Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

The bell of a certain temple in Nanjing rang again and again. The gate of the Zen monastery on the back mountain had been closed for a whole month.

Two young monks took turns guarding the courtyard gate each day. They would deliver the vegetarian meals, placing them on the stone platform outside the threshold, knocking three times before leaving. They were not allowed to knock more than three times or speak.

This was a rule set by the master before he went into seclusion. Inside the gate lived the current chief editor of the Yongle Encyclopedia, Zuo Shanshi of the Buddhist Registry, the Ming Dynasty's foremost hat wholesaler, and one of Zhu Di's most trusted confidants, the monk Daoyan, aka Yao Guangxiao, who served Yao Zong.

This morning, the gate to the courtyard opened by itself.

Yao Guangxiao emerged from the meditation room, dressed in a greyish-white monk's robe, barefoot on the stone steps, squinting at the sky. He was nearly seventy years old, yet his features remained as sharp as when he was strategizing at the Prince of Yan's residence.

The monk who served him, Liaoran, was already waiting outside the courtyard. Upon hearing the door open, he quickly came forward, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "Master has emerged from seclusion."

"Hmm." Yao Guangxiao nodded. "Has anything major happened outside this past month?"

Liao Ran opened his mouth. He had been waiting to say this for several days, but where to begin? He had been waiting outside the courtyard gate for days, gathering a little information each day, until his belly was full of things to say, but he didn't know which one to pick first.

He thought and thought, and finally blurted out, "Master, His Highness Prince Rui... has become an immortal."

Yao Guangxiao was bending down to pick up a teacup from the stone platform when his hand paused for a moment in mid-air.

"What?" He turned his head, his brows furrowing slightly as his gaze swept over Liao Ran's face. He had served Zhu Di for decades, and he knew Zhu Di better than anyone else; back then, Zhu Di had even feigned madness in order to start a rebellion.

He has only been on the throne for five years, and his power base is not yet stable. Suddenly, a "divine son" appears. There is probably some major event to be prepared. He has seen Prince Rui before and even raised him for a while. He is just an ordinary, intelligent child.

Go ahead and pretend to be a ghost! I'm a monk, I've cultivated for so many years, do you think I don't know if there are gods or immortals?

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "The Yongle Encyclopedia isn't even finished yet, what is Your Majesty planning now?"

"No!" Liao Ran exclaimed anxiously, his voice rising several decibels. "It's true! Master, go ask around outside, it's all over the capital! His Highness Prince Rui is a disciple personally taught by the Dao Ancestor!"

"The Dao Ancestor?" Yao Guangxiao placed the teacup back on the stone table, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Liaoran, you've been with me for so many years, when did you start believing in these rumors? Besides, we practice Buddhism, how can we believe in the Dao Ancestor?"

Liao Ran was sweating profusely with anxiety. He looked around and grabbed the young novice monk sweeping the floor beside him: "You! Tell the master what you saw with your own eyes!"

The young novice was pulled over and stammered, "A few days ago, I was sweeping the ground at the temple gate when I heard someone shouting on the street outside that a dragon was flying in the sky..."

He swallowed hard. "When I looked up, I saw a golden dragon flying through the city, just like in the stories. Many people saw it and said that the dragon standing on it was Prince Rui."

"Anything else!" Liao Ran pulled over another elderly monk who was copying scriptures in the library. "You tell us!"

The old monk slowly clasped his hands together: "That day, when I went to the city to buy paper and ink, I saw with my own eyes a very large sword sweep across the sky above Yingtian Prefecture, and there were many people on it. Later, I heard that it was His Highness Prince Rui leading His Majesty and the Crown Prince on an inspection tour of Yingtian Prefecture."

Liao Ran turned around, spread his hands, and looked at Yao Guangxiao. His eyes clearly said, "You see, I didn't believe the rumors."

Yao Guangxiao did not answer immediately. He looked at the old monk, then at the young novice, and then at Liaoran. He knew best that Liaoran was an honest man who did not lie.

