Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhang Yan smiled and sat back down in her chair, her hands still busy, but she continued the conversation: "Mother, speaking of fourth brother, I just remembered something. A few days ago, my family sent someone to say that they wanted to send one of our little nieces, who is about the same age as fourth brother, over to keep him company while he studies and plays."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei stopped shuffling her cards: "Sister-in-law, you inquired about this too? To tell you the truth, I made a special trip back to my parents' home a few days ago, hoping to see if there were any suitable girls to send to my fourth brother as playmates. My sister-in-law took it to heart as soon as she heard it, going through all the young maids in the house over and over again, saying she wanted to pick the cleverest one. But now they're no longer needed."

"Who knew he'd grown up so much overnight?" Zhang Yan chimed in, her tone full of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing regret, regret, and a sense of awe). "We spent so much time plotting, and it was all for nothing. When I saw my fourth brother this morning, I almost didn't recognize him. From such a small child, he's suddenly become such a handsome young man, it's like he's a completely different person."

Madam Wei nodded quickly: "My two are the same. That boy Zhanhe, when he saw his fourth uncle this morning, his mouth was agape, like he could fit an egg in it. He asked his fourth uncle how he grew so tall overnight."

Uncharacteristically, Madam Weng spoke up first, getting straight to the point: "Now that Fourth Uncle has grown up, shouldn't we start thinking about the matter of a princess consort?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Yan and Lady Wei both looked at Empress Xu.

Empress Xu remained silent for a while before letting out a soft sigh: "The matter of selecting a concubine must be discussed with His Majesty. We must not only consider the family background and character of the young ladies, but also the Fourth Prince's own wishes."

Then she looked at her three daughters-in-law and said, "You should all keep a close eye on things. If you find a suitable girl, feel free to tell me about her."

Inside the Chengyun Hall, Zhu Gaoxu's mouth never stopped. He ate and talked non-stop, eventually steer the conversation towards his fourth son. Zhu Di looked at his second son with a sigh, thinking, "Since the second son loves to talk so much, let him talk."

"Master, you didn't see the scene back then." Zhu Gaoxu tossed the chicken bones he had finished gnawing on into the dish, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and leaned closer to Yao Guangxiao.

"Just a few days ago, my mother suffered a heart attack in Kunning Palace. The people from the Imperial Hospital were all kneeling on the ground, but no one could do anything. Then my fourth brother came, raised his hand, and a beam of light shone through, and my mother was cured on the spot."

Yao Guangxiao's eye twitched again.

Zhu Gaosui had been watching the two of them the whole time. When his second brother paused, he quickly added, "Master, you may not know this, but it wasn't just about curing the Empress Dowager. There was also that day when the sword flew down from the sky, and my fourth brother stood on top of it, landing steadily in front of the Fengtian Hall. The entire court was dumbfounded."

He paused, then added, "Later, I even took my father and our whole family flying around in the sky. The clouds were under our feet, and Yingtian Prefecture looked like a chessboard... Looking back now, it feels like a dream."

Yao Guangxiao's shock never stopped. His brothers took turns exposing him, and his expression kept changing. Buddhist teachings could no longer calm his mind.

Zhu Di, holding his teacup, watched his second and third sons sing in perfect harmony, their words flowing seamlessly back and forth, leaving Yao Guangxiao speechless. He felt a surge of satisfaction; these two brothers had a good relationship, this was what brotherhood should be like.

He showed a relieved expression, turned to look at his eldest brother, and saw Zhu Gaochi still eating, eating intently. Zhu Di's smile froze for a moment, his lips twitched, and an inexplicable anger flared up inside him: You dead pig, why are you still eating? Why don't you eat yourself to death!

He coughed, his voice tinged with anger: "Your Highness, stop eating. Don't you have anything to say?"

Zhu Gaochi was enjoying himself immensely, eating something while his eyes darted between his second and third sons and Yao Guangxiao, watching them amuse the old monk. He was feeling quite pleased with himself when he suddenly heard the old man call his name, and a chill ran down his spine.

He knew this old Judy all too well; her tone sounded calm, but it held a sharp edge. The last time he'd been singled out like this was in court; after the court session, he was summoned to the Wenyuan Pavilion and lectured for half an hour.

He quickly swallowed his food, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and knew he had to say something in response.

He knew this old man all too well—his tone sounded calm, but it held a sharp edge. The last time he'd been called out like this was in court; after the court session, he was summoned to the Wenyuan Pavilion and lectured for half an hour.

But he really didn't want to accept that. He and Yao Guangxiao had always had a good relationship. During the three years of the Jingnan Rebellion, when Zhu Di was leading troops in the field, it was Yao Guangxiao who stayed behind in Beiping to defend the city with him, and the two went through thick and thin together. Later, when he became the crown prince, his position was not secure, and several times Yao Guangxiao quietly helped him out of trouble in front of Zhu Di. He always remembered this kindness.

Watching his second and third brothers take turns teasing the old monk, he had only wanted to quietly enjoy his tiramisu without offending anyone. But the old man had already called him out, and if he didn't speak up soon, he'd probably get a scolding when he got home.

Zhu Gaochi cleared his throat; his obese body, coupled with the expression he was trying so hard to maintain, looked somewhat comical.

"Fourth brother, do you remember that dragon of yours can change size? It usually takes the form of a small bracelet that coils around your wrist. The master has never seen a real dragon before, so why don't you summon it and show the master what a dragon is like?"

Zhu Di leaned back in his chair, watching Zhu Gaochi finish speaking, and then looked at his round figure, finally feeling a little relieved. Although his flesh was still an eyesore, at least he looked like the eldest brother. It's just that he really needed to lose some weight. Although his fourth son had made him thinner, looking at the rest of the Zhu family, who else had that physique?

Zhu Gaoxi understood his elder brother's words. His brother was being pressured by their father to take a stand, but didn't want to retaliate against Yao Guangxiao like his second brother had. He found it somewhat amusing. Oh well, he'd just consider it helping his brother out of a difficult situation.

"Okay." He looked down at his wrist and called softly, "Xiao Jin."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon ring coiled on his wrist awoke from its slumber and slid out of his sleeve.

At first, it was only as thick as a chopstick, slowly swimming in mid-air. As it swam faster and faster, its body grew longer in the wind, transforming from a chopstick into a giant dragon. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a golden dragon over ten feet long, floating steadily on the open ground in the center of the Chengyun Hall. The dragon's head was raised, its claws stomped on the ground, and its tail slowly swept across the floor tiles.

Yao Guangxiao was still carefully watching Prince Rui when he was surprised to find that the dragon had grown so large in the blink of an eye, transforming from a chopstick into a living giant dragon. The dragon's head was only a few feet away from him, and its imposing aura was overwhelming. The old monk's hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground with a clatter. He almost jumped off his chair.

He quickly clasped his hands together, twirled his prayer beads, and chanted "Amitabha" several times, his voice trembling slightly. It took him a long time to calm down. This was only possible because he was Yao Guangxiao; anyone else might have been terrified.