Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

After finishing his meal, Zhang Fu leaned back in his chair with satisfaction, patted his stomach, and let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he sighed, "It's over."

With something still in his mouth, Zhu Yong asked indistinctly, "Duke of England, what's over?"

Zhang Fu shook his head, his face full of worry: "After I return to my residence, how will I be able to swallow the food there? The dishes that I usually find palatable will seem so different compared to what I ate today... how can I possibly swallow them?"

Zheng Heng nodded in deep agreement: "The Duke of Yingguo is absolutely right. I was just thinking that once I get back, I probably won't even want to touch my chopsticks. As for that cook in the manor, I'll have him pack his bags and leave tomorrow."

Zhu Yong wiped his mouth: "At least you guys have a cook you can fire. The cook in my household was recommended by my father-in-law. I can't fire him, but I can't keep him around to eat... I wish I could be an official under Prince Rui's household, so I could eat at Prince Rui's household every day."

Zhang Fu glanced at him and said, "You wish."

Zhao Hong coughed and said, "Gentlemen, please be careful with your words. The delicacies of the Prince Rui's mansion are far beyond what ordinary cooks can compare to. We are already incredibly fortunate to be able to taste them."

Zhang Fu glanced at him and said slowly, "Lord Zhao is right. But I wonder if Lord Zhao will still be able to eat the dishes at his residence after returning home."

Zhao Hong glanced at the empty plate on the table, now only filled with soup, thought for a moment, and silently swallowed her words.

Fang Bin put down his wine cup and nodded thoughtfully: "What the Duke of England said is true. I usually consider my household cook to be quite good, but after tasting it today..."

He sighed again and shook his head. "I'm afraid we won't even be able to eat the food from the Imperial Kitchen anymore. If we want to eat something good in the future, we'll have to swallow our pride and come to Prince Rui's Mansion."

Just then, Zhang Rou ran over from another table, tugged at Zhang Fu's sleeve, and looked up at him with her little face, saying, "Grandpa, the food here is so delicious! It's much better than what we make at home!"

As she spoke, she wiped the grease from her mouth with her sleeve, blinked, and said, "I want to come again in the future."

Zhang Fu looked down at his granddaughter, reached out and patted her head, smiling meaningfully: "As long as it tastes good. If you're lucky enough, you can eat it every day."

As he said this, his gaze drifted almost imperceptibly towards Zhu Gaoxi before returning to his own. He patted Zhang Rou on the shoulder and said, "Go back, don't wander off."

Zhang Rou nodded as if she understood, then skipped back to Zhu Zhanji's table.

Zhu Yong said in a low voice, "Duke of Yingguo, your granddaughter is quite clever."

Zhang Fu remained unfazed: "He's just a child, a bit greedy. Please excuse his gluttony."

Zhu Yong smiled but didn't reply, though he cursed inwardly: "Old fox. You brought him here yourself, yet you said you 'had to come along to see,' and now you're saying you're 'greedy.' You've gotten all the benefits."

Sitting next to Zhu Yong, Zheng Heng thought to himself: "That old fox, the Duke of Yingguo, brought his granddaughter to offer congratulations, ostensibly to take a look, but he's probably already planning how to keep her at Prince Rui's residence." He didn't say anything, but inwardly he felt a pang of regret—why hadn't he brought his granddaughter along?

Fang Bin sat diagonally opposite, his gaze lingering on Zhang Fu's face for a moment, before he also cursed: "Old fox, the older you get, the more shameless you become."

After Empress Xu and the others finished eating, Zhu Zhanji ran to Zhu Gaoxi's side, tugged at his sleeve, and looked up at him, saying, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, could you let Xiao Jin out again so we can see him? We didn't get enough of him earlier!"

He spoke quite loudly, and people at several surrounding tables could hear him.

Zhang Rou also ran over and stood behind Zhu Zhanji, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhu Gaoxi.

Zhang Yan was sitting at her table when she heard her son call out "Xiao Jin." Curious, she put down her teacup, leaned over, and asked, "Zhanji, what's Xiao Jin?"

Several princesses and ministers at the next table also looked over.

Seeing the curious looks from his wife and the ministers, Zhu Gaochi answered for his son, "This morning, the fourth prince brought the wooden dragon in the palace to life and named it Xiao Jin. You didn't see it just now; it was the golden dragon above Yingtian Prefecture this morning, and that's the one the fourth prince rode."

"What? That golden dragon is an inanimate object conjured by Fourth Uncle?" several princesses exclaimed in unison.

