After Drugging the Female Lead with an Aphrodisiac (Ancient-Style Lily Futa) - Chapter 1

Jiang Xiyue glared resentfully at the figure standing in the dim, flickering lantern light, grinding her silver teeth in hatred.

The fish-dragon dances swirled, the full moon hung high overhead. The nights in Jinling City had always been far more extravagant and lively than the days, and tonight—being the Shangyuan Festival—it was as if half the city had poured out onto the streets, a bustling, milling crowd.

Even if she had no desire to stir, Jiang Xiyue had still been forced out of the mansion by her mother, along with the maids and older servants. Her mother had said that all the eligible young ladies in the city were dressing up in finery tonight to go admire the lanterns. As the second young miss of the Duke’s household, whose beauty was renowned throughout Jinling, if she didn’t show herself now, wouldn’t that only let those little sluts grow even more arrogant?

In the past, Jiang Xiyue would have agreed wholeheartedly with her mother—no need for urging; she would have dressed to the nines and gone out to trample those yapping cats and dogs underfoot, reminding them exactly who was the foremost beauty in the capital. But ever since that incident five days ago, Jiang Xiyue had spent her days in constant fear and unease—one moment terrified that someone would discover her secret, the next seething with rage over the bizarre humiliation she had suffered. Caught between terror, fury, and resentment, her heart had long since withered and exhausted itself. How could she still care about such things? The ambition she once harbored—to stand alone at the pinnacle among all the flowers—had flown straight to the ninth heaven.

Carrying a belly full of worries, she squeezed into the bustling market. The shops along the street blazed with light; stalls lined both sides of the road, each lit with colorful lanterns. Vendors hawked their wares energetically, their calls rising and falling without end. The entire street surged with people, shoulders brushing shoulders, feet treading on heels. From time to time, groups of three or five would pause to browse the goods on the stalls—picking up a flower cake here, lifting a copper hairpin there, holding them up to compare under the lantern glow. Even the sudden chill of early spring could not suppress the joy shining on every face.

Surrounded and escorted by the servants, the more Jiang Xiyue watched the merriment around her, the more stifled and irritated she felt. A surge of wicked heat rose repeatedly at her crotch, yet her maid Jianjia still lacked the sense to read the room and asked if she wanted to go guess lantern riddles. Jiang Xiyue turned to snap at her—only to follow the direction of Jianjia’s pointing finger and catch sight of Lu Qian standing in front of a lantern stall.

The woman was still dressed in a plain white robe. The deafening clamor of the festivities seemed to cool and fade the moment it touched her. She stood quietly beneath a string of lanterns, head tilted upward, gazing calmly at the exquisitely crafted and ingenious lanterns. Warm yellow light filtered through the lantern paper, illuminating those naturally thin, fickle lips of hers.

“Miss, look! It’s the Heir of Ninghai Marquis!” Jianjia pointed at the handsome, dignified young man standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Qian. The young lord was turned sideways toward Lu Qian, smiling gently. Even though Lu Qian’s gaze remained fixed on the lanterns and she showed no reaction, he was not annoyed in the least. His eyes were tender as he spoke softly and gracefully to her. The two of them standing together truly looked like a perfect match of talent and beauty—enough to make Jiang Xiyue want to rush forward and overturn the entire stall of lanterns.

Jianjia spotted Lu Qian as well and immediately spat, “It’s that shameless, thick-skinned slut again. Does she think clinging to the Heir will let her climb up the ladder? She should take a look in the mirror—with her mud-leg peasant background, she doesn’t even qualify to be a concubine in the marquis’s household. We’ve warned her time and again, yet she still doesn’t know her place. Miss, let’s go over right now and give her a taste of real color…”

“Shut up!” Jiang Xiyue’s furious shout cut off Jianjia’s endless chatter. She glared viciously at Jianjia as if venting her rage. “Are you the master or am I the master? Do I need you to tell me what to do?”

Jiang Xiyue had always had the temper of a spoiled young miss, indulged without limit by the Duchess. Any servant who failed to attend her perfectly was bound to receive a scolding. Jianjia was long accustomed to being berated. But this time she was truly bewildered. Everyone in the household knew that her young miss had adored the Heir of Ninghai Marquis since childhood. Originally, the Heir had been aloof and distant toward women, so her miss had merely spent her days scheming for “chance” encounters. Yet in the past half-year, a country girl named Lu Qian had suddenly appeared at the Heir’s side. The Heir treated her with such care and protection that even his perpetually stern face softened in her presence. Anyone with eyes could see he had truly fallen for her.

This had infuriated her miss beyond measure. Day after day at home she cursed that mud-leg peasant girl for being shameless, wondering what fox-spirit tricks she had used to bewitch the Heir’s eyes. A mere lowly commoner—how dare she!

