Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Behind a corner of the palace wall not far away, two more people were hiding. Lu Jianxin, a commander of the Imperial Guard, and Jin Xiaochuan, a centurion, had been ordered to secretly keep an eye on the movements of several princes and witnessed this display of brotherly affection from the very beginning.

Jin Xiaochuan turned to look at Lu Jianxin and suddenly said, "Brother, when my mother was sick, I borrowed 50 taels from you..."

Lu Jianxin was wiping his eyes with his sleeve when he heard this, and he quickly waved his hand: "Why bring this up? No need to return it! We're brothers, your mother is my mother!"

"Brother, to tell you the truth, my mother isn't sick. I went out drinking and carousing..." Jin Xiaochuan laughed when he heard Lu Jianxin say that he didn't need to pay it back, "That's great, I wasn't planning on paying it back anyway."

"What did you say?" Lu Jianxin's sleeve stopped in mid-air, and he turned his head.

Jin Xiaochuan realized he had said something wrong and turned to run away.

"I finally managed to save up 50 taels..." Lu Jianxin chased after him, a knife in his hand.

As Jin Xiaochuan ran, he kept shouting, "Big brother! Big brother! You just said we were brothers! My mother is your mother!"

"My mother didn't have a son like you," Lu Jianxin said angrily.

The imperial carriage departed the palace in complete silence. The guards had cleared the streets along the way in advance. Zhu Di leaned against the soft cushions of the imperial carriage, closing his eyes to rest. Empress Xu sat beside him, while Yao Guangxiao rode behind on horseback, slowly turning the Buddhist prayer beads between his fingers.

Halfway through the journey, a guard at the front reported: His Highness the Crown Prince's carriage is waiting ahead.

Empress Xu lifted the carriage curtain and looked out, and saw Zhu Gaochi and Zhang Yan waiting by the roadside with several children.

Empress Xu sent a message to the palace maids who were accompanying her, instructing them to follow the entourage.

Zhu Gaochi bowed by the roadside, then got into the carriage with his wife and children. The Crown Prince's carriage followed steadily behind the imperial carriage.

Before long, the carriages arrived at the gate of Prince Rui's Mansion.

The group disembarked from their carriages and found that the people from the Prince of Han's residence were already waiting at the gate. The Prince of Han's residence was the closest to the Prince of Rui's residence, but Lady Wei was embarrassed and insisted on waiting until everyone arrived before going in together.

Zhu Gaoxu, riding a tall horse, dismounted as soon as the imperial carriage arrived and led Lady Wei forward to pay their respects. Then, glancing at Yao Guangxiao beside him, he thought to himself, "Why is this wicked monk here too?" But then he realized it must be for his fourth brother.

Behind Lady Wei were her two sons, seven-year-old Zhu Zhanhe and five-year-old Zhu Zhanqi, and a servant behind them was carrying a brocade box.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhang Yan also got off the carriage with the children. Eight-year-old Zhu Zhanji led the way, followed by six-year-old Zhu Zhanjun, five-year-old Zhu Zhanyong, four-year-old Zhu Zhanyin, and four-year-old Princess Jiaxing.

The children lined up in a row, their heights varying, like steps. As soon as Zhu Zhanji got out of the car, he spotted Zhu Zhanhe with sharp eyes, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

Yao Guangxiao stood at the door, looking up at the plaque, then turned to Zhu Di, his voice filled with disbelief: "Your Majesty... this is the mansion that Prince Rui built with supernatural powers? It only took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?" Yao Guangxiao's head was full of question marks.

He had followed Zhu Di for decades and had seen all sorts of things. Which royal palace had taken the world's top craftsmen several years to build? The time it takes to drink a cup of tea was simply terrifying.

Zhu Di was secretly pleased, but on the surface he maintained a nonchalant expression, as if he were used to such things: "Yes, the fourth prince built it himself, without using a single brick or tile."

Zhu Gaoxu, who was nearby, overheard this and came over to say, "Master, what's this! Go inside and take a look, it's even more magnificent inside than outside! Fourth Brother's mansion, I'm not bragging, is more than ten times better than my Han Prince's mansion!" He thought to himself: You old geezer, you really haven't seen the world.

Wei coughed lightly behind him, and Zhu Gaoxu immediately shut up, pretending to examine the stone lions at the door.

Just then, the mansion gate opened from the inside. Zhu Gaoxi strode out to greet him, dressed in a black robe with gilded accents, tall and handsome.

