Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Empress Xu looked at her grandchildren beside her, smiled and shook her head, then picked up the milk tea in front of her and took a sip.

"I must say, everything here at Lao Si's place is novel and different every time I come."

Zhang Yan sat to her left, scooping a piece of tiramisu with a small silver spoon: "That's right. Every time my daughter-in-law comes to my fourth brother's place, she feels like she's in paradise. She's never seen anything like it before..."

Madam Wei put down the cake in her hand: "These things are not something ordinary people can make. My husband keeps saying he wants to live in Prince Rui's mansion. If he weren't a prince, he would want to come and be an official there."

Wei's words immediately made everyone laugh.

Sitting on the side, Mrs. Weng listened to the conversation and echoed similar sentiments.

The women chatted and laughed for a while, and the food on the stone table gradually disappeared. Qiu Tang and Yue He led several eunuchs over to clear the dishes, wiped the table clean, and refilled the teacups for their masters.

After tidying up, Qiu Tang beckoned to the maidservant waiting beside her, who then came over with a brocade box in her hands and presented it to her.

Qiu Tang took the brocade box, held it with both hands and placed it on the stone table, then bowed: "Your Majesty, His Highness just instructed that some toys be prepared for you all. I brought them back while I was fetching the food."

"Oh, the fourth prince has even prepared something for us... I'd like to see what new and interesting things this is..." Empress Xu was slightly surprised when she heard this.

A hint of curiosity flashed in Zhang Yan's eyes: "Oh? Fourth Brother even prepared things for us? I thought he only cared about the younger ones."

Madam Wei sat up straight, her gaze falling on Qiu Tang's hand. She quickly asked, "What is this toy? Open it up and let us see." Madam Weng didn't speak, but also looked over.

Qiu Tang opened the brocade box and took out an exquisite wooden box. Lifting the lid, she found one hundred and forty-four dominoes neatly arranged inside. It was mahjong. Yue He brought over a square table from the side, and four eunuchs carefully carried the table and placed it next to the stone table. Qiu Tang placed the brocade box on the square table and began to place the tiles out one by one.

"This is a bit like mahjong, but it doesn't seem like it." Zhang Yan reached out and picked up a card to examine it closely before handing the card to Mr. Wei next to her.

When Madam Wei took a look, her eyes widened: "This material... rosewood? And with ivory trim? Fourth Brother's skill is truly worthy of being a disciple of the Dao Ancestor."

Empress Xu looked up and said, "This does look a bit like mahjong. How do you play it? Is it difficult?"

Qiu Tang's hands moved swiftly, arranging the tiles face down, and she replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, this is called mahjong. It's not difficult to learn, a bit more complicated than mahjong, but you'll get the hang of it after a couple of rounds. This servant will be here to teach you, and you'll learn it after a couple of rounds."

Zhang Yan looked at him and said, "Fourth brother has arranged everything perfectly for us. Alright, let's give it a try."

Qiu Tang explained from the side: "This mahjong set is divided into three suits: Wan, Tong, and Tiao, as well as honor tiles such as East, South, West, North, Center, Green, and White, for a total of 144 tiles..."

Four women played mahjong together, creating quite a lively atmosphere. Qiu Tang demonstrated each step: shuffling the tiles, arranging them, rolling the dice, and drawing tiles. Zhang Yan was the most attentive; she understood the rules after listening to them once and even managed to help Wei Shi check her hand when she had a spare moment.

Wei was impatient; for the first two rounds, she held a hand of cards and hesitated for a long time, unsure which card to play. Qiu Tang smiled and gave her a few pointers, and she gradually got the hang of it. Her hands became smoother, and she started talking more:

"Oh, this is great, let's bump into each other... let's bump into each other! Sister-in-law, is this a lucky break?"

Zhang Yan peeked out, smiled and nodded. Wei Shi contentedly gathered the two cards in front of her. Weng Shi was the quietest, sitting silently at the lower end of the table. She always hesitated for a moment before playing her cards, but she played steadily every round, and after several rounds, she even won a small hand.

Empress Xu had loved playing mahjong since she was young, back in the Prince of Yan's residence in Beiping. With her natural talent, she picked it up after just a couple of rounds of instruction from Qiu Tang. After a few rounds, her skills improved dramatically, her card draws and plays flowing smoothly. She won two big hands in a row, putting her in a great mood.

He laughed and said, "This is definitely more interesting than mahjong. Hey, second son's wife, were you trying to cheat again just now?"

Mrs. Wei blushed and silently put the two cards she had just raised back down. This explains why the second son's wife was able to live with him.

After playing cards for a few rounds, the women gradually relaxed, and bursts of laughter drifted out from the pavilion, mingling with the screams of children from the back garden.

As she drew her tiles, Empress Xu exclaimed, "This mahjong is so much more fun than mahjong... Fourth Brother has so many tricks up his sleeve."

"Yeah, Fourth Brother, this place is really fun," Zhang Yan and the others said similar things. They were all so engrossed in the fun that they had forgotten their original purpose for the day.

After playing a few rounds, the women gradually relaxed. The crisp clinking of dominoes mingled with the laughter of children from the back garden.

After playing a few rounds, Zhang Yan was arranging her cards when she looked up and her gaze lingered on Empress Xu's face. Remembering the purpose of her visit, she said, "Mother, you look so beautiful now. You don't look like a grandmother at all."

Empress Xu was drawing her tiles when she heard this. Her fingers paused, she stacked the tiles in her hand, and smiled, "It's all thanks to the fourth prince... Oh, eldest prince's wife, are you referring to me?"

Zhang Yan quickly put down the cards and waved her hand with a smile: "Daughter-in-law wouldn't dare. It's just that... yesterday when His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the manor, I looked at his face and then looked in the mirror, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable."

She suddenly said with a wronged tone, "Over the years, Your Highness has had one new concubine after another. Although I know this in my heart, seeing myself getting older year by year, I just can't help it..."

Upon hearing her sister-in-law's words, Madam Wei stopped playing cards and looked up to reply, "Sister-in-law is right! Mother, you don't know, yesterday when my husband came back home, this young man in his early twenties stood in front of me, and I didn't know what to say. This morning I looked in the mirror for a long time, and the more I looked, the more I felt that we didn't look like a couple. Who knows what people will say when we go out!"

Zhang Yan laughed out loud at her words. Madam Weng softly echoed, "Although Prince Zhao hasn't changed much, I also wish I could look a little better!"

As Empress Xu listened, her gaze swept across the faces of her three daughters-in-law, and she suddenly smiled.

"Alright, alright, do you think I don't know what you're all thinking?" She pushed the cards in front of her onto the center of the table. "I'll have a good talk with Fourth Prince later. You're all his sisters-in-law, how could he not help you?"

Zhang Yan and the other two exchanged a glance, then stood up in unison, smiling and bowing to Empress Xu: "Thank you, Mother!"

Empress Xu leaned back in her chair, looking at her three daughters-in-law who were unusually well-behaved, and teased, "Now you remember to call me 'Mother'? Usually you call me 'Empress Dowager' so formally. But today, you're all sweet-talking me, trying to look younger."