Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Gaoxu carried the husky back to the Han Prince's Mansion, sat down on the grand chair in the main hall, and stroked the dog's head back and forth with his large hand, finding the little thing more and more spirited the more he looked at it.

During the Ming Dynasty, military officers' pastimes were nothing more than hunting, falconry, dog fighting, horse racing, wrestling, and pitch-pot. Occasionally, they would also gamble on a few rounds of Pai Gow or Go.

Zhu Gaochi was fond of hunting and falconry. He kept a large pack of hunting dogs and several gyrfalcons in his mansion, and he would often invite friends to go hunting outside the city.

Now that we've got such a rare puppy that looks like a wolf, how can we just keep it at home and enjoy it to ourselves?

He sent someone to invite several military officers with whom he had a close relationship.

Zheng Heng, Xue Lu, and several old brothers from the Five Military Commands, along with their subordinates, all came to the main hall together.

He had originally made a special trip to the Prince of Zhao's residence on a cloud, hoping to invite his third son over to join in the festivities. However, Zhu Gaosui replied without even looking up, "My father ordered me to oversee the construction of a seagoing vessel, but I haven't finished reviewing the blueprints yet," and dismissed him.

Zhu Gaoxu muttered a few curses, then rode a cloud back to his residence, muttering to himself all the way.

Once everyone had arrived, several long tables were set up in the main hall, with wine jars and a few dishes of braised snacks on them.

Zhu Gaoxu sat down in the main seat, tucked the husky into his arms, patted its head, and his loud voice made the rafters hum: "Come and see, everyone! My newest puppy, a gift from my fourth brother!"

The crowd had only come to join in the fun out of respect for the Prince of Han, thinking that it was just a dog, nothing special. But upon hearing the words "given by the fourth brother," all eyes turned to him.

That was given by His Highness Prince Rui. The dog he gave was probably no ordinary dog.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what's the dog's name? What breed is it? I've traveled all over the country for so many years, how come I've never seen a dog like this before?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked down at the husky in his arms, which was grinning foolishly and sticking out its tongue, and suddenly realized something: he hadn't asked his fourth brother what the dog's name was.

He only remembered his fourth brother saying that it was a sled dog that pulled the immortal's carriage.

But none of that matters. What kind of dog could his fourth brother have given him? He tucked the dog into his arms and waved his hand dismissively: "My fourth brother said this dog is a celestial dog in the Immortal Realm, used to pull sleds and carriages for immortals! As for its name, it's simply a celestial dog! And its breed is celestial too!"

The reason Zhu Gaoxi didn't tell him the dog was called a husky was because it shared the same name as Yang Shiqi. Yang Shiqi was, after all, a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and a core figure in the Crown Prince's faction. It would be somewhat disrespectful for him to name a dog "Shiqi" if word got out, so Zhu Gaoxi simply didn't mention the name to avoid embarrassment.

Zhu Gaoxu was unaware of this, but he didn't care; whatever his fourth brother gave him was bound to be the best.

Zheng Heng was the first to approach, bending down to stare intently at the gray and white puppy for a long while. The dog grew impatient with his gaze, tilted its head, glared back with its icy blue eyes, and let out a howl.

Zheng Heng gasped, finding the dog incredibly adorable. His tone was full of wonder: "This dog looks like a wolf but isn't quite, and its eyes are strangely bright. I've never seen this breed before. No wonder it's a divine dog bestowed upon us by His Highness Prince Rui!"

Xue Lu also peeked out from the side, reached out and touched it, clicking his tongue in amazement: "This head, these ears, it really does have a bit of a wolf's look. Congratulations, Your Highness, this dog will definitely be a fierce beast when it grows up. Taking it hunting, just its appearance alone will scare the prey half to death. If it stands on the hunting ground, other dogs will have to step back..."

Zhu Gaoxu felt so comfortable from the flattery that he leaned back in his armchair, crossed his legs, and grinned from ear to ear.

He put the husky down to play by itself, then took the refined wine gourd from his waist, placed it on the table, and had someone move all the jars of fine wine he had prepared in his mansion over.

He usually poured the spirit wine into a small cup and savored it slowly, but today there were so many people that he couldn't distribute it all in small cups, so he simply uncorked the gourd and poured some spirit wine into each jar.

The emerald green spirit wine was dripped into the wine jar and instantly dissolved, releasing a clear and mellow aroma that filled the main hall, making one feel refreshed just by smelling it.

The aroma of that wine seemed otherworldly, even more mellow than aged wine from a cellar; just one whiff was enough to open up your pores.

The military officers were all fond of wine, and upon smelling the aroma, their eyes widened as they stared intently at the shiny black gourd in Zhu Gaoxu's hand.

Zheng Heng pointed at the gourd, his voice rising a beat: "Your Highness, this gourd? Could it also be a magical artifact given to you by Prince Rui?"

Zhu Gaoxu had been waiting for this question. He held the wine gourd in his palm like a gourd boy and began his signature line: "Of course. You all know the relationship between my fourth brother and me, we're true brothers."

