Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

After the crowd dispersed from Chengyun Hall, Zhu Gaoxi walked alone through the corridor towards the back garden. From afar, he could hear the mingled screams and laughter of children, making the entire back garden buzz.

Zhu Zhanji was sliding down the slide and landed on his bottom in the sandpit. Before he could even get up, he spotted a figure approaching from the other end of the corridor and immediately shouted, "Fourth Uncle is here! Fourth Uncle is here!"

The shout was incredibly powerful, causing all the children in the back garden to stop what they were doing at the same time. Zhu Zhanhe peeked out from the top of the slide, Zhu Zhanqi jumped down from the swing, and even Zhu Zhanyin, who was digging in the sandbox, looked up, holding his little shovel and looking around...

Immediately afterwards, a group of children rushed over like frolicking ponies and surrounded Zhu Gaoxi.

"Fourth Uncle! Your house is so much fun! Can I stay here?"

"Fourth Uncle! I really like that slide, can you make one for me?"

"Fourth Uncle, you have so much delicious food here!"

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, can I come tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? And the day after that?"

The chattering sounds were all mixed together, making it impossible to tell who was speaking which sentence.

Empress Xu and the three princesses were playing mahjong in the pavilion, and once they started, they couldn't stop. Just as Prince Rui arrived, Qiu Tang and Yue He informed them, and they reluctantly put down their tiles. They all exclaimed how fun it was!

Empress Xu watched as her son was surrounded by a group of little brats and could hardly move, and shook her head with a smile: "These mischievous monkeys, they're like bees to honey the moment they see their fourth uncle."

Zhang Yan had already stood up and walked over. She raised her chin at Zhu Zhanji, exuding a strong sense of intimidation: "Zhanji, keep a close eye on your younger brothers. Otherwise, when we get back to the Crown Prince's residence, your mother will deal with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji quickly let go of Zhu Gaoxi's legs, turned around and grabbed Zhu Zhanyong and Zhu Zhanyin, mimicking an adult's tone: "Stop fooling around, stop fooling around, let your fourth uncle catch his breath! Otherwise, I'll beat you up when we get back to the manor!"

"You dare to beat up your brothers?" Zhang Yan was even angrier when she heard this, and Empress Xu and the two princesses also covered their mouths and laughed.

Zhu Gaoxi smiled and straightened his disheveled clothes: "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. It's alright, as long as the children are happy. It's never this lively at home, so their arrival is just in time."

He bent down and picked up the youngest princess, Zhen Ding, who had run up to him. The little girl was only three years old, with a chubby face. She wasn't shy at all when he picked her up, and her little hands naturally wrapped around his neck.

Looking into her big, dark eyes, Zhu Gaoxi teased her, "Yaoyao, your fourth uncle is asking you something. Do you like your fourth uncle more, or do you like the delicious food and fun things here?"

Princess Zhending thought seriously for a long time in his arms, her little brows furrowed, and finally answered in a clear voice: "I like it here with Fourth Uncle! There's Huahua, Gaogao, Naicha, Shutiao, and Huatie..."

She counted on her fingers one by one, and when she realized she didn't have enough fingers, she simply spread both hands wide. "There are so many more...!" Then she wrapped her little hands back around Zhu Gaoxi's neck and added in her childish voice, "I like Fourth Uncle too!"

Everyone inside and outside the pavilion burst into laughter at her clever antics. Standing beside her, Madam Weng laughed so hard her eyes crinkled, but she chided, "This little girl is really clever today."

She shook her head helplessly at Zhu Gaoxi, "Fourth brother, you flatter me. This girl only knows how to eat and play. She's the same at home. She can't resist anything delicious."

Zhu Gaoxi gently stroked Princess Zhending's chubby cheek: "It's alright, I just like Yaoyao. She's smart, clever, and cute."

Although Princess Zhending didn't fully understand what "honest" meant, she knew that her fourth uncle was praising her. She immediately rested her chin on Zhu Gaoxi's shoulder with pride and smiled smugly at her brothers.

