The morning sun spilled through the elegant silk curtains of the Northern Courtyard, painting the room in soft, golden light.

Su Yueqing sat up with a violent start, her tangled hair flying wildly around her shoulders. She didn’t look like a refined noble lady who had just woken up; she looked like a woman possessed by a very specific, chaotic mission.

Placing her hands on her hips, she stared blankly at the bed canopy and immediately called out in her mind.

[Nine! Get up! Today is the day!]

[Good morning, Host,] the system’s mechanical voice pinged inside her head, sounding entirely unfazed by her sudden energy.

[The current time is 7:30 AM. Your vital signs are stable, and the male lead, Xi Wenzhe, is currently handling some military affairs in the main hall. How may I assist you?]

Su Yueqing let out a devious, low laugh, her eyes narrowing as she gripped her silk blanket.

[Assist me? Oh, you don’t need to assist me. You just need to sit back and watch a master at work. Yesterday was a fluke. I let down my guard because of a stupid pancake and his ridiculous, shameless comments about consummation!]

A dark flush briefly rushed to her cheeks at the memory of Wenzhe’s parting words the night before, but she quickly shook her head to clear it.

[Forget yesterday,] she continued, her internal voice rising with dramatic flair.

[Today, the real villainess awakens. I am going to be so incredibly evil, Nine. So toxic. So utterly unbearable! I will break every rule in the book, waste all his money, make his life an absolute living hell, and push the plot right back onto the tragic tracks where it belongs. He wants to marry a villainess? Fine. I’ll give him a demon!]

[Warning, Host,] Nine chimed in, a digital chime ringing in her ears.

[The system notes that your previous attempts at ’evil’ behavior resulted in the male lead cooking you breakfast and carrying you to your quarters. Please ensure your villainous actions align with the narrative constraints.]

Su Yueqing scoffed, throwing off the covers and swinging her feet out of bed.

[That was an anomaly! Today, there will be no pancakes. Today, there will only be destruction!]

Before she could fully outline her master plan for total chaos, the bedroom doors gently slid open. Her personal maid walked in, carrying a basin of warm water and looking incredibly nervous.

"Good morning, Young Furen," the maid said, bowing low. "The Young Master left instructions before he went to the main hall. He said... he hoped you slept properly, and that you shouldn’t skip breakfast today."

Su Yueqing’s eye twitched.

[See, Nine?!] she fumed internally.

[He’s mocking me! He’s doing it on purpose! Oh, just wait block of wood. Your nightmare begins today.]

An hour later, the sun had risen fully over the Xi estate, casting bright light across the courtyards.

Inside the elegant main pavilion, Duchess Lin Meiyun sat gracefully at her tea table. Her personal maids were just putting the finishing touches on her morning routine, adjusting the heavy silk folds of her outer robe while her chief maid stood nearby, reading out the rest of the day’s schedule from a scroll.

"Duchess, at noon you are scheduled to meet with the weavers regarding the new seasonal silk," the maid read smoothly. "And later this afternoon, the accountants from the eastern estate will arrive to—"

Before the maid could finish, the heavy wooden doors were suddenly pushed open. A young servant girl hurried inside, her face pale and her breathing shallow as she bowed frantically to the Duchess.

"Duchess! Please forgive the interruption," the maid gasped, her hands trembling. "But... the Young Madame’s courtyard is in complete tension at the moment!"

Duchess Lin Meiyun paused, a cup of delicate flower tea hovering halfway to her lips. Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "The Young Madame? You mean Su Yueqing? What has happened?"

"The Young Madame is absolutely furious, Duchess!" the breathless maid explained quickly. "She has openly accused someone of stealing a highly precious piece of jewelry... specifically, the Bi Luo jade hairpin that was a legendary part of her own dowry! She claims it went missing sometime this morning, and she is beside herself with rage. Right now, she has assembled every single maid, servant, and guard in the Northern Courtyard outside for a thorough inspection. Everyone is terrified!"

Duchess Lin Meiyun set her tea cup down with a soft click, her sharp eyes narrowing. The *Bi Luo* jade hairpin was a priceless family treasure that Su Yueqing had brought with her, a piece known for its flawless craftsmanship. For it to vanish right out of the Young Madame’s quarters within the Xi estate was a severe matter but knowing Su Yueqing, a massive public scene like this would turn the entire household upside down.

