Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di strode onto the throne, glanced at the dense crowd of officials below, his gaze lingering for a moment on the dark circles under his three sons' eyes, and his lips twitched slightly.

Because he had read it yesterday, and the story of the fourth prince was indeed captivating, as if it were tailor-made for him. He only had Empress Xu in his harem, and as for the other concubines, they were dispensable.

But after all, he was a rather diligent emperor, and he couldn't possibly neglect state affairs because of reading storybooks. He could still distinguish between what was important and what was not. He would read it after court! In my current youthful state, I dote solely on Miaoyun. I am the most affectionate person in the Ming Dynasty!

But these sons are behaving like this today—no, they're rebellious! I'll deal with them later.

He sat down and said, "There are a few important matters to discuss today."

The officials immediately perked up. Sure enough, it was another major event. Although Hu Ji Mao and his son had been captured in Annam, rebellions continued in Jiaozhi, and Jian Ding, a former official of the Trần Dynasty, was inciting the people.

His Majesty had previously mentioned wanting to conquer Annam again, and today he is about to issue the official decree.

Zhu Di didn't mince words and said directly, "I intend to conquer Annam again. Qiu Fu is already there, but his troops are insufficient. I am determined to send reinforcements to quell the rebellion in Jiaozhi in one fell swoop."

He glanced at the ranks of military officers. "Zhang Fu, you are familiar with the terrain and military situation in Annam. I hereby appoint you as General Who Conquers the South, overseeing all military affairs at the front. Xue Lu will be appointed General of the Valiant Cavalry, commanding the vanguard cavalry. Zheng Heng will be appointed Commander of the Rear Army, responsible for the security of the supply lines and rear support..."

Zhang Fu and others stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subjects receive the imperial decree."

Zhu Di nodded, then glanced at his ministers before suddenly changing the subject: "Not only that, I have decided to personally lead the expedition."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Xia Yuanji said anxiously, "Your Majesty! You absolutely mustn't! The campaign against Annam was already incredibly costly. The Ministry of Revenue only just made up for the deficit last year. If we fight another war this year, the provisions, weapons... everything will cost a fortune! Moreover, if the Emperor himself leads the campaign, the expenses will multiply several times over! The people have only had a few years of rest; they simply cannot withstand this further hardship!"

Jian Yi also stepped forward to echo, "Lord Xia is absolutely right! Your Majesty, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, let alone Your Majesty, the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. How could you personally go to such a perilous place? Annam is plagued by miasma and its terrain is treacherous. If Your Majesty were to suffer any mishap, how could the nation be safe?"

Several senior officials nodded in agreement. Some officials in the Censorate were already prepared to die for their cause, as this merit was greater than anything else. Zhu Gaochi stood among the civil officials, silently lowering his head. He knew this would happen; he had said the same thing yesterday.

After they finished arguing, Zhu Di slowly spoke: "I haven't finished yet. Prince Rui will also be going on this expedition."

The noise in the hall suddenly stopped. Several old ministers who were shaking their heads stopped what they were doing, and all the civil and military officials in the hall looked at the emperor on the throne, thinking the same thing.

His Highness Prince Rui is a celestial being; with him accompanying His Majesty, His Majesty's safety is naturally assured. But what about the money and provisions…?

Several senior officials opened their mouths, then exchanged glances, none daring to speak first. Based on their understanding of Zhu Di, they knew he hadn't finished speaking, and jumping in to object now would likely result in them being proven wrong later.

However, a few young censors couldn't contain themselves. One censor surnamed Chen straightened his clothes, strode forward, and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty! Your personal command of the army concerns the safety of the nation! Prince Rui possesses extraordinary abilities, and Your Majesty's reassurance is that there is no need to worry. However, the mobilization of such a large army will consume enormous amounts of provisions..."

Before he could finish speaking, another young censor stood up and echoed, "Censor Chen is absolutely right! We are all loyal subjects and humbly request Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Zhu Di looked at the two young men below him, speaking eloquently, and felt a surge of secret pleasure. "Young men," he thought, "watch me slap your faces."