Zhu Zhanji was indignant and jumped up and down, shouting, "Fourth Uncle! I'm the smartest!" Zhu Gaoxi freed one hand and patted his head, "Alright, alright, you're all smart."

Empress Xu sat in the pavilion, watching her son holding his granddaughter and playing with his grandson, her eyes full of smiles.

She turned to Zhang Yan and the others and said with emotion, "Look at how close the fourth brother is to these nephews and nieces. He wasn't around when he was little, but now that he's back, he dotes on these younger ones more than anyone else."

Zhang Yan nodded with a smile: "That's right, Zhanji talks about his fourth uncle every day, even more often than he talks about his father."

Mrs. Wei chimed in, "My two kids are the same; last night they kept pestering me to ask when we'd go to Uncle Si's house again."

It was rare for Madam Weng to speak, but her voice was gentle: "Yaoyao always talks about Fourth Uncle at home."

Zhu Gaoxi told the children to continue playing, and the younger ones immediately scattered like birds and beasts upon hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxi walked into the pavilion, and a maid brought him a chair. He sat down next to Empress Xu, glanced at the scattered mahjong tiles on the table, and asked with a smile, "Mother, sisters-in-law, is this mahjong fun?"

Empress Xu smiled with a hint of lingering enjoyment: "It's really interesting, with more variations than Mahjong. You get hooked after just one game. I never realized time flew by so quickly."

Zhang Yan laughed, unconsciously touching a domino in her hand: "Fourth brother, this thing is really fun. The material is so good. If you took it outside to sell, you could probably get several blocks' worth."

Mrs. Wei chimed in, "After playing this today, I'm afraid I'll be talking about mahjong every day from now on."

Madam Weng added softly, "I was just thinking of having the carpenters at Prince Zhao's residence make one, but as soon as I saw the material, I knew it would be a poor imitation."

Zhu Gaoxi laughed: "There's no need to go back and make copies. I've already prepared one for each of my mother and sisters-in-law. They can take it with them when they leave. In the future, if my sisters-in-law want to play, they can easily put together a game at their own residence."

Empress Xu gave him a gentle look: "You child, you are quite thoughtful."

After chatting for a while, the sisters-in-law remembered their business and looked at Empress Xu.

Seeing the unanimous gazes on her, Empress Xu understood what they meant. She changed the subject, "Fourth Prince, you made your brothers look younger yesterday, and your second sister-in-law has been talking about it a lot since she got back. And your eldest sister-in-law and third sister-in-law..."

"Mother Empress," Zhu Gaoxi stood up before Empress Xu could finish speaking, smiling as he said, "I understand, that's why I came."

Then, turning to Zhang Yan, Madam Wei, and Madam Weng, she said with a hint of apology, "It was my oversight. Yesterday, I was only thinking about making my brothers look younger and forgot about my sisters-in-law. Since they're all here today, I'll make up for it all at once."

As Zhu Gaoxi spoke, he gently raised his right hand, and the soft white light of the Light of Time shone forth, transforming into three beams that fell upon the three princesses respectively.

Zhang Yan and the two princesses were about to say, "We wouldn't dare, Fourth Brother, it's your wives who have troubled you," when their polite words were interrupted by Bai Guang, and the pavilion fell silent.

In a few breaths, the white light dissipated, and the faces of the three people appeared to have become much younger.

Zhang Yan has changed the most. She was already older and had been managing the Eastern Palace for many years, so there were traces of time around her eyes and mouth. Now, those fine lines seemed to have been smoothed out, making her look at least ten years younger.

The changes in Ms. Wei were also quite noticeable; her previously somewhat loose jawline tightened again, and she looked much more energetic.

Since Ms. Weng was young, the changes were not as obvious as those of her two sisters-in-law. However, her skin looked more hydrated, as if she had just had a good night's sleep.