Yet no matter how much they tried to drive away this eyesore of a peasant, she refused to leave. Jiang Xiyue had sent people to cause trouble at the shop Lu Qian ran, spread rumors to ruin her reputation, and even humiliated the wretch to her face—only for none of it to work. Instead, the Heir grew even more protective of the slut and began treating her own miss with disdain and coldness. For that alone, Jiang Xiyue had smashed three full sets of porcelain cups and bowls in her chambers. Naturally, the maids like Jianjia who served at her side joined in cursing Lu Qian out of loyalty—it had become second nature, the words rolling off the tongue effortlessly. Who could have expected that today, barely after starting, her miss would cut her off with such a furious rebuke?

Not only Jianjia, but all the surrounding maids and older servants were stunned, unable to fathom what madness had seized their young miss.

The servants exchanged furtive glances at Jiang Xiyue, their probing eyes flickering uncertainly. Jiang Xiyue’s crotch throbbed and surged again and again; she endured and endured, barely managing to hold back from exploding into curses right there in the street—not out of consideration for the servants’ dignity, but because she refused to create a scene that would let Lu Qian witness her humiliation and laugh.

In truth, it wasn’t just about being laughed at—right now, Jiang Xiyue didn’t even want to show her face to that woman surnamed Lu. The heavy, pendulous lump of flesh dangling between her own legs was entirely the fault of that vicious, terrifying woman. Jiang Xiyue wished she could tear that face beneath the lanterns to shreds. After treating her so cruelly, how could the bitch still saunter about looking perfectly fine, admiring lanterns with a man? How could she put on such an innocent, carefree act? She was clearly a monster who had harmed others, yet she still wore that calm facade while seducing the very man Jiang Xiyue had set her heart on. Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!

Jiang Xiyue’s poison-laced gaze fixed on Lu Qian’s profile as the woman reached up to take down a lotus lantern, softly murmuring something. The stall owner immediately presented her with the prize for solving the riddle. The man beside her clapped lightly in admiration—clearly praising her vast knowledge and superior intellect, unmatched by anyone.

By now, the brocade handkerchief in Jiang Xiyue’s hand had been twisted nearly to shreds by her own grip. She had suffered such misery, yet Lu Qian sailed through life smooth and untroubled. If only—if only this monster hadn’t caused something unnatural to grow on her body—she would march straight to Heir Pan and expose the woman’s true face!

Suddenly, Lu Qian—who had been lowering her head to examine the prize—shifted slightly. Her eyes seemed to sense something and glanced over. Jiang Xiyue was so startled she immediately turned away and pulled up her hood.

“Miss?” Jianjia blinked in confusion. There was no wind or snow—why had her miss suddenly pulled the hood of her cloak over her head?

Jiang Xiyue shot Jianjia a fierce glare that silenced her instantly. Muttering “Back to the mansion,” she hurried away as if fleeing. The servants immediately followed, shouting and shoving people aside, terrified that their precious young miss might be jostled or offended by the common rabble.

The haughty procession gradually disappeared into the distance. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of ink-black eyes followed the vermilion hood among the servants, watching coldly for a long, long time.

“Miss Lu,” Pan Jingyuan picked out another revolving-heron lantern from the stall. Lifting his head, he saw Lu Qian gazing distantly toward the other end of the long street. He followed her line of sight but could make nothing of it. “Is there something troubling you?”

Lu Qian gently withdrew her gaze. “Nothing. I merely saw something lively, that’s all.”

Seeing her expression calm, Pan Jingyuan let the matter drop. He offered her the carefully selected revolving-heron lantern. “The painting on this lantern struck me as quite novel. Consider it a festival gift for you.”

Lu Qian looked at the vividly colored scene of barbarian plays on the lantern—high-nosed, deep-eyed foreigners rendered lifelike and extraordinary, clearly the work of a master craftsman. A faint smile curved her lips, but she did not reach out to take it. Instead, she lifted the lotus lantern she had won by solving the riddle. “Tonight, receiving this one lantern is enough to satisfy me. I hear Young Master Pan has a little sister at home—why not keep the revolving-heron lantern for her?”

Pan Jingyuan’s grip tightened on the lantern pole. Bitterness instantly filled his mouth. Lu Qian had always been like this: just when he thought he had drawn close enough, perhaps close enough for one more step, she would gently but firmly block him. All his burning passion cooled in the mere inches before her.

Lu Qian turned, carrying her lotus lantern, showing no lingering attachment to the costly revolving-heron lantern behind her. Sure enough, even after being rebuffed so publicly, Pan Jingyuan still hurried to catch up. Lu Qian’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

She had no romantic interest in Pan Jingyuan. Their earlier association had merely been mutually beneficial: his status could protect her business, while her abilities could help the Pan family gain more footing in court. At first it had been fine, but lately this Heir—with his own tangled affairs of the heart—had developed an idle fondness that was growing increasingly bothersome.

The image of Jiang Xiyue’s tear-filled almond eyes flashed before her. Lu Qian lowered her lashes slightly. If Pan Jingyuan hadn’t been so clingy, how could she have ended up tangled absurdly with Jiang Xiyue, tumbling together in passion, turning the world upside down?

——————————————————————

Rest assured, this male character won’t show up every day to annoy people. At most, he’ll serve as background scenery.