The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

The next day, Chen Han sat in the duty room until the sun was setting before finally receiving Shen Zhiyu's letter.

The letter was personally delivered by Vice President Zhou.

She stood at the entrance of the Guanglu Temple, refusing to step inside, only allowing Zheng Dianli to go in and announce her arrival.

When Chen Han hurried out to greet her, she was standing in the sheltered part of the porch, holding an unsigned plain-colored envelope in her hand.

His face wore a subtle, barely concealed smile, as if he were watching a spectacle.

"Supervisor Chen," she stepped forward and handed over the letter, her tone carrying a hint of mischief, "Manager Shen asked me to give this to you."

She said, "Everything you wanted is inside."

Chen Han accepted the letter with both hands and was about to bow in thanks when Deputy Manager Zhou added with a smile, "Manager Shen specifically instructed that this letter is her own and doesn't need to be returned."

After speaking, she gave a proper curtsy, turned around, and left.

Her steps were neither fast nor slow, but Chen Han could clearly see that the smile on her lips deepened the moment she turned around, as if she had just watched a good show.

Chen Han took the letter back to the duty room and closed the door behind him.

The envelope was made of ordinary mulberry paper, without a signature or seal, and sealed tightly with beeswax.

The moment he tore open the seal and pulled out the letter, his heart skipped a beat as he touched the paper.

Xuanzhou paper, two feet square, cut neatly.

The paper was smooth and delicate, without ink bleeding or smudging. It was the same ream of Xuan paper he had given to Shen Zhiyu, and she had actually used it to write a reply to him.

Chen Han took a deep breath and slowly unfolded the letter.

He had seen Shen Zhiyu's calligraphy before.

The last time he saw her in Si Yan Si's office, when she was reviewing documents, he caught a glimpse of her from afar; it was written in the formal, official style of the imperial court.

The strokes are straight and firm, as if measured with a ruler, revealing not a trace of personal feelings.

However, the handwriting on this letter was not the formal, official script used for official documents; it was a slender, delicate, and small regular script.

The horizontal stroke ends with a very faint backstroke, as if writing the last character but still having unfinished business, reluctant to stop.

The letter was short, only two pages long.

The first page is about Consort Lu Jing and Princess Jing.

Consort Lu Jing entered the palace in the twelfth year of the Jiajing reign (1543), initially as Consort Jing, and was promoted to Imperial Concubine Jing in the twenty-second year of the Jiajing reign (1554). She gave birth to Prince Jing, Zhu Zaizhen.

He was the emperor's favorite in the harem, ranking above all the other concubines.

She was beautiful, skilled in music, and eloquent. The emperor often summoned her to the Western Garden to accompany him.

He was arrogant and vindictive. None of the concubines in the harem dared to rival him.

How luxurious! Clothes must be made of Sichuan brocade and Suzhou embroidery, and food must be made of delicacies from land and sea.

He liked peonies but disliked plum blossoms and orchids, believing that these delicate and austere plants were unworthy of noble people.

They have a strong preference for sweet and spicy foods and a very strong palate.

They are sensitive to the cold, so they always keep three braziers of charcoal burning in their rooms during winter.

One should drink a cup of honey water in the morning and have a bowl of bird's nest in the afternoon.

Burn benzoin before going to bed; if the incense burns out, you will have a light sleep.

When traveling by sedan chair, three layers of brocade bedding must be laid out; otherwise, the ride will be bumpy.

In dealing with people, one's face is kind but one's heart is cold. When smiling, the corners of one's eyes remain still; when angry, the corners of one's lips slightly upturned.

She hated it most when people mentioned Consort Du, because when Consort Du was alive, the Emperor would occasionally show her favor, which made Consort Lu Jing's heart uneasy.

After reading this passage, Chen Han felt a slight chill run down his spine.

Shen Zhiyu was using his own method to write him the most accurate intelligence.

Last time at Fayuan Temple, when he was on a business trip for Sun Yue, he made a thorough trip to the Sun residence beforehand, asking about Sun Yue's likes, dislikes, habits, and temperament in great detail.

They even calculated the exact height of the prayer cushions and the material of the shoe covers.

At that time, Deputy Chief Zhou relayed the entire story to Shen Zhiyu.

When Shen Zhiyu said in the restaurant, "I heard that Miss Sun has been making a big splash at Fayuan Temple," all the resentment and competitiveness he harbored was revealed in this letter.

Now, she wrote down in detail about Consort Lu Jingfei's background to him, using the exact same format, but with ten times more granularity than he had.

What kind of honey water to drink in the morning, what kind of bird's nest to eat in the afternoon, what kind of incense to burn before bed, how many layers of mattresses to lay on when riding in a sedan chair, how the corners of the eyes move when laughing, and how the corners of the mouth turn up when angry.

