Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

The three descended from the clouds.

"Let's go back," Zhu Gaoxu said, patting the white tiger's head. The other two brothers did the same, patting their cloud pets in various ways.

These somersault clouds, understanding their master's will, immediately took to the air and flew back towards the Han Prince's residence, the Crown Prince's residence, and the Zhao Prince's residence, respectively.

After Yun Duo left, the ministers' gazes naturally fell back on the three princes.

Outside the Meridian Gate was a solemn place where ministers lined up in rows before going to court, waiting for the palace gates to open; according to regulations, they were not allowed to make loud noise.

But rules are rules. These three cloud beasts have just descended from the sky. Who can remain silent?

Several military officers who were already familiar with Zhu Gaochi took the lead and approached. Then, several civil officials who were so curious that they were itching to get closer also moved closer and surrounded the three princes.

Everyone knew the Crown Prince's temperament. Zhu Gaochi was always calm and composed, and when asked, he would usually just smile and wave his hand, refusing to say more.

On the contrary, Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han could answer ten questions for every one asked, with a loud voice, expressive face, and no hesitation in showing off.

The crowd naturally gathered around Zhu Gaoxu.

Marquis Zheng Heng of Wu'an stepped forward first: "Your Highness, was that white tiger cloud just now His Highness Prince Rui's new supernatural power?"

Zhu Gaoxu flicked his sleeve, his voice lowered but his smugness undiminished: "Of course! My fourth brother found standing on a sword tiring and riding a dragon scale too hard, so he specially made this somersault cloud for transportation."

"My brother and I are close, but I was too embarrassed to trouble my fourth brother. He insisted on getting me one, saying it would be convenient whether I went to court or went out!"

Several senior officials nearby exchanged meaningful glances upon hearing this. His Majesty had said the same thing yesterday in the side hall.

He said, "The fourth prince insisted on getting me one, and I couldn't refuse him."

This father and son are so alike that even their boastful words sound like they were cut from the same mold; they are truly blood relatives.

As everyone chatted animatedly, the bells and drums on the palace gates sounded deeply.

The officials quickly composed themselves, straightened their clothes, and lined up in their respective positions to prepare for entering the court.

Zhu Di had already thoroughly investigated the commotion outside from inside the palace.

He leaned back in his cloud chair, feeling both annoyed and amused: These lads, it's already quite a spectacle for me to ride Yongle around the palace, but they come to court riding the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, even more impressive than me.

On second thought, they must have borrowed clouds from their children to make those clouds merge together and grow bigger. I heard yesterday that the fourth brother distributed clouds to his whole family.

That's how he merged two clouds into a cloud boat yesterday. Fine, I won't stoop to their level. I can't let him, as a father, compete with his grandchildren for clouds.

As the bells and drums fell silent, the officials filed into the palace and lined up in two rows, east and west.

When everyone entered the Fengtian Hall, they looked up at the throne and were all stunned.

Zhu Di did not sit on the dragon throne; instead, he sat on a white cloud, which he sculpted into a large cloud chair, complete with a backrest and armrests, its surface soft and thick.

The ministers exchanged bewildered glances, a single thought simultaneously forming in their minds: "These clouds have so many uses; they can even save the need for a throne! Aren't these clouds truly wondrous clouds?" But then they thought, "Never mind, I dare not think about it. If I accidentally utter it, my entire family will be wiped out."

Zhu Di took in everyone's reactions, his desires satisfied once again. Without further ado, he got straight to the point: "There are several important matters to attend to today. The first is Annam."

He turned his gaze to the ranks of military officers. "Zhang Fu, how are the army's preparations? When can we depart?"

Zhang Fu stepped forward, bowed, and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, the army is ready to depart. Because His Highness Prince Rui promised to take care of the provisions and supplies, this expedition has saved a lot of time in conscripting laborers and collecting provisions. Originally, it would have taken at least half a month to prepare, but now we can set off in as little as three days."

Zhu Di nodded, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Alright, I'll give you three days. After three days, the army will set off."

After Zhang Fu returned to his post as ordered, Zhu Di brought up the second matter.

His tone softened slightly: "You've all seen those blueprints and pages I sent out yesterday, haven't you? I'm not asking for results today, I'm just asking one question: when can you come up with a plan?"

Xia Yuanji stepped forward first, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue, together with the Ministry of Works, has completed copying the blueprints for the Water Conservancy section of the Complete Book of Agricultural Administration overnight, and the structural diagrams for irrigation waterwheels have been sent to various prefectures in Jiangnan. However, it will take some time before they are widely adopted."

Officials from various departments then began reporting on their progress...

Zhu Di listened to each of the reports and, seeing that each department was making positive progress, nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. These books were provided by the Fourth Prince; I am only responsible for handing them over to you. Turning these into tangible achievements depends on you, my dear ministers. Hurry up and get it done; if you do well, you will be rewarded handsomely..."

