Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Qiutang and Yuehe led the way, one in front and one behind, through the corridor, and then along the pebble path for a short distance to the northeast.

Several children followed behind, with Zhu Zhanji running in front, Zhu Zhanhe close behind him, and Zhu Zhanqi and Zhu Zhanyong holding hands and jogging after him.

After passing a row of osmanthus trees, the view suddenly opened up before them. Yuehe stopped, stepped aside to make way, and smiled slightly, saying, "Young masters, we've arrived."

The children all stopped in their tracks.

"What is this?! I've never seen anything like it before!"

Zhu Zhanji was running in the lead when he suddenly saw what was in front of him. As if he were nailed to the ground, he stood at the edge of the open space with his mouth wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

"Brother, what are you doing... Hey, what's this? It looks so fun!"

Zhu Zhanhe bumped into him from behind, and was about to complain about why he suddenly stopped, but when he looked up, he was also stunned.

The open space in front of them was a bare lawn when they last came here. But now, a small playground has appeared out of nowhere on the grass.

A wooden slide about ten feet high stands in the center, with a beautiful curve in the slope. The surface of the slope is as smooth as a mirror, and the handrails on both sides are carved into the shape of coiled dragons.

Next to the slide stands a wooden climbing frame with a tightly woven rope net, the top of which connects to the slide entrance. Two swings hang from the adjacent frame, their seats wide and cushioned.

Several wooden horses were lined up in a row, their saddles covered with thick velvet. In the corner stood a seesaw, and at the very edge was a small maze enclosed by a row of low wooden fences.

Everything was made of wood, but these toys were things that had never appeared before the Ming Dynasty.

"Fourth Uncle is so good to us. These things look so fun," Zhu Zhanji said excitedly.

Zhu Zhanhe looked at the slide and asked, "Brother, what's that slope for? It's so slippery, it looks like so much fun!"

"And that net!" Zhu Zhanqi tugged at Zhu Zhanyong's sleeve, pointing to the rope net on the climbing frame. "Is that for climbing? How come it's taller than that tree in our yard!"

"What is this?!"

The children chattered away, creating a noisy commotion.

Empress Xu stood behind the children and chuckled softly, "I've never seen these things before. But judging from the size, they're all made to fit children's bodies. They were probably conjured up by the Fourth Prince using his supernatural powers. That Fourth Prince really knows how to treat these children."

Zhang Yan stood to the side, watching her children rush forward and grab a spot, and shook her head with a helpless smile: "Yes! Fourth Uncle really knows how to spoil the kids, using his supernatural powers to make toys for them."

"Indeed," Mrs. Wei exclaimed. "Fourth Uncle is so good to the children. He makes them food and toys..."

Standing to the side, holding Princess Zhending, Madam Weng echoed, "Yes, Fourth Uncle is truly thoughtful."

As they were talking, Princess Jiaxing, Zhu Wanning, released Empress Xu's hand and took a step forward. She looked up at the tall slide, then at the swing swaying beside it: "Grandmother, what's that next to the swing? Ning'er has never seen it before. It looks so fun."

As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Zhu Yaoxuan, the daughter of Madam Weng, clapped her hands. She was only three years old. Pointing her chubby little finger at the slide, she asked in a childish voice, "Mommy, what's that Sisen slide? Yaoyao hasn't seen it before. It looks like Haohao plays on it! Yaoyao wants to play too."

The two children's question stumped the adults. Empress Xu smiled and looked at Qiu Tang and Yue He beside her: "You are people from this household, so I'm sure the Fourth Prince has told you. Tell the young masters about it."

Qiu Tang stepped forward and pointed to the tall wooden slide, saying, "Young masters, this is called a slide. Climb up the wooden frame over there, sit at the top, and slide down that slope. There's a thick layer of sand at the bottom of the slope, so you won't get hurt."

