The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

That afternoon, a simple incense burner, built according to the regulations of the Temple of Heaven, was erected in the open space behind the Guanglu Temple. Its size and shape were exactly the same.

Chen Han squatted in front of the stove, stacking firewood piece by piece.

After stacking them up, I started the fire test, watching the direction of the flame and the rising path of the hot air, not daring to slack off for a moment, and trying it again and again.

The first time, the firewood was piled too high, and the ventilation was poor. The flames were trapped inside, producing thick smoke but not igniting, which made him cough.

The second time, the firewood was piled too loosely, the fire was too weak, and the heat flow was insufficient to form a stable rising column of air.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

He experimented from afternoon until sunset before finally finding the perfect way to stack the materials:

The firewood was stacked in a crisscross pattern, leaving ventilation channels in the middle. On the side closer to the simulated altar, the firewood was piled up slightly denser so that the flames and hot air currents were always directed towards the altar.

Hot air billowed up from the furnace opening, bathed in the slanting rays of the evening sun.

He could clearly see that the air above the furnace opening was shimmering like water due to the interaction of hot and cold air.

That's the light refraction caused by changes in air density, which is exactly the effect he wanted!

If it were the sunlight on the morning of the winter solstice, combined with the strong reflection of the Tianxin Stone, it would definitely refract a clear spot of light in mid-air!

Chen Han wiped the charcoal ash and sweat from his face, and a confident smile finally appeared on his lips.

Next, it's time to test the polishing of the Tianxin stone.

……

In the Guanglu Temple's material warehouse, he found a piece of white marble left over from the renovation of the Temple of Heaven in the 21st year of the Jiajing reign.

The stone quality and age are almost identical to the Tianxin Stone of the Circular Mound Altar.

He carried the stone slab back to his duty room, closed the door, took out fine sandpaper, and began to polish the stone surface evenly, bit by bit.

After polishing for a while, he stopped, ran his fingertips across the stone surface, and felt its smoothness.

It's more refined than before, but it's still not enough.

He patiently polished the stone for nearly an hour before wiping it clean with a damp cloth and placing it by the window so that the afterglow of the setting sun would shine directly on it.

The polished stone surface gleamed with a soft, lustrous sheen, its reflective intensity several times greater than that of the unpolished edges.

He repeatedly adjusted the angle, allowing the sunlight to first shine on the stone surface and then reflect onto the white wall opposite, instantly creating a clear and bright spot of light on the wall.

After dozens of trials, he finally found the best angle for reflection and figured out the path of light refraction. Of course, the details still need to be refined.

The only problem is that the Tianxin Stone in the Temple of Heaven is embedded in the ground and cannot be moved at all.

Therefore, many details still need to be refined slowly.

Chen Han then locked himself in the backyard of the Guanglu Temple for three whole days.

During the day, he tested the fire; at night, he polished the stone. When he got sleepy, he would take a nap in the duty room and continue testing when he woke up.

Zheng Dianli brought him meals every day. Seeing his face covered in charcoal ash and his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night, he felt heartbroken and kept grimacing, but dared not say another word of comfort.

By the evening of the third day, Chen Han finally stopped.

He stood in front of the imitation furnace in the backyard, looking at the layer of hot air shimmering like water above the furnace opening, and then at the clear and stable spot of light on the white wall opposite, and exhaled a long breath.

Seventy-two trials.

We tried six different grits of sandpaper, twelve different sanding times, twenty-three different ways of stacking firewood, and seventeen different levels of heat.

He finally figured out every variable thoroughly and calculated every detail to the extreme.

Back in his duty room, he wrapped the piece of white marble, which had been polished countless times, in a cloth and stuffed it into the deepest part of the cabinet. He then carefully tidied up the sandpaper, damp cloth, and charcoal ash on the table.

The duty room was spotless, with no sign of anything amiss.

Only then did he sit down, pick up the bowl of porridge that Zheng Dianli had brought him, which had already gone cold, and gulp it down in a few mouthfuls.

After three days, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could catch his breath, there was a knock on the door of the duty room.

