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

The next day, before dawn, Xiao Ran went out with her maids.

The market was bustling with people and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares. She wandered among the various stalls, carefully selecting New Year's goods, and bought seven or eight sets of peach wood charms alone.

Upon arriving at Jinyunfang, Yunniang greeted her with a smile and handed her the winter clothes that had been prepared beforehand. Xiao Ran nodded in satisfaction and paid the remaining balance to Yunniang.

When I returned to Luoli Garden, it was already dusk. The last rays of the setting sun painted the pear tree branches in the courtyard red, and a few sparrows chirped under the eaves as they returned to their nests.

Ah Fu was helping to unload the goods—no wonder, Xiao Ran had bought so many New Year's goods today, the servants' winter clothes alone filled half a cart, not to mention the brocade, incense, candles, and fruits. There weren't many men in the courtyard to begin with, and they were all so busy that their feet barely touched the ground.

Xiao Ran took out several purses embroidered with auspicious patterns from her sleeve and distributed them to the servants in the courtyard. When it was Afu's turn, he paused, a look of surprise on his face:

"I have it too?"

“You’re my business partner,” Xiao Ran chuckled, tossing the purse into his arms. “Now that you’ve helped me so much, you’ll naturally get your share.”

Afu looked down at the exquisite purse in his hand, his fingertips tracing the fine stitches. The purse was heavy; besides the talisman money, it seemed to contain a few gold seeds. He looked up and met Xiao Ran's smiling eyes, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a soft glow upon her.

"Then... I thank you very much, Miss Xiao."

As he turned to leave, Xiao Ran noticed a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of firecrackers came from afar, and the air was filled with the fragrance of burning pine branches. Xiao Ran smiled and went inside as well.

As night fell, Xia He carefully removed Xiao Ran's hairpins, and the girl in the bronze mirror looked slightly tired.

Suddenly, Xiao Ran noticed something unusual—Chun Tao, who was usually so talkative, was unusually quiet at this moment.

She turned around and saw Chun Tao standing behind her, puffing out her cheeks, twisting her handkerchief in her hands, her eyes filled with grievance.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Ran asked softly, her tone filled with concern.

Chun Tao glared at Xiao Ran angrily, then turned her head away. The candlelight reflected on her round cheeks, making her grievances even more obvious.

Seeing this, Xia He smiled gently, combing Xiao Ran's hair as she softly explained, "Please don't be offended, Miss. Chun Tao is just annoyed with herself for being useless..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

Xia He put down the rhinoceros horn comb in her hand and continued softly, "When Granny Yang came a few days ago, Chun Tao was on tenterhooks, afraid that Granny Yang would make trouble because of the missing ruler. But I didn't expect that Miss had already remembered this matter and directly asked Xiao Lan to fix it... This girl got stuck on this and felt that she was not favored by Miss."

Before she could finish speaking, Chun Tao's eyes were already red. She bit her lip and whispered, "This servant... this servant just feels that I'm clumsy and don't like you, Miss..."

"You!" Xiao Ran stood up and gently tapped Chun Tao's forehead with her fingertips. The touch was light, but it carried a hint of affectionate reproach. "How could you think like that? If it weren't for you, this matter might not have been possible."

Chun Tao's sobs stopped abruptly. Seeing this, Xiao Ran's tone became even gentler: "Think about it, if you hadn't reminded me that day, how would I have thought of repairing this ruler? And you helped me keep watch, so I was able to make these preparations."

The flickering candlelight illuminated a sly glint in Xiao Ran's eyes.

Xiao Ran thought to herself that if Chun Tao hadn't acted alongside her while she was being punished, He Wan probably wouldn't have let her guard down.