Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

After sending the message, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui stayed in the Wuying Hall to handle their urgent matters. Zhu Gaochi distributed several jade tokens to Yang Shiqi and several chief clerks, and gave them detailed instructions, saying that if there was any urgent news, they should immediately use the jade tokens to send the message.

Zhu Gaosui's side was much more lively. He rushed to the shipbuilding workshop, took out a jade token from his sleeve, waved it in front of several people in charge, and then pretended to be in pain.

Then he slowly said, "This is a celestial artifact that I obtained from my fourth brother with great difficulty; it's one of a kind in the world!"

"From now on, if anything happens at the workshop, use this to contact me. Remember, this thing is hard to come by, and if you lose it, I will have no face to ask my fourth brother for help again."

The eyes of the several people in charge were wide open. One of them, who was the most adept at handling things, took the jade tablet with both hands and immediately expressed his loyalty.

Zhu Gaosui nodded in satisfaction, gave a few more instructions on important matters, and then left the workshop with a happy smile.

Empress Xu remained in the palace, awaiting the arrival of the Crown Princess and the two princesses. Zhu Gaoxi had just agreed that they would meet at the palace together once everything was settled and their affairs were completed, and then he would go to fetch them.

As she gazed at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, she pondered something: what should she wear for today's parade? Too plain, and she wouldn't look like the Empress Dowager; too flamboyant, and she feared gossip.

After thinking for a long time, I finally chose a maroon brocade phoenix-patterned jacket, paired with a dark blue horse-face skirt, which was dignified with a touch of joy.

At that moment, Crown Princess Zhang Yan, Princess Wei of Han, and Princess Weng of Zhao received the news just as they were getting up. As soon as the jade pendant rang, the three of them sat up from their beds almost simultaneously and began to tidy their clothes.

Zhu Gaoxi, Zhu Di, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Bajie, and others went through the portal and returned to the Western Capital Palace first.

A flash of golden light, and the group landed inside the main hall. Zhu Zhanji rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself in a foreign palace.

He had only heard of Annam before, but had never been there. Now, looking around, everything seemed new and exciting.

The carvings on the pillars are different from the lotus scrolls in the Central Plains; they are a kind of Cham-style lotus scroll, with a yellowish and reddish hue, which is quite unique. The window frames are not inlaid with the common diamond pattern, but with a wavy, dark pattern.

Even the paintings hanging on the wall depict figures wearing clothes different from those of the Ming Dynasty, with wide sleeves and narrow collars, and the colors were more vibrant than those of the Central Plains.

Zhu Zhanji looked around for a while, then couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Fourth Uncle, why is everything here so different from where we are?"

Zhu Gaoxi laughed and said, "This is the old palace of Annam, so it's naturally different from our Yingtian Prefecture. If you like it, take a look. Once we go back, this place won't be here anymore."

Zhu Zhanji nodded vigorously and leaned closer to the window to look outside. Outside the palace, several large tropical trees had canopies as wide as a canopy, and their leaves were so green they looked almost black, as if they had been coated with oil.

Occasionally, a few unidentified birds would flit across the branches, their feathers bright and vibrant, their calls sharper and brighter than those of the birds in Yingtianfu, trailing off with long, drawn-out notes, like they were singing.

He turned around, his eyes sparkling: "Fourth Uncle, why is this tree so tall?"

"That's a banyan tree in Annam, it can grow as tall as a several-story building. Its canopy spreads out, enough for hundreds of people to sit and enjoy the shade."

Zhu Zhanji exclaimed "Wow!" and ran back to Zhu Gaoxi's side, tugging at his clothes and asking him all sorts of questions.

What kind of tree is this? What's the name of that bird? Who is that person in the painting on the wall?

Zhu Gaoxi answered each question, and for those he couldn't answer, he just made up a couple of lines on the spot. After all, children are easy to coax.

After waiting a while longer, Zhu Di calculated the time and said, "That's about enough, let's go out."

After everyone left the palace, Zhu Di immediately ordered someone to summon Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng, instructing them to organize the troops and assemble outside the city in preparation for an inspection tour of the various states.

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng jogged all the way to the palace gate.

As soon as the two stood still, they looked up and saw a little boy standing behind Zhu Di. The boy wore a black gauze turban with folded corners, a bright red dragon robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves, gold dragons woven on the front and back shoulders, a jade leather belt around his waist, and black leather boots. It was Zhu Zhanji.

Zhang Fu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on. Why was this young master here? When did he arrive? He glanced at Zhu Gaoxi beside him and understood. He quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "This humble general Zhang Fu greets His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Mu Sheng was completely bewildered, but seeing Zhang Fu's reaction, he also knelt down: "This humble general, Mu Sheng, pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Zhanji was not intimidated by the two generals kneeling before him. He imitated an adult and gently helped them up with his small hand, saying, "Please rise, Generals."

