Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

As Zhu Di watched his sons chatting and bickering, his tone carried a rare touch of emotion: "While I am away on campaigns, you are all doing your jobs at home. This is the best situation. Whether you are at the front or at the rear, if you have any difficulties, just say so. We are brothers, there is no need to hide anything from each other."

"Your sons obey," the three brothers replied in unison upon hearing their father's words.

Empress Xu smiled and waved her hand: "Alright, alright, it's only right for brothers to help each other. Fourth brother is capable, and all the older brothers have their own strengths. A family should live in harmony."

We chatted about everyday things for a while.

Zhang Yan mentioned that Zhu Zhanji had been locked in his study writing policy essays these past few days. In an attempt to slack off, the boy copied the essays twice yesterday to make up the difference, but she caught him red-handed and punished him by making him write three more essays.

Zhu Di laughed heartily upon hearing this, saying that this Zhanji boy was quick-witted, but he just wouldn't use his intelligence in the right way.

Madam Wei chimed in, saying that her two sons were the same way, constantly pestering her these past few days to ask when their father would be back…

Seeing that the conversation had gone on for a while, Zhu Di said, "Alright, that's enough for today. If there's anything in the future, just say it in the group chat, so we don't have to relay messages one by one."

Everyone agreed, exchanged greetings of safety, and then the video call ended.

The moment the screen went dark, the women in Kunning Palace immediately sprang to life, urging each other to start a game quickly.

Empress Xu smiled, placed the jade token on the corner of the table, and called out, "Someone, bring the mahjong tiles here!"

Zhang Yan and Lady Wei said that their hands were itching to play mahjong, and Empress Xu laughed and said that they were even more eager than she was, and then got up and walked towards the mahjong table.

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi put down the jade tablet, glanced at the sky outside the window, then looked down at the mountain of memorials piled on his desk. He sighed, picked up his writing brush again, and thought to himself: Being the eldest son is really not easy! There are so many things to do…

The lively chatter of the brothers in the video was still ringing in his ears, but in front of him were endless memorials to review and countless accounts to calculate. He shook his head, picked up his pen, and wrote a line on the memorial from the Ministry of Revenue.

King Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, placed the jade plaque next to the blueprints and picked up his pen to continue revising the dragon bone structure.

Zhu Di tucked the jade pendant into his sleeve, looked up at the winding official road ahead, then glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, who was still fiddling with the jade pendant beside him, and couldn't help but scold, "Second son, stop playing around. I brought you out here to fight wars, not to let you waste your time on frivolous things."

People say that Zhu Di's approach is neither truly Chinese nor truly Chinese.

Zhu Gaoxu was studying the "friends circle" function on the jade pendant, plotting how to take an even more majestic profile picture of the Tiger King and post it later, when he was scolded by the old man. He sheepishly stuffed the jade pendant into his pocket and muttered, "You just finished playing with it and now you won't let me play with it anymore? That's so unreasonable."

Despite complaining, he deftly tightened his grip on the reins and patted the tiger king's neck, signaling it to perk up.

Zhu Gaoxi watched the father and son bickering from the side, shook his head with a smile, and called over Xu Jingchang, Qiu Sheng, Zheng Cong and other military officers who were accompanying him.

He instructed, "We'll be in Taiping Prefecture soon. Once we arrive, find an open space beside the main road, take out the grain, pile it up, and distribute it to the local people."

Several subordinates responded in unison.

Zhu Gaoxi had filled several space gourds to the brim a few days earlier.

White flour steamed buns, dried biscuits, dried meat, fried rice, and dehydrated vegetables—all foods that can be stored for a long time—enough for every person in Taiping Prefecture to receive a portion, with some left over.

A messenger on horseback arrived to report that they had arrived at Taiping Prefecture.

Taiping Prefecture is located on the south side of the official road. The city is not large, but the city walls are well maintained, and the bluestone road at the city gate has been worn smooth as a mirror by the years.

When the Ming Dynasty emperors personally led their expeditions through various places, there was a complete set of welcoming ceremonies. Local officials had to lead their subordinates out of the city to greet them, and set up incense tables, offerings, and paving the road with yellow earth along the official road.

Prefect Liu carried out the order meticulously. The official road stretched from the south gate of the city to three miles outside the city, with yellow earth paving the road and clear water sprinkling the streets. Every ten steps, a brand-new banner stood, fluttering in the morning breeze.

The altar was set up in the very center of the official road, with offerings of three kinds of animals on it: a cow's head in the center, a sheep's head on the left, and a pig's head on the right. Grains and cereals were neatly arranged, and the sandalwood incense in the incense burner rose gently, filling the entire official road with a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Prefect Liu, dressed in brand-new official robes, led dozens of officials, including the sub-prefect, the judge, the clerk, and the clerk, to kneel in a row along the official road.

Outside the official road, yamen runners used bamboo poles to maintain order and keep onlookers outside the cordon.

The city walls, teahouses, and rooftops along the official road were packed with a dense crowd of people. Even the old locust trees outside the city were covered with half-grown boys.

The vanguard of the army appeared first at the end of the official road.

The scout cavalry took the lead and lined up on both sides of the official road to guard the area, followed by the vanguard infantry, and then the beastmen legion.

