The princess was ordained by Heaven.

"What does the princess wish to learn?"

Zheng Xun blinked: "To protect myself."

"Self-preservation?" Mengjia shook her head, her tone full of distrust. "The princess cannot deceive a commoner like me."

Li Zhuo: "Master, it's normal to want to protect yourself..."

"But your princess has a murderous aura and must have taken many lives. She has no shortage of ways to protect herself."

How could someone who has wielded power be content with merely protecting themselves?

"The Eldest Princess? A murderous aura?"

Li Zhuo suspected that his master was teasing him.

He's encountered countless desperate criminals; how could he not even be able to tell whether a person has a menacing aura?

Besides, how old is the eldest princess?

No, the princess is no ordinary person, so you can't judge her by her age. But he still thinks she's a little white rabbit, and his master is exaggerating too much.

"She has hidden it very well; she must have been cultivating her character for a long time."

Zheng Xun was surprised.

She was absolutely right. How could someone who had survived the apocalypse have clean hands? But as she climbed higher and higher and her powers grew stronger, fewer and fewer fools dared to mess with her.

No longer needing to bluff to arouse others' fear, she naturally began to disguise herself, a tactic commonly known as "playing dumb to fool the enemy."

The saying, "A wise man keeps his talents hidden until the right time to act; deep waters are silent, and a steady person speaks little; those who plan great things keep them in mind and act accordingly," applies to her as follows: she keeps her talents hidden and her plans will surely succeed.

As the base commander, she must know how to kill, but she can't just know how to kill. Therefore, concealing her abilities and revealing them when necessary is something she must learn.

Until she transmigrated, she had already become a "hidden master" in the base, and no one could guess that she was the real person in charge of the base.

She smiled broadly: "I have always believed that the best way to protect oneself is to deal with danger before it comes."

Mengjia smiled as well, and her address became more intimate: "Would the princess be willing to learn martial arts from this humble subject?"

Although she received the emperor's salary, she was only responsible for protecting the emperor. As a martial arts master, she considered herself capable and was naturally a bit arrogant. Very few people could catch her eye, and in the past, only Li Zhuo was worthy of her attention.

If Zheng Xun were a prince, she would have to worry about getting involved in royal power struggles, but as a princess, she wouldn't have to worry so much.

Zheng Xun immediately called out "Master," but Meng Jia refused to acknowledge it: "No need. Although I am not an official of the court, I still understand the principle of sharing the emperor's burdens and receiving the emperor's salary. It is my duty to teach the princess. I cannot accept the title of 'Master.'"

To put it bluntly, she simply didn't want to get too involved with Zheng Xun, nor did she want to take on the responsibility of being a mentor.

Zheng Xun didn't care, as long as she was serious and didn't hold back when teaching, a cash payment was fine.

Mengjia gave her a manual of internal martial arts techniques, and after agreeing on a time for martial arts practice the next day, he took his leave.

Zheng Xun carried the cultivation manual back to the newly renovated Mingzhu Pavilion.

Although it was her palace, it was her first time visiting.

Mingzhu Pavilion is a rare two-story building in the palace, a small two-story pavilion with an exquisite little garden and a lotus pond.

There weren't many servants in Mingzhu Pavilion, but knowing that Zheng Xun would be moving in today, more than a dozen of them were already waiting outside the hall.

Upon seeing Zheng Xun, the group of people bowed deeply in greeting.

The one in the lead was Granny Qi, whom the Empress relied on the most. Zheng Xun had no one capable of handling things, so the Empress specially sent Granny Qi to help.

"No need for formalities, Granny. You've worked hard, Granny." Zheng Xun helped Granny Qi up and then looked at the others, "No need for formalities."

Granny Qi stood up and said, "It is my honor to serve the princess. It is not hard work at all. It is just that the princess needs to take a look at the people in Mingzhu Pavilion. If there are any you don't like, I will take them away now."

Mingzhu Pavilion is very large, and it would be impossible to manage if there were too few people. Zheng Xun browsed through the gossip system and finally simplified it according to the regulations.

She barely interacted with the palace maids and eunuchs. Although Granny Qi trusted her judgment, she was worried that Zheng Xun was too young and inexperienced, so she reminded her, "Does the princess want to investigate her further?"

Zheng Xun smiled, her gaze sweeping lightly over the palace servants who stood with their hands clasped and heads bowed: "No need, nothing can escape my eyes."

Offering even a word of advice would be presumptuous, and seeing that Zheng Xun had already made up his mind, she said nothing more.

Granny Qi left with the extra people, leaving Zheng Xun and a group of palace servants whose faces were obscured by their bowed heads: "I don't have high expectations of you. Just do your job well. Of course, you can't betray me. I mean what I say, and you can't disobey my orders. But... if you really have any bad intentions, don't blame me for being ruthless."

She paused, then said confidently, "I'll say it again: nothing can escape my eyes."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zheng Xun pointed out a man and a woman: "What are your names?"

She gestured for the two to look up and remember their faces.

"Your Highness, this is your servant, Chun."

"Your servant, Xiao Chengzi."

"Please bestow a name upon us, Your Highness."

"A name bestowed? Zhichun's name is fine, no need to change it. Xiaochengzi, you can change it to... Li Zhicheng? Since you are Eunuch Li's godson, you can take his surname."

"I sincerely thank you, Master, for bestowing this name upon me." Zhicheng's already round face beamed with an even more joyful smile.

With a name, he would become a useful person by his master's side, no longer a menial servant whom anyone could order around.

Zheng Xun chuckled: "Why aren't you serving Father Emperor and Eunuch Li? Why have you come to my humble abode?"

Zhicheng bowed slightly: "My godfather knows that the princess has no useful people around her, so he sent me to serve her. I hope the princess will not find me unworthy."

"I've gotten a great deal, of course I won't complain."

Although Zhicheng had only recently become an apprentice, his status as Eunuch Li's adopted son gave him some influence within the palace. Moreover, he was of good character, knew some martial arts, and was diligent and hardworking, always managing to learn some skills from Eunuch Li, which was more than enough.

As for Zhichun, she is calm, mature, meticulous and thoughtful. She originally served in the Empress Dowager's palace, but in reality, she was the Emperor's person. When she reached marriageable age, she did not want to leave the palace to marry, so she stayed in the palace after combing her hair. She was originally a steward, so managing Mingzhu Pavilion was more than enough for her.

Where did the sound come from?

Zhichun and Zhicheng raised their heads, looked around, and finally their gazes fell on Zheng Xun.

Facing their gazes, Zheng Xun instructed, "Aunt Zhichun will be in charge of managing the palace maids from now on, and Eunuch Li will be in charge of managing the eunuchs. If there is anything, I will only need to contact you, understand?"

"Your Highness, we understand." Zhichun and Zhicheng were completely bewildered, but being naturally calm people, they simply put aside what they had just heard.

"Alright, now, everyone please return to your positions and take good care of your own business."