Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di and Empress Xu felt a strange connection forming in their minds at almost the same moment, as if the two clouds had become a part of their bodies.

Empress Xu tried silently reciting a command in her mind, and her little white cloud gently rubbed against her palm, like a docile kitten.

"Father, Mother, let's give it a name." Zhu Gaoxi withdrew his hand. "In the future, when we're far apart, we can just call its name and it will fly over on its own."

She thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it Little Cotton. It's soft, white, and feels just like cotton."

Zhu Di stood with his hands behind his back in front of his cloud, staring at it for a long time. This cloud was smaller than the fourth prince's "lightning," but it was still quite impressive.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Yongle. This one of mine will be named Yongle."

Huang Yan and the palace maids beside him were dumbfounded. Although they had witnessed Prince Rui's supernatural powers before, they were still horrified as the memory churned in their minds.

And a thought crossed his mind: "Is His Highness Prince Rui going to become an immortal with the Emperor and Empress?" After all, riding on white clouds to heaven is like riding the clouds and mist. How is that any different from the immortals described in the stories?

"Li Lao Er! Li Lao Er! What do you have to compare with me now?" Zhu Di was extremely excited at this moment. He stood in front of the somersault cloud he named "Yongle," his face still maintaining the composure of an emperor, but his heart was already in turmoil.

He used to compare himself to Li Shimin, since both of them started their rise to power through rebellion. Li Shimin killed his brother and forced his father to abdicate, while he seized the throne from his nephew.

And no matter how I compared myself to others, I always felt inferior. But now? I, Zhu Di, can ride the clouds and fly into the sky, what are you, Li Er, then?

"I want to climb to the top step by step, I want to be the greatest emperor of all time." With this thought in mind, he silently raised his level of emperorship by a lot. From then on, people like Li Shimin and Zhao Kuangyin were no longer within his scope of comparison.

Empress Xu stood there, her expression hesitant, and turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi: "Xi'er, this cloud... I feel like I can control it, but I'm a little scared."

Zhu Gaoxi said gently, "Mother, don't be afraid, your son is watching from the side. You can try it first. This cloud can change shape at will, you don't necessarily have to step on it. You can make it into whatever shape you want. Moreover, two clouds can merge together, and one person can control them after they merge. If you don't want to control it yourself, then let Father do it."

Upon hearing this, Empress Xu tried to change the shape of the clouds.

Guided by her thoughts, the somersault cloud called "Little Cotton" first shrank into a round ball, then stretched into the outline of a rabbit. She became more and more excited as she played, transforming into a rabbit, a kitten, a lamb, one by one, having a great time.

Zhu Di, watching from the sidelines, was itching to try and transform his own "Yongle" as well.

He wanted to conjure a dragon, but the cloud was only one cubic meter in size at first, and no matter how much he stretched it, he couldn't conjure up the dragon's imposing presence.

He racked his brains for a long time, and what he came up with was neither dragon nor toad. It had a bulging belly and lay on the surface of the clouds, looking more like the legendary toad dragon.

Empress Xu glanced at it and almost burst out laughing again. Zhu Di expressionlessly kneaded the bizarre shape back into its original form, deciding to temporarily abandon the transformation function.

"Father, Mother," Zhu Gaoxi said with a smile, seeing that the two had played enough, "How about we try going to heaven?"

"Then let His Majesty take control," Empress Xu said nervously, glancing at Zhu Di.

Without saying a word, Zhu Di moved his mind and the two somersault clouds approached each other. As soon as the cloud surfaces touched, they silently merged together.

The merged cloud was a size larger than the original, and Empress Xu completely handed over control to Zhu Di, letting him manage it alone.

Seeing that Empress Xu was a little scared, Zhu Di made the cloud hollowed out. The cloud surface automatically recessed in the middle, and the surrounding cloud walls naturally formed a fence, leaving a thin layer of cloud bottom at the foot.

From the outside, the two still appeared to be standing on a white cloud, their robes fluttering, exuding the air of immortals riding the clouds. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the cloud was hollow in the middle, like a small cloud boat, inside which one could sit steadily and comfortably.

"Miaoyun, don't be afraid, I'm here." Zhu Di looked at Empress Xu, then with a thought, the somersault cloud carried the two of them slowly into the air.

He turned to Huang Yan and instructed him, "I'll go up to the heavens first and see what's going on. I'll come back and talk to you later." Huang Yan bowed and agreed.

Empress Xu stood in the clouds and felt a slight movement beneath her feet, and the bluestone slabs on the ground began to slowly recede into the distance.

She instinctively grabbed Zhu Di's sleeve, her palms sweating.

Zhu Gaoxi rode alongside on his lightning-fast attendant, with Liu Shen standing quietly beside him. Both their gazes were fixed on the slowly ascending somersault cloud. He smiled at Empress Xu from a few steps away, "Mother, don't be afraid. This cloud is very stable; you won't fall."

The guards and palace maids below looked up, watching the white cloud carry the emperor and empress higher and higher, and they all stood there in a daze.

A young guard looked up for a long time and said, "Look at those clouds... aren't they the Emperor and Empress?"

The other guard beside him tried to remain calm, but his eyes were fixed on the cloud, filled with undisguised envy: "Never mind. You've seen Prince Rui's supernatural powers before; riding the clouds is perfectly normal for him."

In the inner palace, several concubines also saw the rising white cloud. Consort Quan stood by the window, her gaze following the cloud as it drifted further and further away. She sighed softly, thinking, "Why isn't this son my own?"

The clouds rose higher and higher, soon soaring into the sky. Empress Xu was initially a little nervous, but she soon discovered that no matter how the clouds rose or moved, the surrounding air remained warm and gentle, without any biting cold wind.

This is the protective shield that comes with the Somersault Cloud. A layer of transparent light film wraps around the entire cloud, blocking the airflow and cold air at high altitudes, and allowing breathing to always be smooth.

Zhu Di also sensed the presence of this protective shield, and his worries completely vanished. With a thought, he accelerated his somersault cloud, drawing a graceful arc over Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Di stood in the cloud boat, his hands resting on the cloud wall, looking down at Yingtian Prefecture below.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. This was completely different from when the fourth brother flew with him on his sword.

On those two occasions, he was a passenger. Riding on Lao Si's sword was like sitting on someone else's boat; although it was flying, he ultimately wasn't in control.

But now it's different; he's riding the clouds himself, flying wherever he wants.

He turned to look at Empress Xu, wanting to say something to her, but found her leaning against the cloud wall with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of flying and the breeze brushing against her cheek.