The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

"Sister Sun!" Qin Ruolan smiled and stepped forward to take Sun Yue's hand, her gaze naturally turning to Chen Han. "This must be Supervisor Chen, right?"

Chen Han stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in a humble tone, "Chen Han, Supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, apologize for the intrusion and trouble you greatly."

Qin Ruolan returned the greeting with a proper curtsy and said with a smile, "Supervisor Chen, you're too kind. Sister Sun's friend is a distinguished guest of my Baoxiangzhai. Please come in."

She led the two into a private room in the backyard.

Cui'er stayed outside, guarding the door with Qin Ruolan's maid.

In the private room, the three took their seats in order of seniority.

Qin Ruolan personally brewed the tea, which was the finest pre-rain Longjing tea. The tea soup was clear and bright, with a lingering aroma and not a trace of smoky flavor.

Chen Han picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and got straight to the point without any beating around the bush: "Miss Qin, I've come here for two reasons. First, to procure incense and offerings for the Sanqing Temple's vegetarian feast at the Guanglu Temple. Second, I'd like to ask Miss Qin for a favor."

Qin Ruolan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

She had always thought that people in officialdom liked to speak in roundabout ways, but she never expected Chen Han to be so direct, without any pretense.

"Supervisor Chen, please speak."

Chen Han took out a prepared folded document from his sleeve and handed it over with both hands:

"This is a list of materials for the three-day fast and prayer ceremony, along with some arrangement ideas. Please take a look, Miss Qin, as there are some areas where we may need your assistance."

Qin Ruolan took the folding book and slowly opened it.

She had assumed that a list prepared by a low-ranking official of the eighth rank would simply be a matter of how many kilograms of incense and candles, how many kinds of offerings, and how many sets of utensils. But when she turned to the first page, her gaze was fixed on it.

The first page doesn't describe materials; it describes rooms.

The southernmost room in the west courtyard was where Consort Zhao resided.

Three days in advance, the four walls of the house should be repainted with pepper paste. Pepper paste is warm in nature and can dispel cold and dampness.

The ground is covered with two layers of dry straw mats, and then covered with a pale white cotton cloth.

The bed was moved to the window so that sunlight could fall just on the pillow.

A thick woolen felt curtain hangs in front of the window, and is lowered after sunset to ward off the mountain winds and night chill.

Qin Ruolan looked up at Chen Han, her eyes filled with shock.

She never expected that Chen Han would redesign the entire room's layout using just over an hour of sunlight.

Pepper mud was used to paint the walls to ward off the cold, straw mats were laid on the ground to keep out the damp, beds were moved to catch the light, and felt curtains were hung down to keep out the wind.

This isn't setting up a guest room; it's tailoring a warm, comfortable room for a frail, cold-sensitive imperial concubine.

She suppressed the shock in her heart and continued reading.

The quiet room next to the south side of the west courtyard has been set up as a private little Buddhist shrine.

Offer a statue of Guanyin, a thick cotton cushion, and a plain table.

On the table was a handwritten copy of the Heart Sutra, a celadon incense burner, and a box of agarwood.

This Buddhist hall needs to be secretly prepared three days in advance, and it must not be known to anyone from Consort Lu's side.

The main house in the east courtyard was where Consort Lu Jing resided.

The furnishings in the room should be as exquisite as possible.

A set of Ding kiln white porcelain tea set, a gilded carved incense burner, and three embroidered peony brocade cushions.

Charcoal is delivered three times a day, one and a half baskets each time, with each delivery consisting of two baskets of charcoal. The total amount delivered is half a basket more than the standard amount, which is four and a half baskets.

One box of benzoin should be supplied daily without interruption.

The south room of the west courtyard is where Consort Zhao resides.

The furnishings in the room should be simple, clean, and tasteful.

A set of thick-walled celadon teaware, a plain bronze incense burner, and a thick, moon-white cotton cushion.

