Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Gaoxi stroked the cat's head again, and the golden tabby in his arms rolled over and pawed at his fingers with its paws.

His gaze swept over every expectant face in the tent, and he slowly spoke: "Since you all want to know how these divine positions are divided, I will explain it to you. The divine positions, from highest to lowest, are divided into five emperors. If I can open the Investiture of the Gods, I will be the supreme emperor of the Central Heaven, in charge of the Heavenly Court."

Besides me, there are four other imperial thrones vacant: the Azure Dragon Emperor of the East, the Vermilion Bird Emperor of the South, the White Tiger Emperor of the West, and the Black Tortoise Emperor of the North.

The tent was so quiet that even breathing had ceased. Everyone was silently calculating in their hearts: of the four imperial thrones, who was qualified to sit on them?

Zhu Gaoxu's eyes shone brightly, his hands still on his fourth brother's shoulders, his mouth close to his ear, his tone full of expectation and anxiety: "Fourth brother, what can your second brother be? How about the Western White Tiger Emperor? It just so happens that your second brother's mount is a white tiger, and your second brother's military achievements in the army are second to none. If your second brother dares to say that his military achievements are second, no one dares to say that they are first."

Zhu Gaoxi tilted his head and glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The Western White Tiger Emperor is in charge of military conquest and commands heavenly soldiers and generals. If you, Second Brother, have enough military merit, this position will naturally belong to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu massaged even more vigorously, rubbing from the shoulders all the way to the back of the neck, and then tapping back from the back of the neck to the shoulders. His eagerness was even greater than that of the bathhouse attendants waiting to receive their reward.

He grinned, his thick beard almost sticking up to his ears: "Good! This throne is mine, Second Brother! You Annamese barbarians, get your necks clean and wait!"

His eyes practically blazed with fire as he spoke, as if the heads of the Annamese rebels had become stepping stones to the White Tiger Emperor, and he couldn't wait to mount his horse and charge into the enemy camp.

Zhu Di sat on the commander's throne, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. His gaze swept back and forth between his fourth and second sons before he asked, "Fourth son, below these four emperors, what other divine positions exist?"

Zhu Gaoxi continued petting the cat, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Under the four emperors, there are eight departments. The eight departments are each under the jurisdiction of the four emperors."

The Azure Dragon Emperor of the East commands the Heavenly Punishment Bureau and the Inspection Bureau, and is in charge of heavenly and earthly punishments, summoning clouds and rain, and monitoring the good and evil of all officials.

The White Tiger Emperor of the West oversees the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Finance, and is in charge of the Heavenly Court's military affairs, military preparations, human finances, and the allocation of military funds.

The Vermilion Bird Emperor of the South governs the Rivers and Lakes Department and the Years and Seasons Department, and is in charge of all rivers, lakes and seas, water transport, and the changing of the seasons and agricultural seasons in the human world.

The Northern Black Tortoise Emperor governs the Plague and Netherworld Departments, overseeing human plagues and seasonal illnesses, as well as the judgment and reincarnation in the underworld.

Each department shall have one principal deity and several assistant deities, all appointed according to military merit.

"In addition, the Zhou Tian Si is independent of the Four Directions Emperors and is directly under the Supreme Emperor of the Central Region. It is in charge of the movement of the stars and the arrangement of the stars. It has the following positions: Five Dipper Star Lords, Twenty-Eight Constellation Generals, Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Generals, Nine Luminaries Star Lords, Sun and Moon Star Lords, etc."

Local deities—City God, Earth God, Mountain God, River God, Kitchen God—are directly rewarded based on military merit; they are granted titles wherever they conquer.

The celestial soldiers and generals are under the command of the Western White Tiger Emperor, and directly commanded by the righteous gods of the Military Affairs Department. Those who excel among the fallen soldiers are given priority to be transferred to the celestial soldier ranks, continuing to accumulate military merits and rising through the ranks.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent, his tone calm yet resolute: "In short, there are plenty of divine positions; it just depends on how much territory you can conquer."

