Yongshou Palace, the renovated palace, perfectly suited her aesthetic. The furnishings inside were all personally overseen, arranged, and even designed by Yinzhen.
As soon as Yinzhen stepped inside, he heard the laughter of children.
Hongxu can already say some simple words. He is also well-behaved and doesn't cry much, so Leshu likes to tease him.
Hearing the children's laughter, Yinzhen unconsciously smiled and quickly walked in.
When Le Shu saw him, he was dressed in casual clothes, not much different from before. In front of everyone, she stood up to bow, but was stopped by Yinzhen.
"Between you and me, things are still the same as before."
Le Shu smiled and didn't insist on these rules.
Yinzhen waved his hand: "You all go out. I have something to say to the Imperial Concubine."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The palace servants had all left, leaving only the two of them in the room. Yinzhen held her in his arms and sat on the couch.
“Anzhi, Father’s health is getting worse.”
He was the one who caused this, and he didn't regret it, but seeing Kangxi's aged and sickly appearance, he still felt guilty.
Le Shu suddenly stood up, and under Yinzhen's questioning gaze, she took out a box.
"What's this?"
"The things that came out from the sign-in this morning can't cure diseases, but they can save lives. The Emperor Emeritus's health can't be cured completely, but Changchun Garden is a good place to recuperate. Let the Emperor Emeritus see that the Qing Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous under your rule."
Le Shu knew that deep down, Yinzhen still wanted to prove himself to Kangxi.
Yinzhen took the box and hugged him: "Le Shu, thank you. If it weren't for you, even if I could start over ten thousand times, I would still be all alone."
Le Shu hugged him back and leaned against his chest.
Yinzhen gave the medicine to Kangxi, and Kangxi's condition did not improve, but it did not worsen either. The imperial physician said that his condition had stabilized, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should take good care of himself and not overwork himself. He still had several years to live.
In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinzhen was extremely busy. He planned to reorganize the Eight Banners, as the Eight Banners' sons were now mostly dissolute and idle, which was a serious problem.
Su Peisheng: "Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience."
Yinzhen frowned, then put down his vermilion brush: "Please invite the Empress in."
"Yes, sir."
The Empress entered, bowed, and greeted him. Only then did Yinzhen ask, "Your Majesty, has something happened in the inner palace?"
"Your Majesty, everything is well in the harem. I have come here to humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict to select a concubine."
Yinzhen frowned.
"We just had an election last year, so let's skip it this year!"
The Empress smiled and advised, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the harem is currently empty with few heirs. This is also my fault. I thought that by selecting candidates to fill the harem, I could also put the court at ease."
Yinzhen waved his hand: "The national treasury is empty. Frequent selection of imperial concubines would be too extravagant and wasteful. There is no need to mention this matter further."
The Empress continued, "If Your Majesty feels that the grand selection is a waste, perhaps I could privately select a few eligible princesses from prominent Manchu families to enter the palace."
Yinzhen looked at her, his gaze cold: "Empress, I have no interest in the harem, and there is no need for anyone to enter it. I am busy with state affairs, so please return!"
The empress left with a normal expression, but her steps were somewhat unsteady.
After she left, Yinzhen felt only annoyed. Just like in his previous life, the Empress always liked to urge him to go to the harem to have children, but he had unspeakable political affairs to deal with.
The two had nothing in common.
Yinzhen summoned Su Peisheng: "Go and investigate whether the Empress's family members said anything to her."
"Yes, sir."
The Empress's family doesn't have many capable people. Fei Yanggu passed away too early, and her son's upbringing has become problematic. Now that an Empress has emerged in the family, they probably can't sit still.
When Ulanara was not yet empress, she could remain composed. But after becoming empress, seeing Le Shu's visibly special qualities, she could no longer maintain her composure. Ulanara behind her was even less composed than she was.
After returning to Jingren Palace, the Empress composed herself and murmured, "I was too hasty!"
Chamei: "What did Your Highness just say?"
The Empress shook her head: "It's nothing. Chamei, just select some ambitious young palace maids in private and train them first."
As a prince's wife who couldn't have children, she could tolerate a concubine from a humble background being the sole favorite of the emperor. But as the empress, her position made it impossible for her to tolerate a concubine who had a child being the sole favorite of the emperor.
She sensed danger.
She couldn't use underhanded methods, but she hoped to muddy the waters of the harem as soon as possible.
Le Shu was unaware of these things.
Life in Yongshou Palace was similar to that in Shaoguang Courtyard before. She was still very busy. Now that Yinzhen had become the emperor, she could do things that she couldn't do before. For example, she could openly send people to interfere in the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou.
Maritime trade is incredibly profitable.
The following day, in the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Qing Dynasty entered a new era.
That year, Yinzhen began to rectify official corruption, reorganize the Eight Banners, and train the navy.
The money for training the navy mainly came from his and Le Shu's secret stash. Le Shu's business is growing bigger and bigger. Some time ago, she even signed up for a comprehensive guide to aquaculture, which included methods for raising poultry, fungi, vegetables, crops, aquatic products, etc.
She made most of the content available to ordinary people.
Yinzhen made local economic development a key focus of performance evaluation, requiring local officials to promote new breeding methods, adapt to local conditions, and develop according to local circumstances. He also swiftly dealt with a number of officials who were incompetent and then promoted a large group of so-called "peasant" officials who did not even have official titles.
Le Shu kept a small portion of the technology that was not suitable for promotion at the moment to make money.
This money is enough to maintain a navy and also to upgrade a batch of weapons.
In the second year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the reforms to the bureaucracy, implemented by the emperor himself, had begun to show results.
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