These private details hidden deep within the palace walls could never be known so thoroughly by anyone who had spent eight years in the inner court, holding the seal of the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, which handled both internal and external documents.

This wasn't just sending him intelligence; it was clearly telling him outright:

What you can do for Sun Yue, I can do for you in a more detailed, comprehensive, and accurate way.

Chen Han suppressed the complex emotions surging within him and continued reading.

Princess Consort Zhou was the daughter of Zhou Yan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. She married into the Prince Jing's household in the thirty-fourth year of the Jiajing reign.

Zhou Yan was a protégé of Yan Song and had a close relationship with Yan Shifan. Influenced by his surroundings from a young age, Zhou was arrogant and jealous.

All the beautiful maids in Prince Jing's mansion were expelled by him on some pretext.

King Jing feared her and dared not take a concubine. Zhou, relying on her father's power, was arrogant and disdainful of others. She often spoke offensively to others at banquets where noble ladies gathered, and everyone dared to be angry but dared not speak out.

They favored bright red and green colors, and their clothing was designed to be dazzling, as if they wanted people to know how expensive they were.

He enjoys roasted meat and is fond of alcohol, but his drinking behavior is poor. He is impatient and will smash cups and saucers if he is slightly displeased.

The most taboo thing is for people to mention the word "concubine," because although Concubine Li, the concubine of Prince Yu, had a lower rank than the principal wife, she was the Prince Yu's favorite.

Whenever Zhou heard this, he was filled with resentment.

Chen Han tapped his finger lightly on the letter.

Consort Lu Jing is arrogant, mean-spirited, and vindictive, while Princess Jing is spoiled, jealous, and easily angered.

Both were people with pride ingrained in their bones. Relying on Jiajing's favoritism towards Prince Jing, they had long considered the position of crown prince to be theirs for the taking.

It's easy to imagine the predicament of Consort Zhao and Consort Li, having to share a roof with two such people for three days.

He turned to the second page.

The brushstrokes suddenly softened here, and even the ink became lighter, as if the brush had been placed more lightly when writing.

Consort Zhao entered the palace in the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign and was initially granted the title of Consort Zhao. In the twenty-fifth year, she was promoted to Imperial Consort.

He had no children. He was close friends with Consort Du, and after her death, he was so grief-stricken that he became emaciated and it took him half a year to recover.

He was quiet and reserved, rarely speaking and never arguing with others. He received little imperial favor, being seen by the emperor only once or twice a year.

She prefers solid colors, often wearing blue, white, or light blue clothing, and dislikes patterns.

They eat a light diet, mostly vegetarian food, and do not drink alcohol.

He was a devout Buddhist, reciting scriptures for half an hour every morning for thirty years without fail.

He is sensitive to cold and heat, has a weak constitution and is prone to illness, and takes medication year-round.

I have an old back injury, and it hurts when I sit on hard objects.

If your fingers are cold, they will become stiff in winter and need to be warmed frequently.

They loved osmanthus flowers the most, and when Consort Du was alive, the two often enjoyed them together in autumn.

After Consort Du's death, Consort Zhao no longer appreciated osmanthus blossoms. She was kind and generous to others and never argued with anyone.

However, he had high aspirations, but he kept them hidden.

Consort Lu would provoke her with words, but Consort Zhao always remained calm and composed. Consort Lu resented her, but had no way to retaliate.

After reading this passage, Chen Han remained silent for a long time.

After Consort Du's death, Consort Zhao no longer appreciated osmanthus blossoms.

The ten words, like a fine needle, gently pierced Chen Han's heart.

Two women, out of favor in the deep palace, huddled together for warmth for half their lives, admiring the osmanthus blossoms together in autumn and comforting each other on cold nights.

After Consort Du left, Consort Zhao never even glanced at the osmanthus flowers again.

This affection isn't feigned; it's etched into our very bones.

She is quiet and reserved, never arguing or competing, but she possesses an undiminished pride.

Despite Consort Lu's numerous attempts to make things difficult for her, she neither accepted the challenge nor confronted her directly, remaining neither humble nor arrogant, leaving the other party with no leverage against her.

Such women are outwardly gentle but inwardly strong; they seem easy to manipulate, but in reality, they are the most difficult to deal with.

But her body was too weak.

He has a chronic back injury, which causes pain when sitting on hard objects; his fingers are cold and stiff in winter; he is sensitive to both cold and heat, and takes medicine year-round.

Sanqing Temple is located halfway up the western mountain. In winter, the mountain winds are biting, and the place is cold and damp. If she stayed in such a place for three days, the cold alone would make her sick.

At the end of the letter, Shen Zhiyu added a paragraph about the Sanqing Temple, and her writing style returned to its previous calm and restrained tone...