Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Zhanji sat in the pavilion in the backyard of the East Palace, with a copy of "The Great Learning" in front of him.

He read for half an hour until his head ached. It wasn't that he couldn't understand it; he had been memorizing these scriptures since he was seven. But even after memorizing them, he still had to read them repeatedly. The Grand Tutor said this was called "reviewing the old to learn the new," but he thought it was called "reviewing the old and getting sleepy."

He read for a while longer, but got so annoyed that the phrase "close your eyes and pretend to be deep in thought" popped into his head, and his eyes lit up. He put the book on the table, sat up straight, closed his eyes, and tried his best to make a serious expression of contemplation.

Zhang Yan sat under the corridor not far away, holding needle and thread to make some casual clothes for Zhu Zhanji. She listened to the sound of reading aloud in the pavilion for a while, and felt gratified.

Zhanji was quite diligent today. But as he was reading, his voice suddenly stopped.

She didn't think much of it when it stopped; after all, it's normal for kids to need a breath or a drink of water while studying. But after a while, there was still no movement.

She put down her needlework, got up, and went over. Zhu Zhanji was sitting on a stone bench with his eyes closed. She stood beside him for a few moments, then couldn't help but reach out and wave her hand in front of his eyes: "Zhanji, what are you doing?"

Zhu Zhanji felt a surge of secret joy; his mother had indeed taken the bait! He said slowly, "Mother, guess what I'm doing?"

Zhang Yan was taken aback: "Guess? You're not studying properly, what do you want me to guess? You guess and I'll guess? Hurry up and study! Or I'll beat you up!"

Zhu Zhanji looked at her and said, "Guess, I'll guess, will you guess or not?"

Zhang Yan's face froze instantly. Her voice was cold: "I bet you're asking for trouble. I'll count to three! If you don't read properly now, I'm going to..."

Hearing the tone of her voice, Zhu Zhanji knew that if he continued playing around, he would really get a beating. He suddenly widened his eyes, looking in shock behind Zhang Yan, and exclaimed, "Father! Why are you up?!"

"Look at your son, he doesn't study properly every day, all he does is cheat and slack off..." Zhang Yan subconsciously turned around to look behind her, but there was no one there.

When Zhu Zhanji saw Zhang Yan turn around, he thought, "What a good opportunity!" and then got up and ran to the back.

"You little brat, you dare to lie to me, huh? I'll give you a good beating today..." By the time she turned around again, Zhu Zhanji had already dashed out of the pavilion and was running away as fast as he could with his short legs.

However, Zhang Yan was still a cut above the rest.

Having chased Zhu Zhanji in the Eastern Palace for so many years, how could she not know what route this kid would take when he ran? She took a shortcut, went around to the other end of the corridor, and grabbed the little rascal in one go.

Zhang Yan grabbed Zhu Zhanji by the back of his collar and dragged him all the way back to the warm chamber of his bedchamber. She then picked up the feather duster that had been specially prepared for Zhu Zhanji from behind the door, pressed him onto her lap, and gave him a good beating.

"Mother! I was wrong! I was really wrong!" The feather duster landed on Zhu Zhanji with a sharp crack. Zhu Zhanji kicked his legs in pain and howled, crying out for his parents.

Zhang Yan continued, her hands still busy, saying, "You dare to lie to me? You even dare to lie to your own mother, huh? 'Guess what?' Where did you learn all this nonsense? Instead of studying properly, you're always thinking about these crooked ways!..."

Zhu Zhanji's howls echoed through the East Palace, and the eunuchs in the courtyard all lowered their heads, pretending not to hear anything.

"Mother! Mother! I will never dare to do it again! I really will never dare to do it again!" Zhu Zhanji cried and begged for mercy, tears streaming down his face like rain.

Although he got beaten up, and beaten more badly than ever before, he felt the problem wasn't with the book, but with the escape route. He'd have to find a different way next time. He'd definitely study the contents of that book carefully when he had time.

