Duchess Lin Meiyun stepped forward, taking charge of the situation with an effortless air of authority. She looked toward the head maid of the Northern Courtyard, her expression stern and commanding.

"Take the senior guards and begin a thorough search immediately," the Duchess ordered smoothly. "Go straight to the maids’ quarters and turn over every corner. Find out exactly who is responsible for this. Once you finish searching, report back to me without delay."

The head maid bowed deeply. "Yes, Duchess. Right away."

Turning back to the family, Lin Meiyun smoothed down her robes and sighed. "It is far too early in the morning to be dealing with this on empty stomachs. Come, everyone. Let us all go to the dining hall and have breakfast while the servants do their jobs."

Su Yueqing sat back down in her comfortable chair, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she looked completely annoyed.

What she didn’t realize was that a bizarre cosmic glitch had occurred since the day she stepped into this household. The entire family standing in the courtyard from the Old Madame down to little Anran could hear every single one of her chaotic internal thoughts.

They all knew. They knew about the mechanical "system" named Nine, they knew she was desperately trying to play the role of a toxic villainess, and they knew this entire dramatic scene was just an elaborate scheme to pester Wenzhe and make him hate her.

Wenzhe looked up at his brooding wife,

"So, she thinks I am going to lecture her?" he thought to himself, deciding then and there to keep playing along just to see what ridiculous stunt she would pull next.

The family turned to leave for breakfast, completely unfazed by her fake tyranny.

But just before anyone could take a step out of the courtyard, a young maid broke away from the rows of servants. She stepped forward in a hurry and fell to her knees, bowing her head to the ground.

"Please wait, Duchess! Master Wenzhe!" the maid gasped out, her voice trembling but clear. "I know who stole the hairpin, Young Madame!"

The entire courtyard went completely still.

The Old Madame stopped in her tracks, her hand tightening on her cane, while Duchess Lin Meiyun’s eyes narrowed sharply. Even Wenzhe fixed a piercing gaze on the kneeling maid.

Based on the chaotic thoughts they had just been overhearing, the family had been completely convinced this was all a sham. They fully expected that the hairpin had been hidden away by Su Yueqing herself to stir up trouble and make Wenzhe miserable. They certainly hadn’t expected it to actually be stolen.

A crooked, mocking smile appeared on Su Yueqing’s lips as she leaned back in her plush chair, looking down at the kneeling servant. But curiously, her frantic inner voice had gone completely dead silent. Not a single thought leaked out, leaving the family entirely in the dark about what she was scheming now.

Lanyin stepped forward from the group, her brow furrowing with a mix of concern and suspicion. She looked at the informant maid and questioned her directly. "If you know who took it, name them. Whoever stole it should step forward now."

The kneeling maid trembled, She was a young maid with very pale skin and a fragile, frail-looking body. She moved so quietly and slowly that she looked a little lifeless to even begin with, as if a strong gust of wind might knock her over entirely.

"It... it was her. Li Mei," the maid whispered, her voice barely carrying over the stone courtyard.

The fragile, pale maid kept her finger trembling in the air, pointing past the mid-tier servants and straight toward the very back row.

A heavy, breathless shock instantly washed over the entire yard. The older family members looked completely stunned, and even the senior guards shifted on their feet in sheer disbelief.

Everyone in the estate had known Li Mei for years. She had grown up serving the Xi family, earning a reputation for being exceptionally loyal, quiet, and reliable. Because of her long-standing presence.. they could hardly believe what they were hearing.

Wenxhe on the other hand remained quiet... Even though Su Yueqing’s recent antics had forced him to see some questionable, hidden sides of Li Mei’s character lately, he still fundamentally trusted her. He could hardly believe his ears. To him, and to the rest of the household, the idea of Li Mei stealing a priceless dowry piece was completely unthinkable.

Li Mei dropped to one knee, keeping her back straight, though a flicker of cold panic darted across her face. "Replying to the Duchess, this servant has never even stepped foot near the Young Madame’s jewelry box today. I was in the auxiliary kitchen. I am being falsely accused."

While the rest of the family stood frozen in disbelief, Duchess Lin Meiyun slowly turned her sharp gaze away from the crying maids. She looked up the stone steps toward Su Yueqing.

Su Yueqing was still leaning back in her plush chair, her arms crossed. But unlike everyone else in the courtyard, she didn’t look surprised at all. Her face was a picture of smug, lazy satisfaction, and her mind remained completely, unnaturally silent.

Looking at her daughter-in-law’s completely unbothered expression, the Duchess’s eyes narrowed. In an instant, she knew exactly what was going on. This wasn’t a random theft, and it wasn’t a mistake. Su Yueqing had deliberately set a trap, and Li Mei had walked right into it.

Before Duchess Lin Meiyun could say a single word to intervene or question the accusation, Su Yueqing suddenly stood up from her comfortable chair. She looked down at Li Mei with a cold, triumphant sneer, breaking her long silence.

"Enough back-and-forth chatter!" Su Yueqing’s voice rang out sharply across the courtyard, cutting through the stunned murmurs of the family and servants alike. She pointed a delicate, manicured finger straight at the kneeling maid. "Head maid! Search her right now, right where she stands! Don’t let her hide a single thing in her sleeves!"

The head maid jumped, startled by the sudden command, but quickly moved forward to obey.

Su Yueqing didn’t stop there. She turned her fierce gaze toward the estate guards standing by the gates, her expression haughty and demanding. "And the rest of you guards, what are you waiting for? Go into the servant quarters this instant! Search every single corner, turn over every mattress, and check every trunk thoroughly! If anyone tries to block you, consider them an accomplice!"

The guards hesitated for a split second, instinctively glancing at Master Wenzhe and the Duchess for approval, but Su Yueqing’s commanding posture left no room for delay.

As the guards scrambled to execute the orders and the head maid began checking Li Mei’s robes, the family’s ears were suddenly hit by a massive wave of internal noise. Su Yueqing’s silent block had finally shattered, and her inner thoughts came roaring back at full volume.

[Hahaha! Yes! Go search her!]

Su Yueqing was practically cheering inside her own mind, completely unaware that everyone could hear her.

[Look at Wenzhe’s face! He looks so stressed out for his precious white lotus! He must be thinking I’m a cruel, heartless monster framing an innocent girl. Come on, Husband, get angry! Yell at me for bullying your beloved Li Mei! Demand that I stop! The more you defend her, the more of a toxic villainess I look, and the faster I can get my villain points from Nine!]

Wenzhe, who was standing at the base of the steps, caught every single word of her mental breakdown. His brow twitched slightly. He looked at Li Mei, then back up at his wife’s smug, eagerly waiting face. Instead of the blind rage Su Yueqing was desperately hoping for, a wave of profound realization hit him.

He didn’t speak up to stop the search. He just stood there, his dark eyes locking onto hers, quietly watching her trap snap shut.