Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

When Zhu Gaoxi entered the main hall of Kunning Palace, Empress Xu was leaning against a soft couch, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Seeing him enter, she smiled and waved, "Xi'er, you've arrived? Have the men finished their business?"

Zhu Gaoxi sat down by the couch and nodded: "Father has gone to the Wenyuan Pavilion, and my elder brother and the others have returned to their residences. Your son has come to keep Mother company and have a chat."

Empress Xu reached out and touched his face, clicking her tongue in amazement: "Your father said you have the body of an immortal, pure and clean, but I didn't believe it. Look at your face, you haven't even had a speck of oil after eating for half a day. I didn't have such good skin when I was young."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager is doing well now."

"You're so good with words," Empress Xu said with a laugh, pulling his hand and patting it gently.

After a moment of silence, Empress Xu suddenly sighed: "Xi'er, I am truly happy that you have received the Dao Ancestor's inheritance. But sometimes I can't help but think... if only you had been born a few years earlier."

Zhu Gaoxi raised his head: "Why did Mother suddenly bring this up?"

Empress Xu's gaze fell out the window: "If you had been born a few years earlier, with your skills, your uncle might not have died."

Zhu Gaoxi's heart skipped a beat. She knew she was referring to Zhu Biao, the crown prince during the Hongwu era, who died of illness in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu's reign.

"As long as your uncle is alive, your father will not rebel." Empress Xu's voice lowered.

"Your eldest uncle is kind and good to his younger brothers. If he becomes emperor, your father can live peacefully as the Prince of Yan, and no one will risk their lives to fight him."

Zhu Gaoxi gripped his mother's hand tightly.

"And your grandmother, Empress Ma," Empress Xu's eyes reddened slightly, "she passed away early, and your father didn't even get to see her one last time. If she were still here, your father wouldn't have suffered so much."

Zhu Gaoxi handed her a handkerchief. Empress Xu wiped her eyes, shook her head with a wry smile, and said, "Forget it, there's no use thinking about the past. Sometimes I just can't help myself."

Zhu Gaoxi was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Mother, the past cannot be changed, but no one can predict the future. Perhaps one day, the Dao Ancestor will pass on even more powerful magic. For example, the kind that can bring back people who have been dead for many years."

Empress Xu was stunned, and the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand fell onto the couch.

"Xi'er, what did you say?"

"Your subject is only saying it's possible." Zhu Gaoxi looked at his mother earnestly. "If one day a spell like 'reincarnation' is passed down, my uncle, grandmother, and those who passed away early might not be without a chance to see them again."

Empress Xu's hands trembled slightly, and tears finally fell. She pulled Zhu Gaoxi into her arms, her voice hoarse: "Alright, your mother will wait for that day."

Zhu Gaoxi leaned against his mother's chest, smelling the familiar fragrance of orchids, and said nothing more.

After a while, Empress Xu released him and patted his hair: "Alright, go back and rest. You still have to learn new skills from the Dao Ancestor tomorrow."

Zhu Gaoxi stood up and bowed, but turned back at the door and said, "Mother, what I said wasn't just to make you happy. I've kept it in mind."

Empress Xu's eyes reddened again, and she smiled and waved to him.

A night breeze brushed his face, carrying the heat of July. Zhu Gaoxi looked up at the stars and silently prayed: System, give me something that can fly tomorrow, my whole family is waiting for it.

The light in the east side room was still on. The palace maid made up the bedding and then withdrew.

Zhu Gaoxi took off his outer robe and lay on the couch, staring blankly at the caisson ceiling. His mind kept replaying the same thing: what ability would he sign in for tomorrow?

He said he'd wait a few more days for an even more awe-inspiring supernatural power, but what the system gave him wasn't up to him. What if it gave him something useless?

Ideally, it should be able to fly. Whether it's soaring through the clouds or flying on a sword...

The second brother longs to ride on the clouds, Zhanji eagerly anticipates going to heaven, and the emperor also wants to patrol the skies above the capital. If he can't learn to fly, the whole family will probably be disappointed.

Flying is good, but it's not flashy enough. If you could unleash a palm strike, splitting a large rock in half with a thunderous boom, that would be real skill. Or perhaps you could turn stones into gold with a flick of your finger; even the Minister of Revenue would be forced to kneel before you.

Zhu Gaoxi turned over, staring at the patterns on the tent, muttering to himself: "Moving mountains and filling seas, summoning wind and rain, turning beans into soldiers... any one of these will do."

The main hall of Kunning Palace. It was late at night. Zhu Di sat next to Empress Xu, holding a folding book in his hand but not paying attention to it.

"Your Majesty, Xi'er told me tonight," Empress Xu said in a low voice, "that the Dao Ancestor might one day pass on an even more powerful magic, the kind that can bring back people who have been dead for many years."

Zhu Di paused.

He also said that his uncle and grandmother, who passed away early, might still have a chance to see them again.

Zhu Di remained silent for a long time before saying, "This child really dares to think."

Empress Xu said softly, "Bringing the dead back to life and being invulnerable to swords and spears—who would have believed that before? Since he has said it, it may not be empty talk."

Zhu Di leaned back in his chair, lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Your father. If that day truly comes, save him first."

Empress Xu was taken aback, her eyes reddening slightly.

Zhu Di then thought of Zhu Biao. If his elder brother were to come back to life, what would happen to his throne? Would all those three years of fighting have been for nothing? He shook his head.

Then he thought of his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. If his father were alive and saw him sitting on the dragon throne, not Zhu Yunwen, how would he treat him?

He picked up the herbal tea and took a sip; it was bitter and astringent.

"Xi'er is still young, and he thinks too simply about some things." He put down his teacup. "The dead shouldn't live on."

Zhu Yuanzhang: You just wait and see. When you're done for, you'll be the first one I beat up.

Empress Xu said softly, "Your Majesty is right."

Zhu Di stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The night wind blew in, and he looked at the pitch-black night, giving a bitter smile. He had fought wars his whole life, killed people his whole life, but in the end, what he feared most was his own father.

He closed the window, turned around, and said, "Go to sleep."