Zhang Fu stood up, and Mu Sheng followed suit, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards Zhu Zhanji.

After receiving their orders, the two turned and walked quickly toward the military camp.

On the way, Mu Sheng leaned close to Zhang Fu's ear and asked in a low voice, "General Zhang, what brings the eldest grandson of the Emperor here? When did he arrive?"

Zhang Fu casually replied, "You've witnessed His Highness Prince Rui's supernatural powers. Opening the gate to the celestial realm, no matter how far away, is but a single step."

Various images flashed through Mu Sheng's mind. Recalling the events of yesterday on the Annam battlefield, when Prince Rui summoned the gate out of thin air, when divine thunder descended from the sky, and when rain fell to quench the thirst, he immediately swallowed back all his questions and only managed to squeeze out a sentence: "...That makes sense."

It was just dawn, and many soldiers in the camp were still fast asleep.

But when Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng sent people to pass down the order to "tour the states," the entire camp felt as if a bucket of boiling water had been poured over it.

"What? To ride the clouds and tour the nations?"

"Tens of thousands of people all went up?"

"Is this real? Am I dreaming?"

"Last night, several generals mentioned that His Highness Prince Rui intended to use that magical artifact to lead a large army on a celestial tour, showcasing the might of our Great Ming Dynasty to all the surrounding small kingdoms! I never imagined it would actually be true!"

"If tens of thousands of people were standing on a cloud, how big would that cloud have to be?"

"What do you care about the size of a magical artifact! As long as you can stand on it, that's enough!"

The news spread like wildfire through the military camp.

The message traveled from the troops stationed near the Western Capital Imperial Palace all the way to the outer camp.

In an instant, the tent flaps were lifted one after another, and the soldiers jumped up from their bunks, hurriedly putting on their clothes and armor. Some even tied their belts backwards, and their comrades next to them pulled them over and tied them back on.

After getting up, each battalion quickly started fires and cooked.

They usually wolfed down their food, but today they were practically snatching food from a hungry wolf's mouth. Their hands moved so fast they were practically flying, and the sounds of chewing rose and fell like a group of silkworms gnawing on mulberry leaves.

Some people finished their rice in a few bites, threw down their bowls, and ran out, only to be chased by the cooks who yelled, "What's your hurry! It's not time yet!"

The soldier didn't even turn his head, shouting as he ran, "I'm going to wipe my armor!"

Another soldier, after finishing his meal, quickly shouted, "Wait for me, I'm going too!"

They were skeptical when they heard the news last night, but many of them had already polished their armor until it looked brand new and was so shiny that it reflected their images.

Hearing today that he's really leaving, I took out my armor again and wiped it clean, afraid that there might be even a speck of dust.

Zhang Fu mounted his warhorse and patrolled the camp, urging each battalion to return to their positions while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, be alert! Today's parade is to show the barbarians the might of the Ming army! Anyone who embarrasses me in the air will be punished according to military law!"

Mu Sheng, riding his horse from the other end, shouted, "Hurry up! Don't keep His Majesty and the princes waiting!"

The soldiers below responded in unison, "Ready! Just waiting to depart!"

The young soldiers behind them started chattering amongst themselves: "Hey, do you think tens of thousands of people can really stand on that cloud? How big would that cloud have to be?"

"Immortal treasures, capable of containing Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed—what do you know about that!"

"I just want to know, what does it feel like to stand on a cloud and look down?"

"Who could have known? I certainly wouldn't have dared to imagine it. To be able to ride the clouds to tour the various states today! And to be able to ride the clouds back to the capital! This is a blessing I've accumulated over several lifetimes!"

"Yes! If my mother knew I was traveling through the world on cloud nine, she'd definitely say my ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke, and she might even faint from joy!!"

"That's not just good fortune from our ancestral graves, it's like they were blown up! Now that we're back in Beijing, matchmakers will be lining up to break down our door. I'm definitely going to find a beautiful wife!"

In less than half an hour, the Ming army had formed neat square formations on a large open space outside the Western Capital.

The rhinoceros lay prostrate, the war elephants stood quietly, and even the lions, which usually displayed their fierce demeanor, obediently squatted beside their respective generals.

As the morning light rose from the east, it shone on the armor, casting a solemn silver glow.

Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng rode to the front of the army, dismounted, and knelt on one knee before Zhu Di: "Your Majesty, the entire army is assembled and ready to depart at any time!"

Zhu Di nodded slightly and turned to look at Zhu Gaoxi.