After the main business was concluded, Zhu Di put down the memorial and changed the subject: "There is one more thing today. The officials of Prince Rui's residence should be decided."

The ministers in the hall perked up, all feeling that this was of utmost importance. After all, Prince Rui was a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, and the fortune to be appointed to his residence was beyond their wildest imagination...

Several senior officials whose sons or nephews had been selected had been eagerly awaiting this moment, and now that the matter was finally settled, they no longer needed to worry.

Zhu Di glanced at the assembled officials with their varied expressions and nodded slightly to Huang Yan.

Huang Yan bowed and stepped forward, unfolded the imperial edict that had been prepared beforehand, and read it aloud:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The officials of the Prince Rui’s Palace have now been selected."

The position of Chief Secretary was held by Yang Ji, the eldest son of Yang Shiqi.

The position of clerk was held by Hu Ying, Hu Guang's nephew.

The commander of the guards was Qiu Sheng, son of Qiu Fu, the Duke of Qi.

The presiding judge was Jian Fang, son of Jian Yi.

The position of Chief Steward was held by Zheng Cong, son of Marquis Zheng Heng of Wu'an.

The position of Chief of the Ancestral Temple was held by Song Xuan, son of Song Li, Minister of Works.

The position of Deputy Commander of the Guard was jointly held by Zhang Ni, the younger brother of Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo, and Xue Bin, the son of Marquis Xue Lu of Yangwu.

The master of ceremonies and accompanying scholar was to be Duke Dingguo, Xu Jingchang. Xu Jingchang was still en route back to the capital; the imperial decree ordered him to be immediately sent to the Duke Dingguo's residence, and to report to Prince Rui's residence upon his arrival in the capital. So be it.

After Huang Yan finished reading the imperial edict, he closed it and placed it on the imperial desk with both hands.

The hall was quiet for a moment, then a low murmur of discussion arose.

This list almost entirely included the sons of the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign and the important ministers of the cabinet. Among the civil officials were the sons of Yang Shiqi, Hu Guang, Jian Yi, and Song Li, while among the military officials were the sons and nephews of Qiu Fu, Zheng Heng, Zhang Fu, and Xue Lu. Even Xu Jingchang, the nephew of Empress Xu, was included.

Zhu Di's arrangement not only gave each family face, but also firmly bound the Prince Rui's Mansion to the core circle of the entire court.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The officials of the Prince Rui's residence have now been selected. The Chief Secretary will be Yang Ji, the eldest son of Yang Shiqi..."

Huang Yan's voice echoed in the Fengtian Hall, and with each name he uttered, a face below lit up.

Yang Shiqi stood among the civil officials, his face still bearing that unchanging calm expression, not even raising an eyebrow.

But Jian Yi, standing next to him, noticed that his fingers, hidden in his sleeves, were rubbing the edge of the ivory tablet. The tablet, which he had held for half his life, had been worn smooth and shiny, and today it had been rubbed with several more marks.

Yang Shiqi appeared calm on the surface, but his mind was in turmoil: "Now that Ji'er has entered the Prince Rui's mansion, he'll be on a completely different level from those old scholars in the Hanlin Academy. He'll be a close attendant of the gods, and my Yang family will be incredibly fortunate."

Jian Yi stood there, his lips curling upwards incessantly, an uncontrollable smile. Several colleagues around him cast envious or jealous glances his way, but he paid them no heed.

He recalled the days and nights he had spent working overtime at the Ministry of Personnel, and how his wife had been urging him to make a name for himself.

Now that her son has entered Prince Rui's residence, Madam should be satisfied, right? Fang'er, following Prince Rui, might actually gain some divine favor in the future—that would be a great honor for the family. The smoke rising from their ancestral graves wouldn't be just green smoke, it would be golden smoke.

In short, anyone who heard that their child's name was on the list of those who could enter the Prince's Palace as an official was incredibly excited, their heart rate soaring to 220.

The most lively part was still the few young people who were named.

Yang Ji tried his best to maintain his father's true teachings, but his palms were sweating inside his sleeves.

Jian Fang couldn't straighten the corners of her mouth no matter what she did.

Qiu Sheng stood as straight as a spear, and several familiar military officers around him nudged him with their elbows, but he didn't budge.

After announcing this, Zhu Di solemnly said, "The decree shall be sent to all the prefectures immediately, and these young men shall report to the Prince Rui's residence in the coming days."

The court session ended, and the officials filed out of the Fengtian Hall. Before these young men could even step out the door, they were surrounded by their colleagues.

While saying "Congratulations," their eyes betrayed their inner turmoil: "Why not me?"

Everyone knows that once you enter the Prince Rui's mansion and follow the Dao Ancestor's disciple, even if you're just a servant serving tea and water, your future prospects are limitless.

Moreover, these people are all proper officials of the Prince's Palace, with ranks and salaries. Following Prince Rui, who knows, one day the Prince might be in a good mood and bestow some elixirs or impart some supernatural powers. That would truly be a stroke of good fortune.