Transmigrated into a vicious female supporting role, reborn as a hostage to the paranoid male protag

The faint light of morning light had just penetrated the courtyard when Chu Xingchen staggered out of the master bedroom. He looked haggard after a sleepless night.

Chu Xingchen's usual embroidered brocade robe was now wrinkled, his hair draped loosely over his shoulders, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked tired and dejected. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Zhaoying kneeling upright in the inner courtyard, like a lonely sculpture.

Zhaoying carried two long, dark whips slung across his back, his dark robes spread across the cold brick floor, the morning light framing them with a faint golden edge. With his head lowered, Zhaoying waited respectfully, oblivious to everything around him. Only the slight trembling of his shoulders betrayed the turmoil within him.

"Zhaoying!" Chu Xingchen roared like an enraged trapped animal, dashing forward. His hands, like iron pliers, gripped Zhaoying's collar tightly, and with a sudden force, he pulled him up from the ground. Chu Xingchen's eyes were so cold that they seemed to freeze into ice. He stared at the man in front of him, veins bulging on his forehead, and his voice, squeezed out from between his teeth, was chilling to the bone: "Where is she?" He paused, then repeated, as if in disbelief, "Where did you hide her? Where is she?"

Zhaoying closed her eyes tightly, her long eyelashes trembling like the wings of a wounded butterfly. She pursed her lips tightly and said nothing, just letting Chu Xingchen grab her collar and question her, with a determined look on her thin face.

Chu Xingchen watched him like this, a faint unease spreading like wild weeds. He knew Zhaoying all too well, familiar with the meaning behind his every little gesture and expression. And Zhaoying's silence at that moment was like a hammer, hammering down on his heart. Finally, the moment Zhaoying spoke, the glimmer of hope in Chu Xingchen's heart collapsed, shattered.

"Your Highness, I apologize," Zhaoying replied in a hoarse voice, dry and raspy, as if honed by coarse sand and gravel. He knew in his heart that those two short words were like the collapse of heaven and earth for His Highness. When he entered the house, he saw Su Yingxue's charred corpse. The horrific scene still lingered in his mind.

Zhaoying knew that His Highness would never easily forgive him for such a huge mistake, but even so, he never felt any regret. For His Highness, he was willing to bear everything.

"What do you mean?" Chu Xingchen stared at him intently, his face pale as paper, his eyes growing colder and colder, the bloodshot in them seeming to devour his dark pupils. He pressed harder and harder, his knuckles turning white, nearly tearing Zhaoying's collar apart. He asked hoarsely, "Where is she?"

"Her body has been taken away and is now placed in the Jingzhao government office." Zhaoying raised her head slightly and met Chu Xingchen's gaze, her eyes full of grief and helplessness.

"After the fire was extinguished, I finally found the body of Her Royal Highness the Princess. But by then, soldiers from the capital were rushing in like a tide, and the situation was extremely critical. In order not to expose your whereabouts, I had to lead my men out through the broken window on the second floor, and we were able to escape by twisting and turning through the dark alleys." When he said this, Zhaoying's eyes turned slightly red, and tears flickered in his eyes.

"This case involves the joint investigation of the Jingzhao government and the Beijing troops. Your Highness is still in the capital of Dasheng, which is under the feet of the emperor. You have not yet returned to the country, so you must act with extreme caution." Zhaoying's every word was sincere and loyal.

"Your Highness, I beg you to mourn and reflect upon the passing of Su Yingxue. Do not let the loss of someone else ruin your mission." Zhaoying said this, then knelt heavily once more, his forehead clacking against the cold ground with a dull thud. He carried a long whip, his black robes rustling in the wind. Isolated in the morning light, he looked like a tragic silhouette.

After a long time, he slowly looked up at Chu Xingchen, his eyes full of sincerity and loyalty, the light so hot that it seemed to be able to dispel the chill of the early morning.

"Your Highness, please don't get involved in this matter." Zhaoying gritted his teeth and advised again, with an unquestionable determination in his tone.

"Look at your shadow," Chu Xingchen whispered as if whispering. His originally handsome face was now full of brokenness, his expression was half confused, and grief and sadness were intertwined in his eyes.

Chu Xingchen looked as if the treasure he cherished all his life was suddenly taken away. All his expectations collapsed and he could only stare blankly ahead with empty and desperate eyes.

"Zhaoying, if anything happens to her, you will go to the punishment hall to receive punishment on your own, and you will never have to leave the punishment hall again in your life." Chu Xingchen's voice was as cold as ice, without a trace of warmth. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, revealing an unquestionable determination.

"Now, immediately send someone to closely monitor the Jingzhao government office and do everything possible to contact our hidden contacts to find out what's going on inside."

Chu Xingchen raised his head slightly, took a deep breath, and tried his best to suppress his surging emotions. "Send someone to investigate everything thoroughly. Why did Furong Tower catch fire? Who is behind it? Don't let anyone go!"

"Whoever dares to touch her under my nose will be made to pay with blood!" Chu Xingchen's face was grim, as if his whole body was shrouded in the coldness of ten thousand years of ice, and a faint chill spread out, and majesty and solemnity came to his face, which was frightening.

"If you dare to touch my sister, be prepared to pay the price!" Chu Xingchen's eyes were as scarlet as sharp blades, and the dark depths of his paranoia were filled with bloodshot.

In Chu Xingchen's eyes, the endless darkness seemed like an abyss that could swallow everything, and the scarlet bloodshot veins were like the coldness and bloodiness hidden in the misty fog, full of murderous aura.

"Investigate!" Chu Xingchen shouted again, "With only Furong Tower on fire and Taxue and Xiahe protecting her, if someone says my sister would die so easily, others may believe it, but I don't."

Chu Xingchen's eyes were as cold as frost as he stared at the sky above, as if trying to find the truth in it. "As smart as my sister is, she must have come up with other clever ideas when she was in danger. It's not impossible for her to escape."

"Find the hidden clues. I'll take the coroner in at night to perform an autopsy." Chu Xingchen's eyes were still cold, but revealed extreme paranoia. His voice was hoarse and dark, like an old bellows.

Chu Xingchen whispered, "My sister will never die here."

Chu Xingchen clenched her fists slightly, her knuckles turning white, and thought to herself that she had not yet seen him ascend to the pinnacle of empire, nor had she seen him embrace this vast country and crown her the supreme empress.

How could she bear to leave him like this?

He didn't believe it.