After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

In the Fuqu Courtyard, where snow reflects off the red walls, the golden nanmu wood pillars gleam softly under the midday sun.

Xiao Ran gritted her teeth, her body trembling slightly as she held the hard cover of "Admonitions for Women" under her arms. Meltwater from the icicles on the eaves meandered along the cracks in the blue bricks to the edge of her embroidered shoes, but it couldn't extinguish the hot sweat seeping from her back.

"Snapped!"

The dull thud of the ruler striking the calf startled the sparrows under the eaves, causing them to flutter and scatter.

He Wan's light blue skirt remained perfectly still, only the pearl hairpin at her temple traced a silver arc in the sunlight. She looked down at the overlapping shadows of the two people on the blue bricks—hers were as upright as a pine tree, while Xiao Ran's had become a slender willow in the wind.

"With Miss Ran's demeanor, her future in-laws will probably criticize her based on her dowry list."

Granny Yang's silver bracelet clattered against the ruler as she glanced at Xiao Ran's flushed face. "You'd be better off learning from Miss Wan. The ink on her copy of 'Rules for Women' wasn't even dry this morning, yet she can still..."

Before she could finish speaking, the book on Xiao Ran's head slammed down on the snow-covered roots of the pomegranate tree. Her crimson skirt fell to the ground like scattered crabapple petals, and she simply squatted down into a small ball.

"If all husbands' families are like Granny Yang, using rulers like they eat rice, I'd rather cut off my hair and become a nun!"

The maidservant brewing tea under the eaves burst out laughing.

Granny Yang's hand, holding the ruler, hovered in mid-air. Her gaze fell upon the crooked gold filigree butterfly in the girl's hair, and two pools of stubbornness shone in her almond-shaped eyes, which reflected the snow.

After a long pause, the ruler slammed heavily on the vermilion railing: "Serve the meal! Teach the etiquette of using chopsticks and spoons at noon."

"Granny, you have the heart of a bodhisattva!" Xiao Ran leaped up, her crimson skirt sweeping across the remaining snow, startling the gilded hand warmer on the rosewood table, which spun around in surprise.

She picked up the celadon cup, tilted her head back, and drank it down, letting out a soft whimper like a kitten.

He Wan gently touched the jade hairpin in her hair with her hand. When she turned around, she caught a glimpse of Granny Yang shaking her head at Xiao Ran, but there was a faint smile on her lips.

She carefully placed the "Admonitions for Women" on the boxwood table, and the curve of her kneeling in greeting resembled a crescent moon: "It has been hard for you, Mother."

As Granny Yang turned around, pulling her dark blue vest tighter, she bumped into He Wan, who was raising her hand to adjust her hairpin.

The young girl gently twisted the jade hairpin with her slender, white fingers, causing ripples to appear on the dark patterns on her moon-white dress. Yet, her hair at her temples remained perfectly in place, making her resemble a jade Guanyin statue revered before a Buddha.

"When an ordinary young lady first learns to stand properly, her legs will inevitably tremble and she will sweat profusely."

Suddenly, the ruler struck He Wan's shoulder. Granny Yang stared at the hem of her skirt, which remained perfectly still. "Miss Wan is so thoughtful; it's as if she developed this skill from birth."

"You've really put me in a bad mood, Granny. The other day, I accidentally burned my mother while learning to serve tea, and I was punished by having to copy 'The Rules for Women' three times." As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of that bright, lively color out of the corner of her eye, and a smile crept onto her lips.

Granny Yang's eyes twitched.

She clearly saw that the bracelet on He Wan's wrist was of excellent quality, but it was clearly two fingers wider than the girl's wrist, as if it had been given to her by someone. And it was obvious that this person would never have made He Wan copy the book three times.

Granny Yang's ebony ruler, radiating a chilling aura, suddenly pressed down on He Wan's wrist as she held the hairpin. The girl's wrist bone pressed against the sharp edges of the ruler, carved with taotie patterns, while the tassel at the end of the jade hairpin still hung down in a straight line like rain.

"Today I will teach you, young lady, the proper way to hold a hairpin..."

Before the old woman could finish speaking, a silvery laugh suddenly burst from the corridor. Xiao Ran was tying Chun Tao's apricot-yellow ribbon to a plum branch when her pomegranate-red cloak swept away a flurry of snowflakes, startling the cat that was dozing behind the bamboo curtain.

He Wan's eyes swept over the pulsating fiery red, and a faint ripple appeared on her lips: "What the old lady said is right, it should be supported with three fingers instead of clenched with five fingers?"

The ruler was suddenly withdrawn, but a rouge mark had already appeared on her wrist. Looking up again, she saw Granny Yang already holding the ruler and walking towards the two people in the corridor.