The villainous female supporting character becomes a heartthrob, and the powerful man successfully r

Inside the yurt, all was silent.

Those present dared not breathe loudly, minimizing their presence as much as possible to avoid incurring the wrath of the Great Chanyu.

After Xie Chi'an finished speaking, he looked at Ao Congxun with a mocking smile. He was already certain of what the other party had done. Otherwise, how could Yingying, who had liked him since childhood, have agreed to the marriage exchange?

However, he did not see the panicked and furious expression that he had expected from Ao Congxun.

The other person merely raised their phoenix eyes slightly, glancing at me with a hint of contempt and disdain.

Xie Chi'an clenched his fists, his eyes wide with anger. He inwardly cursed, "What is Ao Congxun so disdainful of? What makes him so great? He only got Yingying's body, not her heart!"

"Ah Xun, the roasted lamb is ready."

A clear, melodious female voice broke the silence inside the yurt.

Upon hearing the sound, Ao Congxun immediately got up and went out to greet him.

"Yingying, are you tired? Come and sit down."

As the voice faded, Xie Chi'an saw the figure he had longed for appear before him.

Her face was as white as mutton fat jade, her features were exquisite, and her eyebrows and eyes had an ethereal beauty. With a hint of a smile, like ripples on spring water, she was captivating.

As Xia Ying passed Xie Chi'an, her expression remained unchanged. Ao Congxun helped her to a seat of honor. Only then did Xie Chi'an notice her protruding belly and her deathly pale face.

"Yingying, you—"

"Lord Xie, this is my consort. Please show her respect."

Ignoring the furious Ao Congxun, Xie Chi'an stared intently at Xia Ying, as if trying to pour out all his longing.

"Yingying, I've come to take you back."

Upon hearing this, Xia Ying gently raised her eyes to look at him, but her eyes were as calm as still water, without any fluctuations, as if she were looking at a tree, a blade of grass, or a cloud on the horizon. She only glanced at it before shifting her gaze away, not giving him even a second longer.

"Ah Xun, have you been drinking? Why is someone talking nonsense?"

Ao Congxun's eyes were filled with Xia Ying. He chuckled and said, "Perhaps he's lost his mind and can't see his place."

Xia Ying, as the queen of the grasslands, took the lead in inviting the envoys from the Central Plains to taste the grassland delicacies. During this time, Xie Chi'an kept staring at Xia Ying, but was stopped by Ao Congxun.

The tension between the two men was palpable.

Even after the welcoming banquet ended and the other envoys left, Xie Chi'an still showed no intention of leaving.

Unable to bear the disturbance any longer, Xia Ying sighed, stopped in her tracks, and walked straight towards Xie Chi'an.

He watched as his eyes lit up, and hope was rekindled.

"General Xie, I hope you will stop disturbing my and A-Xun's lives. A-Xun and I are in love and have finally made it this far. I don't want to let irrelevant people affect our relationship. I hope you have the self-awareness to do so."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Ying turned around, and Ao Congxun quickly took her arm and led her away.

"I don't believe it, Yingying. We've been together since we were little. You said you'd marry me! I've been waiting for you. I didn't touch Xia Jiaojiao. I'm still clean!"

Xie Chi'an roared with all his might. Xia Ying's words had shattered the hope that had brought him here. Now, he felt like a rag doll, about to fall over with the slightest breeze.

"Really? But I don't like you, so what you said doesn't matter to me."

Ao Congxun glanced back and saw Xie Chi'an kneeling dejectedly on the ground, muttering something. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, but quickly disappeared.

Xie Chi'an is completely out of the game.

Then he can rest easy!

Xie Chi'an no longer had the strength to chase after them; now, all his hopes were shattered.

It was springtime, but he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

His childhood sweetheart, a match made in heaven, shared a deep and abiding friendship. But he ruined everything, losing it all in his own hands.

Xie Chi'an looked at the two people sweetly accompanying each other in the distance, and his heart grew increasingly bitter. After a while, he felt a metallic taste in his throat and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

The bright red blood on the green grass was particularly glaring.

He deserved it—he thought—he really deserved it.

The next day, Xie Chi'an showed no trace of the previous day's dejection; he seemed detached from reality, almost otherworldly. Following protocol, he presented his gifts, stayed on the grasslands for three days, and then left with the main group.

In the capital, Grand Tutor Liu's granddaughter and the newly appointed top scholar were happily married. After the emperor issued an imperial decree to grant the marriage, Grand Tutor Liu asked his son and daughter-in-law to hold a spring banquet.

"Spring has arrived, and the children should relax a bit. Let's take this opportunity to host a banquet so everyone can have a good time. Remember to send an invitation to the Xie family."

Madam Liu and Mr. Liu exchanged a meaningful glance.

They knew their father looked down on the Xie family, and this was just to disgust Madam Xie and the little princess.

Now everyone in the capital knows that the little princess has replaced the eldest princess in marriage into the Xie family, causing chaos and unrest within the Xie household.

First, she hit her mother-in-law and talked back to her father-in-law. Then, rumors spread that she and General Xie had never consummated their marriage.

In no time, Xia Jiaojiao became the laughing stock of the entire capital.

On the surface, these noble ladies and mistresses treated her with utmost respect, but in private they had long harbored resentment towards her and formed a close relationship with her.

At the spring banquet, Xia Jiaojiao, dressed in a new dress made of cloud brocade, shone brightly among the noble ladies.

But as soon as she got close, everyone present made excuses to escape.

"I think I heard my older brother calling me, so I'll go ahead."

"The peach blossoms over there are in full bloom, let's go take a look."

Xia Jiaojiao wrung out the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes filled with resentment and anger.

Before the banquet was over, she went straight to the palace to find her mother, Consort Xian.

"Mother, go find Father and kill them all. No, sell them all to brothels! They're driving me crazy!"

However, Consort Xian looked haggard and listless.

"Mother, have the imperial physician examined her?"

A palace maid replied, "We have already summoned the imperial physician three times; it's just a cold, and Your Highness should rest."

Seeing that there was no hope, Xia Jiaojiao didn't want to stay any longer and returned to the Xie residence.

Inside Changhuan Palace, a thin palace maid lit incense, while another maid served Consort Xian her medicine.

That evening, news arrived that Consort Xian was critically ill.

The palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground, and the personal maid trembled as she carefully answered the emperor's questions.

"Only the princess came back today, and she left after half an hour."

"Absurd! Jiaojiao is my daughter, how could I poison her mother!"

The emperor was naturally suspicious, but he still allowed Xia Jiaojiao to enter the palace for a medical examination by the imperial physician.

Although nothing was found, it was still shrouded in mystery.

The next day, Consort Xian passed away.

The emperor was by her bedside and heard her repeatedly muttering, "Empress, it wasn't me, it wasn't my fault, it was all His Majesty's doing..."

The emperor was frightened again and ordered people to pray for the late empress, and forbade the virtuous concubine from entering the imperial concubine mausoleum.

Xia Jiaojiao was keeping vigil for Consort Xian in the palace. The night was cool and the palace was spacious. When the wind blew, it made a rustling sound.

"Jiaojiao... Jiaojiao~"

Inside the main hall, a soft call came from inside. Xia Jiaojiao was wide awake and immediately looked around alertly.

Suddenly a stray cat ran out, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to get up to add incense, a white figure appeared upside down in front of her.

"ah--"

Xia Jiaojiao fainted and went insane when she woke up three days later.