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

Zuixianju, second floor, elegant pavilion.

Xia Mufeng and Xia Qingfeng watched as Xia Ying was taken away, their expressions incredibly complex. They couldn't fathom the Crown Prince's attitude and were momentarily at a loss for how to react.

At this moment, Xia Yanxin's soft voice rang out: "Second brother, third brother, will His Highness the Crown Prince punish sister? Will it implicate the brothers?"

The two then seemed to snap out of their daze and immediately responded to Xia Yanxin: "Don't worry, Xin'er, the Crown Prince is kind-hearted and won't implicate the Xia family. As for Xia Ying, she can only pray for her own good fortune. We will not plead for her."

"Third brother, my sister is outnumbered and helpless. How can she withstand His Highness the Crown Prince's punishment? Think of a way."

Xia Mufeng sneered, "Think of her? She almost killed my mother back then, she deserves it now. Besides, Xin'er, you are kind-hearted and simple-minded, don't be fooled by that vulgar Xia Ying. Who knows, she might be coming back to the capital this time to steal your engagement."

Xia Yanxin's eyes flickered, but she maintained her smile, though the crumpled sleeves betrayed her true emotions.

Thinking about the engagement between the Xia family and Xiao Nanzhou, which originally belonged to Xia Ying, was she really going to have to give it up when she came back this time?

Thinking of this, a shadow fell over Xia Yanxin's eyes.

Although she was an adopted daughter of the Xia family, she was deeply loved by the Xia family because of her extremely noble destiny and the life-saving grace she had for Madam Xia.

Initially, Xia Yan wanted to marry into the Eastern Palace, but one day she got lost in the palace and bumped into the seemingly kind and respectful Crown Prince. She then directly broke the neck of a little eunuch.

She was so frightened that she hid in the corner, afraid to make a sound.

"Dispose of this spy's body without making a sound, or you will pay with your life."

Xia Yanxin listened from the shadows, feeling that the Crown Prince's words were meant for her. After returning home, she had a high fever for three consecutive days, and her dreams were filled with Rong Xuanzhou's demonic face.

After that, she dared not dream of becoming the Crown Princess and instead set her sights on Xiao Nanzhou.

He was Xia's father's student and also the top scholar in the imperial examination. He had already entered the cabinet and was once the Crown Prince's study companion. The Crown Prince took a liking to him, and his future was limitless.

Just as Xia Yanxin was about to get married, Xia Ying returned.

It was after Old Madam Xia fell seriously ill that she requested that the person be brought back.

Xia's parents couldn't go against the old lady's wishes, so they randomly found an unfavored concubine, registered Xia Ying under her name, brought her back, and raised her in a side courtyard so they wouldn't have to see her and worry about her.

Xia Yanxin was a little worried. With teary eyes, she stared at her brothers and said wistfully, "If my sister wants to go back, I won't fight her for it."

"I'm going to find Xiao Nanzhou and make him give his opinion!"

The group discussed their plan and waited for the Crown Prince and Princess to arrive, but they only received a message from Lin, the Crown Prince's bodyguard.

"The Crown Prince was frightened today and is feeling unwell. He has returned to the Eastern Palace. Please make yourselves at home."

One sentence made Xia Linfeng and the others tense again. They wanted to get more information, but Guard Lin was cold and indifferent, turning and leaving without giving them any chance.

"Big brother, have we gotten ourselves into trouble?"

"Shut up, what does this have to do with us? It was Xia Ying who offended His Highness, a concubine's daughter. We can deal with her however we want."

The group was plotting in the private room, forgetting that walls have ears. As they left, a figure also slipped away.

The main hall of the East Palace.

Rong Xuanzhou sat at the table, a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

Guard Lin reported on what he had learned.

"Master, you guessed correctly. It was the scheme of the young masters of the Xia family to frame Miss Xia Ying. And judging from their attitude, they won't let this go."

Rong Xuanzhou's expression remained unchanged. His hand, which was holding the Buddhist prayer beads, paused. After a moment of silence, he instructed, "Qianyu, Qianmo, monitor the Xia residence and protect Xia Ying."

