The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

This solution is a million times better than those lousy methods of using mirrors and iron pots to boil water!

Because it's not "faking" but "taking advantage of the situation".

By borrowing the power of the seasons, the principles of the sun's movement, and the inherent rituals of the rites, a seamless, auspicious omen bestowed by heaven is created.

Even if someone demolishes the Temple of Heaven and turns the Circular Mound Altar upside down, they won't be able to find any fault with him!

The only thing to be extremely careful about is polishing the Heavenly Heart Stone; it must never be seen by a second person.

He has to do it all by himself; only he, the heavens, and the earth know.

Chen Han picked up a pen and quickly wrote down the core steps of the plan on the rice paper:

1. We will go to the Temple of Heaven again tomorrow to confirm the weathering degree and reflective properties of the Tianxin Stone, and accurately calculate the orientation of the furnace and the Tianxin Stone, as well as the sunrise angle.

Second, prepare very fine wet sandpaper and cut it into small pieces that can be hidden in your sleeve, so that it will not attract any attention.

Third, under the pretext of "inspecting the offerings and ritual implements," they stayed at the Temple of Heaven until late at night, then climbed up to polish the Tianxin Stone, striving for a smooth and flawless finish.

Fourth, on the day of the Winter Solstice, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), arrive at the Temple of Heaven in advance and personally stack the firewood for the stove to ensure that the path of the rising hot air is perfectly accurate.

Fifth, predict the weather in advance. On sunny days, use sunlight to create auspicious golden rays; on cloudy or foggy days, use fireworks or firelight to create auspicious clouds. Regardless of whether it is sunny or rainy, things can be accomplished.

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and mentally rehearsed the entire process three times.

There were no traps, no flaws, and no leverage that could be used against them.

There was only a piece of Tianxin Stone that had been quietly polished, and a pile of firewood that had been carefully arranged.

The Temple of Heaven is still the same Temple of Heaven, and the Circular Mound Altar is still the same Circular Mound Altar.

But once the sun comes out and the fire starts, everything will be turned upside down.

No matter how clever Yan Shifan was, or how well he understood Jiajing's thoughts, he would never have thought of this!

Because he doesn't understand physics, he doesn't understand light refraction, and he doesn't understand what the laws of nature are!

He's still playing those bureaucratic tricks of pandering to officials. I'll just use modern knowledge to deliver a devastating blow to him!

Chen Han opened his eyes, folded the Xuan paper filled with the plan, hid it in his sleeve, and blew out the oil lamp on the desk in one breath.

……

The next day, before dawn and when all was quiet, Chen Han got up.

He didn't go to the Guanglu Temple to report for duty, but went straight to the Temple of Heaven in the south of the city.

The main gate of the Temple of Heaven's forbidden area is guarded by the Imperial Guards of the Divine Pivot Camp, with strict security measures in place. No one may enter without imperial decree except during sacrificial ceremonies.

However, Chen Han possessed a waist token issued by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and was an official appointed to oversee the winter sacrificial rites. After verification, he was allowed to enter smoothly.

Upon entering the Temple of Heaven, he went straight to the Circular Mound Altar without looking to the side.

As dawn broke, the Circular Mound Altar was completely empty, without a single person in sight.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, spreading like a thin veil over the white marble railings. The entire Circular Mound Altar appeared and disappeared in the mist, as if it were a celestial platform floating in the heavens.

Chen Han climbed the steps to the top of the Circular Mound Altar, squatted down, and reached out to touch the Heavenly Heart Stone in the very center.

The stone is icy cold, and after hundreds of years of wind and rain erosion, its surface has long lost its original luster. When you run your fingertips over it, you can feel the clear texture of weathered particles; it is far from smooth.

He took out a small piece of fine sandpaper that he carried with him and gently rubbed it twice on a corner of the stone surface where no one would notice.

Where the sandpaper passed, the stone surface instantly became smooth and delicate, gleaming with a faint, lustrous sheen in the dim morning light.

The results were even better than he had expected.

He got up and quickly walked to the furnace in the southeast corner of the Altar of Heaven.

The altar was located about ten zhang from the center of the Circular Mound Altar. It was built of bluestone bricks and was more than half a person tall. A cast iron grate was embedded on top of it. It was the place where the burning of firewood was performed during the sacrificial ceremony.