"He knew I had a taste for this, so he specially gave me this wine gourd. This gourd contains its own spiritual wine, which not only satisfies your cravings but also strengthens your body. Let me put it this way, even if you offered me a thousand-year-old ginseng or a thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom in exchange for a cup of this spiritual wine, I wouldn't trade it! Only you guys have the opportunity to drink my wine."

As he got more excited, he bent down and scooped up the husky that was lying on the ground gnawing on a table leg. He tucked it into his arms, patted its head, and said, "And this dog, you wouldn't believe it. My fourth brother knew I liked hunting dogs and hunting, so he got it for me specially. What does that mean? That's what true brotherhood is, understand?"

As everyone listened to his animated speech, smelled the intoxicating aroma of the wine, and glanced at the strange puppy in his arms that resembled neither a wolf nor a dog, they all had the same thought: Being brothers with His Highness Prince Rui is damn good.

The effect was immediate once the wine bowl was picked up.

Xue Lu downed half a bowl, put it down, and stretched his right shoulder, his face full of disbelief: "Hey, this old injury on my shoulder always aches on cloudy days, but after drinking this wine, it doesn't hurt as much anymore! This is divine wine!"

Zheng Heng, standing nearby, smacked his lips, rubbed his aching lower back, and nodded repeatedly: "I feel much better here too. I wasn't feeling well these past few days, but after this bowl, I feel energetic all over."

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew even more lively. Another veteran general, holding a wine bowl, stood up, bowed to Zhu Gaochi, and said, "Your Highness, this divine wine has made me feel wonderful! I've never tasted such fine wine in my entire life. Thank you for your generosity!"

An official from the Prince of Han, holding a wine bowl, stood up, bowed to Zhu Gaochi, and, emboldened by the alcohol, laughed, "Your Highness, I've followed you for so many years, and I dare not think of anything else. But just because of our relationship with Prince Rui, if Your Highness were to ascend to immortality with Prince Rui in the future, please don't forget to give us old brothers a hand!"

Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily at the flattery, raised his wine bowl and waved it at the crowd: "Excellent, excellent! Everyone drink, everyone drink! Today, everyone drink all this wine to me. Anyone who leaves a drop is disrespecting me!"

As the generals drank with gusto, Zheng Heng was the first to stand up, holding his wine bowl. Pointing to the husky gnawing on a bone beside the table leg, he recited, swaying his head, "Fourth brother's gift of the dog shows deep affection; the King of Han is emboldened by the dog's arrival. Though small in stature today, it will one day dominate the hunting grounds!"

The whole hall was filled with people clapping and cheering. Zhu Gaoxu felt very comfortable and picked up his wine bowl to take a big gulp.

This poem not only describes his close relationship with his fourth brother, but also praises the son for being able to guard the hunting grounds in the future, which suits his wishes perfectly.

Not to be outdone, Xue Lu also stood up, holding his wine bowl, and cleared his throat: "Fourth brother's gift of this dog shows deep affection; the Han King's beloved dog is unparalleled in the world. If you ask how majestic this dog is, it surpasses even the wolf, the king of the hunting grounds!"

Although the poem was riddled with grammatical errors, its strength lay in its loud voice and imposing style, prompting another round of cheers and applause from the assembled military officers. Zheng Heng tapped his bowl with his chopsticks and shouted to Xue Lu, "Old Xue, your poem is better than before; at least it rhymes!"

Xue Lu chuckled and pointed to the spirit wine in the bowl: "That's thanks to the immortal wine!"

Another official, emboldened by alcohol, stood up, pointed at the dog, and exclaimed, "Prince Rui presented this dog to the Han court; the prince is truly honored. This dog should only exist in heaven; how many times can one find such a bark on earth!"

Zhu Gaochi was amused by these few silly poems and pointed at the crowd, laughing and scolding, "You bunch of boorish men, what kind of rubbish have you written when you were asked to compose poems! But I like to hear it!"

Zhu Gaoxu was amused by these silly poems and immediately poured out all the spirit wine he had been saving in his gourd over the past few days: "I'm not a stingy person! Enjoy this wine, and each of you can take a jug back with you when you leave!"

Upon hearing this, the generals present, emboldened by the alcohol, felt both grateful and ashamed.

This wine is not only delicious, but it can also cure diseases. Take it back and give your parents, wife and children a sip; it's better than any magic pill.

Although the King of Han had a loud voice and a bad temper, he treated his old brothers very well. The generals exchanged glances and thought to themselves: We will never curse the King of Han in our hearts again.

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

"His Highness the Prince of Han's kindness is never-ending..."

"We will forever remember the King of Han's great kindness..."

Zhu Gaoxu saw the last few old brothers off at the door, watching them stagger onto the sedan chair before carrying the husky back to the main hall. Even as he went to sleep, he was still thinking about how well he had handled the situation that day. The people who had been drinking were also thinking that the trip had not been in vain.