Then, in a very calm tone, he said, "Prince Rui cares for me and can't bear to see me suffer on the long journey, so he plans to take me away on a dragon. He has also said that he will take full responsibility for the provisions for this expedition. The Ministry of Revenue will not need to allocate any silver, nor will the people need to pay any extra taxes."

Prince Rui: Actually, I was lying to you. Xiao Jin is dead. I have no interest in right or wrong anymore. Old man, please walk to Annam!

The generous expressions on the faces of the two censors froze instantly.

Imperial Censor Chen stared, his face alternating between red and white. He had thought this was a golden opportunity to advise the emperor and make a name for himself in history, but instead, he had become a laughingstock in front of the entire court.

This old Judy, no, this is the young Zhu Di now, are you a poet? Can't you just finish what you're saying at once?

The senior ministers exchanged smiles, thinking to themselves, "Just as I thought." They were glad they hadn't spoken earlier, knowing His Majesty had more to say.

Riding a dragon is certainly impressive! What emperor could possibly ride a dragon on a personal expedition? They're a little envious of Zhang Fu now, after all, this expedition will give him close contact with Prince Rui! Maybe he can even ride a dragon with a favorable wind!

Dead Little Jin: Always rubbing against me, if you rub against me, you have to let me rub against you too.

Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji silently withdrew his foot, which was about to step out of the hall. Several senior officials wore respectful smiles on their faces, but inwardly they were grumbling:

"His Majesty always does this. He throws out a scary statement first, making everyone anxious and impatient, before slowly revealing his true intentions. He also always says that the Prince of Han loves to show off. Where did the Prince of Han get this habit? It's just inherited from his family. Fortunately, we have these young people, otherwise we really wouldn't know what to do."

But no one dared to say these words aloud; they could only cooperate and continue playing along with the charade.

The two censors were embarrassed for a moment, then bowed and said "Your Majesty is wise" before slinking back to their ranks.

In the imperial court, no one dared to stand up and oppose him anymore.

Seeing that no one in the court dared to object anymore, Zhu Di grew bored and continued, "Not only that, he also intends to distribute grain to the people along the way. This is not a waste of resources and manpower; it is a good opportunity to demonstrate the power of the nation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Yuanji was the first to step forward. Now that he should be done, he quickly flattered, "Your Majesty is wise! With His Highness Prince Rui accompanying us, our provisions are plentiful, our national prestige will spread far and wide, and we will surely win this battle!"

Jian Yi also cupped his hands and said, "We were ashamed of our ignorance just now. His Highness Prince Rui is truly a blessing to the nation!"

The military commanders were even more decisive; several governors clasped their hands and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" The sound was so loud that dust fell from the palace beams.

Zhu Di was pleased to hear this, and his expression became amiable. He then turned his gaze to the ranks of military officers and said solemnly, "This time, the Prince of Han will accompany me and the Prince of Rui on this expedition. The Crown Prince will remain in the capital to oversee the country, and the Prince of Zhao will assist the Crown Prince in handling state affairs."

The military officers immediately became excited and congratulated Zhu Gaochi with their eyes. Zhu Gaochi held his head high and stood up straight. If he were wearing a big red flower, he would be a groom.

Zhu Di coughed lightly, and the hall fell silent again. "Very well, the matter of Annam is settled."

Then, changing the subject, she said, "There's another important matter today."

The ministers, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were on edge again. There was more? Today's events were already alarming enough; after all, the emperor personally leading an expedition, riding a dragon into battle… weren't those major events?

Zhu Di didn't say much, just waved his hand.

Huang Yan led several eunuchs out from the side of the hall, each holding a stack of pages, and distributed them to the civil and military officials one by one.

Everyone looked down and saw that each person had a dozen or so neatly copied manuscripts in their hands. The contents of each manuscript were different. Some people had the water conservancy chapter of the "Complete Treatise on Agriculture", some had the iron smelting chapter of the "Exploitation of the Works of Nature", and a few pages were excerpts from "Illustrated Guide to High-Yield Crops" and "The Barefoot Doctor's Manual".