Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Over at the pavilion, the Crown Princess and two princesses sat around a stone table.

On the table were several sets of chess and card games left behind by Zhu Gaoxi—Gomoku, Animal Chess, Checkers, and Chinese Chess, each with its own instruction manual. Qiutang and Yuehe had just stood next to them and demonstrated them to them.

Zhang Yan, along with Wei and Weng, tried it out one by one. They played two games of Gomoku, one game of Animal Chess, and one round of Checkers.

"This Gomoku game does have a bit of a Go feel to it, it's just a bit too simple." Zhang Yan twirled a white piece between her fingers and put it back in the game box.

Mr. Wei arranged the pieces of the animal chess game over and over again, the elephant eating the tiger, the tiger eating the cat, and the cat eating the mouse. He remembered the rules clearly, but he always felt that something was missing.

Ms. Weng was a woman of few words. She quietly tried each item, but her gaze kept drifting towards the mahjong table.

"Mahjong is still the most fun." Mrs. Wei pushed the animal chess set aside, picked up the brown sugar pudding on the table, scooped out a spoonful, and said with a hint of lingering enjoyment.

"These things are new, but they always feel like something's missing. The clattering sound of mahjong tiles, the feel of touching them, the exhilaration of winning—none of these games can compare."

Zhang Yan smiled and nodded, saying that was indeed the case. These card and board games were fine for occasional entertainment, but for real enjoyment, mahjong was the only option.

Madam Weng rarely chimed in, saying it was a pity that the Empress Dowager wasn't here today, otherwise the four of them could have made a table together. The three of them exchanged glances and smiled.

"But Fourth Brother's pastries are really good." Madam Wei took another bite of the cream puff, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Zhang Yan also picked up a piece of creamy glutinous rice ball and took a bite, saying that every time she came to her fourth brother's place, she could eat something new that she had never seen before.

The table was covered with desserts and drinks that Zhu Gaoxi had just sent over.

As they were talking, Zhu Zhanji led his younger brothers over from the slide and ran familiarly to the pavilion to get some food.

He picked up a few pastries from the plate and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of the animal chess set spread out on the table and stopped in his tracks.

He put the plate aside and leaned over the table to look at it. Zhu Zhanyong and Zhu Zhanyin followed behind, also craning their necks to get closer.

"Mother, how do you play this?" Zhu Zhanji pointed to the elephant and tiger on the chessboard and looked up to ask Zhang Yan.

Just as Zhang Yan was about to put away the chessboard, she noticed her son asking questions, so she briefly explained the rules.

Zhu Zhanji's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he asked a few more questions about the details. Seeing that he was really interested, Zhang Yan simply pushed the chessboard to him: "Take it over there and play, don't let your fourth uncle lose the chess pieces."

"Come here, everyone! Your big brother has found something fun for you!" Zhu Zhanji shouted as he ran to the sandy area with a chessboard in his hand. His younger siblings all rushed over when they heard this.

The chessboard for the game of Animal Chess was spread out on the grass. Zhu Zhanji sat cross-legged in the middle and began to explain the rules to them. Zhu Zhanhe squatted opposite him, holding his silver tabby dog. A group of children gathered around.

"Brother, why can rats eat elephants?" Zhu Zhanhe thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

"Because, a mouse is a mouse, and an elephant is an elephant, so a mouse can eat an elephant." After hearing this, Zhu Zhanji started spouting nonsense again, because he didn't know either!

"Oh, I see. I understand now, brother," Zhu Zhanhe nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Zhu Zhanji's explanation.

Pretending to know what I don't, my friends, who do you think I resemble? I can only say that I'm truly the son of the Golden Bean Prince.

A group of children chattered away, and cats and dogs rolled around on the lawn, making it as lively as a market day.

At the mahjong table, Zhu Gaoxu's luck was really bad today.

He and Xu Jingchang took turns going up and down, and the chips in front of them had changed several times. Every time he took out a few chips, they were taken away by the smiling Zhu Gaochi on the other side.

But to be honest, the richest of these people is Han Wang.

The nickname "Golden Bean" wasn't given lightly. He wasn't too bothered by losing so much money; this amount was nothing to him.

Losing money isn't painful, but losing at cards is. Especially when Zhu Gaochi wins his hand and then slowly adds to it.

Zhu Gaochi once again gathered the chips he had won in front of him, his smile sincere: "My second brother and I are still the best of friends. Knowing that my elder brother's Crown Prince's residence is dirt poor, he came specially to bring me money. On behalf of the people of the world, I thank you. This silver will be used to repair the irrigation canals north of the Yangtze River."

Zhu Gaoxu had cursed the Crown Prince dozens of times in his heart, but he couldn't show it, otherwise it would seem like he couldn't take a joke.

So he put the cards he had just drawn on the table, straightened his back, and put on a righteous expression: "So what? As a prince of the Ming Dynasty, I have to do something for the Ming Dynasty. What's wrong with losing a little money? Just consider it a donation to the national treasury."

Zhu Gaochi smiled and arranged the chips, adding without looking up, "Then why don't you donate a little more, second brother? I won't mind."

Zhu Gaoxu was speechless, and Xu Jingchang, standing beside him, deeply sympathized. He had also lost several rounds. Although he was not yet married, his household expenses were not high, and he was financially well-off, losing like this all the time was not a good thing.

But since he was his cousin, he couldn't complain directly, much less talk back to Zhu Gaochi.

So he cleverly chose another strategy: he would say whatever his second cousin said. Anyway, with the Prince of Han taking the lead and all the firepower directed at his second cousin, he could just follow behind and offer some encouragement.

Zhu Gaoxu lost another round, so he gave his seat to Xu Jingchang and retreated to the side to watch the game while holding his plate.

Xu Jingchang sat down at the table and had just played a couple of rounds when Zhu Gaoxu, who was munching on a chicken leg beside him, said, "Jingchang, your luck isn't so good today either. Did you not eat enough this morning?"

Xu Jingchang was just looking for a way out, and upon hearing this, he immediately chimed in, his tone so sincere as if it were true: "I'm sorry to have troubled you, second cousin, I really didn't eat well this morning."

Zhu Gaochi chimed in with a smile, "If Jingchang is hungry, go and eat something else. Your older cousin is waiting for you, no rush."

Xu Jingchang quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, cousin, you play first, I'll talk to you after I finish this round." But he lost again.

He stood up, and Zhu Gaoxu patted him on the shoulder, taking the initiative to help him out of the predicament: "Cousin, if you're thirsty, go get something to drink first, rest for a while before going back up. You haven't had a proper rest since you came back from out of town these past few days, I think you must be tired, otherwise you wouldn't have kept losing."

Xu Jingchang immediately understood and seized the opportunity: "Second cousin is right, we haven't recovered from traveling for days. I'll go get something to drink first, second cousin, you can take over for now."

The two of them worked together seamlessly, one singing and the other echoing. When Zhu Gaoxu lost, Xu Jingchang said that his second cousin, being a martial artist, had a large appetite and must be hungry again.

Xu Jingchang lost, and Zhu Gaoxu said that his cousin was too tired from traveling for days.

The reason for losing a game is never a lack of skill.

They were either hungry, tired, or thirsty.

Zhu Gaoxi really had a blast playing mahjong today. Not only did he win money, but he also got to watch the show. He secretly decided that next time he had something good, he'd give them more of it so his brothers could play with him more often.