The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

The survey lasted for more than an hour.

Dr. Zhou led everyone through the Altar of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests twice, explaining the placement of the offerings, the specifications of the ritual implements, and the positions of the musicians and dancers.

Chen Han followed behind, not saying a word, but silently taking notes.

He knew every position, every size, and the order in which each offering was placed by heart.

Several supervisors from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were taking measurements, keeping count, or checking the lists with officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Liu Shu was standing close to Sun Sicheng, nodding and bowing from time to time, like a dog wagging its tail.

Chen Han watched for a while, then turned around and walked to the top of the Circular Mound Altar, where he stood and looked down at the entire Temple of Heaven.

From here, you can see the Zhengyangmen gate tower, the Qipanjie market, and the Forbidden City in the distance.

He closed his eyes and mentally went through the entire process of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven once again.

From fasting to the burning of the torch, there are thirty-seven rituals, each with its own rules.

But he always felt that there was something hidden in these rules that he hadn't figured out yet.

Just then, a voice came from behind, neither too loud nor too soft, with a hint of amusement: "This must be Supervisor Chen, right?"

Chen Han turned around.

A middle-aged man in his forties stood behind him, wearing a sixth-rank official robe, with a fair complexion, a light beard, and a refined appearance, smiling at him.

"This humble official is Chen Han." Chen Han bowed slightly. "And you are, sir..."

"I am Qian, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices." The man waved his hand. "You can just call me Vice Minister Qian. I've also come to the Temple of Heaven today. I was behind you earlier, so I didn't walk with you."

Chen Han's heart skipped a beat.

Qian Si Cheng.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has two assistant ministers: one is Sun Zhengmao, and the other is the one in front of us.

Zhao Ping just said that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is divided into two groups: Vice Minister Sun is a member of Yan's faction, while Vice Minister Qian is a member of the Qingliu faction.

"This humble servant greets the Temple Assistant Minister." Chen Han bowed again.

Qian, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, walked to his side, also looking at the distant capital. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke: "Supervisor Chen, how long have you been in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"

"Reporting to you, sir, it's been almost four months."

"Four months." Qian Sicheng nodded. "It's not easy to appear before His Highness Prince Yu in just four months."

He turned to look at Chen Han, his tone lowering slightly: "Supervisor Chen, I have a few words to say to you. Are you going to listen?"

Chen Han bowed slightly: "Please speak, sir."

Qian Sicheng looked around to make sure no one was nearby before speaking in a low voice:

"You've been in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for four months, so you should have noticed that our yamen may look small, but it's not a shallow place."

"Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, has been working in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for twenty-three years. He got to his current position not because of his ability, but because he has connections in the upper echelons."

"He frequently interacts with the Yan family."

"You did something for His Highness Prince Yu and got on the Qingliu side. Those people on Vice Minister Sun's side won't let you off easy."

"He offered to cover for you today, and you think he did it out of kindness? Someone was making him do it behind your back."

Chen Han's expression remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.

Qian Sicheng's statement that "someone was behind him making him do this" was roughly what he had guessed.

Sun Sicheng's attitude changed too quickly; it was definitely not because of the job at Fayuan Temple.

But he didn't expect that Qian Sicheng would tell him so directly.

"Lord Qian," Chen Han carefully chose his words, "I am merely an eighth-rank supervisor, and I only wish to do my job well and have no desire to get involved in these matters."

"You didn't want to get involved, but you're already in." Qian, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, looked at him with a hint of goodwill. "You helped Prince Yu out of a predicament, got on the Emperor's good side, and made your mark before Grand Secretary Xu, Minister Gao, and Minister Zhang. Do you think the Yan faction will let you off the hook?"

Chen Han remained silent.

"I'm telling you this not to scare you," Qian Sicheng's tone softened slightly, "but so you're aware of the situation. If you need any help while working at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, just come to me."

"Although I am only a minor official, I have served in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for more than ten years, so there are some things I can still help with."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to take sides. I just think you're a capable person and shouldn't ruin your future because of those messy things."

Chen Han looked at Qian Sicheng, remained silent for a moment, and then bowed respectfully: "This humble official thanks Lord Qian for his guidance."

Qian Sicheng waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Chen Han stood there, watching his back, his brows furrowed slightly.

Qian Sicheng's words were both well-intentioned and an attempt to win him over.

He said "I'm not asking you to take sides," but the implication was clearly that he wanted him to side with Qingliu.

Chen Han doesn't rule out taking sides; in officialdom, not taking sides is a dead end.

The problem is, he has to earn money standing up, not be used as a tool by others.

Having spent so many years in the county government office, his greatest skill was surviving in such a precarious position.

To superiors, do the job well;

Maintain good relationships with subordinates;

To straighten out the relationships between the left and right sides.

Make everyone feel that "this person is useful", but not that "this person poses a threat to me".

This is called the survival philosophy of an office manager.

Chen Han took a deep breath, suppressing the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and turned to walk down the altar.

……

When Chen Han came down from the Altar of Heaven, he saw the woman dressed as a man again in the crowd.

She was standing on the steps of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, talking to an official from the Ministry of Rites, holding a booklet in her hand, as if checking some data.

Her posture was natural, and she deliberately imitated a man's movements, but the temperament that emanated from her very bones could not be hidden.

Chen Han glanced at it once and then looked away.

But just as he was walking forward with his head down, he caught a glimpse of the woman glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

That glance was so quick that if Chen Han hadn't honed his "eyes and ears everywhere" skills in the county government office, he wouldn't have been able to catch it at all.

She showed no hostility or panic, only a hint of curiosity and a touch of embarrassment at being seen through.

Chen Han did not respond and walked away with a normal expression.

……

By the time the survey was completed, it was already noon.

Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, led the people from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices back.

On the way, Liu Shu approached Chen Han with a smile and said, "Supervisor Chen, how was today's inspection? You have a good understanding of the Winter Sacrifice matter, right?"

"Rest assured, Your Excellency," Chen Han bowed slightly, "I will draft the plan as soon as I get back and present it to you for your review."

Liu Shuzheng's smile became more genuine: "Good, good, I trust you to handle things. Let me see the draft first, then I'll present it to Lord Sun."

Chen Han nodded without saying anything more.

He knew Liu Shuzheng's mind all too well. He would show him the plan first, and then Liu would add or subtract from it, ultimately making the credit his own.

When things went wrong, Chen Han was still blamed.

He'd seen this kind of thing far too often in the county government office...