"Supervisor Chen! Supervisor Chen!"

It was Zheng Dianli's voice, tinged with urgency.

Chen Han put down his bowl, got up, and opened the door.

Zheng Dianli stood at the door, followed by a middle-aged man wearing a blue cloth robe. He had a fair complexion, a light beard, and a calm demeanor, clearly not an ordinary person from the streets.

"Supervisor Chen," Zheng Dianli quickly stepped aside, "this is the steward of Prince Yu's residence, who came here specifically to see you on His Highness's orders."

Chen Han's heart tightened slightly, but he remained calm on the surface, stepping aside and bowing, saying, "Please come in, sir."

The middle-aged man entered the duty room, and Zheng Dianli, being sensible, closed the door and left.

"Supervisor Chen, my surname is Wu, and I am the chief steward of Prince Yu's residence." The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting, with a polite smile on his face. "His Highness sent me here because he has an urgent matter to entrust to Supervisor Chen."

"Please speak, Chief Secretary Wu." Chen Han led him to sit down, then sat down himself at the lower end, his back ramrod straight, showing no sign of disrespect.

Chief Secretary Wu took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over: "This was written by His Highness himself. Supervisor Chen, please take a look first."

Chen Han took the letter with both hands, opened the envelope, and unfolded the letter.

He had seen Prince Yu's handwriting before; it was the same handwriting on that gold-embossed invitation—neat, restrained, with each stroke written carefully, as if afraid of making a single mistake, revealing an inherent cautiousness.

The letter was short, only half a page long.

The first half was polite talk, saying that he had heard about what happened at Fayuan Temple last time, and that Supervisor Chen was meticulous and thoughtful, making him very reassuring.

The tone shifted dramatically in the second half, becoming noticeably more serious.

"Today, the Emperor suddenly issued an edict, ordering Consort Lu Jing, the birth mother of Prince Jing, along with Princess Zhou, Consort Zhao, and my concubine Li, to go to the Sanqing Temple for a three-day fast and prayer ceremony starting on the fifteenth of this month."

"Consort Zhao was a close friend of my birth mother, Consort Du. After Consort Du passed away, Consort Zhao treated me as her own son, and I also treated her with the respect due to an elder."

"For this religious ceremony, my father has specially permitted my concubine, Lady Li, to accompany Consort Zhao to the ceremony."

"After much deliberation, I have come to realize that this matter concerns the inner court's etiquette and also involves Prince Jing's birth mother and Princess Jing. If we are not careful, it could lead to a major upheaval."

"Supervisor Chen is meticulous and efficient. I would like to ask Supervisor Chen to handle all matters related to this religious ceremony, so that Consort Zhao and Consort Li can have a smooth and dignified trip."

"I have already spoken with Vice Minister Sun of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices about this matter, so Supervisor Chen need not worry. I will reward you handsomely once it is done."

After reading the letter, Chen Han's fingers tightened slightly.

He didn't speak immediately, but gently pressed the letter on the table, his mind racing.

The imperial edict issued by Emperor Jiajing came too suddenly and was too suspicious.

Sanqing Temple was the most famous royal Taoist temple in Beijing. Emperor Jiajing was a devout follower of Taoism, and it was not uncommon for him to send his concubines there for three days of fasting and prayer.

The problem lies entirely in the selection of personnel.

Consort Lu Jing, the birth mother of Prince Jing, along with Princess Zhou, the wife of Prince Jing.

Consort Zhao was a close friend of Consort Du, the birth mother of Prince Yu, and was accompanied by Consort Li, a concubine of Prince Yu.

Four women, clearly representing two opposing camps.

Consort Lu Jing was Prince Jing's biological mother, and her rank in the harem was second only to the Imperial Noble Consort.

Prince Jing's ability to swagger around in the capital over the years was largely due to his mother's management of the palace, in addition to Jiajing's favoritism.

Princess Consort Zhou of Prince Jing came from a prestigious family. Her father was Zhou Yan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who had many protégés and former officials in the court and was very close to the Yan faction...