Chapter 665 The First Birthday Ceremony (Part 1)
Li Sanqi chuckled and nodded, "Father Emperor won't be able to hold on for much longer. I need to eliminate Prince Qi first."
Qiao Qinghe frowned slightly, "His Majesty's health..."
"Don't worry, Madam, I know what I'm doing. He's not ready to fall yet." Li Sanqi smiled sweetly, but her words were icy cold.
Qiao Qinghe knew that Li Sanqi's hatred for Emperor Xiaozhao had already penetrated to the bone back when they were sent to marry each other.
She didn't want to offer any further advice, but instead asked the question that concerned her most: "Does the princess already have a plan?"
Li Sanqi smiled but didn't say anything.
The two chatted and laughed, behaving intimately, which, in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, became strong evidence that Qiao Qinghe favored the King of Chu.
After King Qi and his entourage arrived, most of the guests had arrived, and the scheduled time for the baby's first birthday celebration was fast approaching.
So everyone moved to the banquet hall to wait for the first birthday ceremony of the young prince of Qi.
The hall for the baby's first birthday celebration had been prepared well in advance.
There is an incense table directly in front, on which is placed the memorial tablet of Min Yuexi.
In the center of the hall, a row of auspicious items is displayed.
The design was specially commissioned by Qiao Qinghe, and its height was just right for Li Yiqian to grab items from above.
As for the items displayed on it, they were dazzling and varied.
There are stationery items such as writing brushes, books, and seals, as well as weapon items such as bows and arrows, swords, and other models.
Qiao Qinghe was not bound by class consciousness, so the items on the plan included gold and silver, an abacus, a spatula, and pastries.
The first thing everyone saw upon entering the hall was Min Yuexi's memorial tablet placed directly in front of them.
The crowd fell silent instantly, and the faces of King Qi and the Liu family members visibly darkened.
But Qiao Qinghe didn't care about their reactions at all.
After the distinguished guests, including the King of Qi, the King of Chu, Li Sanqi, and Madam Zheng, were seated on the chairs on both sides of the hall, Qiao Qinghe had Li Yiqian carried into the hall.
Qiao Qinghe first had Li Yiqian pay his respects to Prince Qi and the others, and then the first step was to respectfully kowtow and offer incense to Min Yuexi.
Qiao Qinghe sat beside the incense table, watching the child's bewildered expression as he offered sacrifices to his mother, and endless sorrow welled up in her heart.
Just as Qiao Qinghe was immersed in the moment, the little guy had finished paying respects to his mother, and he wobbled to his feet and walked over to her.
The little one lay on her lap, looking up at her with eyes full of confusion.
"Grandma, are you crying?" The little guy reached out his hand to her, as if to wipe away her tears.
Qiao Qinghe then realized that she had unknowingly started to cry.
She quickly wiped her eyes, smiled, and lifted the little one onto her lap. Then she lowered her head and touched her forehead to the little one's, saying softly, "Grandma didn't cry. Grandma is happy."
“Our Qian’er has grown up. He can talk, walk, and even care about his grandmother.”
"If your mother were still alive, how happy she would be to see you like this!"
As she spoke, Qiao Qinghe's nose tingled with emotion again.
Everyone else present fell silent.
Those who initially thought it inappropriate to have Li Yiqian perform a memorial service for his deceased mother before his first birthday celebration all fell silent.
At this moment, King Qi was not without regret.
Why was he so bewitched as to condone Liu's actions?
Now that Min Yuexi is dead, he has offended the Qiao family, and his son has been taken back to the Qiao residence.
What did he gain?
He gained nothing! On the contrary, he drifted further and further away from the position he longed for!
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Li Yiqian suddenly uttered the word "Mother".
The little one's voice was sweet and soft, but the word "mother" was pronounced with perfect clarity!
Qiao Qinghe's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Neither she, nor his wet nurse, nor the maids who served him taught him to call her "mother."
But as if he had no teacher, he clearly called out the word "mother".
"Mother, mother, mother..."
The little one called out several more times. This made Qiao Qinghe unable to hold back any longer. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and started to sob.
Seeing this, everyone quickly offered words of comfort.
Wei Jia witnessed the journey of Qiao Qinghe and Min Yuexi, a grandmother and granddaughter, from initial dislike, wariness, unfamiliarity, and estrangement, to caring for each other, supporting each other, trusting each other, and finally making a complete reconciliation.
However, Qiao Qinghe never had the chance to tell Min Yuexi that she had forgiven her! Forgave her for her filial impiety as a granddaughter! Forgave her for the betrayal and hurt in her past life!
This has always been a regret that Qiao Qinghe kept hidden in her heart.
She was unable to forgive Min Yuexi, nor was she able to see her one last time before she passed away...
The little one was clearly terrified by Qiao Qinghe's sudden breakdown. He stared wide-eyed in horror, and after a moment, he also started crying.
The scene descended into chaos.
Wei Jia quickly stepped forward, leaned down and whispered a few words in Qiao Qinghe's ear to calm her down.
Helping her calm down, compose herself, and wipe away her tears, he then freed his hands to take Li Yiqian, who was being coaxed and cuddled in Feng Yuerou's arms, and bring him over.
"Don't cry, Qian-ge'er! It's all Grandma's fault, Grandma scared our Qian-ge'er!"
"Don't cry, okay? Let's not cry anymore, alright?"
Qiao Qinghe held the little one and coaxed him gently.
After a long while, the little one stopped crying, rubbed his eyes, blinked, looked up at Qiao Qinghe, and said in a childish voice, "Don't cry, Grandma, don't cry, I won't cry."
Qiao Qinghe kissed the little guy and nodded in agreement, "Okay! Grandmother, don't cry, and our Qian-ge'er won't cry either!"
The little guy nodded very seriously and solemnly replied, "Yes."
"Alright, alright, the sun is shining after the rain!"
Li Sanqi stepped in at the right time to liven up the atmosphere.
She squatted down in front of Qiao Qinghe and stretched out her hand to the little guy: "Qian-ge'er, come on, Auntie will hold you for your first birthday celebration, okay?"
Li Sanqi visited the Qiao residence quite often, and each time she came, she would visit Li Yiqian.
Therefore, the little guy was not unfamiliar with her.
Seeing her reach out her hand, the little guy hesitated for a moment before readily extending his hand.
Li Sanqi happily hugged the child into his arms, and then said to Qiao Qinghe, "Madam, let me take Qian Ge'er for his first birthday celebration."
Qiao Qinghe readily nodded in agreement: "Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness."
Li Sanqi smiled at her, carried Li Yiqian to the front of the crowd, said a few polite words to everyone, and then took the tiger-head jacket and hat handed over by Wei Jia and dressed the child in them.
While dressing, she recited blessings: "With discerning eyes, you choose your future; may you be blessed with fortune, prosperity, longevity, health, and peace! With bright eyes, you select a virtuous path; may your future be promising!"
Others also offered their blessings.
After changing his clothes and putting on his hat, Li Sanqi carried the little guy a few steps away from the plan and put him down.
Pointing to the large pile of items laid out on the plan in front of him, he said, "Brother Qian, all of these things are prepared for you. Take whatever you like."
The little guy looked at what was in front of him, then turned back to look at Li Sanqi.
Encouraged by Li Sanqi, the little guy finally wobbled toward the plan filled with items.
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