Thankfully, I didn’t need to reply to this since Lord Yulin took matters into his own hands and made it very, very clear that his son was not my concubine and that we were to be married.

I made my escape as quickly as I could with my household. It wasn’t until we were all safely back at the farm that I relaxed.

As I sank down onto my most comfortable overstuffed chair, Scholar Wu asked to speak to me and my apprentices in private.

“Sure, but let me rest for a bit and change into something less formal.”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll change, too,” she said.

She left with my apprentices.

The maids helped me take the pins out of my hair and combed it out for me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took off the heavy robes and put on the [Spring Fling] outfit, a pretty little white frock with a cherry print, and a leaf green cardigan from the Cash Shop.

The kids and Scholar Wu returned in their everyday clothes just as I finished putting on the vintage-looking Mary Jane shoes that came with the set.

“Waaaiiiiiit!” I held a hand up and stopped Scholar Wu before she could speak. “Please.”

She closed her mouth and raised an eyebrow.

I put my head in my hands in mock despair. “Why is your expression so serious? Can’t I have one day to relax and enjoy my elevation to the top rank of the nobility?”

Scholar Wu could tell I was joking and played along. “Alas, Lady Violet, now that you are a Duchess, the things you must take care of have multiplied, both in number and importance.”

“Oh my.” I leaned back on my chair. “Kids, take this as a lesson. Never try to rise so high. It’s a huge pain in the neck!”

Lari and Kharli rolled their eyes while Mo seemed to be mentally taking notes.

“The Lady of the West and I had a long discussion while we were waiting for Noble Consort Chandra. I’ve been asked to apprise you of certain details you are probably not aware of,” said Scholar Wu. “A few days ago, a small, secret group of Vermillion Bird clan members joined the camp at the Southern Lands.”

“What? But I thought it was taboo for them to return to their homeland.”

She shrugged. “It is taboo, but some people still do it.”

I leaned forward. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Their zidan was not restored?”

“It was not.”

“But-but that means…” My voice trailed off as my mind raced. The implications of this new piece of information were astounding! “I need caffeine.”

This time, instead of the usual [Kola-Kola Soda], I took out a bottle from the [Majestic Oceanfront Sanctuary’s] vending machine during my first year in this world.

[Mermaid Mist:

Soda with a citrus flavor and a hint of seawater.]

I only had a few precious bottles of these, but this was a special occasion. I gave the others a choice of either [Kola-Kola Soda], [Mermaid Mist], or [Grimoire Grape].

[Grimoire Grape:

Grape-flavored soda.]

I drank the sweet beverage while asking Scholar Wu more questions and pondering the recent events.

According to her, the Lady of the West had people watching the Vermillion Bird clan members who were already in the south, and after my ship landed with King Arjun and Queen Chandra, they reported that there was no change in their status.

“That makes no sense!” I said.

“Everything you have predicted has always come to pass. Therefore, Lady Yuying trusts all the clan members who will be traveling south soon will have their zidan restored. She will also be advising the people already there to travel north and re-enter the Southerlands.”

“Yes… as far as I know, it should work.”

The plan was based on my knowledge of game lore which, as far as I remembered, showed that since the descent of the Demon Monarch, the Vermillion Bird clan’s zidan was restored. All they had to do was to return to the Southern lands to reclaim it.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

However, Scholar Wu’s news meant that this wasn’t entirely true.

On our journey home, I’d explained the recent events to my apprentices. The kids were no dummies and immediately grasped the meaning behind our words.

“Teacher, you said that their zidan was already restored, but if it was only restored when you helped Prince Arjun, does that mean the System did it?” asked Kharli.

They understood that part, but if the System was doing more than simply predicting events that would have happened anyway, did they also realize that this could mean that the System was also the one behind the Demon Monarch?

I could be blamed for everything that goes wrong from now on!

Terrible visions of clan members accusing me of causing storms, drought, plague, and who knew what made me shiver.

“Not to worry, Lady Violet.” Scholar Wu put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it before letting go. “The Lady of the West asked me to speak to you since she was afraid you wouldn’t comprehend what your success will lead to.”

I shivered again. “What will it lead to?”

“Temples made for worshipping you.” Scholar Wu chuckled at my reaction.

“Because everyone will think she restored the Vermillion Bird clan’s zidan?” asked Mo.

“Will Teacher be worshipped like a goddess?” Lari’s eyes shone with delight.

“All this.” Scholar Wu waved a hand to indicate the farm. “Is a great accomplishment. This made you into a duchess.”

She smiled at the kids, then at me before continuing. “But you should understand that what you have just done is beyond mortal ability.”

“Excuse me? I honestly didn’t do anything at all!” I said.

