Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Upon seeing this, Zhu Di reached out and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Don't stop them." Zhu Di's voice was calm. His gaze swept over the people kneeling in the open space, and he said indifferently, "If you can handle it, let them kowtow. If they don't, they won't feel at ease."

Zhu Gaoxi stood under the locust tree, his gaze sweeping over the grain distribution stalls, back and forth between the queuing crowd and the shrinking mountain of grain, his brows furrowing slightly.

He did the math in his mind: at this rate, it would be a long time before all the remaining grain was distributed.

The army must set off in the morning; the marching plan cannot be delayed.

He was hesitating about how to bring up the matter with Zhu Di when Zhu Di walked past him and mounted his horse.

"Alright, Fourth Brother, stop looking. The army can't be delayed. Let's go." Zhu Di rode a tiger and drifted towards the army on a cloud.

Zhu Gaoxi turned to look at him, then glanced at the open space where the grain had been distributed: "Father, now that we're leaving, will the remaining grain... still be able to reach the people? Should I leave two officials behind to keep an eye on it?"

Zhu Di glanced back at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, thinking that it was finally his turn to shine: "Don't worry, Fourth Prince, the grain will be handed over to the prefectural government for distribution. I'll have the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep an eye on it; not a single grain will be lost."

Zhu Gaoxu, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, "Fourth brother, don't worry! With the Embroidered Uniform Guard around, who would dare to have any wicked thoughts? If they dare to embezzle your grain, your second brother will have them all beheaded!"

As he said this, he slammed his fist into his palm, as if he were hammering a nail.

After Zhu Di finished speaking, he waved to someone behind him, and a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard silently emerged from the crowd, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his movements swift and decisive.

Zhu Gaoxi looked at the suddenly appearing Imperial Guards and thought that these Imperial Guards came from the masses and went back to the masses. They were everywhere. It was terrifying.

Zhu Di turned his head and gave a few instructions in a low voice, so that it was impossible to hear what he said. All that could be seen was the commander nodding repeatedly, then clasping his hands in acceptance of the order, turning around and striding towards the open space to begin deploying manpower.

Several captains of the Embroidered Uniform Guard quickly dispersed from both sides of the formation and took their positions, their eyes fixed on the food distribution stalls like eagles. These were just the people in the open; who knows how many more were hidden in the shadows.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard—I almost forgot about that. With the Embroidered Uniform Guard around, we should be fine.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Yongle reign was notoriously treacherous; those who knew understood its true nature. Officials feared it, and ordinary people feared it too; the mere mention of the "Embroidered Uniform Guard" terrified them.

Zhu Gaoxi suddenly recalled a joke he had seen in his previous life.

The story goes that there was a man who lived on a street, and he had two brothers.

The eldest brother leaves early and returns late, always busy with something. The second brother runs a small stall and spends all his time watching the people coming and going. His father runs a noodle shop and always approaches customers to ask them all sorts of questions.

Logically speaking, the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were well-trained and should not have revealed any flaws, so why was the Third Brother able to discover their abnormality?

There is only one truth: the third brother is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Jokes aside, the fact that it has spread to this extent speaks volumes.

After arranging the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Di turned his attention to Prefect Liu.

Prefect Liu was standing next to the rope fence directing the yamen runners to maintain order, one hand on his hip and the other pointing to the back of the line, shouting, "Those at the back, don't push!"

He suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. He instinctively turned around and saw the emperor riding on a tiger, floating over on a cloud, looking down at him.

He trotted over, his steps a little unsteady, and knelt down in front of the horse without saying a word, his knees hitting the hard muddy ground with a dull thud.

"Prefect Liu, these grains are entrusted to you for distribution. Not a single grain should be missing, and not a single household should be overlooked. Wealthy households are not allowed to claim them fraudulently. After distribution, you shall send people to check each household. If any mistakes are made—" Zhu Di's voice was deep.

"I will hold you accountable."

Prefect Liu knelt on the ground, bowing his head so low his forehead almost touched the ground, and said, word by word, "Your subject obeys! Your subject will personally oversee the distribution of every grain of rice to the people, and will not dare to make the slightest mistake!"

Zhu Di glanced down at him, but didn't tell him to rise. He turned the tiger-headed beast and called out in the direction of Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaoxi, "Let's go."

The order was given, and the army set off again.

Banners fluttered in the morning breeze, armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps mingled together, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

The dozens of rhinoceroses, carrying bundles of grain and supplies, followed in the middle of the procession with heavy steps. Each step they took left a shallow crater in the road, and the small stones beside them rolled with a rustling sound.

When the people who were collecting their grain in the open space saw the army moving, they all stopped and stood on tiptoe to look towards the main road.

Someone shouted "Respectfully bidding farewell to His Highness Prince Rui!" and immediately the entire procession erupted in a chorus of shouts, as if ignited by a fire.

"Respectfully seeing off His Highness Prince Rui!"

"His Highness Prince Rui is destined for victory in this battle!"

"Your Highness, thank you for your great kindness!"

The sound traveled from the open space to the main road, and then from the main road to the tail of the procession.

As Zhu Di rode on the tiger, listening to the thunderous shouts behind him, his gaze unconsciously swept towards his fourth son on the cloud chariot beside him.

The people were calling him "Your Highness Prince Rui," not "Your Majesty." Having been emperor for so many years, he knew all too well what the will of the people meant.

For a fleeting moment, a thought popped into my head—has the fourth prince's popularity among the people now surpassed that of the emperor?

But the thought only lingered for a moment before he suppressed it himself.

He was the emperor, and he knew better than anyone how to weigh the pros and cons.

Firstly, the child has absolutely no interest in power. Since there is no threat, the father-son relationship is purely platonic, and there's no need to think about anything sordid.

Secondly, and most importantly, the fourth prince is a disciple of the Dao Ancestor. What could one gain by cultivating a good relationship with him? Immortal pills, supernatural powers, becoming an immortal or a god… any one of these is worth a thousand times more than this empty fame, and a million times more than the throne. So, let alone the people's adoration for the fourth prince, he would even be willing to give up the throne to him right now.

Besides, is being an emperor really that good?

Outsiders only see the emperor with three thousand concubines in his harem, who are waited on hand and foot every day and do nothing themselves.

But why don't they consider that when Zhu Laosi was reviewing memorials until late at night every day, who saw him? When he was outwitting and outmaneuvering the civil service, who felt sorry for him?

He had to get up before dawn to attend court, and he was still reviewing memorials late into the night. When he opened his eyes, he was thinking about the country and its people; when he closed his eyes, he was still thinking about the country and its people.

Those who only focus on the emperor's enjoyment of life are unwilling to endure any hardship. I'm talking about the second son next to him. What are you looking at? He has no regal bearing whatsoever.

Zhu Di withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn't thought about anything at all.

Zhu Gaoxi reclined in his chair, glanced back, raised his hand and waved to the people, shouting even louder.

Prefect Liu knelt on the ground until the sound had faded into the distance before daring to raise his head.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up, and turned to look at the open space. The commander of the Imperial Guard was standing next to the grain pile with his hands behind his back, looking at him expressionlessly.

Prefect Liu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, bowed to the commander, and then strode back to the grain distribution stall, where he personally rolled up his sleeves and began moving the grain sacks.