That old monk had been copying scriptures in the temple for thirty years; lying would send him to hell. The two young novices also had clear eyes that didn't seem to be lying.

"Is there anything else?" Yao Guangxiao was also a little flustered, but also a little excited.

Liao Ran paused for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead: "There's more! The latest news from yesterday afternoon is that His Highness the Prince of Han has become younger, and the whole city is bragging about it. It's said that His Highness the Prince of Rui obtained the Book of Life and Death from the King of Hell, and extended the lifespans of all his brothers. Then, in the evening, news spread that His Majesty has also become younger, looking like he's in his twenties, also thanks to His Highness the Prince of Rui extending his lifespan. His Majesty even said in the evening court that in the future, ministers who have made outstanding contributions will also have the opportunity to have His Highness the Prince of Rui extend their lifespans."

Yao Guangxiao's fingers, which were twirling the prayer beads, suddenly stopped, and his face could no longer remain calm. All these things piling up at once had completely destroyed his composure.

The King of Hell's Book of Life and Death, life extension, rejuvenation—these terms came crashing down on him one after another, and all the Buddhist principles and Zen wisdom he had cultivated in his mind for decades suddenly became useless.

Buddhism talks about cause and effect, reincarnation, and enlightenment, but it doesn't talk about these things, nor does it talk about how a book can change a person's lifespan.

Yao Guangxiao stood on the stone steps, gazing intently at the sky. He suddenly recalled that during his seclusion, he had felt restless several times, but he attributed it to overworking his mind by constantly refining the format of the grand ceremony, so he didn't take it to heart.

Looking back now, it seems that the times when I was restless coincided with the days when Liao Ran and the others said that Prince Rui would display his supernatural powers.

He spent his whole life chanting Buddhist scriptures and practicing Zen, always believing that matters of ghosts and spirits were merely expedient means to enlighten people.

"You..." Yao Guangxiao began, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Liao Ran looked distressed and aggrieved: "The master personally instructed me before he went into seclusion that even if the sky were to fall, I should not disturb him. How could I dare..."

Yao Guangxiao waved his hand after a long pause. "Never mind, he set these rules himself, so he can't blame anyone else."

He stood on the stone steps for a while, then suddenly turned and walked into the meditation room: "Prepare a sedan chair. No, no need to prepare a sedan chair, prepare a horse."

Liao Ran jogged after him, asking, "Where is Master going?"

Yao Guangxiao didn't even turn his head: "Go to the palace to find Prince Rui."

He paused, a hint of confusion in his voice, "That child lived with me for two years, though I didn't do much, just looked after him for a while. There should be some kindness between us. I'd like to go and see what's going on."

He nodded in agreement, then turned and jogged off to prepare the horses.

Yao Guangxiao mounted his horse, flicked the reins, and his greyish-white monk's robe billowed in the wind. The horse's hooves clattered out of the mountain gate. Liaoran followed behind, watching the master's figure gallop faster and faster.

After Yao Guangxiao had run some distance, Liaoran suddenly remembered something and turned to ask the monks standing at the door to see him off, "Where did the master say he was going?"

"Going to the palace," a young novice monk replied. "The master said we need to see His Highness Prince Rui."

Go to the palace. Find Prince Rui.

Liao Ran froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. His Highness Prince Rui had already used his supernatural powers to build a Prince Rui Mansion out of thin air, and no longer lived in the palace.

They've been babbling on and on about dragons, swords, and the Book of Life and Death, but they've completely overlooked this most crucial point.

He opened his mouth, wanting to call the master back, but Yao Guangxiao's horse had already turned the corner of the mountain road, leaving only a trail of dust behind.

Liao Ran stood at the mountain gate, watching the dust cloud disappear into the distance. He remained silent for a long time, hoping that Prince Rui was in the palace, or that the master had died on the road. Just kidding.

Yao Guangxiao, however, was completely unaware of this. He rode at full speed, his mind preoccupied with getting to the palace to find Prince Rui.