The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

And what about Consort Zhao?

Prince Yu's birth mother, Consort Du, passed away in the thirty-third year of the Jiajing reign, when Prince Yu was only sixteen years old.

After Consort Du's death, Jiajing became even more indifferent to his already unfavored son, and Prince Yu's situation in the palace became more and more difficult.

If it weren't for Consort Zhao secretly taking care of him out of consideration for her past relationship with Consort Du, Prince Yu's life in the palace would have been even more difficult.

These things were all in the original owner's memories, and Chen Han also confirmed them through various channels after transmigrating.

But now, Jiajing ordered Consort Lu and Consort Zhao to go to the Sanqing Temple for a three-day fast and prayer ceremony.

Consort Lu Jing was accompanied by Princess Zhou, the wife of Prince Jing.

Consort Zhao was accompanied by Consort Li, a concubine of Prince Yu.

Chen Han tapped his finger lightly on the table.

He saw through the hidden dagger in that imperial edict at a glance.

First, this puts the people of Prince Yu and the people of Prince Jing on the same stage in a blatant showdown.

Consort Lu Jing versus Consort Zhao, Princess Jing versus Consort Yu – four women, two camps.

Living and eating together in a Taoist temple for three days—this isn't about praying for blessings; it's clearly about letting them compete against each other.

Secondly, Consort Du, the birth mother of Prince Yu, had already passed away. Consort Zhao was merely an old friend of Consort Du. In terms of rank, she was not as noble as Consort Lu Jing, nor was she as favored by the emperor as Consort Lu Jing.

In terms of backing, Consort Lu had her son, Prince Jing, to support her, while Consort Zhao had neither children.

Sending Consort Zhao to compete against Consort Lu Jing on the same stage was inherently an unequal contest.

Third, Jiajing Emperor chose the Sanqing Temple as the location.

What kind of place is Sanqing Temple?

It was the most prestigious royal Taoist temple in the capital. Emperor Jiajing often held Taoist rituals there to pray for blessings. The abbot, Master Qingyun, was one of the most favored Taoists by Emperor Jiajing's side.

This means that every single thing that happened during these three days of fasting and prayer would be relayed to Jiajing's ears without a single word being missed.

Fourth, and most importantly, it's three days, not one day.

What does three days mean?

This means it's not as simple as just showing up to clock in and burning incense.

Three days means living and eating together at the Sanqing Temple, under the same roof from morning till night.

Fasting, chanting scriptures, praying for blessings, meditating, and going to bed—every step is unavoidable, and every detail can be used to make a fuss.

Consort Lu had cultivated relationships with the Taoist priests of the Sanqing Temple for so many years; how could Consort Zhao compare?

Princess Consort Zhou came from the household of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. She grew up surrounded by shrewd officials and her ability to navigate social situations was far superior to that of the reclusive Li.

During these three days, Consort Lu had a hundred ways to embarrass Consort Zhao, and Princess Jing had a hundred ways to make Lady Li look foolish.

What Jiajing wanted to see was for these two camps to stay under the same roof for three days, and who could prevail over whom, and who was more to his liking.

In his letter, Prince Yu spoke politely, saying things like "meticulous and thorough in his work" and "make sure that Consort Zhao and Consort Li's trip is completed smoothly and without loss of dignity."

The translation is: I heard about what happened at Fayuan Temple last time. You managed to make Miss Sun stand out among a group of noble ladies.

This time, please help me think of a way to prevent my people from being wronged or losing face in front of Consort Lu Jing and Princess Jing.

And this time it wasn't just one day, it was three days.

You must go with me and stay at the Taoist temple for three days.

Chen Han put down the letter, looked at Chief Secretary Wu, and said calmly:

"Chief Secretary Wu, what are the specific arrangements for this religious ceremony mentioned in His Highness's letter?"

"I need to know first what area I can look after during these three days."

Seeing that he neither declined nor made any promises, but instead inquired about the specific arrangements, Chief Secretary Wu nodded inwardly.

He had served as the chief clerk in the Prince Yu's residence for many years and had seen too many people who would get carried away at the mere mention of doing something for His Highness. Very few of them could remain calm, ask about the details, and weigh the importance of the matter.

"Supervisor Chen's question is reasonable." Chief Secretary Wu took out another piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. "This is a copy of the imperial edict from the palace. Supervisor Chen, please take a look."

Chen Han took it with both hands and unfolded it to examine it closely.

