Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Gaoxu was the first to snap out of his daze. He was still chewing on a hamburger, his cheeks bulging, when he suddenly stopped. He stared blankly at Zhu Gaoxi, swallowed what was in his mouth, and said in a weak voice, "Fourth brother, is the Dao Ancestor worried you won't eat well?"

He looked down at the half-eaten hamburger in his hand, then looked up at the table full of unheard-of dishes, and suddenly slapped his thigh. "Fourth brother, you're not just a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, you're practically the Dao Ancestor's own son!"

He grabbed a garlic and cheese fried chicken wing, took a big bite, and looked at Zhu Gaoxi: "When your second brother was seven years old, I was still climbing trees to raid bird nests. You, on the other hand, have the gods serving you food."

Zhu Gaochi's teacup hovered in mid-air, his fingers trembling slightly. He glanced down at the table laden with delicious food, his Adam's apple bobbing, before slowly setting down the teacup, his tone as steady as possible: "Fourth brother, the Dao Ancestor... truly cared for you."

He spoke calmly, but his hand clenched his robes under the table. He was the Crown Prince; what delicacies hadn't he tasted? Yet, with just a word from his fourth brother, a table full of dishes he'd never seen before appeared.

Zhu Gaosui remained silent, his heart already churning with turmoil. Just what kind of immortal being was his fourth brother? Even Lu Zu had never heard of Dao Zu treating him so well!

Looking at his three older brothers' expressions, Zhu Gaoxi suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, we've been so busy eating that we should have sent some to Father and Mother first."

He read aloud to the table: "Longjing Shrimp, Osmanthus Sticky Rice Lotus Root, Bird's Nest Porridge, Wensi Tofu Soup." Four exquisite dishes appeared on the table, packed in a food box.

She read it again: "Longjing tea, mango pomelo sago, and taro bubble milk tea." The three drinks were packed into another food box. "Mother likes sweet things, so I'll bring her a mango pomelo sago and a taro bubble milk tea. Father doesn't like sweet things, so I'll just bring him a Longjing tea."

The eunuch responded and carried the two food boxes towards Kunning Palace. Zhu Gaochi nodded, "Of course, of course."

Zhu Gaoxi thought about the children who had come to his place today, and changed the dishes and drinks several times. He instructed the palace maids, "Send these to Consort Quan, Consort Gong, and Consort Zhang. Tell them it's for the children to try something new."

The palace maid responded and left.

Zhu Gaochi took a sip of mango pomelo sago, savoring the sweetness of the mango puree mixed with the slight tartness of the grapefruit pieces and the smoothness of the coconut milk. He squinted and said, "Hmm, this is good. It's sweet but not cloying."

Zhu Zhanji had already grabbed a cup of taro bubble tea, took a big sip, savoring the chewy pearls and smooth taro, and exclaimed indistinctly, "Fourth Uncle, this is so delicious!"

Zhu Gaosui took the thick taro mochi milk tea, took a sip, and didn't say anything, but he never put his hand down from the cup.

Zhu Gaoxu took a big gulp of a full glass of orange juice and let out a comfortable burp: "Fourth brother, these drinks of yours are really something else. They're so cold and sweet, perfect for this hot weather."

Seeing them enjoying their drinks, Zhu Gaoxi laughed and said, "If you think it's delicious, I'll bring a few cups back for you all later, so your eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and third sister-in-law can try them too. I'll also order a few dishes to take back with us."

Zhu Gaoxu slapped his thigh: "That's great!"

Zhu Gaoxi nodded and made a note of it. He turned to look at Zhu Gaochi, whose older brother was engrossed in eating, his cheeks bulging and a little bit of braised pig's feet sauce still stuck to the corner of his mouth. He was eating with great concentration.

Zhu Gaoxi suddenly remembered a meme from his past life: "Menzi, meat-filled flatbread, and Banmian—I really love this kind of food." Looking at the Crown Prince in front of him, his physique and eating habits were quite similar to those of the gluttonous Dai.

