Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Upon hearing this, the daughters-in-law exchanged glances and smiled with pursed lips.

Madam Wei, who couldn't keep a secret, spoke first: "Mother, is that even a question? Everyone knows that Fourth Brother is the most filial to you. If you want one, let alone one, you could have a whole roomful."

Zhang Yan and Madam Weng also smiled and agreed.

Empress Xu pulled the cat closer to her chest, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "That's because the fourth prince is filial. He knows how well you sisters-in-law treat him, and he'll treat you all the same."

As she spoke, she glanced at each of her three daughters-in-law.

Wei quickly pushed the cards towards the center of the table. Zhang Yan had already taken her seat, and Weng also put down her teacup.

Everyone laughed and said that Mother was right, let's play mahjong first. The clatter of the tiles filled the air as the four of them played and chatted, their laughter echoing throughout the pavilion.

After Empress Xu grew younger, her temperament became much lighter. When she got together with her daughters-in-law, it was like a group of sisters chatting and laughing.

Over at the mahjong table, Zhu Di had already secured his position as the dealer.

Xu Jingchang and Zhu Gaoxu stood on either side of the back watching the battle.

Zhu Gaoxu initially held a sliver of hope. The old man was usually too busy with official duties to play mahjong. He figured the old man's skill level was about the same as his own, so they wouldn't be able to laugh at him.

He leaned close to Xu Jingchang's ear and whispered, "Don't worry, the old man is probably about the same age as us. Look at the way he touches the cards, he's so clumsy."

In the first round, Zhu Di did indeed struggle, and Zhu Gaochi won a small round.

But starting from the second round, Zhu Di's luck improved. He became increasingly adept at drawing and playing cards, and his ability to meld (chow, pong, kong, and win) was smooth and effortless. He won several rounds in a row.

Zhu Gaoxu watched from behind, his eyes wide with amazement, wondering if his brothers had let Zhu Di win the game.

Xu Jingchang stood to the side, watching intently, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "No wonder my uncle was able to become emperor. Back then, a few hundred people rose up in rebellion, and he managed to fight his way out of so many and secure the throne. His mind is truly extraordinary."

Zhu Gaochi pushed over the cards, losing another round. He shook his head with a smile, "Father's skill level is far superior to Second Brother's. Second Brother played all morning and didn't win many rounds, while Father has only been sitting down for a short while and has already won several rounds."

Zhu Gaosui said slowly from the side, "Indeed. Fighting with Father Emperor is much more mentally taxing than fighting with Second Brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu snorted defiantly, "I just didn't eat well this morning and was hungry! Besides, did you all let Father Emperor win the game? How come it was so difficult to play against me, but so easy against Father Emperor?"

The more he spoke, the more he realized something was wrong, and his voice unconsciously rose half an inch. "Dad, they're definitely going easy on you."

Zhu Di didn't even lift his eyelids, and while shuffling the cards, he said indifferently, "You pig-brain, all you know is eating. You should learn from your elder brother. Look at him, he handles everything perfectly without me having to worry about him. You should use your brain when you need to. You're acting like a brute all day long, you're really disgracing our Zhu family."

Zhu Gaoxu choked and shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.

His question just now, "Did you let him win?", implied that the old man only won because someone let him win. If this had happened in the past, he would have received a severe scolding.

He quietly moved half a step behind Xu Jingchang, lowered his head, and pretended to be studying the surface of his shoes.

Zhu Di glanced at him, seeing his cowardly appearance, and didn't continue to scold him. Instead, he asked his sons, "Did any of you give me the cards?"

Zhu Gaoxi neatly arranged the cards in his hand and said casually, "Father is joking. With your skills, there's no need for us to let you win."

Zhu Gaochi quickly chimed in, laughing as he said, "How could I dare to let you win when playing cards with Father? If I did, you would have crushed me long ago."

Zhu Gaosui then calmly added, "Father's skills are still sharp; there's no need for us to let him win in this kind of game."

Xu Jingchang quickly chimed in, saying that his cousins ​​hadn't cheated, and that's exactly how they played. His uncle's skill was indeed as good as ever.

After listening, Zhu Di smiled, a rare occurrence. He turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi, his tone softening slightly: "It's all thanks to the fourth prince who made me younger. Now I'm full of energy and my mind is sharp."

After speaking, her gaze fell back on Zhu Gaoxu, the smile on her lips faded slightly, and she changed the subject, "It's just that some people, although their bodies have become younger, their brains are still that of pigs."

None of the brothers responded, but their gazes all simultaneously drifted towards Zhu Gaoxu for a moment.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't say anything. He turned around, walked to the servant next to him, took the husky from him, held it in his arms, and walked back to the card table, idly stroking the dog's head.

He couldn't help but think to himself: Aren't all the members of the Zhu family brainless? If I'm a pig brain, then what are you? Of course, he didn't dare say this out loud, so he channeled all his resentment into the effort of petting the dog.

The husky kept getting its head rubbed until it finally couldn't take it anymore and let out a howl at him.

Zhu Di paused in shuffling the cards, his gaze falling on the gray and white puppy in Zhu Gaochi's arms. He stared at it for several moments before suddenly asking, "Second Prince, is that... a wolf cub?"

He showed no outward expression, but his mind was racing.

Its eyes and fur do resemble a wolf, but upon closer inspection, it's shorter than a wolf, especially its blue eyes, which have a somewhat dim-witted look, making it seem less like a wolf.

He suddenly remembered that when he descended from the clouds, he saw a group of colorful little creatures rolling around on the lawn in the yard, and several children were holding them in their arms.

Without a doubt, this is another masterpiece by the fourth brother.

He looked at the dog in Zhu Gaoxu's arms and said slowly, "Is this something from the Fourth Prince's residence again? I've never seen this before."

Zhu Gaoxu was just wondering how to change the subject when he heard his father ask. He quickly held the dog up and said, "That's right, Dad. This is a pet that my fourth brother gave to our family. He said it's called a Husky, a kind of sled dog. We've never seen one of these before. It must have been conjured up by my fourth brother with his supernatural powers."

Zhu Di took a closer look and saw that although the puppy was not big, it had a sturdy frame and bright eyes, and it did indeed have some resemblance to a wolf.

Then he took the husky puppy from the old man's hands and examined it carefully, stroking its head gently with his large hand. The puppy squinted its eyes, tilted its head, and its face was full of confusion, yet also quite cute.

"Hmm, this dog doesn't seem very smart." Zhu Di made up his mind about the husky, but then glanced at Zhu Gaochi next to him. "However, he's just as spirited and dashing as the second son. Among dogs, he'd be a standout, a true general among dogs."

He handed the dog to his second son, then turned to Zhu Gaoxi, his tone becoming more affectionate: "Fourth son, do you have any more of these little things? Get me a couple more. This puppy looks like a wolf; it'll probably be quite majestic when it grows up. Keeping it in the palace as a mascot wouldn't be bad."