Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 7 Xie Xun and Fengyu

Consort Xie's expression dimmed slightly, a trace of melancholy flashing across her face before quickly vanishing. "Gold and silver, wealth and glory—what's wrong with loving them?"

She was the eldest daughter of Marquis Zhenbei, Xie Yuan. When the Marchioness gave birth to her, her body suffered lasting damage. The Imperial Physicians diagnosed her as incapable of having more children. It wasn't until Xie Junhua turned ten that the Marchioness recovered enough to give birth to Xie Xun. Thus, Marquis Zhenbei and Elder Lin's family lavished excessive affection upon Xie Junhua, raising her in luxury and indulgence, shielded from hardship, bold and radiant. At the age of eleven, her marriage was arranged. Later, when the court fell into turmoil and Xie Yuan led the army to quell the rebellion, he gained military power. With the Xie Family Army remaining invincible, the imperial family grew wary of the Xie family and proactively proposed a marital alliance.

Xie Junhua, however, was five years older than the Crown Prince, making her unsuitable for the union. Court officials suggested Xie Junhua enter the palace as one of the Emperor's consorts. Xie Yuan opposed the decree on the spot, leading to accusations from court officials that his achievements threatened the sovereignty of the Emperor and that he refused imperial orders. Marquis Zhenbei Mansion suffered attacks from civil officials, while Beiman rebels rose again, with someone tampering with military provisions. In that battle, the Xie Family Army suffered devastating losses.

Xie Junhua entered the palace voluntarily as a consort. Ten years have passed without her bearing a child, but now she fosters the Fifth Prince. She reigns supreme in the harem, and no one can deny the Emperor's favor toward her—but as for genuine love?

In the secluded inner chambers of the palace, only by forsaking love and emotion can one truly live without pain.

"Go home." Consort Xie said softly.

"Sister, take care. I'm leaving now."

Consort Xie watched Fengyu turn to depart from the palace gates and asked the palace maid by her side, "Qiu Ru, how long has it been since Zhixu called me sister?"

Qiu Ru replied, "The Young Marquis has grown up and become sensible."

Consort Xie merely smiled and said nothing. After a moment's pause, she turned back to the palace with the palace maids and eunuchs following behind her.

At the palace gates, Feiying knelt on the ground, pleading guilt. "Master, I have failed in my duties as your guard. Please punish me as you see fit."

"Stand up!" Fengyu waved her hand. Feiying rose and stood silently by her side. Fengyu mounted her horse gracefully, exuding both charisma and handsomeness. "To the mansion."

"Yes!"

Fengyu spurred her horse forward, galloping swiftly, with her guards following in an imposing procession. The afternoon streets were somewhat desolate, and she realized it had been a long time since she had galloped so freely through the open world. Relishing the unrestrained freedom, she momentarily forgot about the soul-swapping incident with Xie Xun.

Just as her spirits lifted, she encountered Jiang Yang. That morning, Jiang Yang had been chased by Fengyu for debts and even hit someone in public, earning himself an unsavory reputation. Yet there he was on the street, buying jewelry at Linlang Pavilion. Initially, Fengyu didn't want to stir up trouble, but then recalled Xie Xun's infamous reputation in the capital. Her smile deepened as she abruptly pulled the reins, bringing her horse to a halt. The guards behind her immediately stopped as well, while Feiying stepped forward. "Master, what are your orders?"

"I feel like hitting someone!"

Feiying lowered his head, his voice bright and clear. "If Master wants to hit someone, there's no need to do it yourself."

Having swapped souls with Xie Xun several times, Fengyu had felt alien stepping into the palace earlier. Pretending to be Xie Xun inevitably felt awkward. Yet in Feiying's presence, her role-playing came easily. She dismounted, crossing her arms as she looked up at Linlang Pavilion's signboard, curling her lips into a wicked smile.

Xie Xun's reputation for unruly savagery in the capital was entirely his own doing. Carrying the banner of barbarity, she felt obliged to commit something truly wild—otherwise, it'd be a waste.

Jiang Yang stepped out of Linlang Pavilion, clutching a jewelry box excitedly, only to bump into Fengyu. Before he could react, her horsewhip swung down, striking his hand. The jewelry box fell to the ground, and a flower-shaped hairpin rolled out. Fengyu commanded icily, "Are your eyes blind? How dare you collide with this marquis?"

Jiang Yang, a mere scholar, was defenseless against the rough grip of the whip, recoiling repeatedly in pain. Upon looking up at Xie Xun—or who he thought was Xie Xun—his face paled in horror. Who in the capital dared provoke this Little Tyrant? Trembling, he fell to his knees to beg for forgiveness. "Your servant greets the Young Marquis. It was my blindness that caused offense."

