The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

"Why change your clothes?" Qin Maocai was taken aback. "You're fine as you are, all clean and tidy."

Qin Ruolan ignored him and went straight back to her room.

When she came out again, the light purple jacket she was wearing had been replaced with a moon-white one.

It's a similar color to the one Sun Yue wore at Fayuan Temple last time, but it's not the same style.

The plum blossom silver hairpin in her hair was replaced with a plain white jade hairpin, and her earrings were also changed to simpler silver lilacs. No piece of jewelry on her body could outshine Sun Yue.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, making sure she was properly dressed from head to toe and that there was nothing about her that would overshadow her, before she stepped outside.

These are the rules she learned after four years of hard work in the business world.

When dealing with daughters of officials, one should not dress better than them, wear more expensive items, or try to outdo them in any way.

He's an official, you're a businessman. You're stealing his thunder everywhere you go. Where does that leave his face?

Once you lose face, the relationship will fade.

When relationships fade, business deals fall through.

These principles were ingrained in her bones when she went on her first business trip with her father at the age of fourteen.

Just after 1 p.m., Sun Yue's green-curtained carriage came to a steady stop in front of Baoxiangzhai.

Qin Ruolan personally greeted Sun Yue at the shop entrance, smiling as she took her hand: "Sister Sun, it's been a long time."

"It's been almost two months since our last poetry gathering. I'm so glad you've finally come."

Sun Yue smiled and shook her hand in return, her tone light and cheerful: "Sister Ruolan, you look even better than last time I saw you."

"I heard from my father that your family recently received a new batch of sandalwood from Southeast Asia, so I came here specifically to take a look."

Qin Ruolan led her to the private room in the backyard.

The private rooms at Baoxiangzhai were specially used to receive the families of high-ranking officials and nobles. They were not large, but they were decorated in an elegant and tranquil manner.

A long rosewood table sits by the window, on which sits a Ding kiln white porcelain incense burner.

A wisp of agarwood burned in the incense burner, its wisps of smoke filling the room with a delicate fragrance.

A genuine landscape painting by Wen Zhengming hangs on the wall.

It was a prized possession that Qin Maocai acquired from Suzhou at great expense.

Cui'er followed Sun Yue into the private room, and Qin Ruolan immediately had the shop's maids bring out the finest pre-rain Longjing tea.

There were also osmanthus cakes and pea flour cakes that had just been delivered from the pastry shop next door, both of which were favorites of the noble ladies of Beijing.

Sun Yue took a sip of tea and put down the cup.

His gaze swept around the private room, finally settling on the landscape painting by Wen Zhengming. He looked at it a few times but said nothing.

Qin Ruolan wasn't in a hurry, so she accompanied her to slowly drink tea and chat about the latest gossip in the capital.

From the weather to the latest clothing patterns, from jewelry to the newly opened Suzhou and Hangzhou silk shop in Beijing, he never rushed or asked any questions, striking the perfect balance.

She understands perfectly.

When a daughter of an official comes to see you, she never gets straight to the point.

They always have to beat around the bush a few times first, and wait until the atmosphere is relaxed before revealing their true intentions.

If you rush to ask, "What brings my sister here today?", it will make you seem impatient and lacking in social skills.

Sure enough, after chatting for about half an hour, Sun Yue finally put down her teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"Sister Ruolan," her tone was a little softer than before, with a hint of caution, "I actually came today to ask you something else."

Qin Ruolan smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Sister Sun, please feel free to speak. As long as I know the answer, I will tell you everything I know."

"Does your family... regularly supply incense, candles, and other offerings to the Sanqing Temple for its religious ceremonies?"

Qin Ruolan's heart stirred slightly, but she remained expressionless and nodded.

"Yes. All the offerings, large and small, for the vegetarian ceremonies at Sanqing Temple have always been supplied exclusively by Baoxiangzhai. What's wrong?"

