Chapter 116 The First Birthday Ceremony
Time flies like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, the little prince Shen An, who cried loudly in the delivery room and was disliked by his own mother for looking like a monkey, has ushered in the first big day of his life - his first birthday celebration.
On this day, the Regent's Palace was brightly decorated and bustling with activity.
As the only son of Regent Shen Jin, the scale of this first birthday celebration was simply outrageous. The young emperor Shen Xingchen personally skipped his tutor's class to come and oversee the event, and civil and military officials were scrambling to come and offer gifts.
In the center of the main hall, a huge red velvet carpet was laid out.
The blanket was covered with all sorts of items for the baby's first birthday celebration:
The Empress Dowager gifted a top-quality jade ruyi; the young emperor gifted a miniature imperial sword; Jiang Zhan gifted a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study; and the Minister of War gifted a small bow and arrow, and the Minister of Revenue gifted a golden abacus…
A dazzling array of goods, everything imaginable.
"The auspicious time has arrived! Please have the young prince perform the traditional first birthday ceremony!"
As the master of ceremonies announced, Xiao Tuantuan, dressed in a red brocade Tang suit and wearing a tiger-head hat, was carried by Shen Jin to the center of the red carpet.
One-year-old Tuantuan has grown up beautifully, with a delicate and pretty face, big, bright eyes, long eyelashes like two little fans, and chubby cheeks. He sat on the blanket, neither crying nor fussing. He first tilted his head to look at the strange uncles and aunts surrounding him, then grinned, revealing a few of his newly grown baby teeth.
"Ah!"
He spit out a bubble and calmly clapped his little hands.
"So cute!"
"The young prince has a full forehead; he is destined to be an outstanding person!"
The surrounding guests started showering him with compliments.
Jiang Mianmian sat in the main seat, holding a handful of melon seeds, but seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Oh dear, I'm so anxious!
Who does this kid take after?
He inherited his father's stoic workaholic nature and his own love of food and relaxation. If he inherited both... wouldn't he be a stoic foodie?
[Tuantuan! Be strong! Grab that abacus! That's pure gold! Once we get it, we'll manage the household, mother and daughter!]
Chen Jin sat down beside her, and upon hearing her thoughts, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He didn't care.
No matter what the child catches, he will be proud of him. Even if the child catches a rouge box and becomes a spoiled brat, he, Chen Jin, can afford to raise him.
"Tuantuan, go."
Shen Jin gently pushed his son's back, "Take whatever you like."
Little Tuantuan seemed to understand, and crawled up on the blanket using both her hands and feet.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on that small figure.
He first crawled to the writing set that Jiang Zhan had given him, and then reached out his chubby little hand to grab the calligraphy brush.
Jiang Zhan's beard trembled with excitement: "Great! Great! I'm going to be the top scholar!"
However, the next second...
Tuantuan wrinkled her nose in disgust, threw the brush on the ground, and continued crawling forward.
Jiang Zhan's smile froze on his face.
Then, Tuantuan crawled to the imperial sword. Shen Xingchen waved excitedly, "Take the sword! Take the sword! Become a great general like the Imperial Uncle!"
Tuantuan grabbed the sword hilt, shook it, and seemed to find it too light and unfeeling, so she casually tossed it aside and continued climbing.
Shen Xingchen: ……
A jade ruyi? No. A seal? Too hard, I can't bite it. A book? Tear it—tear it.
After going around in circles, all the things that represented "a bright future" were thrown aside by this little tyrant like trash.
The guests looked at each other awkwardly.
"This...Young Master has excellent taste..."
"Yes, yes, ordinary things don't catch my eye..."
Just when everyone thought the baby's first birthday celebration was going to end in failure.
Jiang Mianmian suddenly remembered something.
Wait a minute! This kid usually loves to mess with my...
She suddenly pulled something out of her sleeve and, when no one was looking, quietly placed it on the edge of the blanket.
It was a golden, heavy, and sharply defined brick.
With a clanging sound.
The gold bricks landed with a dull thud.
Little Tuantuan, who was originally bored and about to lie down and sleep, perked up her ears instantly upon hearing this sound.
He turned his head sharply, and his big eyes suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented light!
"ah!"
Tuantuan let out an excited scream, and its originally slow crawling speed instantly increased. Like a small tank with a motor, it rushed towards the gold brick using both hands and feet.
Closer! Closer!
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Xiao Tuantuan grabbed the gold brick, which weighed a full five pounds.
He exerted no effort whatsoever, his two little hands gripping the edge of the gold brick tightly, and then—
"ha!"
He gave a soft, childish shout and actually lifted the gold brick with one hand!
Not only did he lift it up, but he also imitated Jiang Mianmian's usual manner, waving the gold brick in the air twice, creating a whooshing sound.
"Giggle!"
Tuantuan hugged the gold brick, laughing so hard that drool was dripping from her mouth. Then she didn't forget to put the gold brick in her mouth, trying to take a bite to see if it was pure gold.
The entire room fell silent.
It was truly deathly silent.
Everyone's jaws dropped to the ground, and their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"this……"
"Lifting a gold brick with one hand?"
"Is this child only one year old? Playing with five pounds of gold like a toy?"
"This...this could be...the legendary...divine strength?!"
Shen Jin looked at his son, who was waving a gold brick around, and his eye twitched violently.
That movement...that expression...
She looks exactly like Jiang Mianmian who hit people with a gold brick in the snow that day!
No DNA testing is needed.
This is definitely her biological daughter! And she perfectly inherited her mother's "superhuman strength" and "money-grubbing" traits!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Jiang Mianmian was the first to react, slamming her hand on the table and laughing wildly, "Good son! Well done! You're worthy of being my son!"
See that? That's called bloodline suppression!
[What are the Four Treasures of the Study, what are the Imperial Swords? None of them are as practical as a brick!]
[From now on, if anyone dares to bully you, just smash them with a brick! If you don't knock them out, Mommy loses!]
He pressed his forehead in deep thought.
He turned to look at Jiang Zhan, only to see his father-in-law staring blankly at his grandson, muttering to himself:
"It's over... another one... another Rakshasa..."
"However... with this strength, I won't be afraid of being bullied in the future."
Shen Jin stood up, walked to the center of the red carpet, and picked up his son along with the gold bricks.
Although the result of this first birthday celebration was somewhat "unusual," this child was, after all, his son.
"good."
Shen Jin gently bounced the heavy little guy in his arms and said loudly:
"Those who seize gold will enjoy wealth and honor throughout their lives."
"Those who are strong can protect their home and country."
"My son will surely become...a man of both literary and martial talents, and immensely wealthy—"
He paused, glanced at Tuantuan in his arms who was grinding her teeth with a gold brick, and added helplessly:
"—A very wealthy man."
The audience burst into laughter, followed by enthusiastic applause.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness! The young prince is destined for greatness!"
The first birthday celebration, known as "Zhuazhou," concluded amidst laughter and joy.
Jiang Mianmian walked over and poked her son's cheek:
"Tuantuan, you have to be careful in the future. These gold bricks are for hitting bad people, not for damaging the flowers and plants."
Tuantuan didn't understand, but she just held up the gold brick and slapped it on Chen Jin's shoulder.
Shen Jin let out a muffled groan.
It's so heavy.
That kid's got real strength.
It seems that from now on, I'll not only have to guard against my wife's domestic violence, but also against my son "accidentally" getting hurt.
Life in the Regent's Palace is truly... a bittersweet experience.
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