Su Yueqing slowly crossed one leg over the other as she sat comfortably, her fingers lightly tapping against the armrest of her chair while she looked over the rows of servants standing before her.

"Head Maid."

The middle-aged woman immediately stepped forward from the front of the crowd and bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Young Madam."

Su Yueqing nodded slightly before speaking in a calm but authoritative voice.

"Since I will be living here from now on, there are naturally some arrangements that need to be made.. I’ve seen the maids and I’ve finally made up my mind."

The head maid lowered her head even further.

"This servant is listening."

Su Yueqing leaned back against the chair and began listing her requirements as though she had spent years managing a large household.

"First, I want two personal maids assigned exclusively to my quarters. They will attend to my daily needs, prepare my clothing, assist with dressing, and accompany me whenever I leave the residence."

The head maid nodded.

"Understood."

Su Yueqing continued without pause.

"I also want four kitchen maids responsible for preparing my meals and managing anything related to food."

Again, the head maid nodded.

"Yes, Young Madam."

"Then assign four cleaning maids as well. I dislike seeing dust anywhere near my courtyard, and I certainly do not intend to spend my days looking at untidy rooms."

Several servants immediately lowered their heads.

"Understood."

Su Yueqing continued speaking as though she were discussing the weather.

"I will also require two errand maids. If I need something purchased, delivered, investigated, or carried out, they will handle it."

The head maid quickly committed everything to memory.

"Yes, Young Madam."

"And lastly, assign five guards to my courtyard."

That request caused several servants to look up in surprise.

Five guards?

Most noble ladies only kept one or two nearby.

But before anyone could question it, Su Yueqing lazily waved her hand.

"After all, one never knows when danger might appear."

The head maid immediately bowed.

"As Young Madam wishes. Everything will be arranged immediately."

A satisfied smile appeared on Su Yueqing’s face.

Very good.

The more people around her, the more opportunities she would have to act like an unreasonable villain.

Just as the head maid thought the instructions were finished and was preparing to step back, Su Yueqing suddenly spoke again.

"Ah, that’s right."

The head maid paused.

"Young Madam?"

Su Yueqing’s smile slowly widened.

"And one more thing."

For some reason, everyone present suddenly felt uneasy.

"I still need an assistant maid."

Chapter 29: The Assistant Maid

The moment the words "assistant maid" left Su Yueqing’s mouth, the entire courtyard fell into a strange silence.

The head maid stood frozen for a moment before she cautiously stepped forward again, clearly wondering if she had misheard something.

"Assistant maid, Young Madam?"

Her voice carried obvious confusion.

Not only her, but the dozens of maids gathered in the courtyard immediately began exchanging puzzled looks with one another.

Whispers quickly spread through the crowd.

"What is an assistant maid?"

"I’ve never heard of such a position before."

"Is it a new rank?"

"Is it above the personal maids?"

"No, perhaps below them?"

The servants looked increasingly confused as they tried to figure out what exactly their new Young Madam was talking about.

Meanwhile, sitting comfortably beneath the flowering tree, Su Yueqing looked at the bewildered crowd and almost wanted to laugh.

Of course they had never heard of it.

Because she had just invented it.

Inside her mind, however, her thoughts were running wild.

[I’ll make Xi Wenzhe hate me.]

[I’ll make him hate me so much that the moment he sees me, he’ll feel a headache.]

[Then he’ll definitely throw me out of this residence.]

The system immediately became interested.

[Host has a plan?]

[Of course I have a plan.]

A sly smile slowly appeared on Su Yueqing’s face.

[Think about it.]

[What’s the fastest way to make a man hate his wife?]

The system thought for a moment.

[Spend all his money?]

[No.]

[Burn down his residence?]

[Already did that.]

The system went silent.

Then Su Yueqing’s gaze slowly drifted through the rows of servants before eventually landing on Li Mei.

The corner of her lips curved upward.

[Simple.]

[Torture his beloved.]

The system immediately became excited.

[Host is finally embracing villainy!]

[Exactly.]

[If I bully Li Mei every day, Xi Wenzhe will definitely become furious.] 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

[Then he’ll throw me out.]

[Perfect plan.]

At the corridor overlooking the courtyard, Xi Yunchen almost swallowed his own tongue.

"..."

Gu Xiang stared.

"..."

Xi Yunhao looked equally speechless.

All three slowly turned toward Xi Wenzhe who looked as though he didn’t just hear his wife’s frantic thoughts.

Xi Yunchen slowly rubbed his forehead.

"She’s planning again."

Gu Xiang nodded.

"And somehow I already know this won’t end well."

Xi Yunhao sighed.

"I almost feel sorry for her."

The three of them then turned toward Xi Wenzhe.

He was standing with his arms folded across his chest while calmly observing the scene below.

His expression remained as indifferent as ever.

Only the slight twitch near his eyebrow revealed that he was somewhat affected.

He watched Su Yueqing sitting elegantly with the expression of a person who had just discovered a new battlefield.

Then he heard another round of whispers spreading among the servants.

Finally, he lowered his gaze and quietly muttered under his breath,

"What kind of trouble is she creating now?"

His voice was low.

But Xi Yunchen heard it clearly.

Immediately, he looked at his elder brother with disbelief.

"You actually sound concerned."

Xi Wenzhe glanced at him.

Xi Yunchen instantly shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the head maid was still waiting for an explanation.

"Young Madam..."

She hesitated before asking carefully,

"This servant has served in the Xi family for over twenty years, but I have never heard of an assistant maid. May this servant ask what duties such a maid would perform?"

The surrounding servants immediately became alert.

They also wanted to know.

Su Yueqing leisurely adjusted her sleeve before speaking.

"The assistant maid will naturally assist my personal maids."

The head maid blinked.

The servants blinked.

Nobody understood.

Seeing their expressions, Su Yueqing continued patiently.

"My personal maids will answer directly to me."

Everyone nodded because that made sense.

"My errand maids will answer to my personal maids."

Still normal.

"My cleaning maids will focus on maintaining the courtyard."

Also normal.

Then Su Yueqing smiled.

"But the assistant maid..."

She deliberately paused.

"...will answer to everyone."

Silence... there was complete silence everywhere as everyone wa still trying to comprehend her words.

The servants stared.

The head maid stared.

Even the guards looked confused but Su Yueqing continued with complete seriousness.

"If my personal maids have work, she will help."

"If the errand maids have work, she will help."

"If someone needs assistance carrying things, she will help."

"If someone makes a mistake, she can help fix it."

The more she spoke, the stranger everyone’s expressions became.

Then she concluded,

"In short, she will be the lowest-ranking maid in my courtyard."

The entire gathering instantly understood.

The corners of the head maid’s mouth twitched.

Several servants looked horrified.

One young maid almost dropped her handkerchief.

Meanwhile, Su Yueqing smiled brightly.

"A very useful position, don’t you think?"