Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di: "Hmm, Fourth Brother is right. You have to take things one step at a time. First refine the gourd, then refine the elixir. That's the safest way. Don't be hasty. Don't be like your Second Brother, who's always so impulsive."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu's face darkened instantly. He thought, "This old man, you can just say whatever you want, why do you have to criticize me? He always picks on me. What did I do to deserve this?"

Zhu Gaosui stood to the side, his face expressionless, but inwardly he was overjoyed: Serves you right for being so talkative, always rushing to speak. You got scolded this time. Serves you right.

The group entered the main hall. Zhu Di sat down at the head of the table, with Zhu Gaoxi sitting beside him. Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui took their seats in order, while Zhang Fu, Yang Rong, and others sat below them.

Qiutang and Yuehe quietly entered carrying a tea tray, served a cup of tea to each person, and then silently withdrew.

Before Zhu Di could speak, Zhu Gaoxi stood up and cupped his hands to the crowd: "Father Emperor just said that today we are here to discuss the provisions for the expedition. It is just right, your son has already prepared them. Today, I would like to invite all of you gentlemen to take a look."

He raised his hand and gently patted the jade gourd at his waist. A stream of light flew out from the gourd's mouth and landed on the large sandalwood table in the hall, transforming into a pile of neatly stacked supplies.

There were palm-sized compressed biscuits wrapped tightly in oil paper, self-heating rice packaging boxes, small bundles of dried meat, small flour bags, grain bags, and several neatly arranged steamed buns and twisted rolls.

"This stuff is pretty good." Zhang Fu stepped forward and picked up a compressed biscuit. It was heavy in his hand, and he couldn't smell anything special when he got close, but just by the weight, he could tell that it was quite dense. He put it in his mouth and tasted it.

Zhu Gaoxi reminded him from the side, "This thing is called compressed biscuits. Eating a small piece can be a meal, but you must not eat too much. If you eat too much and then drink water, it will swell up in your stomach and could kill you."

Zhang Fu's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the cookie on the ground. He quickly and carefully put it back on the table.

Zhu Gaoxi then gave a brief demonstration of how to use the self-heating rice.

Tear open the outer packaging, pour some water into the heating pack, cover it and let it sit for a while, and the rice will be steaming hot and cooked.

Several civil and military officials marveled at the sight. Xue Lu couldn't help but lean closer to smell it and smacked his lips, saying, "This smells even better than the communal meals in the military camp."

Zhu Gaoxi then invited everyone to try it, and broke the dried meat into small pieces to distribute to everyone.

Yang Rong took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "This tastes really good, just the right amount of saltiness, much better than the dry rations we eat on the march."

Yang Rong cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "With these military provisions, our army will have no worries about running out of food supplies. Your Highness Prince Rui's actions have truly saved our Great Ming countless resources and manpower."

Zhang Fu also said solemnly, "On behalf of the soldiers of the three armies, I thank Your Highness."

The other ministers echoed their sentiments, and the hall was filled with expressions of gratitude.

Zhu Gaoxi waved his hand: "Gentlemen, there's no need to be so polite. Since everyone is here today, I also have something I'd like to ask for your help with."

The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly after those words were spoken.

Several ministers immediately perked up their ears. His Highness Prince Rui had taken the initiative to ask them for help, which was an immense honor.

They had never had the chance to get closer to Prince Rui, but now that opportunity had arrived, with His Highness Prince Rui personally speaking up, they would be happy to do anything, let alone help him, even turn Yingtian Prefecture upside down.

Zhu Di and his three brothers were also invigorated. They knew better than anyone that since the fourth prince returned to the palace, they had received too much from him and could give too little in return, and they had long felt guilty about it.

Zhu Di spoke first: "Just tell me what's on your mind, and your father will take care of it."

"Fourth Brother (Your Highness Prince Rui), please speak frankly," the Crown Prince and his ministers echoed.

Zhu Gaoxi did not rush to speak, but instead reached out and lightly flicked the jade gourd at his waist.

A few drops of emerald green liquid flew out of the gourd's mouth and landed precisely in the teacups in front of each person. It dissolved upon contact with water, and a refreshing herbal fragrance instantly filled the hall, invigorating anyone who smelled it.

Everyone held their teacups, looking at the small amount of green in the tea that hadn't fully dissolved yet, and hesitated.

Zhu Gaoxi picked up his teacup, gestured to everyone, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please try this tea first. I won't let you all work for nothing; this is a small token of my appreciation for your hard work."

Everyone then picked up their teacups and took a sip.

The moment the tea entered my throat, a warm current rose from my abdomen and spread throughout my body.

Zhang Fu put down his teacup, looked down at his hands, and found that the old hands, calloused from years of holding a knife, and the lingering pain from several old wounds on his knuckles, had been greatly relieved after this sip of tea.

Yang Rong subconsciously moved his wrists, and the soreness in his shoulders and neck caused by years of working at a desk suddenly felt much better.

Zhu Di and his brothers also felt refreshed after drinking, but their bodies had already been conditioned by the power of creation, so their reactions were not as obvious as those of the old ministers.

Zhu Gaoxi put down his teacup and then slowly began to speak: "To be honest, I have been refining a gourd recently."

"However, the quality of a gourd depends on three factors: the material, the age, and the provenance. I'm asking for your help today so that you can help me find some good gourds and refine some fine treasures. Of course, I won't forget you all."

Zhu Gaoxu was the first to stand up, thumping his chest loudly: "Fourth brother, don't worry! Second brother hasn't been able to help you much before, but this time you want the gourd, second brother will definitely use all his connections to find every gourd in the entire Beiping Prefecture for you!"

Zhu Di glanced at him, thinking that his second son had interrupted again, but he didn't say anything more. He simply said, "I'll have someone check the palace treasury later. If they find the gourd you want, your father will send it to you."

Zhu Gaochi nodded solemnly: "Brother, I'll have someone send word to all the prefectures and counties, and all the local government offices will keep an eye out for you. As for the gourds in the palace treasury, I'll have someone make a list and send them to you later."

"Fourth Uncle, I also have a few gourds, I'll give them to you later," Zhu Zhanji retorted, not to be outdone.

Zhu Gaosui didn't say much, only saying, "Third brother will also help you find one."

Several ministers could no longer remain silent.

Zhang Fu stood up first, cupped his hands and said, "My family has acquired a few old gourds. They were given to us by an old farmer from Guang Prefecture when we fought alongside the late emperor. They have been passed down for three generations. Although they are not worth much money, they are quite old. I will have them delivered to your residence as soon as I get back."

Yang Rong also cupped his hands and said, "I know a collector in Quanzhou who specializes in collecting rare gourds from overseas, including those from Southeast Asia and Japan. The materials are completely different from those from the Central Plains. I will write a letter to him and ask him to keep an eye out for them."

Xue Lu scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't know anything about hidden gourds, but my son-in-law's uncle runs a gourd farm in Baoding Prefecture, specializing in growing gourds. He's been doing it for decades. I'll have my son-in-law go and ask if he has any good old ones."

Zheng Heng and Jian Yi both said they would mobilize their relatives and friends to search everywhere as soon as they got back.

Zhu Gaoxi cupped his hands in thanks to the crowd.