Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turbulent waves surging in his heart.

He had so many questions to ask and so many things to confirm, but he was, after all, the emperor, and he couldn't lose his composure in front of his generals.

He gripped the armrests tightly, his hands clenching the chair handles, and asked the most crucial question: "Fourth brother, how exactly is this Investiture of the Gods conducted?"

These words caused another deathly silence in the tent. Everyone held their breath, their gazes once again fixed on the cloud chair.

Zhu Gaoxi, however, leisurely summoned a fluffy golden tabby cat from the gourd, held it in his arms, and slowly stroked its head a couple of times.

The cat squinted and purred, a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere inside the tent.

He tilted his neck and stretched his shoulders. Although the body of an immortal does not get tired, the habitual movements left over from his 996 work schedule in his previous life were ingrained in his bones. He subconsciously rubbed his back against the chair back and turned his head left and right.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu asked someone next to his younger brother, Yu Ping, to hold it up and record it. He then quickly went around to the back of the cloud chair and, without saying a word, put his two big hands on his fourth brother's shoulders: "Fourth brother, is your neck uncomfortable? Is your back uncomfortable? Come, come, let your second brother massage it for you."

This sudden turn of events left everyone in the tent stunned.

The officials of the Prince of Han's mansion were all dumbfounded, looking at each other with shock and confusion in their eyes.

Xu Jingchang, in particular, stood at the front of the line of officials in Prince Rui's residence. He watched as his second cousin suddenly rushed up to massage Prince Rui, and his lips twitched repeatedly.

He had known Zhu Gaochi for many years, from childhood to adulthood, and had never realized that this Prince of Han had such abilities. Moreover, his quick reaction this time was completely out of character for his usual rough and careless military general persona.

It must have suddenly grown a brain.

Behind Xu Jingchang, Qiu Sheng, Zheng Cong, and other officials of the Prince Rui's mansion all had the same thought in their minds—it's over, they've been outdone.

If they could offer their services, they would have rushed forward long ago. But Zhu Di was sitting in his command seat watching them. Who would dare to make such small moves in front of the emperor?

His Highness the King of Han dares, because he is the King of Han.

If they dared to imitate the Prince of Han and go up to massage the prince, tomorrow the censors' memorials would pile up on Zhu Di's desk, and they would at least be accused of "disrespecting the emperor and flattering him".

Forget it, this credit isn't something anyone can just steal. We're all just ordinary people, so let's keep to ourselves and not get punished later if we don't manage to claim the credit.

After the officials of the Prince of Han's mansion came to their senses, they were more worried. Their prince had never learned massage. If he made Prince Rui uncomfortable, would they still be able to confer titles on him in the future?

Zhu Gaoxu himself didn't know what had gotten into him, but after hearing the words "Investiture of the Gods," his mind started working on its own, and suddenly a lot of knowledge he didn't have before appeared.

Two large hands kneaded and tapped Zhu Gaoxi's shoulders with surprisingly professional technique. First, the palms massaged the Jianjing acupoint, and then the thumbs massaged along both sides of the spine.

The force was just right, the rhythm neither too fast nor too slow. Sometimes he pressed with the heel of his palm, sometimes he tapped with his knuckles. The whole set of techniques was smooth and flowing, just like a master who had worked in a bathhouse for twenty years.

He was startled himself; he had never given a massage before and had no idea where this skill came from.

Zhu Gaoxi squinted, the cat in his arms rolled over to expose its belly, the pressure on his shoulder was just right, a tingling numbness mixed with a warm feeling that went down his cervical spine, so comfortable that he almost groaned.

He tilted his head and glanced at Zhu Gaoxu, only to find his second brother grinning with a fawning expression. The full beard and the obsequious look were a little intimidating: "Second brother, where did you learn this technique? It feels quite comfortable."

Zhu Gaoxu became even more enthusiastic upon hearing this, increasing the pressure on his hands: "Really? Your second brother didn't even know he had this talent! If you like it, your second brother will massage you every day from now on!"

The expressions on the faces of everyone in the tent as they looked at the scene before them were so varied they could fill a book.

The people of the Han Prince's Mansion felt extremely happy and satisfied as they watched their prince massage Prince Rui so comfortably, and Prince Rui even said that the massage was good. Their previous worries turned into praise, and they all thought that the Han Prince was really amazing and made the Han Prince's Mansion proud.

A group of generals and officials, who had just barely recovered from the shock of the words "Investiture of the Gods," were listening intently to what His Highness would say next when the Prince of Han suddenly rushed up and began to massage the Prince of Rui.

The atmosphere inside the tent transformed dramatically in just a few breaths, from a “Heavenly Court’s Initial Launch Event” to a “VIP Room in a Bathhouse.” Everyone became a customer waiting for Han Wang to serve them, but in reality, everyone wanted to serve Rui Wang; Han Wang just beat them to it.

Zhu Di looked at his second son's obsequious manner, his face remaining expressionless, but inwardly he cursed him as a "sycophant." However, upon further reflection, he thought that his second son was indeed quick-witted.

Although he felt the gesture was a bit too blatant, he wasn't offended. After all, the fourth brother was a disciple of a deity and was about to become the Heavenly Emperor. It would only benefit the second brother to curry favor with him.

So he simply said, "Second brother, give fourth brother a good massage. Fourth brother, continue."

Zhu Gaoxi leaned back comfortably in his cloud chair, a cat in his lap, enjoying his second brother's professional-level massage on his shoulder, and slowly said, "Speaking of the Investiture of the Gods, it's possible to confer titles, but it's not done arbitrarily. The positions on the Investiture of the Gods require the corresponding person to have enough merit to have their name written on them. What is merit? It's your achievements, your military exploits, and what you've done for the people."

If you want to sit on a certain divine position, you must have merit commensurate with that position. If your merit is insufficient, you cannot be forcibly appointed.

Moreover, after being deified by me in the Investiture of the Gods, you will not only be subject to my supervision, but also the supervision of Heaven and Earth. If you fail to perform your duties for a long time and make no contributions, Heaven and Earth will naturally punish you, and it will be shown on the Investiture of the Gods that you are unworthy of your position. At that time, I will remove your name from the list.”

After listening, Zhu Di's expression turned solemn, and he said, word by word, "It's not easy to be able to confer titles on gods. If anyone is conferred a title but does not perform their duties, or fails to fulfill their responsibilities, don't blame me for turning against you. In that case, Fourth Prince, you can do whatever you want with him. I will not plead for you."

"If I am fortunate enough to be deified, I will certainly do my utmost."

"I will never let Your Highness and His Majesty down."

Everyone in the tent also expressed their opinions.

The once deathly silent tent was once again filled with an irrepressible excitement. Everyone's eyes shone even brighter than before. Not only could one be made a god, but one also had to rely on real ability to secure their position. This was the truly fair rule: the capable rise and the mediocre fall.

While continuing to work, Zhu Gaoxu leaned close to Zhu Gaoxi's ear, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency: "Fourth brother, could you tell me exactly what the divine positions are? Please tell your second brother."

Zhu Di nodded: "Fourth Prince, please explain this in detail. We all want to hear it."