The charcoal was delivered four times a day, one basket at a time. However, each basket contained more than half a basket of charcoal than the standard amount, so the actual total amount was six baskets.

One box of agarwood daily.

Upon seeing this, Qin Ruolan couldn't help but look up and ask, "Supervisor Chen, the charcoal regulations stipulate that a concubine should receive three baskets of charcoal per day."

"On the surface, Consort Lu gave four and a half baskets, but Consort Zhao secretly gave six baskets."

"If Consort Lu Jing finds out about this, won't she think you're favoring Consort Zhao?"

Chen Han smiled faintly, his tone certain: "Consort Lu Jing will not know."

Qin Ruolan was taken aback.

"The charcoal is delivered to each room in batches every day."

"The charcoal from the East Courtyard is delivered one and a half baskets each time, three times a day, but each time it is packed in two baskets, making a total of six baskets, which looks impressive and in large quantities."

"The charcoal from the west courtyard is delivered in baskets four times a day. Each time, the baskets are packed tightly, ensuring there are four empty baskets. It looks unassuming and inconspicuous."

"Consort Lu only counts how many empty charcoal baskets are piled up at the door, and only cares about her grandeur compared to Consort Zhao. She would never count the total amount of charcoal."

"She felt comfortable knowing she had the upper hand, so she naturally stopped paying attention to Consort Zhao's daily expenses."

Qin Ruolan stared blankly at Chen Han, speechless for a long time.

The charcoal was delivered in batches. Each time, the east courtyard received a large quantity of charcoal in baskets, making it look grand, while the west courtyard received smaller quantities, making it look more understated.

In reality, Consort Zhao received an extra basket and a half of charcoal and also gained a good reputation for being "well-behaved and not competing with those in power."

This isn't just running an official business; it's practically deploying troops.

She lowered her head and continued scrolling down.

Seating arrangements in the dining hall.

Consort Lu Jing took the head seat, while Consort Zhao voluntarily requested to sit in the lower right seat to show that she dared not overstep her bounds.

The person in charge should make sure to add two thicker layers to the cushion on the right side and add a soft cushion to the back of the chair in advance, because Consort Zhao has an old back injury and will feel pain when sitting on hard objects, so this step should not be neglected.

For Consort Zhao's teacup, a small stove is needed to ensure the water temperature is warm but not scalding, just right for drinking.

Consort Zhao's fingers were prone to coldness, becoming stiff in winter; holding hot tea could warm them up from time to time.

Qin Ruolan turned the pages one by one, becoming increasingly shocked.

The thickness of the prayer cushions, the thickness of the felt curtains, the material of the incense burner, the batch of charcoal, the seating arrangement, and the layout of the Buddhist hall.

Every single detail was written down to the smallest granular level, not just a general statement about taking good care of Consort Zhao.

Instead, the requirements are precise, such as the tea being warm but not scalding, the prayer cushions being double-layered, the felt curtains being lowered after sunset, and the ginger soup being served immediately after the chanting.

She put down the folding paper and remained silent for a long time.

The private room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of the charcoal fire in the brazier.

Sun Yue sat to the side, watching Qin Ruolan's shocked expression, feeling both smug and bitter.

To his delight, Chen Han was indeed impressive; even a shrewd person like Qin Ruolan was stunned.

What's bittersweet is that Chen Han could think so meticulously and comprehensively for Consort Zhao and Consort Li.

Compared to this folded book, the things he arranged for himself at Fayuan Temple last time seemed like something he did casually.

Sun Yue, on the other hand, felt extremely satisfied just looking at the shocked expression on Qin Ruolan's face.

She may be young, but she's not stupid.

Qin Ruolan is a young woman even her father praises. She is one of the few people in the capital who is very clever and insightful. Even ordinary men may not have her abilities.

And isn't she about to be won over by Chen Han now?

You're impressed now!

Don't let your management of this huge operation fool you; when it comes to winning in the details, you're miles behind my Supervisor Chen.

This sense of showing off and accomplishment is something she might not even be aware of herself...