He walked around the furnace three times, memorizing the surrounding terrain, the direction of the sunrise, and the direction of the light, down to the last detail.

On the winter solstice, the sun rises in the southeast, and its rays shine directly on the smoke and heat above the stove.

The Tianxin Stone is located in the northwest, and the reflected light can pass through the hot air layer of the furnace and be precisely refracted onto the sky above the altar.

He squatted on the ground, repeatedly calculating the angle of the light, and gradually came to a conclusion.

At that time, just pile more firewood on the side closer to the altar.

If you direct the fire this way, the hot airflow will be aligned precisely with the path of the reflected light.

There is a lot to consider when stacking firewood. If it is stacked too high, the ventilation will be poor and the fire will go out. If it is stacked too low, the fire will not be strong enough and the heat flow will not be sufficient. You must test it repeatedly in advance to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

However, the Temple of Heaven was a royal forbidden area, and except during sacrificial ceremonies, no fire experiments were allowed.

He could only take action before dawn on the day of the winter solstice, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). If the result was not good, there would be no chance to make amends.

Chen Han frowned, and in the blink of an eye, he had an idea.

He doesn't need to take the test at the Temple of Heaven!

There was plenty of open space in the backyard of the Guanglu Temple. He could build an identical stove according to the regulations, using the same firewood, the same time, and the same angle of light, and experiment repeatedly!

He only needed to inform Sun, the temple administrator, that in order to ensure the winter sacrifice firewood burning ceremony went perfectly, they needed to practice the fire control and the method of stacking firewood in advance.

This reason was perfectly legitimate and entirely within the jurisdiction of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; Vice Minister Sun had no reason to refuse.

As for the polishing test of the Tianxin Stone, he could find a piece of white marble fragment from the same period in the Guanglu Temple warehouse, polish it first to test the reflective effect, and only proceed with the Tianxin Stone of the Temple of Heaven if there are no problems.

Chen Han slowly stood up, brushed the stone chips off his clothes, glanced at the rising sun, turned around and walked slowly down the Circular Mound Altar, leaving the Temple of Heaven.

……

Upon returning to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Chen Han went directly to see Vice Minister Sun.

Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was sitting in the main hall drinking tea. Seeing him enter, he put down his teacup and asked, "Supervisor Chen, you didn't report for duty today. Did you go to the Temple of Heaven? Is there any progress on the winter sacrifice arrangements?"

"Yes, sir." Chen Han bowed and said, "This humble servant went to the Temple of Heaven today to survey the location of the Circular Mound Altar and the sacrificial furnace."

"Considering that the winter sacrifice burning ceremony is the first ritual of the sacrificial rites, it cannot tolerate the slightest mistake."

"I would like to build a simulated stove in the backyard according to regulations, to practice the control of the fire and the method of stacking firewood in advance, so as to ensure that there will be no mistakes on the day of the winter solstice."

Sun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Build a stove? That requires using public funds?"

"We won't spend a single penny of public funds," Chen Han replied calmly. "The backyard storeroom has old bricks and stones left over from previous years' repairs. I can build it myself. The firewood will also be made from leftover scraps from the kitchen. We won't waste a single bit."

Upon hearing this, Vice Minister Sun's face immediately showed approval, and he nodded, saying, "Good, you are indeed reliable and conscientious in handling matters. This matter is approved; you can go and do it!"

"The winter festival is of utmost importance. If you take it to heart, you'll be rewarded."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

Chen Han bowed and withdrew, passing by Zheng Dianli's duty room, and pushed open the door to go inside.

Zheng, the clerk, was sitting at his desk checking the accounts. When he saw him enter, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Supervisor Chen?"

"Clerk Zheng, could you please find me some old bricks and stones and bring them to the open space in the backyard? Also, please prepare some ordinary firewood; it doesn't need to be the best, just enough to burn."

Zheng Dianli was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "Building a stove? What are you going to do?"

"Build a replica of the altar of Heaven's burning furnace to practice controlling the fire for the winter sacrifice." Chen Han didn't explain further, and Zheng Dianli didn't dare to ask any more questions, so he quickly agreed and went to do it.

……