After saying that, he put the golden shaggy dog ​​back into the gourd, stood up from the cloud chair, and stretched: "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. I'll go back to the Heavenly Palace for a while. I have some things to take care of. When you get to the Heavenly Palace, call my name. I'll sense it and open the door for you."

Zhu Gaoxu immediately became anxious upon hearing this, his hands still suspended in mid-air in a massage posture: "Fourth brother, if you feel unwell again, just call your second brother! Your second brother promises to be there whenever you call, day or night. Just say the word, and your second brother will immediately ride a cloud over to give you a massage!"

The officials of Prince Rui's mansion looked at Prince Han in such a worthless state, and their faces showed subtle expressions. They suppressed their laughter and tried to keep it from coming out.

The officials of the Han Prince's Palace looked proud and envious. After all, not everyone had the good fortune to be able to give massages to His Highness Prince Rui, or rather, to the Supreme Emperor of the Central Heaven.

Zhu Gaoxi waved his hand, mounted his somersault cloud, and disappeared outside the tent in a flash.

Although Zhu Gaoxi had left, the discussions in the tent were far from over.

Zhu Di sat on his command throne, glanced at the dazed expressions on the faces of his generals in the tent, and, unusually merciful, waved his hand to signal them to calm down.

Zhang Fu, Qiu Fu, Zheng Heng, Xue Bin and others sat around the sand table, and their conversation never strayed from the topic of the Investiture of the Gods.

Zhu Gaoxu sat below Zhu Di, legs crossed, the smug look on his face still lingering.

Zhu Di leaned back in his chair and said to his excited second son beside him, "Second son, tell me, what title can I bestow?"

Zhu Gaoxu paused for a moment, his mind racing, then leaned closer: "Father, look, there are five imperial thrones in total. Doesn't that perfectly correspond to the five of us in our family? The fourth brother is the Supreme Emperor of the Central Heaven, and I was given the Western White Tiger Emperor. There are three left: the Eastern Azure Dragon, the Southern Vermilion Bird, and the Northern Black Tortoise. You get one, the eldest brother gets one, and the third brother gets one—it's just right. The fourth brother wouldn't give these five thrones to outsiders, would he?"

He spoke eloquently, but his mind was racing with calculations.

In terms of military achievements, no one in the army can compare to him. In addition, he is a prince, so he is almost certain to become the White Tiger Emperor.

As for whether the eldest and third sons can ascend to the throne, that's their business; in any case, his White Tiger Emperor status is unavoidable.

After hearing this, Zhu Di nodded slightly, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning up slightly, before he quickly suppressed it.

This second brother is shameless. The fourth brother didn't even say he would definitely be named the Western White Tiger Emperor, but he's already starting to call himself the White Tiger Emperor.

However, his thoughts were similar to those of the second son. Five imperial thrones corresponding to the five fathers and sons of the Zhu family—this allocation couldn't be more reasonable. This second son was indeed quite clever today.

On the other side, Zhang Fu nudged Qiu Fu with his elbow and asked excitedly in a low voice, "Old Qiu, what kind of god do you think I can be appointed as?"

Qiu Fu said with a serious expression and utmost respect, "Who can know? It all depends on the magnitude of our achievements and His Highness Prince Rui's arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu's expression became subtle. He looked Qiu Fu up and down, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Old Qiu, still calling him Prince Rui?"

Zheng Heng quickly interjected, looking at Zhang Fu cautiously: "Old Zhang, are you out of your mind? Be more respectful to His Highness Prince Rui, or you'll drag us down and delay the Investiture of the Gods."

Zhang Fu shook his head at the group with disdain, thinking they were too slow to react: "Old Qiu, still calling him Prince Rui? He should be called the Supreme Emperor of the Central Heaven. His Highness just said that if he can initiate the Investiture of the Gods, he himself will be the Supreme Emperor."

Qiu Fu suddenly realized what he'd said and slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, this old minister was confused! Yes, yes, it's the Supreme Emperor of the Central Heaven! His Highness said it himself just now, and I haven't corrected myself yet. I deserve a beating, I deserve a beating!"

He said he deserved to be beaten, but his face was full of smiles, a smile brighter than if he had found a gold ingot.