He’s not the « villain » : I think he’s kinda like Li Chengying in Goodbye My Princess, a villainous male…
But jie's father was the one made the fake order... emperor wanted to spare all yebei's people life.. then jie's father changed the order to execute yebei people, then his son spare the life of yebei people which leading him against the king's order.. that's why his dad made a drama with the emperor to sacrifice himself in order to save his son.