“Lady Violet, it’s one thing to grow spirit plants, create legendary potions, rediscover ancient lost islands, and forge mythical-grade weapons. It’s quite another to resurrect dead zidan!”

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I swear I didn’t do anything!”

“Of course, of course.”

She obviously didn’t believe me.

I frowned. “What’s going to happen now? You were joking about the temples, right?”

“Lady Yuying asked me to tell you that you may want to stay inside the farm in the meantime. I know you have a protective shield over it that no one can penetrate.”

“Why? Is she expecting trouble?”

“Not trouble, no. Just gawkers and overeager clan members who will want to meet you.” She wasn't too much of an elegant and well-mannered scholar to tease me, and her grin showed a lot of even white teeth with prominent incisors. “Also, tons of suitors will want to join your harem.”

“No way!”

The kids laughed and started teasing me about Prince Arjun and Prince Baiyu fighting each other for my favor. The serious topics were dropped from our discussion, and we moved on to chatting about the celebration banquet tonight.

That night, I lay awake in bed hugging Mr. Bear while I thought about Scholar Wu's words. What was that all about? The System could be more powerful than I thought, but I had a strong feeling, deep down inside, that the System was like a friend to me.

"I wish GodIAm or someone would log in and tell me what this is all about," I said to Mr. Bear.

Yawning, I checked the System's friend list tab, but all the names were still greyed out.

***

A few days later, everyone was tired from partying all night, and we all agreed it was time to return to our regular schedule.

Kharli, Mo, and the maids got started on their dowry chests, which were richly decorated cedar boxes containing clothing, linens, and household items that a bride was supposed to bring with them when they got married. Fengying declared that the girls were now of an age to use their allowance on useful things rather than fripperies.

I, as their mentor or employer, was expected to provide a few precious items, but the bulk of the chest’s contents should be made by the bride herself as a show of her skills and industriousness.

To my surprise, Lari was also expected to prepare a chest, though his was a bridal chest meant to be given to his future wife. He declined to learn sewing or knitting and declared he was going to save up money instead.

“Then you will use the money to buy the linens and things?” I asked Lari.

We were at the northernmost rice paddy adjusting the water level for the [Rice-fish Culture System]. The spring rains had come and we didn’t want the water to overflow and wash the [Rice Carp] away.

[Rice-fish Culture System:

The water in a rice paddy can be used for more than just growing rice. Farmers can also stock it with fish in order to secure an easy source of protein. Furthermore, the fish will improve soil quality by softening the soil and providing nutrients via their excrement. It is also good for pest management since fish eat insects, snails, fungus, weeds, etc.]

“Yes, or I could use a much smaller chest.” He measured out the dimensions with his hands, indicating a palm-sized box. “I’d fill it with silver, gold, and jade.”

“Interesting.” I bent down and patted Cutie on the head. Today, I’d given her free run of the farm, but she mostly preferred to follow either me or Lari.

It was a lovely day. The sun cast a warm golden light over the farm, its light dancing on the shimmering surface of the rice paddies. The ground under our boots was muddy with rain and squelched wetly with every step, but I was used to it by this time. The air was cool and fresh. Somehow, ever since I had opened the [Mustard Seed Pocket Dimension] for others to visit, the farm’s air smelled more flowery. Normally, there was a faint scent of manure and animals from the [Chickens] I was raising, but these days their scent had faded to almost nothing. Scholar Wu said it was because the otherworldly qi was spilling over into Emberstone Farm.

“I think this is enough.” Lari closed the irrigation channel's water gates.

“Yes, I think so. To the orchard then.”

Kharli and Mo were waiting for us in the area north of the main house. Our daily chores consisted of taking care of the crops and animals before using up all our energy on planting fruit trees.

“Apricots today.” I handed over the seeds and we started planting.

The System did most of the work. We hit the ground lightly with a [Spade] and a hole appeared with a lump of loose soil beside it. After applying [Mysterious Goo] to the hole and throwing in the seed, we used the [Spade] on the soil and covered the hole with it. That was the end of it since fruit trees didn’t need to be watered.

We worked in a companionable silence broken only by birdsong and the rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze played among the trees around us. It was easy though muddy work, and I didn’t mind since I could see in my mind’s eye how the orchard would look this time next year when the trees were fully grown. The thought of harvesting baskets and baskets of fruit made me smile.

The kids finished before I did since they had less energy.

“Yuck, this mud is all over my dress,” said Lari.

“Hey, don’t complain. It could be worse,” said Kharli.

“Yeah, it could be raining!” said Mo.

A shadow fell over us as a cloud passed over the sun. We all looked up.

“Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it,” said Kharli.

Mo covered her mouth with a hand.

“What’s that?” said Lari.

Mo ran over to me and tugged on my sleeve. “Teacher, look!”

I dropped my [Spade]. “Cutie! Nooooo!”