Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

It is said that Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han did not return to his residence until it was almost dark, still feeling unsatisfied.

He had just stepped through the gates of the Prince of Han's residence, and before he could even call for someone to lead his horse, the chief steward of the residence hurried up to him with a somewhat subtle expression, and said hastily, "Your Highness, you've finally returned. The Princess Consort has been waiting for you in the main courtyard for most of the day."

Several servants standing nearby, including the chief clerk who was close to the Prince of Han, were also taken aback. They found that the Prince of Han had indeed become much younger. If it weren't for his figure and demeanor, they wouldn't have recognized him. In particular, the way he spoke was something that no one could imitate.

Zhu Gaochi tossed the reins to a servant and casually asked, "What are you waiting for me for?"

The chief clerk carefully considered his words: "This afternoon, the Duchess of Yingguo and the Duchess of Chengguo... came to our residence as guests. The ladies stayed for quite a while before leaving, and the Princess Consort's expression... seemed rather off."

Zhu Gaochi stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. The first place he visited after leaving Prince Rui's residence today was the Duke of Ying's mansion. He had boasted quite a bit to the Duke of Ying about how his fourth son had extended his lifespan.

The Duchess of England had always been on good terms with the Princess Consort of Han. After hearing the news from the Duke of England, she turned around and brought a group of people to visit the Prince of Han's residence. Ostensibly, she came to catch up with the Princess Consort of Han, but to put it bluntly, she came to inquire about news. However, his wife had no idea about this!

Oh dear! I forgot to tell my wife first; I guess I'll be sleeping in the study tonight!

Zhu Gaoxu stood in the courtyard for a while, thinking for a long time, before striding towards the main courtyard.

The main courtyard was brightly lit. Princess Wei, the wife of the Prince of Han, was sitting in the main hall, anxiously waiting for the Prince of Han to return.

She was doing needlework when a bunch of ladies suddenly came to visit. She was a little confused, but after chatting for a while, she learned that her fourth uncle had obtained the Book of Life and Death and extended the lifespan of the Prince of Han, making the Prince of Han look exceptionally young.

The ladies were joking, saying that the Princess Consort of Han was lucky, as the Han Prince's mansion was about to have another member. They complained that the second son, instead of telling her anything, was only concerned with showing off outside, leaving her in such a passive position. They couldn't give him a warm welcome today; he seemed to have become younger, completely forgetting about having a wife at home.

Zhu Gaoxu stepped across the threshold and, feigning knowledge, called out, "My lady, I'm back!"

Lady Wei raised her eyelids, her gaze lingering on his face. Zhu Gaoxu had left home earlier that day as a middle-aged man, but now standing before her was a young man in his early twenties. He had a handsome face and exuded the unique energy and spirit of youth.

"Oh, whose young master is this?" She looked Zhu Gaoxu up and down, inwardly shocked, thinking that her fourth brother was truly resourceful, but her tone remained cool, "Why have you come to my Prince of Han's residence? The prince didn't look like this when he left. Could it be that you've entered the wrong house?"

Zhu Gaoxu chuckled and said, "What are you saying, Madam? It's me, it's me. This isn't about the Fourth Prince's side..."

"The fourth brother obtained the Book of Life and Death, which extended your lifespan and made you younger."

Ms. Wei took over the conversation and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I know. I not only know this, but I also know that after leaving the Prince Rui's residence, His Highness went to the Duke of Ying's residence... He's been visiting all over the capital, wanting the whole world to know that His Highness has become younger, but he just doesn't go home and doesn't tell his wives at home."

Zhu Gaochi opened his mouth: "That's not what I meant..."

"What is a prince? Do you think I don't know?"

Lady Wei stood up, walked to Zhu Gaoxu, circled him once, and snorted. "He's showing off all the time now that he's gotten a benefit. Several dukes' wives all came to my place this afternoon, one after another asking me questions."

"Your Highness, I've heard that His Highness the Prince of Han has regained his youth. Is that true?"

"Oh my, His Highness Prince Rui is so capable! The Prince of Han and Prince Rui have a good relationship; your Prince of Han's residence is truly blessed."

"I sat there, completely unaware of anything, and had to put on a smiling face to smooth things over for Your Highness."

Zhu Gaoxu felt a little guilty after hearing her words, and said with a forced smile, "My lady, you've worked so hard. I was just happy and couldn't help myself..."

Seeing his expression, Lady Wei finally couldn't hold back. Thinking that the second prince's attitude was quite good, she quickly put on a stern face again: "Your Highness has become younger, while I have aged. From now on, if Your Highness goes out looking like this, people will think I've taken in a younger man..."

She became embarrassed to continue the sentence, and her face flushed slightly.

Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily, walked over and put his arm around her waist: "What are you saying, my lady! Do you think I'm that kind of person? Just you wait, in a couple of days I'll go find the fourth prince again, and with my relationship with him, I'll get him to add a few years to your lifespan in the Book of Life and Death. By then we'll both be young, and when we go out together, let's see who dares to gossip."

As he held her, Lady Wei said reproachfully, "I never said I wanted to become younger." But she didn't pull away, and the smile on her lips was impossible to hide.

"Come here, sweetie, give me a kiss..." Zhu Gaoxu couldn't resist when he saw his wife like this.

Lady Wei did not struggle. After all, Zhu Gaochi was indeed quite handsome and manly when he was young, and although he looked like a rough man, he had always treated her quite well.

She leaned against Zhu Gaoxu, then suddenly remembered something and looked up, saying, "By the way, it wasn't just our residence that was lively today. I heard that the Crown Princess and Princess Zhao also had quite a few people there."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. It's getting dark, we should rest. I think the fourth son really likes children, let's have a couple more for him to play with." Zhu Gaoxu picked up Wei Shi in his arms.