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"What formidable gall, daring to look me in the eye directly," Fengyu sneered, stepping backward. "Feiying, beat him!"

"...Understood!" Feiying hesitated briefly—after all, this was the newly appointed top scorer. Was beating him permissible? Yet orders from Xie Xun were etched into his very bones, and his hesitation lasted only a moment.

The nearby onlookers fled in terror, scrambling away from the scene lest they incur the wrath of this Little Yama. Though Feiying had carried out countless commands from Xie Xun before, beating someone without reason in the middle of a street was unprecedented.

Uncertain about how far to go, Feiying asked, "Master, how hard should I hit him?"

"Don't kill him!"

Feiying unleashed a storm of punches and kicks on Jiang Yang. With the Young Marquis causing a public uproar and bystanders too frightened to intervene, Fengyu silently reflected: being the Young Marquis was exhilarating. As for whatever retribution Xie Xun might seek later? This was just another item on the ledger—what was there to fear?

Jiang Yang curled up on the ground, unable to stand. Feiying judged the beating sufficient. The scholarly top scorer lacked any physical strength and was now a pitiful sight, his face bruised and swollen.

Leaning down, Fengyu used her horsewhip to lift Jiang Yang's chin, presenting the perfect image of a villainous overlord—cold, indifferent, and arrogant. "Top scorer, mind your steps next time. Don't fall too hard."

Jiang Yang trembled in terror, displaying none of the elegance deserving of his rank. Fengyu withdrew the whip with evident disdain, turning to leave while Feiying scratched his head in confusion. "Master, why did you hit him?"

Fengyu replied sweetly with a mischievous grin. "Feiying, your master is at Feng Mansion as we speak."

Feiying's eyes widened in disbelief. "Th-Third Miss?"

Feng Mansion, Plum Garden.

Inside Fengyu Courtyard, all the maids had been sent beyond the Moon Gate by Qiuxiang, including Chunlu. The Plum Garden was now eerily quiet. Xie Xun sat in an unrestrained manner, sipping tea as Qiuxiang recounted Fengyu's recent activities. Stealing glances at Xie Xun, Qiuxiang couldn't help noticing that despite her mistress's face looking the same, the moment Xie Xun inhabited it, it became unfamiliar. The face that should inspire beauty and pity now radiated a sharp hostility, akin to frost in the dead of winter.

Xie Xun slammed the tea cup heavily onto the table, as though something amusing had caught his ear. "She jumped into the lake to end her life?"

"Miss was merely lost in thought and accidentally stepped into the lake," Qiuxiang explained, bewildered by the rumors turning her mistress's misstep into tales of someone rejected from marriage and resorting to melodramatic antics like crying, throwing tantrums, and attempting suicide at home.

Qiuxiang placed a bowl of medicine by his side. Xie Xun cast an annoyed glance at it, clearly not intending to drink. Yet the pungent medicinal scent caught in his throat, forcing him into several coughing fits, his face flushing deeply from discomfort.

"Young Marquis, our Miss has always been frail since childhood, needing medicine constantly. If you refuse to drink it, you'll suffer for it yourself."

Xie Xun, "..."

Rarely sick throughout his robust youth, he had little intention of subjecting himself to self-imposed misery. Finally, he grabbed the bowl and drained its contents in one gulp. Qiuxiang sighed in relief, thinking how convenient it would be if her mistress drank medicine this obediently every time.

Qiuxiang continued, "At Miss's coming-of-age ceremony, Jiang Yang insulted her openly, leaving Miss greatly displeased. Today, she dispatched people to hang banners in front of the Jiang Family's residence, demanding repayment of debts. She enraged Jiang Yang and his mother by flaunting herself in public, deliberately signaling them to come seek trouble. Miss provoked Jiang Yang into losing his composure and striking someone publicly, exposing his disgraceful side and potentially ruining his career. The original plan was simple—Miss would stage a minor fall to pin blame on Jiang Yang. Who knew an accident would occur..."

Qiuxiang's voice grew more hushed as she described the intricate plan that should have ended with Fengyu staging her fall. Instead, an unexpected twist occurred when souls swapped—Fengyu fell, but Xie Xun inhabited her body and unexpectedly kicked Jiang Yang far away. What should have been a perfectly executed setup was now marred. Rumors now spread in the capital pairing Fengyu and Jiang Yang as a mismatched pair—two defective peas in a pod. While Jiang Yang's reputation took some damage, Fengyu stood as the clear target of ridicule. Through her savage public displays, Jiang Yang gained some semblance of pity, his downfall muted compared to Fengyu's overwhelming infamy.