Concubine Zhao was about to speak, but she saw the Queen Mother put down the teacup, and the bean green glaze teacup was placed on the small table with a sound that was neither loud nor soft. For a moment, Concubine Zhao and Concubine Shu were silent at the same time.
"Shufei is right. It is the duty of parents to teach their children to be filial. Your Majesty is a filial person. Naturally, all the princes are filial too. They should not only be filial to you mothers, but also to their stepmothers." The Queen Mother said slowly, looking at Concubine Zhao, "The anniversary of Queen Zhenxian's death is coming soon. Are you ready?"
The seventh day of the seventh month is the memorial day of the late Empress Zhenxian. According to previous years, a grand memorial ceremony must be held. Concubine Zhao has been working with the six palaces for many years. The memorial ceremony for Empress Zhenxian has always been held by her. But this year, the deposed prince happened, and Concubine Zhao was worried. The deposed prince was the only legitimate son of Empress Zhenxian, and now his son has suffered such a scandal. Naturally, Empress Zhenxian's reputation is also affected. If she still holds a grand memorial ceremony for Empress Zhenxian at this time, it would be inappropriate. However, since Yu Tangchun in the palace was killed, Concubine Zhao has become much more timid. She couldn't figure out Zhong Zhiheng's intention, and she didn't dare to ask Zhong Zhiheng rashly. So Concubine Zhao went to the Queen Mother in a roundabout way. Who would have thought that when she got off the sedan chair outside the Cining Palace, she ran into Concubine Shu head-on. Concubine Zhao felt unlucky and annoyed, but she couldn't just walk away.
Seeing the Queen Mother take the initiative to bring up the matter of sacrifice, Concubine Zhao was relieved and hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Does the Queen Mother mean to still perform sacrifices for Queen Zhenxian according to the specifications of previous years?"
"Is there anything wrong?" The Queen Mother looked at Concubine Zhao, her calm eyes staring at her steadily.
"Of course there is nothing wrong with that... But," Concubine Zhao was so nervous about being looked at by the Queen Mother that she paused and finally said, "But I think that Your Highness has just dealt with the deposed Crown Prince. If we hold a grand ceremony to worship the True and Virtuous Queen at this time, it would be inappropriate, right? Who knows how many people inside and outside the palace would be talking about it."
"I didn't know that Concubine Zhao is now involved in matters outside the palace," the Queen Mother pursed her lips and said lightly while covering the tea lid, "I thought Concubine Zhao was not able to bear this kind of concern now."
"Your Majesty, please understand! I have no such intention!" Concubine Zhao was so busy that she knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said anxiously, "I am thinking about His Majesty, and I have no selfish motives! Please understand, Your Majesty!"
"I know where your heart is," the Queen Mother bent down, holding Concubine Zhao's delicate chin with her withered fingers. She looked down at Concubine Zhao until a layer of fine sweat oozed out of her forehead. Then she said slowly, "I know that your heart is devoted to the emperor. This is your advantage. So over the years, although you have made many mistakes in the harem, I have never intervened because of your heart for the emperor. I have never blamed you, and I will not intervene in the future. But you must remember that no matter how noble the concubine is, she is just a concubine. The queen, even if it is just a tablet, is still the queen. At least in the hearts of me and the emperor, there is only such a queen in the Great Zhou Dynasty. No one can trample on the dignity and majesty that the queen should have, otherwise it would be a death wish."
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