He was reading in his study when Little Snotty ran in in a panic to report that His Majesty and the Empress had arrived at the door with a large group of people. He quickly slammed his book on the table and rushed out.

Zhu Gaoxi strode forward and bowed to Zhu Di and Empress Xu: "Your subject greets Father and Mother." He then turned to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu, "My elder brothers have also arrived."

His gaze fell on Yao Guangxiao, he paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Master, what brings you here? Weren't you in seclusion refining your grand ceremony?"

Yao Guangxiao stared blankly at the handsome, ethereal young man before him, momentarily lost in thought. The last time he saw Zhu Gaoxi, he was just a child of a few years old, sitting quietly on a prayer mat in his temple, turning the pages of scriptures.

He subconsciously looked at Zhu Gaoxi's face.

He has practiced Buddhism and Taoism for decades, and is proficient in Zi Wei Dou Shu, face reading, and geomancy.

Back in the Prince of Yan's residence, he could tell from Zhu Di's face that this man was destined for greatness and had the fate of becoming emperor. But now, looking at Zhu Gaoxi's face, he could see nothing at all.

It's not that I can't see clearly, it's that I can't see at all. This young man's face seems to be shrouded in a faint light, without past or future, transcending the three realms and not falling within the five elements.

Hehe, just kidding. The old monk can't even figure out the details within the Three Realms; he can only calculate the human realm at most.

He clasped his hands together and said, "Your Highness has changed so much that I almost didn't recognize you. After leaving seclusion, I heard about Your Highness's many deeds and couldn't sit still any longer."

Zhu Di looked up at Yao Guangxiao, his tone full of teasing: "Master, as a disciple of Buddha, you came here specifically to debate scriptures and compete with me after hearing that a disciple of the Daoist Ancestor like yourself had emerged from Yingtian Prefecture."

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty is too kind. This humble monk is capable of meditating and chanting scriptures, but I would never dare to debate scriptures or engage in magical contests."

He spoke humbly and calmly, but inwardly he couldn't help but mutter to himself: "This old Judy, your attitude of using people when you need them and discarding them when you don't, hasn't changed at all over the years."

Back in Beiping, when you were begging this humble monk to help you with your career, you kept calling me "Master." Now that you have a divine son, you turn around and start making fun of this humble monk.

Yao Guangxiao had practiced Buddhism for decades, so his state of mind was naturally beyond that of ordinary people. If it were anyone else, they would have been furious with Zhu Di long ago. To quote what the Prince of Han said in a certain TV series: "Even if you compile the Yongle Encyclopedia into the greatest book in history, the history books will not record that you were the rightful heir."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled, stepped aside, and gestured for them to proceed: "Father, Mother, Master, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Second Sister-in-law, please don't stand at the door. Please follow me into the main hall for tea."

Zhu Gaoxi led the crowd through the front courtyard and toward the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.

The main hall of the Ming Dynasty prince's mansion was named "Chengyun Hall," which means "receiving the mandate of heaven." It was the highest-standard building in the prince's mansion and was used specifically for receiving imperial edicts, meeting the emperor, performing grand ceremonies, and holding formal banquets.

Yao Guangxiao walked and looked around, carefully examining everything from the pillars to the eaves, from the stone steps to the bronze crane.

Reaching the palace gate, he suddenly stopped and gently touched a pillar beside him. The wood grain was perfectly natural, as if the entire thousand-year-old sandalwood had grown directly into this shape, without a single mortise or tenon joint.

He withdrew his hand and whispered a Buddhist chant.

Upon entering the main hall, Zhu Di sat down in the central seat, with Empress Xu sitting beside him.

The guests took their seats in turn, with Zhu Gaochi and his wife, and Zhu Gaoxu and his wife, sitting on either side. The children were kept close by Zhang Yan and Lady Wei. Zhu Zhanji couldn't sit still and only settled down after Zhang Yan gently patted him.

Zhu Gaoxi sat down to the left of Zhu Di, glancing around before noticing that his third brother hadn't arrived yet. Just as he was about to ask, Zhu Gaoxu interrupted, "Fourth brother, don't look around. The third brother lives far away. Let's chat first, and when he arrives, we can punish him with three cups of tea."

Yao Guangxiao sat down in the guest seat, holding his teacup for a long time without drinking, his eyes fixed on the giant golden nanmu pillar in the hall, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was wondering about something.