On Jingrou's third birthday, Prince An wanted to put her in the spotlight and let more people know that Jingrou was the apple of their eye, so that people wouldn't look down on her and think of her as just a granddaughter in a dependent position.
If we consider the long term, it even relates to Jingrou's future marriage. Even when discussing this matter, the men in the manor are extremely reluctant to let her go.
They didn't want Jingrou to climb the social ladder or marry someone with high status, but as the apple of Prince An's eye, she certainly couldn't be mistreated or looked down upon.
It was because Jingrou's mother had passed away that Prince An defied public opinion and brought Jingrou back. Several old princes of the Aisin Gioro clan disagreed with this decision. They valued rules above all else and therefore did not want an outsider to join them.
As for the Guo Luo family, most of them lived in Shengjing, which was quite far from the capital, and their influence in the capital was small.
In addition, Jingrou has lived in the capital since birth, and the people in Shengjing have never even seen her. To them, she is just a granddaughter, and they don't have much affection for her.
So after Jingrou's father passed away, Prince An was able to bring her back as he wished, without encountering too much obstruction from the Guo Luo clan.
This matter was quite widely known in Beijing a few years ago; anyone with even a little bit of influence knew about it.
But before that, Jingrou's health had never been good. Several times, Prince An had to personally go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician, and everyone knew that the granddaughter Prince An had painstakingly brought back was a sickly little girl.
But things are different now. As Jingrou's health has gradually improved, she hasn't had the imperial physician come to check her pulse for the past six months.
Previously, when Hesheli brought her into the palace to celebrate the emperor's birthday, she had already expressed her intention to push Jingrou to the forefront.
Hmph! Don't think that Jingrou is pitiful. So many people dote on her and treat her like a precious jewel. No one can look at her with pity. This is the whole family's protective instinct.
Therefore, through deliberate planning, Jingrou's birthday celebrations became increasingly grand.
Even the Empress Dowager in the palace inquired about this matter with those around her.
"Make several more outfits for Zhuzhu. Children grow quickly, and the weather is getting warmer; we can't use last year's clothes anymore. Pick out some nice patterns from the few batches of fabric the palace recently saved up and have them made..."
"The guest list has already been prepared... Are there any children like Zhuzhu? When she gets a little older, she should have some close friends!"
Jingrou sat on the soft couch, obediently munching on her snacks, listening with great interest.
This leads to another matter. Because of her poor health, she has been confined to the mansion for the past two years and has rarely come into contact with people outside. Therefore, she has no familiar young girls to associate with.
So when Jingrou heard about this, her eyes lit up. Could it be that she would be able to see children too?
Having someone to play with and talk to, and being able to gain a friendship in this era, is something that makes her very happy!
“Mother has been so busy lately… My daughter-in-law’s little niece is about the same age as Zhuzhu! That child is very lively! I just don’t know if Zhuzhu will find her too noisy…” Ma Jia said with great interest.
She had only been married for a few years and still felt a deep connection to her family, so she was naturally happy to witness the friendship between the children from both sides.
Upon hearing her name, Jingrou quickly nodded to her third aunt, indicating that she didn't mind at all and wouldn't find it offensive. Her eyes crinkled with laughter. A tiny bit of dandruff clung to the corner of her mouth, which her wet nurse wiped away with a handkerchief, revealing a faint blush on her fair cheeks.
This little girl even blushed while eating a pastry. Ma'erjia was so fond of her that she wanted to hold her in her arms right away and pinch and squeeze her.
"That's true... It would be best to find a few more young girls, it would be more lively, and it would be even better if they had lively personalities, so that Zhuzhu could move around more!"
Many people were invited to Jingrou's birthday celebration, including not only families with deep ties to Prince An's mansion.
For those families who weren't so close but had children around the same age as Jingrou, Hesheli also sent them invitations.
Given the status of Prince An's Mansion, no one who received an invitation would want to offend it.
Moreover, on her birthday, Empress Niohuru of the palace sent a birthday gift, which immediately brought the banquet to its peak.
Empress Niohuru's relationship with Prince An's mansion was not particularly good. Those who had served in the court for some time and had more seniority in the past knew about the reasons behind it.
Even so, the Empress still sent a congratulatory gift, which shows the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager's attention to Jingrou!
Outsiders wouldn't believe it if it were just Empress Niohuru putting on a show of respect.
Moreover, she was terminally ill and couldn't even take care of her own nephews or nieces' birthdays, so how could she possibly care about the Prince An's mansion?
Jingrou didn't think too much about these things. What made her happiest was that she had indeed made several lively and lovely young girls at the banquet.
At the same time, under the guidance of her cousins, she also got to know several boys.
One of Jingrou's favorites is her third aunt's niece, Ma'erjia, named Ma'erjia and Cen. Ma'erjia is a year older than Jingrou and will soon be four years old. She has a very lively personality and is a bit of a chatterbox in Jingrou's eyes. However, the reason why the two of them can get along is because they share a common hobby: food.
The two girls, who had just met, were about to dig into a plate of Poria cocos cake when they smiled at each other, instantly dispelling most of the awkwardness.
In particular, Jingrou knew all the pastries in Prince An's mansion like the back of her hand and shared them with her without hesitation. While eating the pastries, the two girls started chatting and their relationship quickly warmed up.
The friendship between foodies is that simple: I'm willing to share food with you, and if you're willing to share, then we're good friends!
Although she is a little older than Cen Bi Jingrou, they are both a bit childish.
The other one is from the Irgen Gioro clan, named Wenying. She is a little older than Jingrou, already five years old.
The five-year-old child appeared mature beyond his years, and his chubby face at the banquet immediately made Jingrou laugh.
In addition, because her surname was the same as her second aunt's, Jingrou still felt a sense of kinship even though she knew they were not related.
Although Wenying seemed a bit aloof, she was actually very easy to get along with. With Jingrou's approach, the group quickly became friends.
Moreover, Wenying's father had just been transferred from another place, so he didn't know anyone in the capital. After meeting Jingrou at the banquet, he cherished this friendship very much.
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