heart skipped a beat, but he remained expressionless. His gaze lingered on that person for only a moment before shifting away.

But in that instant, that person also looked over.

Eyes facing each other.

Those eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of surprise and a touch of nervousness at being seen through.

But she quickly regained her composure, turned her head as if nothing had happened, and said something to the official in charge of the Ministry of Rites beside her.

Chen Han also withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward with a normal expression.

But his heart was in turmoil.

A woman disguised as a man mingled among the officials of the Ministry of Rites to inspect the site for the sacrificial ceremony at the Temple of Heaven.

Who is this person?

It's impossible for the people in the Ministry of Rites not to know that she's a woman, unless the entire Ministry of Rites is helping her keep it a secret.

A woman whose identity could be so easily concealed by the Ministry of Rites could not be simple.

Xu Jie was the Minister of Rites and a leader of the Qingliu faction. A man like him would not dare to include women in the sacrificial procession.

After all, at such a sensitive time, if the opponent seizes the opportunity, they'll be able to file a lawsuit without fail.

If it wasn't someone sent by Xu Jie's side, then it was either Yan's faction or Prince Jing's side.

If someone from Prince Jing's side were to seize upon this small flaw and report it to the emperor, could it cause a big stir?

After all, following the Renyin Palace Incident, the Jiajing Emperor became extremely sensitive about women.

The Temple of Heaven is also a place for offering sacrifices to Heaven. Given Emperor Jiajing's obsession with Taoism, this alone could be used to make a big deal out of it.

Chen Han's mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution.

He absolutely cannot make a fuss about this now; it would be best to tell Xu Jie about it.

If there's even the slightest hint of trouble, Xu Jie will definitely make a big fuss about it.

However, making false accusations is a taboo subject in officialdom.

Xu Jie might think, "If you can accuse Yan Song of wrongdoing today, why can't you accuse me tomorrow?"

Furthermore, his immediate superior, Sun Sicheng, was a member of Yan's faction, so he couldn't openly expose this fact.

……