Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi mounted their respective tiger kings, and two somersault clouds surged beneath their hooves, slowly lifting the two tigers into the air.

Pigsy rode a lion, carrying a rake, and followed beside him. Generals Zhang Fu, Zheng Heng, Xue Lu, Qiu Fu, and others each mounted a lion. The lions roared a few times and formed a neat line.

Following that, the Rhino Vanguard Battalion and the War Elephant Supply Corps lined up in succession, and the entire army slowly advanced towards Xinfu County.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu rode side by side on a cloud, each holding a book in their hands—the two volumes of "The Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty" that Zhu Gaoxi had given them earlier.

Zhu Di began to carefully flip through the pages from the first page, reading slowly, one page at a time, word by word.

Although he believed that what the fourth prince gave him was genuine, this concerned the fate of the Ming Dynasty, and he had to verify it himself.

He started by looking at the records of Zhu Yuanzhang's Hongwu reign, from raising troops in Haozhou, conquering Jiqing, the Battle of Poyang Lake, establishing the country and enfeoffing princes, one event after another, which was exactly the same as the history he remembered.

When he saw the part about Zhu Xiong Ying, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao's successive deaths, his fingers slowed down, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned the page as if nothing had happened.

"Father, it's true! Everything before matches up! Fourth Brother's book is real, it truly records the fate of our Great Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Gaoxu quickly flipped through it and confirmed several things in his memory. He excitedly lowered his voice and said to Zhu Di.

"I know, I'm looking at it right now. So hasty, how could something given by your fourth brother be fake?" Zhu Di didn't even look up, his eyes still fixed on the pages of the book, and only replied indifferently.

"Hey... why isn't there any record of my fourth brother here? And why does it say that my fourth brother died young?" Zhu Gaoxu quickly flipped through a few more pages, but still couldn't find any positive record of his fourth brother. Instead, he saw the phrase "Prince Rui died young" in a corner, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"Yes, it's recorded here that your mother passed away this year." Zhu Di turned to the page about Empress Xu's death and found that the date was exactly this year.

Turning the pages further, the records about the fourth brother completely stopped, as if this person had never existed in history. His heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"Fourth brother, what's going on? Why aren't you in this book?" Zhu Di closed the book, turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi, and asked the same question as Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxi had anticipated their questions. Reclining on his cloud chair, he slowly said, "In the original history, I did indeed die young, and my mother also passed away this year. However, after my death, I became a disciple of the Dao Ancestor. The Dao Ancestor guided me to the Immortal Realm to cultivate. Afterward, the Dao Ancestor said that my karmic ties were not yet severed, so he reshaped time and brought me back into this world."

"Therefore, in this book, the Ming Shilu, I only left a record of his early death. What happened after that is naturally different from the original history."

After hearing this, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi remained silent for a long time. It turned out that their fourth son had really died young! It was just that the Dao Ancestor was incredibly powerful!

Zhu Gaoxu spoke first, his voice a little hoarse: "Fourth brother, so you're saying... you weren't actually here?"

He imagined a Ming Dynasty without the fourth prince.

With the Empress Dowager's death and the Emperor's rage, without the Fourth Prince's mediation, there would likely have been a bloody power struggle among the brothers.

He shuddered and dared not think any further.

Zhu Di stared at the fourth prince for a long time, his expression extremely complex.

He thought for a long time, trying to think of something to say, but ultimately couldn't come up with anything. Perhaps this is just how Chinese fathers and sons are!

Zhu Di ultimately just patted Zhu Gaoxi on the shoulder, then silently opened the book and continued reading.

This time, however, he turned the pages much slower, because he had already experienced what happened before, and what happened afterward was what was going to happen to him.

He wanted to take a closer look at what the Yongle reign was really like.

"It seems I did a pretty good job." Zhu Di flipped through the records of the Yongle reign, and his expression finally softened a bit.

The book states: During the Yongle reign, the capital was moved to Beiping (Beijing), and the Forbidden City was built; five expeditions were launched against the northern deserts, and the Mongol remnants were driven out of the country and dared not look south; Zheng He made six voyages to the Western Ocean, and his treasure ships displayed their power on the sea frontier, with barbarians from all directions coming to pay tribute; the Yongle Encyclopedia was compiled, bringing together the best of ancient and modern classics; the Grand Canal was opened, and water transport was facilitated, allowing for smooth flow between the north and south; the Grand Secretariat was established, and the Imperial Inspectorate was appointed, gradually perfecting the system.

He nodded slightly as he looked at the list. Some of these things he was working on, some he had already accomplished, and some he hadn't even had a chance to start yet. Now that he knew they were all done, he felt a little more confident.

What pleased him even more was that the book ended by stating that he died in his military tent during the northern expedition against the Mongols.

He was an emperor on horseback, and he died in the army, under his own battle flag. This was the best end for him.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, otherwise he really wouldn't have been confident if he had met Zhu Yuanzhang later. Now, seeing what he had done, he was instantly at ease.

After all, these achievements, even if presented to the old man, would allow him to stand tall and say, "My son governed this country better than Zhu Yunwen."

Zhu Gaoxu, on the other hand, sped up the process of flipping through the documents, constantly searching for records about himself.

He wanted to find out what his final fate would have been without the fourth prince, and whether he would have eventually become emperor.

He flipped through the pages quickly, first seeing the changes in reign titles after Yongle, and muttered to himself, "Looks like even without my fourth brother, I still lost to my eldest brother?"

He then turned to the Hongxi Dynasty, his gaze lingering on the words "Emperor Renzong died at the age of forty-eight," his brows furrowing into a knot, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Because the brotherhood hasn't reached the point of no return yet, and the other side is unwilling to admit defeat.

Thinking to himself: "Boss, so what if you beat me? In the end, you're still just a short-lived emperor. Once you're gone, your son will still be at my mercy!"

Zhu Di also turned to that page at this moment.

"Boss, why did you leave so early?" He stared at the three characters "Zhu Gaochi" for a long time, and scenes related to Zhu Gaochi flashed through his mind.

He knew this son better than anyone. He had been heavy since childhood, unable to ride a horse or draw a bow, but he was meticulous, patient, and capable.

He recalled that back in Beiping, his eldest son was only a teenager and so fat that he couldn't even run on the training ground. He was so angry that he wanted to hit him, but Empress Xu stopped him, saying, "This child is kind-hearted and will surely be of great use in the future."

The book now says that the child was indeed of great use, but he died before he could be of much use.

During the Jingnan Rebellion, Beiping was defended by the eldest son. When I was on my northern expedition, the eldest son oversaw the government affairs, and the whole country was in good order under his leadership.

Yet this very man only reigned for a year before his death. Zhu Di's finger trembled slightly as he pressed it against the number "forty-eight".

"How did this brat get to the throne?" Zhu Gaoxu had no time to indulge his father's sorrow. He continued scrolling down to the Xuande era and saw what had happened after Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne.

When he saw the words "Emperor Xuanzong personally led the expedition to quell the rebellion of Prince Gao Xu of Han," his eyes widened instantly, and his lips trembled as he read aloud, "What? Suppress the rebellion of Prince Gao Xu of Han? Me? I rebelled?... I've fought countless battles; defeating this nephew is child's play! I should... surely win!"

The further he looked down, the uglier his expression became.

When he read that "Gao Xu was captured, demoted to a commoner, imprisoned in the Western Palace, and then covered with a bronze vat, piled with charcoal and set ablaze to roast him to death," he was stunned as if struck by lightning, frozen on the tiger's back, and almost dropped the book in his hand.