Caught off guard, Lady Wei gasped and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Your Highness! How old are you to still be doing this!"

"How old are you?" Zhu Gaoxu looked down at her, grinning. "I just turned eighteen!"

He carried Lady Wei to the bed, her face flushed, and she scolded him playfully for being "improper," but she obediently leaned against him. The maids had already bowed their heads and left, and Zhu Gaoxu kicked the door shut with a muffled bang.

The curtains were drawn, and the lamplight flickered. Zhu Gaoxu lay on the couch, one hand behind his head and the other around Wei Shi's shoulder. He stared at the top of the tent for a while, then suddenly fell silent.

Lady Wei noticed his change and turned to look at him: "Your Highness? What's wrong?"

Zhu Gaoxu didn't speak. His smugness from before had somehow dissipated. He stared at the top of the tent, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"My lady," he began, "today at the Fourth Prince's residence, when he used his supernatural powers, he turned me back to my childhood. Then, when I looked at the Eldest and Third Princes, a lot of things from my childhood suddenly popped into my head."

Ms. Wei didn't say anything, but simply moved closer to him.

Zhu Gaoxu lay on the bed, holding Lady Wei in his arms, staring at the top of the tent in silence for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"My lady, today at the Fourth Prince's residence, when I closed my eyes, I suddenly remembered many things from my childhood. I remembered when we were in Beiping, my eldest brother took me and the third prince to raid bird nests and roast pigeon eggs, and we were caught by the Empress Dowager and punished by copying the Analects of Confucius. Those were good times."

He paused, and the smile on his lips slowly began to fade: "Later, during the Jingnan Rebellion, I charged into battle alongside my father, while my elder brother guarded Beiping from behind. I may have complained about him, but I was actually convinced of his authority. Without my elder brother's support from behind, I wouldn't have dared to risk my life on the front lines."

"I don't know when it started to change. I've become increasingly estranged from my elder brother. We argue in court and don't even visit each other when we get home. It probably started with my father's words, 'Your elder brother isn't in good health, you need to work harder.'"

"At the time, I felt that Father was implying something, and ever since then, I have found my elder brother displeasing no matter what I look at." Zhu Gaoxu's voice was a little hoarse.

Mrs. Wei sighed softly. The rift between the brothers began with that one sentence.

"You've never said these things to me before." She turned over to look at him.

Zhu Gaoxu chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Maybe it was the light from the fourth brother that brought out my childhood thoughts."

Lady Wei leaned on his shoulder and said softly, "It's not too late now. Don't you have your fourth brother? Why are you still eyeing that position? If Your Highness gets along well with him, it'll be more enjoyable than being the emperor."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded after hearing this: "That's what I think too! I won't fight for it anymore."

Meanwhile, in the Crown Prince's residence.

When Zhu Gaochi returned to his residence, it was already dark. Unlike his second son, he hadn't boasted about leaving the Prince Rui's residence that day; instead, he had gone to the Ministry of Revenue to finish up some backlogged official business before returning home.

But today was different. Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue who were on good terms with him were so surprised by his appearance that they couldn't stop talking and their words were full of envy.

Zhu Gaochi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he thought: No wonder the second son likes to show off; it certainly feels good. As for the evening court session, Zhu Di hadn't informed his brothers at all. How could they pretend otherwise if he had?

Crown Princess Zhang Yan was waiting for him in her room. When Zhu Gaochi pushed the door open and entered, Zhang Yan looked up and the account book in her hand fell to the table with a "thud".

"Your Highness...you've changed so much..." Zhang Yan walked up to him and examined him closely.

Zhu Gaochi, who was originally bloated, old-fashioned, with graying temples and a sallow complexion, now had a smaller belly, a much younger face, and brighter eyes.

"Isn't this the fourth brother's Book of Life and Death from the King of Hell? My fourth brother cares about me, his eldest brother, and has given me a few more years of lifespan." Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but imitate the second brother's tone when he saw Zhang's expression.

Zhang Yan came to her senses, both amused and exasperated: "This afternoon, the wives of several vice ministers came one after another, ostensibly to pay their respects to me, but their conversations were all about the Book of Life and Death. I knew nothing about it and could only give vague answers. Later, I heard that after the second prince left the Prince Rui's residence, he went to several other residences, talking everywhere about how the Prince Rui had a Book of Life and Death, describing it in great detail."

Zhu Gaochi shook his head and sighed, "When will the second son be able to change his temperament?"

Zhang Yan glared at him and teased, "Your Highness, didn't you notice that the tone of your voice just now sounded quite like the Second Prince's?"

Zhu Gaochi was taken aback, then laughed, took Zhang's hand and sat down, and began to tell the amusing story of how his second son had become smaller at the Prince Rui's mansion that day.

"Really? I've never seen the second son when he was little!" Zhang Yan couldn't stop smiling when she heard about the Prince Rui's mansion.

"Your Highness, you said all three of you brothers are too young..." Zhang Yan said sourly.

"How could this matter be left out? You are his sister-in-law. The fourth brother respects and understands me as his elder brother. For my sake..." Zhu Gaochi understood what this tone meant, and then began to boast and brag.

"Birds of a feather flock together," Zhang Yan muttered. She then thought of the afternoon when she heard that the old man had taken the empress to the Prince Rui's residence, and then that he had attended the evening court session tonight. When she connected this with the Prince of Han showing off all over the city, she understood.

The same thing happened in the Zhao Prince's mansion... Several women were very envious of the changes in their husbands, thinking that they also wanted to increase their lifespan and become younger.