Wasting no more time, the Duchess stood up, her long silk robes rustling. "Bring my coat. We are going to the Northern Courtyard immediately to see what my daughter-in-law is up to."

Meanwhile, in the grand main hall of the Xi estate, the air was heavy and quiet.

Duke Xi sat at the head of a large wooden table covered in war maps. Across from him sat Wenzhe, looking calm and serious as he studied the scrolls. Standing by the window was Yunchen, carelessly tossing a small silver dagger into the air.

"The northern borders have been too quiet," the Duke said, tapping a heavy finger on the map. "Wenzhe, the Emperor wants to know if our soldiers are ready before the winter ends."

"The food and armor are already prepared, Father," Wenzhe replied smoothly. "The snow hasn’t started yet, but it will soon. We need to secure the alternate routes before the passes are completely blocked."

As they spoke, a maid knocked gently and stepped into the room, bowing respectfully to deliver the morning updates.

"Duke, Young Master, forgive the interruption," she said calmly. "The Duchess has headed to the Northern Courtyard. The Young Madame has lined up the servants for a thorough inspection, claiming a precious piece of her dowry jewelry has gone missing."

Duke Xi rubbed his temples and let out a loud, tired sigh. He looked at Wenzhe with a face full of pity.

"Wenzhe," the Duke groaned. "Go see what your wife is doing now. If she breaks anything, the cost is coming out of your own pocket."

Wenzhe did not look surprised at all.. he already expected her to do something but he didn’t know she would do it so early in the morning.

"Yes, Father. I will handle it," Wenzhe said calmly. He rolled up his map, adjusted his robes, and stood up to leave.

Seeing the excitement, Yunchen’s eyes lit up. He caught his dagger, put it away, and quickly stepped toward the door. "Sister-in-law is causing trouble again? Wait for me, Big Brother! I want to go see the show!"

"Stop right there!" the Duke roared, his loud voice shaking the room.

Yunchen froze mid-step. He slowly turned around to face his father’s angry glare.

"Where do you think you are going?" the Duke scolded, pointing a finger back at the table. "Wenzhe has a wife to deal with. You have military laws to memorize before sunset! Sit back down before I punish you!"

Yunchen let out a miserable groan, looking helplessly at Wenzhe. But Wenzhe didn’t even look back. With his hands behind his back, he walked out of the hall, heading straight toward the Northern Courtyard to see exactly what kind of "evil" performance Su Yueqing had planned for him today.

While all these was going on, in the quiet room of the Western Garden, the girls were sitting together having tea. Lanyin, Qianqian, Gu Yue, and little Anran were all sharing sweets and enjoying the warm morning.

Qianqian leaned closer to Lanyin with a big, teasing smile. "Hey, Lanyin, tell us! What happened last night on the bridge? We saw Zi Han chasing after you!"

Gu Yue clapped her hands, her eyes wide with excitement. "Yes! Did he say something nice? Did he look at you with romantic eyes? Tell us everything!"

Lanyin’s cheeks turned a bright pink. She looked down at her teacup, nervously tapping her fingers against the porcelain. "It... it wasn’t like that at all. He was just being his usual self. He was cold and logical, and he asked if my illness was just a fake excuse to avoid the banquet with him. He completely ruined everything!"

"Oh no!" Gu Yue gasped, holding her cheeks.

Right then, little Anran reached out and grabbed another sweet pastry. She didn’t understand all the talk about boys, so she just happily chewed on her food, getting a little bit of sugar on her nose.

Before the older girls could complain more about Zi Han, a maid walked into the room. She bowed to them and spoke up. "Young ladies, I have some news from the other side of the house. The Northern Courtyard is very loud right now."

Anran blinked her big eyes, dropping her half-eaten sweet. "Why is it loud? Are they playing a fun game?"

"No, Little Miss," the maid replied kindly. "The Young Madame, Su Yueqing, is very angry. She says someone stole her beautiful jade hairpin, the one from her wedding dowry. She made all the servants line up outside in the yard so she can search their pockets and rooms."

"Wow!" Qianqian stood up quickly, her eyes shining with excitement. "A real thief hunt? Sister-in-law is causing a giant scene again!"

Anran hopped off her chair instantly and ran over to pull on Lanyin’s long sleeve. "A missing hairpin? Like a treasure hunt? Let’s go see, Sister! I want to look for the bad thief too!"