The imperial edict was written very briefly, which was consistent with Jiajing's style. It was short, but every word contained profound meaning.

"I hereby order Consort Jing, née Lu, along with Consort Jing, née Zhou, and Consort Zhao, along with Consort Yu, née Li, to go to the Sanqing Temple on the fifteenth of this month for a three-day vegetarian feast to pray for blessings for my spiritual cultivation."

"All rituals shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations for fasting and offering sacrifices. This is hereby decreed."

Chen Han's gaze lingered on the six characters "Three Days of Fasting and Praying for Blessings" for a long time.

Three days.

He had to stay at the Sanqing Temple for three days.

This is completely different from the poetry gatherings at Fayuan Temple.

At Fayuan Temple, all he needed to do was prepare everything and arrange the details properly, then follow from a distance, ready to rush in and salvage the situation if anything went wrong.

This time, however, he will stay at the Sanqing Temple for three days.

This means that he not only has to arrange all the materials, regulations, and procedures in advance, but also has to be ready to deal with any emergencies during these three days.

More importantly, he was a foreign official, and a man.

The Sanqing Temple is home to two imperial concubines and two princesses. His movements are governed by strict rules, including the area he can roam and the time and place he can appear in.

One wrong move and it's no longer just a matter of incompetence; it becomes a heinous crime of disrupting the inner court and defiling the palace, punishable by the extermination of one's entire family.

Chen Han put down the copy of the imperial edict, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:

"Chief Secretary Wu, since His Highness has entrusted this matter to me, I will certainly do my best. However, there are a few things I need to clarify with you first."

"Supervisor Chen, please speak."

"First, how much does His Highness know about Consort Zhao's temperament, likes, dislikes, and taboos? The more details the better."

Wu Changshi thought for a moment, then shook his head with some difficulty: "Well... to be honest, although Your Highness respects Consort Zhao, Consort Zhao is, after all, a person from the inner court."

"After His Highness came of age and established his own residence, he could only enter the palace a few times a year, so his understanding of Consort Zhao was really limited."

"All we know is that Consort Zhao was quiet and reserved, disliked showing off, devoted herself to Buddhism, and was very close to Consort Du during her lifetime."

"As for the rest... His Highness can't say for sure either."

They worship Buddha year-round.

Chen Han memorized this sentence.

A concubine who had been a devout Buddhist for many years was forcibly sent by Emperor Jiajing to the Sanqing Temple to perform a Taoist ritual.

This in itself reveals an immense sense of awkwardness and difficulty.

"Secondly, does Your Highness have any instructions for Consort Li?"

Chief Secretary Wu answered readily: "His Highness said that Consort Li is well-educated and reasonable, and knows how to conduct herself properly, but she is a bit headstrong."

"His Highness specifically instructed Supervisor Chen to consider Consort Li's feelings when making the arrangements, and to ensure that she is not wronged for no reason."

Chen Han nodded.

Strong-willed, to put it bluntly, means unable to tolerate being wronged and unable to hide one's emotions.

Such a person is most afraid of being embarrassed to their face, because they can't help it and will definitely retort on the spot.

By confronting them directly, you've fallen into a trap set by them.

"Third," Chen Han looked up at Chief Secretary Wu, his tone becoming more serious, "how wide is the area I can move around in during my trip to the Sanqing Temple?"

"Whom can I contact? Will I be able to provide support throughout the three days, or will I only be able to appear at certain times?"

Wu Changshi pondered for a moment: "Well... Supervisor Chen's question is reasonable."

"Sanqing Temple is a royal Taoist temple. During the fasting and prayer period, the western courtyard where the imperial concubines stayed was off-limits to outside officials."

"The scope of Supervisor Chen's activities was mainly limited to preparations outside the temple, the arrangement of materials for the vegetarian rituals, and miscellaneous tasks such as daily meals and offerings."

"As for the Zen monastery where the concubines lived, Supervisor Chen could not enter."

"The matters inside can only be handled by Consort Li herself and the maids and nannies she brought with her."

Chen Han's heart sank slightly.

really.

He could arrange everything properly outside, but he couldn't enter the real battlefields—the Zen temple, the altar for rituals, the dining hall, or the scripture hall.

What happened there could only be addressed through advance planning and Li Fei's own handling of the situation.

This is a hundred times more difficult than the matter at Fayuan Temple.

He can appear at Fayuan Temple at any time and make amends immediately.

He could only stand outside the Sanqing Temple, separated by several doors, anxiously waiting.

……