"I would rather do it myself," Cui said with red eyes, her voice full of sorrow and guilt. "When the Queen Mother was alive, I was not able to serve her more, and now she is gone too quickly. Every time I think of it, I feel extremely guilty. But there is no other way to make up for it. I can only do my best to help with these little things."
"I know that you have always been thoughtful. Compared with other concubines in the harem, you are the most sensible one," Zhong Zhiheng patted Cui's hand gently and said. "For so many years, you have been unknown and worked hard. I have seen it all, and I also think that you should be promoted. After the Queen Mother is buried, I will enthrone you as a noble concubine to help the six palaces."
"Your Majesty, I am filial to the Queen Mother. It's not for these reasons," Cui immediately knelt on the ground with a plop. She said to Zhong Zhiheng in fear and trepidation, "I am the Queen Mother's daughter-in-law. It is natural for me to be filial to the Queen Mother. Your Majesty, there is no need to reward me for this. I really don't deserve it."
"It's not just because you are filial to the Queen Mother. You are a rare person in the harem who keeps to your proper place. I promoted you because I want you to set an example for the other concubines," Zhong Zhiheng said, while helping Cui up. "Besides, the Princess of Hui County is about to give birth. As a mother, you should naturally be promoted."
"Yes, thank you very much for your grace, Your Majesty!" Cui was so happy that she couldn't stop thanking him.
"Is there still no news from the Princess of Hui County?" Zhong Zhiheng took a sip of tea and asked slowly, "Didn't Qin Lu go there this morning? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Princess Zou of Hui County began to have abdominal pain at 4:10 a.m. Zhong Zhiheng showed mercy and asked Qin Lu to go and take care of Zou's baby, but it was almost dusk and Qin Lu still hadn't returned.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Women just wait for time to pass when giving birth. When I gave birth to Ming'e, I cried and screamed in the palace for a whole day before I gave birth to him," Cui said with a smile. Seeing that Zhong Zhiheng seemed a little flustered, Cui asked carefully, "Your Majesty, do you remember?"
"I remember that when Ming'e was born, he was not much bigger than a kitten. The empress dowager was shocked when she saw him and said that she was afraid that he would not survive. Fortunately, Ming'e survived," Zhong Zhiheng said in a deep voice. He turned his head to look at the portrait of the woman on the wall, paused, and then continued, "When Siyao gave birth to Mingwei, it was not easy either. Siyao was so thin and small, and Mingwei grew up in a sideways position. It really made Siyao suffer..."
Cui was startled when she heard that, and then she looked at the portrait of the woman on the wall with Zhong Zhiheng. Zhong Zhiheng never mentioned Xu Siyao usually, and he didn't even mention Zhong Mingwei after he was demoted to Ningguta. All the women in the harem were perceptive, so naturally they wouldn't say what Zhong Zhiheng didn't like to hear. They just thought that there had never been Xu Siyao and Zhong Mingwei in this palace. Unexpectedly, Zhong Zhiheng suddenly mentioned her.
"Yes, the queen was really in great pain at that time. She started to have abdominal pain at midnight and continued to suffer until the evening of the next day, but she still couldn't give birth," Cui also sighed. "I went to see the queen once at that time. She looked like she had just been pulled out of the water, her whole body was wet. Although I was young and not yet a mother, I also knew how difficult it was for the queen. Seeing her appearance at that time, I couldn't help crying for a long time."
"Yes, you had already entered the palace at that time," Zhong Zhiheng nodded and said in a deep voice, turning his head to look at Cui, "How much do you remember? Did Siyao cry at that time? What did she say?"
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