"Hiss..." As soon as the words were spoken, the civil and military officials at the next table gasped.

Several people turned to look in Zhu Gaoxi's direction. Zhu Yong whispered, "Heavens... His Highness can even bring inanimate objects to life? A wooden dragon turned into a real dragon?" The others were speechless with astonishment.

Zhang Fu sat to the side, maintaining a calm demeanor on the surface, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He glanced at his granddaughter without showing any emotion, and saw Zhang Rou still standing next to Zhu Gaoxi, craning her neck to look at Xiao Jin, only a step away from Prince Rui.

"His Highness Prince Rui can even bring inanimate objects to life. What incredible skill that is! My granddaughter not only made an appearance today, but also sat at the same table with Prince Rui for a meal. If they can visit each other often in the future, let alone this celestial delicacy, becoming an immortal would be a piece of cake for Prince Rui..." Zhang Fu thought to himself, unable to suppress the smile on his face. He quickly picked up his wine cup and pretended to drink.

Zheng Heng glanced up and saw Zhang Fu struggling to suppress his laughter, and he was furious. That old fox, bringing his granddaughter to offer congratulations was bad enough, but making her sit at the same table as Prince Rui was another matter entirely. Who knows what he's plotting right now.

His gaze drifted towards Zhu Gaoxi again—his own granddaughters were no less beautiful than Zhang Rou's, so why hadn't he brought them along?

Fang Bin put down his chopsticks and sighed. Before he could even make a move, Zhang Fu's granddaughter was already standing next to Prince Rui.

Zhao Hong lowered his head, thinking, "That old fox, the Duke of Yingguo, really hit the jackpot today."

Seeing everyone's jaw drop in shock, Zhu Gaoxu casually said, "What's so surprising about this? Fourth Brother is a disciple of the Dao Ancestor; what's so strange about him enlightening a mount? In the future..."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled, lowered his head and said to his wrist, "Little Gold." A golden light slid down from his wrist and landed in his palm, transforming into a small dragon as thick as a chopstick, which coiled up.

"Is this a dragon? It's so cute!" Zhang Rou and several children gathered around, looking on with great curiosity.

The ministers, watching from a distance, exchanged glances. Zhu Yong remarked, "Wasn't it this big when it flew away this morning?"

Zheng Heng chimed in, "Yeah, when it flew overhead this morning, it blotted out the sky, but now it looks like chopsticks!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and gave him a look that said, "You guys are really ignorant." He continued, "You just don't understand, do you? Haven't you read any storybooks? Dragons can be big or small, they can rise or hide. When they're big, they can blot out the sky; when they're small, they can be hidden in a mustard seed. These are the innate abilities of the dragon race!"

"The Prince of Han is truly knowledgeable and insightful," the crowd echoed Zhu Gaoxu, who became even more smug upon receiving such praise.

Empress Xu sat in the main seat, her eyes filled with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Her second son had always been like this since he was a child; there was no way to explain it.

Lady Wei felt a little embarrassed that everyone was looking at Prince Han. She quietly tugged at Zhu Gaoxu's sleeve under the table and whispered, "Your Highness, please stop...please say less."

Zhu Gaoxu then gave everyone a further explanation, and said directly to Zhu Gaoxi, "Fourth brother, let them see what's going on."

As if sensing something, Xiao Jin rose directly from Zhu Gaoxi's palm. The golden light unfurled in mid-air, instantly transforming into a golden dragon over three zhang long, its entire body golden, which coiled once in mid-air. Then it circled once more before slowly retracting its form and returning to Zhu Gaoxi's palm.

Zhu Gaoxu raised his chin, a hint of smugness in his expression: "See that clearly? This is the real dragon. What you saw this morning is what you're seeing now."

Zhu Gaoxu raised his chin: "Did you see that clearly? This is the real dragon. What you saw this morning is what you're seeing now."

After hearing this, Zhang Yan teased, "Second brother, why do I feel like you're the one who's the successor of the Dao Ancestor? People who don't know better would think you conjured him up."

The people at the table were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter. Empress Xu touched the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, the civil officials covered their mouths with their sleeves and chuckled, and several military officers laughed out loud.

Zhu Gaoxu was speechless for a moment, then scratched his head: "Sister-in-law, I'm just happy for my fourth brother!"

Zhang Yan laughed: "Yes, yes, but you're even happier than Fourth Brother himself."

Zhu Gaoxu picked up his wine glass and took a swig: "Sister-in-law, I can't argue with you."