Zhu Gaoxi woke up just as dawn broke.

Last night, he and Liu Shen spent too long on the clouds, and he eventually fell asleep comfortably on one of them. This somersault cloud was as soft as a cotton mountain; once you lay down, you didn't want to get up. He rolled over on the soft cloud surface, then opened his eyes to a pale golden morning light and a stunningly beautiful face.

Willow Goddess was sitting upright beside him. Seeing that he was awake, she tilted her head slightly and said in a clear, ethereal voice, "Master is awake."

Zhu Gaoxi felt extremely uncomfortable being called "Master" by her. First thing in the morning, a stunningly beautiful woman sat next to him, calling him "Master" in such a matter-of-fact tone. Perhaps due to his good upbringing in his previous life, he felt slightly awkward.

He coughed lightly, sat up, straightened his clothes, and tried to sound casual: "Good morning. How long have you been sitting here?"

"Not long." Willow God's answer was as concise as ever.

Zhu Gaoxi nodded, looking at the surrounding scenery. He raised his hand and used his divine craftsmanship to create a tea table on the cloud. He then used a gourmet dining table to prepare breakfast: two steamers of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), a plate of osmanthus cake, two bowls of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, and a few side dishes.

He sat cross-legged on the cloud and handed a pair of chopsticks to the Willow God: "Try it."

Liu Shen took the chopsticks, looked down at the plate of crystal-clear osmanthus cake in front of her, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. After chewing, her eyes seemed to light up. The light was to give face to the protagonist, after all, Liu Shen had eaten everything.

Zhu Gaoxi watched from the side, suddenly feeling a great sense of accomplishment from feeding his anime goddess. He placed another xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) on ​​her plate: "Try this too, be careful it's hot."

As soon as he said it, he realized he was being a bit stupid. Liu Shen was already a god; he could drink lava like it was water without feeling hot, and he could soak in hot springs inside Mount Fuji without any problems. And here he was, worrying about whether someone was hot or not.

The two finished their breakfast on the cloud. Zhu Gaoxi sat on the cloud, holding Liu Shen in his arms, looking down at Yingtian Prefecture below.

The golden tiles of the palace glowed red in the morning light, and the Qinhuai River flowed through the city like a silver ribbon. Smoke was already rising from the streets and alleys, and occasionally a few indistinct cries of vendors could be heard drifting up from below. He suddenly felt a little dazed.

"It's like a dream," he muttered to himself, leaning against the clouds and gazing at the ancient city below.

Hearing the hawkers' cries from below the city, he suddenly felt like going down to the morning market.

Having been in this world for so long, he hadn't even properly explored the morning market of the Ming Dynasty. Although he had just eaten breakfast, he couldn't forget his immortal body. He glanced down at the Willow Goddess in his arms and had an idea in mind.

"Willow Goddess, do you know any magic to change appearances? Change our appearances so we can go for a stroll."

Liu Shen nodded slightly, raised her hand and waved it lightly, a pale blue light swept over the two of them.

Zhu Gaoxi looked down and saw that his black gilded robe had been replaced by a worn-out blue cloth robe and black cloth shoes, making him look like an ordinary young master. Looking at Liu Shen, her long hair was simply tied in a bun, and she wore a plain cloth dress, like an ordinary lady-in-waiting.

Liu Shen concealed the two figures, and the two landed in a secluded alley. As they walked out of the alley, the bustling atmosphere of the morning market came into view.

This is Yingtian Prefecture during the Yongle era. On the streets, people carrying loads, driving donkey carts, and carrying vegetable baskets come and go, making a lot of noise. The various local dialects are mixed together, which is much more lively than the stilted official language used in the imperial court.

Steam rose from the steamer baskets of the roadside breakfast stalls, and the oil in the fryer crackled and popped. An old man selling fish was arguing heatedly with an old woman buying fish over two coins. At the wonton stall next door, several dockworkers squatted on long benches, slurping down their soup.