He suppressed a laugh and called out to the table, "Meat rolls, flatbread with meat, noodles, and some dumplings and steamed buns."

Zhu Gaochi looked up and saw three more things on the table: a plate of diced braised meat, a large pancake roll with meat, and a large bowl of flatbread.

Then Zhu Gaochi got really into it, taking a bite of braised meat and a bite of noodles, and he was so satisfied with what he had eaten that he said, "This is really delicious. I love meat rolls in flatbread, and this braised meat..." He even slurped his lips.

Zhu Gaoxi got into a wicked mood and ordered a clay pot chicken and roast suckling pig for Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu ate with gusto, his mouth dripping with oil. Zhu Zhanji even asked why he ordered this for his second uncle.

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and said, "Because your second uncle practices martial arts regularly, which expends a lot of energy, he needs to eat more." He thought to himself, "It's all because of you..."

Zhu Gaoxi's words moved Zhu Gaoxu to tears. With food still in his mouth, he said to his two brothers, "Fourth brother is still the best to me."

"Second Uncle, next time you come to the Crown Prince's residence, I'll have our cooks make this for you too."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi spat out his drink, thinking, "Just don't kill your second uncle."

Everyone at the table looked at Zhu Gaoxi as he spat out his drink, asking if he had choked. They seemed ready to help him immediately, but Zhu Gaoxi quickly waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. I was just moved by Zhanji's filial piety. Zhanji, remember to be filial to your fourth uncle in the future."

He was secretly overjoyed: It's fine to be filial to your fourth uncle, but don't be too filial to your second and third uncles.

While Zhu Gaoxi was having a lively time, food boxes also arrived at Kunning Palace.

Empress Xu opened the food box and saw Longjing shrimp, osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root, bird's nest porridge, and Wensi tofu soup, as well as a cup of mango pomelo sago and a cup of taro boba milk tea. She smiled and shook her head: "This child, he doesn't forget us even when he's eating for himself."

She took a sip of the mango pomelo sago, the sweetness of the mango puree mixed with the slight tartness of the grapefruit pieces, the smooth coconut milk, and the refreshing coolness. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and say, "Hmm, this tastes quite novel, and it's surprisingly delicious."

Zhu Di took the Longjing tea, took a sip, then picked up a piece of osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root, chewed it, put down his chopsticks, and smiled slightly: "This fourth son of mine is thoughtful."

Back in the inner palace, Consort Quan received the food and drinks, took a sip of bubble tea, and her eyes lit up at the chewy tapioca pearls and smooth milk tea. She said to the Third Princess, "E'er, your fourth brother has some good drinks. Go and keep him company more often."

The third princess, her face smeared with red bean double-skin milk pudding, nodded vigorously, "Mother, Fourth Brother's food is so delicious! I'll go again tomorrow!"

Consort Gong received the red bean double-skin milk and fed Zhu Gaowei a spoonful. The little guy smacked his lips and grinned.

Consort Gong's eyes reddened slightly as she whispered, "Wei'er, your fourth brother misses you. You should visit him often to pay your respects."

Zhang Zhaorong received the mango sago pudding, took a sip, and found the mango puree thick and the sago pearls chewy. She sighed contentedly, took her daughter's hand, and said, "Wan'er, the pastries at your fourth brother's place are even better than those in the imperial kitchen. Go and spend more time with your fourth brother from now on, okay?"

With her mouth full of sago pudding, Zhu Wan'er mumbled a reply.

The concubines in the harem thought that they had received so much delicious food just from visiting the Fourth Prince. They had never eaten so much before. They thought they should let their children accompany the Fourth Prince more often and see if they could get any benefits in return.

In the courtyard of the Fourth Palace of Qianxi, the leaves of the old locust tree rustled. Zhu Gaoxi was unaware that his meager meals had already convinced several children in the harem to come and "keep their fourth brother company" every day.