The number one sycophant of the Ming Dynasty

Qin Ruolan finally spoke, her tone full of admiration:

"Supervisor Chen, what you wrote in this note is more than ten times more detailed than what Ruolan found out."

Chen Han bowed slightly, his tone humble: "What Miss Qin found out is the basis for my arrangements."

"Without news of Miss Qin, no matter how meticulous I am, I have no way to proceed."

"This job was made possible half by the efforts of Miss Qin and Miss Sun."

Qin Ruolan looked at Chen Han, her gaze holding something indescribable.

She's seen far too many officials.

Some were arrogant and looked down on merchants;

Some are pretentious and full of empty talk;

Some are outwardly polite but inwardly wary.

But Chen Han was different. He was neither humble nor arrogant, neither pretentious nor arrogant. When talking about serious matters, his eyes shone, and when talking about details, his tone carried a sense of certainty.

It seems that doing everything to the extreme is something that is taken for granted by him.

What alarmed her even more was that he could integrate the scattered information from her casual conversation with Sun Yue into a complete, meticulously crafted plan overnight.

The room, the charcoal fire, the utensils, the seating arrangement, the Buddhist hall, the ginger soup—none of these are isolated.

Everything was perfectly integrated with Consort Zhao's health, Consort Lu's personality, Consort Li's temperament, and every aspect of the three-day fasting ritual.

This isn't cleverness; it's a grand vision, a mastery of every detail.

"Supervisor Chen," Qin Ruolan closed the folding book and placed it on the table, her tone solemn, "Just tell me what you need me to do. As long as it's within my power, I will not hesitate to do it."

Chen Han picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and explained the four things clearly, word by word.

"First, Miss Qin needs to put in a good word with Master Qingyun of the Sanqing Temple."

"I am an official outside the capital and cannot enter the inner courtyard of the Sanqing Temple, but Miss Qin can."

"I need Miss Qin to convey a message to Daoist Qingyun. Consort Zhao is frail and sensitive to cold. If she requires any special care during the ritual, please do so, Daoist Qingyun."

"Master Qingyun is a smart man; he won't refuse."

"Because if anything were to happen to Consort Zhao in his temple, he would be the first to be implicated."

Qin Ruolan nodded: "Leave this to me. Master Qingyun has been friends with my father for many years; he will definitely give me this much face."

"Secondly, Miss Qin needs to go into that room in the west courtyard three days in advance to set it up."

"The walls were painted with pepper mud, straw mats were laid on the floor, the beds were moved, and the felt curtains were hung up."

"These are things I cannot do; only Miss Qin can rightfully go in and do them."

Qin Ruolan nodded again: "No problem. I'll go into the mountains three days in advance and make sure the arrangements are exactly as you wrote in the folded book."

"Third, the Buddhist hall needs to be secretly arranged by Miss Qin."

"The Guanyin statue, the prayer mat, the table, the incense burner, and the scriptures are all essential, but we must not let Consort Lu's people find out in advance."

"So they used the pretext of sending incense and offerings to mix these things into the goods and transport them into the temple in batches."

"The Guanyin statue was wrapped in cloth and placed at the very bottom of the incense and candle box."

"The cotton wadding on the prayer cushion was untied and brought in in several batches. The scriptures were rolled up and placed inside the bundle of candles."

"Once the items are inside the temple, they are gradually moved to the quiet room, one small step at a time, so no one will notice."

Qin Ruolan's eyes flickered for a moment, then she smiled: "Don't worry, Supervisor Chen, I'll handle this properly, I guarantee it will be done without anyone knowing."

"Fourth," Chen Han's tone became more serious, "during the fasting period, could Miss Qin enter once a day under the pretext of 'replenishing supplies and inspecting offerings'?"

Qin Ruolan thought for a moment and nodded, "That's fine. The consumption of incense and offerings is high during the fasting and prayer period, and daily replenishment is a routine procedure. No one will complain."

"That's good." Chen Han breathed a sigh of relief. "Miss Qin, please come to the temple every day and check on Consort Zhao's complexion and Consort Li's expression for me."

"If there is any problem, Miss Qin is a woman and it is much easier for her to enter the inner courtyard than for me. I hope Miss Qin will be flexible and help them out when the time comes."

Qin Ruolan looked at Chen Han and suddenly asked a question, her tone filled with genuine curiosity:

"Supervisor Chen, you have made so many arrangements. You have thought of a safe place for Consort Zhao, a way out for Consort Li, enough face for Consort Lu, and a way out for Daoist Qingyun."

"You've paved the way for everyone's escape route, and you've preserved everyone's dignity."

"But what about yourself?"

"You, a mere eighth-rank supervisor, are caught between Prince Yu and Prince Jing, between Consort Lu and Consort Zhao, and between the Yan faction and the Qingliu faction."

"You handle everyone's tasks perfectly, but what if one day someone wants to target you? Where will you go from there?"

The private room fell silent instantly.

Sun Yue clenched the handkerchief in her hand, looked at Chen Han, and her eyes reddened slightly.

She had never thought about this question; she only knew that Chen Han had to do his job and get it done.

Little did he know that as a lowly eighth-rank official, he was taking on such a huge risk; if he made a mistake, he would be doomed.

Chen Han remained silent for a while.

Then he smiled, a very faint smile.

"Miss Qin, my only way out is to do everything to the best of my ability."

"Make yourself irreplaceable to those who use you, and make those who want to remove you feel that the cost of doing so is too high."

"This is my way out."

Qin Ruolan looked into his eyes for a very long time.

Then she stood up and gave Chen Han a proper curtsy.

"Supervisor Chen, Ruolan is convinced."

She straightened up, her tone solemn and resolute:

"Ruolan will definitely handle the Sanqing Temple matter perfectly for you."

"Consort Zhao and Consort Li will surely spend these three days peacefully and dignifiedly."

Chen Han stood up and respectfully returned the bow: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qin. I am deeply grateful."

Sun Yue sat to the side, watching the two of them bow to each other, and a strange, indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.

Qin Ruolan is two years older than her, smarter, more insightful, and understands Chen Han's actions better than she does, especially regarding his earlier question, "Where is your way out?"

She wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to ask or think of a way to.

They were talking about serious matters, making plans and strategizing, communicating in a way she couldn't understand; she felt like an outsider.

But just then, Chen Han turned around, looked at her, and his tone was much gentler than before:

"Miss, this whole thing was made possible by your connections."

"If it weren't for Miss Qin's acquaintance, I would have no way to put my ideas into practice, no matter how many I had."

"I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life."

Sun Yue's nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears.

……