Ye Huajie is the Prefect of Jizhou City and Xiao Qing’s husband. He presents a courteous and gentle front but is in fact duplicitous and self-serving. He has secretly maintained a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Lin Yujiao, with whom he has a biological son (the false Ye Zihuan). He swapped the babies so that his illegitimate son could inherit the title, while his true son Yun Chen suffered abuse. He relies on Xiao Qing’s family connections to keep his position, yet resents her higher status. He tries to manipulate Xiao Qing with feigned concern and lies, but eventually his schemes are exposed. He is a classic hypocritical antagonist who values status and vanity over family.