Guard Lin accepted the order and left. An hour later, the secret guard who was in charge of investigating Xia Ying returned.

"Your Highness, this is Miss Xia Ying's past experiences."

The guard presented a small booklet containing detailed records of Xia Ying's experiences.

She was originally the daughter of the Grand Secretary. When she was twelve years old, Madam Xia took her to a temple to burn incense. They encountered bandits and, in order to save Xia Ying, she fell off a cliff. She survived the ordeal and was rescued by Xia Yanxin.

Madam Xia consulted a fortune teller and learned that Xia Ying was destined to be a solitary star.

"Madam, Miss is cursed with misfortune, bringing harm to her father, mother, siblings, and partner. If you wish to preserve the Xia family lineage, you must find someone with an extremely noble destiny to counteract it."

The fortune teller determined that Xia Yanxin was indeed destined for greatness, so Madam Xia adopted her as her daughter.

Thinking of Xia Ying's fate, she felt a chill and told her whole family about it. The whole family unanimously decided to send Xia Ying to a country estate to avoid disaster.

And so, twelve-year-old Xia Ying's fate underwent a dramatic change. In the countryside, she became self-reliant, never complained about life, and learned a great deal.

Eight years later, the Xia family remembered her and asked her to come back. They arranged for a small carriage with no attendants to bring her back.

After reading everything, Rong Xuanzhou's eyes, as cold as stars, grew even colder.

"Since the Xia family doesn't want it, then it belongs to me."

*

Xia Mansion, a side courtyard.

A gaunt woman, her face expressionless, was packing Xia Ying's things. Her eyes were devoid of any light, almost numb.

"Auntie, these are the clothes I made for you."

Aunt Wen straightened up and saw the smoky-colored dress that Xia Ying was holding, but she did not take it.

"Young Miss, this servant's status is lowly..."

"Auntie, have you forgotten? I am now your daughter. Don't refer to yourself as a servant."

Xia Ying gently took Aunt Wen's hand and handed her the clothes.

"Aunt, when I was 13, I had a high fever that wouldn't go down. There was no doctor or medicine. The old woman in the village refused to let me in. It was you who gave her a hairpin and two taels of silver. Without you, I might have died at the age of 13."

"Pah, pah, pah, I won't say that word."

Aunt Wen's eyes welled up with tears, and finally, her spirits lifted. This was the first time she had felt warmth in the cold and impersonal Xia Manor.

She didn't understand why the Xia family would abandon such a well-behaved and good girl like Xia Ying. However, it was a good deal for her; she got such a wonderful daughter for free.

Xia Ying looked at Aunt Wen, who was constantly busy, and her expression softened even more.

The original owner was taken back to the Xia family mansion and became the daughter of Concubine Wen, receiving vastly different treatment from her adopted daughter, Xia Yanxin. The original owner longed for the love of her parents and brothers, just as she had before.

But she discovered that things could never go back to the way they were before.

Her fiancé, Xiao Nanzhou, also favored Xia Yanxin. Under such differential treatment, the original owner harbored resentment and poisoned Xia Yanxin, stubbornly believing that as long as she drove her away, she could return to the way things were before.

However, Xia's older brothers discovered what the original owner had done and all sided with Xia Yanxin, sending her to prison. Her fiancé, Xiao Nanzhou, even had her tortured.

Aunt Wen begged Xia's parents to show mercy and spare the original owner of the body, but they remained unmoved. Aunt Wen then knelt for three days and three nights, drenched in heavy rain, without any medicine, and unfortunately died of illness.

When the news reached the prison, the original owner of the body also followed Aunt Wen in death.

In her lingering obsession, Xia Ying saw Aunt Wen: [No longer seeking the love of her parents and brothers, no longer yearning for the affection of childhood sweethearts. She would take Aunt Wen away from the Xia family mansion and live happily ever after.]

She liked Aunt Wen very much from the first moment she saw her; she was someone who made her soul feel at peace.

Aunt Wen cooked a bowl of noodles for Xia Ying using the small stove in the courtyard, and watched her eat it with great satisfaction.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from the courtyard gate, like muffled thunder, echoing in the side courtyard.