The Empress Dowager was quite warm towards the family of three, showing them concern and sincerity.
Yinzhen thought that his mother was wise beyond her years, and he was well aware that his behavior was quite contrary to the "rules" of the era.
For an emperor to treat his harem as mere decorations would be an extremely excessive act for an empress dowager who had once been treated as such by her husband, yet the empress dowager had no objection whatsoever.
Yinzhen knew that the Empress Dowager was a smart woman.
She can see through the prejudices that most people have. This intelligence has nothing to do with IQ, but with temperament.
When the Empress Dowager showed her favor, Yinzhen naturally reciprocated by being a dutiful son in her presence.
The scene was heartwarming, with a loving mother and filial son, and both parties were quite satisfied.
In the 20th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the first thing to do after the New Year and before going to court was to prepare for the new department planned for the previous year—the Propaganda Department. It was obvious to everyone that the Emperor valued this department, and naturally everyone wanted to put their people in there.
The emperor's greatest taboo and aversion is the formation of cliques and factions in the officialdom. However, officials are generally connected in some way, and it is impossible to say that there are no connections at all. After much deliberation, Yinzhen finalized the leadership team of the Propaganda Department, which included descendants of prominent Manchu families, people who had "cultivated immortality" in the previous two sessions of the Hanlin Academy, both Manchu and Han, and encompassing both aristocratic and commoner families.
Moreover, these people have different characteristics. Some are good at dealing with people and have a sharp tongue, while others are good at using words and sentences, but are a little dull when it comes to speaking.
Yinzhen's arrangement was well-intentioned; there had to be someone with a reliable family background and good character to keep things in order. Since it was the propaganda department, they certainly needed someone with good writing skills...
At the beginning of the first month of the lunar calendar, the makeshift team of the propaganda department was officially set up.
Moreover, printing presses are now being sent to various regions of the Qing Dynasty, with six printing presses sent to each region. Two of these presses are used for subsequent use in the People's Daily. However, they are not used for free; money still has to be paid for them.
In February of the 20th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, printing presses were delivered to various regions of the Qing Dynasty. In March, the Propaganda Department went to the Ministry of Personnel to review the names of people with official titles from all over the country and selected a group of people to serve as the leaders of the propaganda departments in various regions. As for the leaders of the regions, they were directly appointed by the central government.
In early March, Yunrong's due date was approaching. The imperial physician gave her a due date in mid-March. There are all sorts of things that happen when a baby is born, some early and some late. Yinzhen was afraid that Yunrong would suddenly give birth, and he didn't care what others would say about the rules. So he directly brought his mother-in-law into the palace for a short stay.
With the Empress's position firmly established, no one would dare to cause her any trouble. Although it was against the rules for the Empress's own mother to stay in the palace for a short time, no one spoke out about it openly. At this critical juncture, if they were to displease the Emperor, who knew what the consequences would be?
As the emperor of a country, Yinzhen was always busy. In addition, the propaganda department had only recently begun to be formalized, so he had to keep a close eye on it to prevent any mistakes.
He was also worried about Yunrong. Even though his mother-in-law was watching her all the time, he was still worried. Yinzhen needed to know Yunrong's whereabouts at all times. He was almost ready to move his official duties from Qianqing Palace to Yongshou Palace.
Under these circumstances, by mid-March, Yunrong's baby was very cooperative, and she went into labor on her due date.
She had already given birth once, and this birth went very smoothly. She went into labor on the night of March 14th and the baby was born just as dawn broke on the morning of March 15th.
After giving birth, Yunrong fell asleep upon learning that it was a healthy baby girl. She slept for a whole day, and when she woke up, she saw Yinzhen holding the baby and walking around the room.
Yunrong spoke up: "Let me see the child."
Upon hearing Yunrong speak, Yinzhen hurriedly walked in: "You're awake. Don't rush to look after the child. The child can't run away. Eat something first."
Yunrong was indeed very hungry: "Alright, have someone prepare some food, but I also need to see my daughter."
Yinzhen said indulgently, "You'll have plenty of time to watch it."
When Yunrong gave birth to a baby girl, both Yinzhen and Yunrong were overjoyed. Originally, Lady Wuya was worried that the Emperor might be unhappy because the baby wasn't a prince, but she didn't expect the Emperor to value his granddaughter so much. She also felt that the Emperor was really good to his daughter.
When the Empress gave birth to a daughter, everyone in the harem watched the spectacle with amusement, thinking she deserved it because she had the Emperor's mantle but hadn't given birth to a son.
Unfortunately, they didn't know that Yinzhen wanted a daughter.
The newborn princess was treated differently from her brother, and the harem was waiting to see what would happen! As a result, the emperor directly bestowed upon the newborn princess the title of Princess Gulun Ronghua, and the third-day celebration was held in a grand and extravagant manner.
Anyone could see the Emperor's affection for the little princess born to the Empress.
The Emperor's actions certainly touched the hearts of many, especially Consort Bu, Zhaojia, who lived in Yonghe Palace. She felt a pang of pain when she thought about how her daughter was treated after she was born.
They were both daughters, so why was the Empress's daughter so special, while the daughters she gave birth to were ignored and died inexplicably?
Lady Bu felt bitter inside, and the thought of her daughter caused her heart to ache even more.
Lady Bu was heartbroken, but she had no power or influence. She couldn't even leave a mark for her daughter. So she could only keep it to herself, eating vegetarian food and chanting scriptures every day to pray for her daughter who died young, hoping that she would be reborn into a better family in this life.
Since Yunrong gave birth, Yinzhen has been running between Qianqing Palace and Yongshou Palace every day. Although it is a bit troublesome, Yinzhen enjoys it.
While Yinzhen was enjoying himself, Princess Gulun Ronghua's full-month celebration was approaching. Since the propaganda department personnel were already in place, Yinzhen took advantage of the occasion of his daughter's full-month celebration to officially issue an edict to start the propaganda department in full operation.
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