At the head of the table, the Princess Consort said she didn't care, but as the eldest prince crawled toward each of the items on the ground, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on the table.
Granny Qian, who was standing to the side, stepped forward half a step to block the Princess's view and silently said, "Don't worry, Princess."
The princess breathed a soft sigh of relief, and slowly loosened her grip on the table.
There's a saying that goes, "Man can conquer nature."
"A baby's first birthday celebration?" The princess lowered her eyes, concealing the mockery in them.
The eldest prince climbed slowly, pausing frequently. Of course, he lingered the longest at the inkstone in front of Princess Wu.
The room was quiet, with only the eldest prince's laughter clearly audible.
The eldest prince's wet nurse called out softly to him, but the eldest prince, who had been sitting on the inkstone in front of Princess Wu, suddenly crawled away to another spot.
"Eldest Prince—" the wet nurse raised her voice slightly.
But all they could do was watch as the eldest prince slowly crawled toward the mercury mirror placed on the carpet opposite.
Moreover, it was clear that the eldest prince was about to sit down and try to touch the mercury mirror, or even hug it to his chest.
That's not surprising.
Mercury mirrors are bright and clear, and most children like bright things.
Like the Second Princess, when Li Chenjiao held her in her arms, she also liked to look at the mercury mirror on the dressing table.
Sometimes, when Granny Chen would bring the Second Princess to the mercury mirror, the Second Princess would touch the mercury mirror with her hand.
Li Chenjiao was always amused by the Second Princess's wide-open mouth and surprised expression.
If a boy picks a mercury mirror during his first birthday celebration, it signifies good fortune for him.
To put it nicely, it means that the eldest prince is clear-headed and will surely become a gentleman of outstanding character in the future. But to put it bluntly, it means that the eldest prince is greedy for appearance and only sees his own reflection in the mirror while ignoring others.
Wu Shi almost couldn't maintain her smile, and she practically gritted her teeth as she spoke: "Eldest Prince—"
Don't think she doesn't know.
Last year, when the eldest princess was having her first birthday celebration, the bronze mirror she used attracted her attention for a while. This time, when the eldest prince was having his first birthday celebration, Empress Wu specially instructed people to wrap the bronze mirror in oilcloth.
But now, not only has the bronze mirror wrapped in oilcloth disappeared, but a mercury mirror has inexplicably appeared—
All of this was prepared in advance, and Wu herself carefully checked it to ensure there were no oversights.
The fact that things have gone wrong means that someone has interfered in this whole affair.
It's just unclear whether it's the Empress Dowager or Consort Li beside her.
After all, mercury mirrors were rare items, and the princesses in the mansion, according to their status, had no use for them.
Wu gritted her teeth in anger, her face almost puffing up with rage.
However, with the eldest prince's first birthday celebration being the priority, Wu Shi didn't have the time or energy to think about much else. She could only remember the mercury mirror incident and keep an eye on the eldest prince's first birthday celebration.
Empress Wu slowly bent down and called out to the eldest prince again.
Upon hearing the sound, the eldest prince seemed to waver for a moment, then slowly turned his head. The mercury mirror was almost in his arms.
Princess Wu, along with the eldest prince's wet nurse, called out to the eldest prince to turn around.
The wet nurse's gaze was incredibly gentle, and the eldest prince finally put down the mercury mirror in his hand and crawled back to Princess Wu's side.
Inside the courtyard, someone let out a sigh, and someone else let out a long sigh of relief.
In the end, the eldest prince returned to the inkstone in front of Princess Wu.
Princess Wu was the one who breathed a long sigh of relief, and her voice became even gentler as she slowly extended her hand toward the First Prince.
The head wife moved her lips as if to say something to interrupt, but suddenly fell silent the next second.
Suddenly, the eldest prince, who had already climbed to the inkstone, turned around and climbed to Li Chenjiao's side.
But in front of Li Chenjiao was a seal.
Good heavens!
Li Chenjiao was enjoying her melon when she glanced down and made eye contact with the eldest prince sitting below.
Today marks the first birthday of the eldest prince, but Li Chenjiao has only seen him a handful of times.
In other words, Li Chenjiao and the eldest prince were not familiar with each other at all. Children are generally unwilling to get close to and afraid of unfamiliar people.
Of course, this excludes a few children like the Second Princess who aren't particularly shy.
However, Li Chenjiao noticed that the eldest prince was a little shy and clingy to the wet nurse when she brought him in earlier.
Even when she smiled, she only addressed the wet nurse and Madam Wu.
But when Li Chenjiao lowered her head to look at the First Prince, she caught a glimpse of him smiling brightly at her.
Li Chenjiao always tends to be more soft-hearted when she sees children, and she unconsciously smiles, her gaze gentle.
For some reason, the eldest prince stared blankly at Li Chenjiao, then grinned and crawled towards her.
He also grabbed the seal next to him.
This is something that has been truly and effectively grasped.
Upon seeing this, the wife at the head of the table stared intently at the seal in the eldest prince's hand.
In the Qianqing Palace of His Majesty, there is a precious seal that only princes who have ascended the throne can possess.
The Fourth Prince is not the Crown Prince at the moment. The fact that the First Prince grasped the seal during his first birthday celebration means that he intends to inherit the Fourth Prince's title.
This was even more displeasing to the Princess Consort than when the First Prince caught the inkstone.
Even Wu Shi subconsciously stood up with some surprise and uncertainty.
She naturally had the idea of letting the eldest prince inherit the title, but the second prince, the legitimate son of the main wife, was still alive.
Even if Lady Wu wanted the eldest prince to be the best, she should have been smarter and used the idea of the eldest prince assisting the second prince.
It was completely unexpected that the eldest prince would seize that seal.
The eldest prince is still young, and she doesn't want him to become a thorn in the side of the princess at such a young age.
After standing up, Madam Wu steadied herself and said, "Your Highness, the eldest prince is still young. The first birthday celebration was just for fun. That seal may simply mean that the eldest prince will assist the second prince in the future, and there is no other intention."
Right now, the eldest prince is still moving closer to Li Chenjiao's feet.
However, given Li Chenjiao's current situation, she naturally couldn't bend down to hug the eldest prince.
Turning her head, Li Chenjiao saw that Wu Gege didn't seem to care about the First Prince. She frowned and raised her hand very lightly.
"Where is the eldest prince's wet nurse? The ground is cold, why don't you pick him up?"
After Li Chenjiao said this, the tense atmosphere in the courtyard eased somewhat.
The eldest prince's wet nurse glanced at Wu Shi first, and then hurriedly picked up the eldest prince.
As for the seal, it eventually slipped from the First Prince's hands and fell to Li Chenjiao's feet.
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