Zimu, as the daughter of a fifth-rank official, was kept in the palace by the official and the queen, which also caused an undercurrent in the entire city of Bianjing.

"Child, your maiden name is Molan, do you have a nickname?"

"Your Highness, my name is Zimu. Grandmother hopes that I will be a respected and truly loved person in the future."

"That's great. As the only daughter of Marquis Yongyi, your grandmother also grew up in this palace. It was the late Empress Dowager Jing'an who raised her."

"This minister has also heard my grandmother mention the Empress Dowager Jing'an who raised her. My grandmother said that the Empress Dowager Jing'an was an extremely tenacious, strong and insightful woman."

"Your grandmother has learned the tenacity of the Queen Mother to the fullest, otherwise she wouldn't have..."

The queen wanted to say something but stopped herself. She knew Zimu was famous for her talent, but she was after all a little girl under seven years old, and she didn't know if she could understand.

"Grandma has devoted all her energy to the Sheng family, which has no blood relationship with her. Everyone in the mansion respects her very much."

On the first night after moving into the place where her grandmother lived in the palace before she got married, the Queen took Zimu aside and talked to him for a long time.

When leaving, Zimu was accompanied by an important character who had appeared in the play, Mrs. Sheng's old sister, Aunt Kong.

Zimu understood the queen's good intentions. After seeing the queen off, he spent his time in the palace learning various etiquette from Nanny Kong.

Although Zimu was raised by the noble Old Lady Sheng when she was at home, the old lady loved the little girl raised by her, and she did not force Zimu, who was so young, to learn rules like Hualan.

If you want to know where in the world the rules are the best, it all comes down to the detailed teaching in the palace.

After being influenced by Nanny Kong for a period of time, Zimu's words and deeds became more dignified and generous, and he also read a lot of books in the palace.

One day, the emperor suddenly had the urge to accompany the queen to see what the little girl Zimu did all day.

"I heard from the palace servants in the library that the little girl Zimu has been borrowing and reading a lot of books recently. She is so eager to learn at such a young age. She is worthy of being a famous young talent in Yangzhou."

The Queen just smiled and continued speaking as the Emperor spoke.

When the two men arrived at the gate of the palace where Zimu lived, they saw a little girl in the courtyard dressed in neat clothes dancing with a wooden sword in her hand very gracefully. The emperor couldn't help but applaud.

Suddenly interrupted by the cheers, Zimu saluted to the emperor and the empress in a formal manner: "Your Majesty and the Empress, may your Majesty live long and be well, and may the Empress be well forever."

"Queen, look, this little girl has been living in the palace for a while and has become more and more well-behaved. She is not as cute as a child should be."

The queen smiled without saying anything, looking at Zimu with a kind face.

Zi Mu, who had figured out the emperor's preference for courageous children, wrinkled her nose in grievance and ran to the queen and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty laughed at me and said I was not lovable."

The queen looked at the somewhat dazed emperor, and helplessly stretched out her finger to poke Zimu's little head: "You."

The emperor laughed loudly, pulled the queen to sit in the pavilion in the palace, and said to Zimu: "I saw you practicing sword just now, little girl, not to mention that you have quite the demeanor of a general's daughter."

"But I remember that the Sheng family is a family of scholars, and your grandfather was once a scholar. Did your grandmother teach you this?"

In the emperor's impression, Mrs. Sheng was the only daughter of a military family of Marquis Yongyi. Although she was raised in the palace by her mother, the queen mother, it did not change the old lady's demeanor as the only daughter of a military family.

Therefore, the emperor felt that it was reasonable for Mrs. Sheng to hire a martial arts master for her beloved granddaughter.

Zimu answered truthfully, "Your Majesty, I was ill when I was young, and my health got worse and worse. My grandmother and mother prayed to the gods everywhere for my health. The headmaster of the Qionghua Temple in Yangzhou asked me to practice martial arts, and my health got better. I have been practicing martial arts because I like it."

The emperor nodded and said, "Your grandmother really loves you. I heard that you went to the library to borrow a book on military strategy. How come it's not enough to just learn swordsmanship? Why do you also want to learn how to deploy troops?"

"Let me ask you, what military books have you read?"

Zimu bowed slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, I have read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Art of War by Sun Bin, Wu Zi, Six Strategies, Wei Liao Zi, Sima Fa, Taibai Yin Jing, Huqian Jing, Jixiao Xinshu, and Lianbing Shiji."

The emperor's eyes flashed with surprise and then he smiled and said, "It is rare for you to have read so many military books at such a young age. Do you know which sentence in Sun Tzu's Art of War is the most classic?"

Zi Mu answered without hesitation: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction and asked again: "If I let you lead the army to fight, how would you win?"

Zi Mu said confidently in her childish voice, "I think that the most important thing in marching and fighting is to be flexible and adaptable. Winning with wisdom can also preserve one's own combat power to the greatest extent. At the same time, we must treat the soldiers well. As the saying goes, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

The emperor was delighted and praised: "Great! Great! Great! Great! What a great saying! He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world! I didn't expect a little kid like you to have such insight. It's a pity that you are only a girl. If you were a boy, you would have a bright future."

"Come here, reward the fourth young lady of the Sheng family with a hundred pieces of brocade and ten hu of jewels!" The emperor waved his hand, and soon a group of eunuchs came forward with trays.

Following the eye signals from Nanny Kong and the Queen, Zimu quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

The emperor continued to smile and asked, "Is there anything else you want as a reward, Zimu?"

Zi Mu's eyes lit up when she heard the emperor's words, and she said crisply, "I, your humble servant, would like to ask your majesty for an imperial decree."

The emperor was also curious and asked: "Oh? You, little girl, don't want gold or silver, but ask me for an imperial edict. You are quite interesting. Tell me what imperial edict you want to ask for."

Zi Mu took a deep breath and said seriously, "I hope that Your Majesty can issue an order to allow me to go into battle when I am fourteen years old, and do my part to help our dynasty regain the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

When Zi Mu said this, everyone present was shocked.

Since ancient times, whether it was the imperial examination or the battlefield, except for the court during the Wu Zhou period of Empress Zetian, it was a man's world and women had never participated in it.

The emperor was also very surprised. He looked at Zimu's determined eyes, and his heart was moved, but he still refused to speak: "Aren't you a talented woman? How could you think of going to the battlefield?"

"Your Majesty, didn't you just say that it was a pity that I was not a man? So what? Li Tang has Princess Pingyang Zhao guarding Niangzi Pass, and our dynasty will have one more General Shengda."

Nanny Kong had never expected that the fourth girl, who was raised by her elder sister, would be so ambitious. Her firm tone and demeanor reminded her of Empress Jing'an and her elder sister, Madam Sheng.

The queen came from a prominent family. Before she got married, her family had strict rules. After she got married, she became the prince's wife. Later, when her husband ascended the throne, she moved into the palace.

She had never had her own ideas before, and at this moment she was somewhat impressed by the little girl in front of her.

After a moment of silence, the emperor laughed and said, "Okay! Then I will do as you wish. I will issue a decree specifically for you. When you are fourteen years old, you can go into battle and kill the enemy."

"Princess Pingyang Zhao conquered her army by herself. I can give one of your armies to you. If you cannot conquer that army in the future, you should stay in Bianjing and be a good woman."

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