Su Yueqing sat comfortably in a plush, cushioned armchair, perched on the stone steps just above the courtyard ground. She looked down at the crowd with a look of pure, exaggerated snobbery.

Below her, every single maid, servant, and guard belonging to the Northern Courtyard stood lined up in neat, terrified rows.

[Host,] Nine’s mechanical voice chimed.

[The collective stress levels of the servants have risen by forty percent. Your villainess behavior is currently highly effective.]***

[Perfect!]

Su Yueqing cackled internally, crossing her legs and smoothing down her silk robes.

[Look at them tremble, Nine! They think I’m a tyrant. Now, when Wenzhe gets here, he’ll see his toxic, dramatic wife bullying the innocent staff over a piece of jewelry. He’ll absolutely hate me!]

"My Bi Luo jade hairpin does not simply sprout wings and fly away!" Su Yueqing announced loudly, slamming her delicate hand on the armrest of her chair. "It was part of my wedding dowry! If the thief does not step forward right now, I will have every single room in this courtyard turned inside out!"

The servants bowed their heads lower, some of the younger maids shaking in fear.

Just then, the heavy wooden gates of the courtyard swung open, and a grand procession walked in.

At the front was the Old Madame, leaning heavily on her ornate walking cane, flanked by Duchess Lin Meiyun. Right behind them followed the girls Lanyin, Qianqian, Gu Yue, and little Anran.

Walking closely with the family were Wenzhe’s second brother, Xi Yunhao, along with his aunt, Xi Ronghua, her husband Gu Zhen, and their son, Gu Xiang.

"What is the meaning of this uproar, Yueqing?" the Old Madame voiced out, her tone dripping with disapproval as she stopped at the base of the steps.

Su Yueqing didn’t even stand up immediately. Instead, she took her time, giving a lazy, slightly disrespectful bow from her seat before resting her chin on her hand. "Ah, Grandmother, Mother. You’ve all come. Someone has dared to steal from my personal quarters. I am simply cleansing my courtyard of rats."

Gu Xiang stepped forward, his sharp tongue instantly cutting through the air as he looked up at his cousin’s wife. "Cleansing the courtyard? Or just making a mountain out of a molehill to show off your temper? It’s just a hairpin, yet you’ve gathered the entire household staff as if the treasury was robbed."

"A hairpin?" Su Yueqing scoffed, narrowing her eyes dramatically at the young man. "It is a priceless dowry piece! But of course, those who don’t possess such treasures wouldn’t understand the loss."

Standing right nearby, Xi Yunhao couldn’t keep his mouth shut either. He crossed his arms and snorted loudly, looking right at Su Yueqing. "Sister-in-law, if you lose a tooth tomorrow, are you going to line up the guards for that too? You’re just looking for an excuse to yell at people!"

Smack! Smack!

Two sharp knocks to the back of the head echoed through the courtyard at the exact same time.

Gu Xiang winced, rubbing his head as his mother, Xi Ronghua, glared down at him fiercely. "Is that how you speak to your cousin-in-law?" she scolded, her voice sharp. "What do you even know about hairpins?"

Gu Zhen quickly stepped up next to his wife, nodding in firm agreement to completely silence his son.

Right beside them, Xi Yunhao was also clutching his head in pain. Duchess Lin Meiyun lowered her hand, fixing her son with a cold, terrifying stare. "One more word from you, and I’ll have you join Yunchen on military training as well."

Yunhao instantly shut his mouth, his face turning pale at the thought of being dragged into his brother’s grueling lessons.

Before Su Yueqing could process her disappointment that the family wasn’t turning against her, the crowd of servants parted as a tall, imposing figure strode into the courtyard.

Xi Wenzhe had arrived.

Su Yueqing’s eyes lit up with malicious glee.

[Yes! The main judge is here! Time to look as toxic as humanly possible!]

Wenzhe walked past his family, his dark eyes sweeping over the rows of terrified maids before finally landing on his wife, who was currently smirking down at him from her comfy chair. He didn’t look angry, nor did he look smitten.

His expression was completely unreadable, a perfect mask of military calm.

He stopped at the bottom of the steps, folding his hands behind his back. "Yueqing. What is happening here?"

Su Yueqing stood up, throwing her shoulders back and looking down at him with a haughty glare. "Husband! Your servants are thieves. My Bi Luo hairpin is gone, and I will not rest until I find the culprit, even if I have to punish every single person standing here!"

She waited for his lecture. She waited for him to call her unreasonable, to tell her she was embarrassing the Xi family name, or to look at her with deep disgust.

Instead, Wenzhe merely tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering on her flushed, dramatic face for a brief second.

A tiny, almost invisible flicker of amusement passed through his eyes, though his voice remained perfectly steady and professional.

"If a dowry piece is missing, it is indeed a serious matter," Wenzhe said calmly, his tone entirely level. "But standing in the morning sun will only tire you out. Sit back down, and let the head steward handle the physical search."

Su Yueqing’s jaw practically dropped.

[Nine!!] she screamed in her mind, her internal panic reaching maximum levels.

[Why isn’t he yelling at me?! Why is he telling me to sit down and rest?! Is he blind?! I am being a tyrant right now!]

[Host,] Nine replied smoothly.

[The male lead appears to be practicing standard household management. He is simply being... logical.]

"Under the roof of this courtyard.. my wife’s precious jewelry was stolen.. when the culprit is caught they shall face penalty but if you want to reduced your pension then you better step out and confess now."