First, several lions clad in black armor emerged from the corner of the official road, their manes bristling from the seams of their armor. Zhang Fu and the others, riding on the lions' backs, stood as straight as spears, their eyes sweeping across the people on both sides of the official road with lightning speed.

Following the lion came the rhinoceros. The enormous creature, with a single horn atop its trunk and skin like armor, appeared on the official road, eliciting a suppressed gasp from the crowd. After the rhinoceros came the elephant, slowly passing by carrying siege equipment.

The soldiers on the elephants' backs stood high above, looking down at the people on both sides of the road. The ivory gleamed with a warm luster in the morning light, and the elephants' feet pounded the yellow earth, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.

What really caused an uproar among the crowd was the commotion in the sky.

Several somersault clouds swept over the army, with several fierce tigers riding on their backs, and people dressed in black military uniforms sitting on their backs.

Zhu Di rode a white tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead, leading the way. He was imposing without being angry, and his aura was so powerful that people dared not look him in the eye. Zhu Gaoxu rode a white tiger closely behind, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

There was a brief, deathly silence in the crowd, as the immense shock held their breath.

"Hiss... Is that an elephant?? And what kind of cow is that??"

"Heavenly soldiers and generals... these are heavenly soldiers and generals descending to earth!"

"May the gods protect us, may the gods protect us."

"Tiger, Cloud... Prince Rui is truly a god! It's real! It's real!"

"Riding the clouds and mist, this is riding the clouds and mist, it's like being a god..."

Shouts rose and fell from the crowd, until someone shouted "The Ming Dynasty is mighty!"

The surrounding people then joined in the chant, "The Ming Dynasty is mighty! The Ming Dynasty is mighty!"

At first, there were only a few scattered shouts, but they grew louder and louder like a snowball, and the same rhythmic shouts rang out on both sides of the official road. Even the half-grown boys squeezed behind the battlements on the city wall joined in, shouting at the top of their lungs.

The sound reached the official road, and the soldiers unconsciously straightened their backs.

Prefect Liu knelt before the incense table, his forehead touching the ground, and said in a loud voice, "Prefect Liu Shoucheng of Taiping Prefecture, along with all the officials of the prefecture, respectfully welcomes His Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The officials, both high and low, behind him knelt down in unison, their voices echoing along the official road several times.

Zhu Di sat on the tiger's back and nodded slightly: "Rise."

Prefect Liu stood up tremblingly, his legs still weak. The magistrate next to him quickly helped him up and whispered, "Prefect, be careful."

Zhu Di looked at the city, which was neither too big nor too small, and then at the orderly crowds lining both sides of the official road. He said to Prefect Liu, "Taiping Prefecture is well-governed."

When Prefect Liu was praised, he was so excited that he almost knelt down again, repeatedly saying, "Your Majesty, I am unworthy of such praise. This is all due to Your Majesty's divine might."

On a vacant lot beside the official road, Zhu Gaoxi had already instructed his officials to prepare the grain.

Xu Jingchang and Qiu Sheng shook the openings of several spatial gourds on the ground. A flash of golden light appeared, and piles of neatly stacked supplies materialized out of thin air on the open ground.

Suddenly, piles of neatly stacked grain appeared out of nowhere on the open ground.

The white steamed buns were piled up like a small mountain, with clean white dough. Stacks of dried biscuits were stacked on the wooden boards, taller than a person. Bundles of dried meat were piled up next to them, along with bags of fried rice, dehydrated vegetables, dried steamed bun slices, and steamed cakes, filling the entire open space to the brim.

The people kneeling on the ground were stunned. They were truly astounded by the gods, who could conjure up so much food and meat out of thin air.

"Is all this food for us?"

"No way, so much meat and refined grain are going to be distributed to us ordinary people?"

"Prince Rui is a deity; he may not necessarily be a god for us ordinary people."

"How did the food just appear out of nowhere?

"It seems to have come out of that gourd."

"That gourd is only the size of a palm, how can it produce so many things?"

"This is divine intervention; how could we mortals possibly know?"

The people below were chattering amongst themselves.

Zhu Gaoxi was too lazy to give a long speech, and simply glanced at Zhu Di. Zhu Di understood, mounted the tiger's back, and rode a cloud to the front: "I know that the people have had a hard time these past years of war, but that's all in the past. The people will no longer go hungry. Today, we passed through Taiping Prefecture, and Prince Rui brought some grain to distribute to everyone..."

As soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a deafening cheer.

An elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane, looked shakily at the pile of white steamed buns. His cane clattered to the ground, and he knelt down, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice choked with emotion: "A living god... His Highness Prince Rui is a living god! Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, His Highness Prince Rui!"

An elderly woman nearby said tremblingly, "I've lived for over sixty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a prince distribute grain to the people. If there are truly gods in this world, then Prince Rui is a true god!"

"Thank you so much, Your Highness Prince Rui, for your great kindness..."

"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Rui, thank you, Your Majesty..."

More people joined in the shouting. Some shouted that they wanted to erect a longevity tablet for Prince Rui, while others shouted that they wanted to inscribe today's events on a monument so that their descendants would remember Prince Rui's kindness.