Sun Yue hesitated for a moment, her fingers unconsciously twisting the handkerchief in her hand, carefully choosing her words: "I heard... that there will be a grand Buddhist ritual at the Sanqing Temple in five days."

"Consort Lu Jing, along with Princess Jing, and Consort Zhao, along with Princess Yu's concubine, are all going to the temple to pray for blessings for three days."

"I've heard about this too." Qin Ruolan nodded, picked up the teapot, and refilled Sun Yue's teacup with hot tea.

"The Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Household Department have already sent people to make arrangements. The incense and offerings are of a higher standard than usual, and the quantity has doubled."

"My dad has been personally overseeing the preparation of the goods these past few days."

Sun Yue took the teacup and traced circles on the rim with her fingers.

After a moment of silence, she raised her head and asked softly, "Then... do you know who is in charge of organizing this religious ceremony and handling the administrative affairs?"

Qin Ruolan's gaze flickered almost imperceptibly.

When someone from the palace came to greet them, they specifically mentioned it.

It is said that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has sent a supervisor, surnamed Chen, to be in full charge of the materials and general affairs of this religious ceremony.

The supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was surnamed Chen.

A person instantly popped into her mind.

At the last poetry gathering at Fayuan Temple, Sun Yue stole the show among all the noble ladies in the capital.

Afterwards, the news spread throughout the noble ladies' circles in the capital, saying that Miss Sun was accompanied by a supervisor named Chen from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who handled matters with meticulous care.

Shoe covers, hand warmers, heaters, change of clothes—everything was thought of in advance.

They managed to turn what was supposed to be a public embarrassment into a dignified victory for Sun Yue.

She made a mental note of it: There was a supervisor named Chen in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who was a capable person with a clear mind and efficient methods.

Later, she made a special inquiry and found out that the man's name was Chen Han, an eighth-rank supervisor, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and had been working at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for less than four months.

He was the one who single-handedly resolved the scandal that shocked the court and the public regarding the excessive offerings at the Prince Yu's Winter Solstice sacrifice.

Not only did they not cause Prince Yu any trouble, but they also received a commendation from the Emperor himself.

Prince Yu even hosted a special banquet in his honor, and three high-ranking officials of the court, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, met with him at the banquet.

A minor official of the eighth rank, within four months of joining the post, managed to make the emperor remember his name and gain the favor of Prince Yu.

To be favored by Xu, Gao, and Zhang at the same time, this person is definitely not an ordinary talent.

Now, Sun Yue is indirectly asking the person in charge of this religious ceremony, and the person she's asking about is undoubtedly Chen Han.

Qin Ruolan picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and her mind raced.

Sun Yue took Chen Han seriously.

It might not be that she's deeply in love. Sun Yue is only sixteen, the age when love is just beginning to blossom, and she might not be able to clearly understand what her feelings are.

She was simply rescued by Chen Han during her most embarrassing and helpless time last time.

For the first time, I experienced what it means to feel at ease and to have no worries.

This gratitude and dependence had already quietly soured, but she herself hadn't realized it yet.

But this impulse to "help him" is clearly the beginning of a young woman's feelings for a man.

Qin Ruolan had been in the business world for four years and had met more people than Sun Yue had ever eaten rice.

She could see clearly at a glance the way a man looked at a woman, and the way a woman looked at a man.

"Isn't the person in charge of handling the affairs of this religious ceremony, Supervisor Chen, who helped you with errands at Fayuan Temple last time, the one who put down his teacup and spoke as if it were a trivial matter?" Qin Ruolan put down his teacup, his tone as natural as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Sun Yue's face flushed red instantly.

The blush was very faint; a layer of pink first appeared at the base of her ears, which then tinged her cheeks with a rosy hue. She tried to suppress it, but couldn't hide the panic in her eyes.

"It's him." She nodded, trying to keep her tone calm. "He took this job. My dad said it's quite important, there are a lot of intricacies involved."

"I just want to ask, your family has been making offerings to the Sanqing Temple for years, how much do you know about what's going on inside?"

……