Yuehe continued, pointing to the climbing frame and rope net beside her: "This is the climbing frame, His Highness said it's for the young masters to practice their strength. You can climb up this rope net; there's a small platform on top. From there, you can see the entire back garden, and over there is that maze with a small wooden cabin inside..."

The children's eyes lit up as they listened, and Zhu Zhanji couldn't wait any longer and ran towards the slide, shouting, "I want to go first! I want to go first!"

As Zhu Zhanhe ran, he turned back and shouted, "Big brother, don't go for it! I want to be first!"

Zhu Zhanyin didn't care about what was happening around him. He had already made his home in the sandpit and was digging in the sand with a small shovel.

Princess Zhu Wanning of Jiaxing did not fight with her brothers for the slide. Instead, she walked to the swing, strolled around slowly, and gently swung on the swing.

Princess Zhu Yaoxuan of Zhending was placed on a wooden horse by her mother. Her little hands gripped the horse's ears tightly, and she giggled as the horse rocked: "Mother! Rock-a-bye, let's go! Fly...fly!"

Empress Xu watched her grandchildren frolicking in the garden, then sat down on the rattan chair that Yue Tang had brought over. She beckoned to Zhang Yan and the other two, saying, "Let them play. We should rest too. From now on, this Prince Rui's residence will probably become the second home for these little rascals."

As they were talking, Yuehe suddenly glanced at the other end of the path and said with a smile, "Your Highness, His Highness has sent someone to deliver food."

Several eunuchs carried food boxes from the corridor. As soon as the lids were lifted, the aroma of crispy fried chicken, savory fries, and sweet milk tea mingled together and wafted throughout the garden on the breeze.

Zhu Zhanji was sliding down the slide when he plopped down in the sandpit. He scrambled to his feet and ran toward the stone table, shouting, "Milk tea! My bubble tea is here!"

Zhu Zhanhe had already climbed to the top of the slide when he heard Zhu Zhanji's commotion below. He peeked out, then without a word, slid down the ramp, shouting, "Food! The good stuff is here!"

"The delicious food is here! I want to eat! I want to eat!" Several greedy children ran over as soon as they saw the food.

Only Zhu Zhanyin and Princess Jiaxing didn't run away. Zhu Zhanyin was engrossed in digging in the sandpit when he heard his brothers shout "Fried chicken!" He looked up briefly, then went back to shoveling sand. Princess Jiaxing slowly got off the swing, said to Qiutang, "I'll come back after I finish eating," and then slowly walked towards the stone table.

Several children sat around the stone table. Zhu Zhanji held his bubble tea in both hands, took a big sip, and chewed on the tapioca pearls: "Fourth Uncle's house is so nice, there are fun things to do and delicious food to eat."

Zhu Zhanhe, holding a fried chicken leg in one hand and fries in the other, chimed in, "Exactly! Much better than ours!"

"Mom, I don't want to go back. Can I stay at Uncle's house instead?"

"I also want to live with my fourth uncle; it's really nice here."

The children chattered away as they ate.

Princess Zhending, held on Madam Weng's lap and eating dessert, suddenly blurted out when she heard her brothers talking, "Yaoyao wants to stay here too! Aren't we leaving?"

Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "Alright! I'll tell my fourth uncle later. He loves me the most... I'll take care of it." Zhu Zhanji didn't know why, but he felt very comfortable and normal speaking to his younger siblings like this. After all, he and Zhu Di had a special bond that came naturally without needing to learn.

Empress Xu sat on the stool, looking at the little heads around the stone table eating happily, and said, "That's good, they have food and fun, these little rascals really don't want to leave."

Zhang Yan laughed and said, "I've already figured it out. These kids will probably cause a huge uproar when they get back to the East Palace."

Lady Wei chimed in, "It's the same at the Prince of Han's residence. Those two boys will definitely pester their father to come here every day when they get back."

It was rare for Madam Weng to make a joke. While wiping Princess Zhending's mouth, she said, "That's perfect. I'll benefit from it too. I'll come here more often in the future. This place is more comfortable than Prince Zhao's residence."