After Drugging the Female Lead with an Aphrodisiac (Ancient-Style Lily Futa) - Chapter 1
Jiang Xiyue glared resentfully at that figure standing at the place where the lights were fading, grinding her silver teeth in hatred.
The streets were alive with dragon and fish dances, a full moon hung high in the sky. The nights in Jinling City had always been far more extravagant and lively than the days, and tonight, being the Shangyuan Festival (Lantern Festival), it was as if half the city had poured out onto the streets, bustling and crowded.
Even though she had no desire to move, Jiang Xiyue was still forced by her mother, along with the maids and older servants, to be sent out of the mansion. Her mother said that all the eligible young ladies in the city were dressing up in splendid finery tonight to go admire the lanterns. As the second young miss of the Duke’s household, her beauty was renowned throughout Jinling—how could she not show herself? Otherwise, wouldn’t that only inflate the arrogance of those little cheap vixens?
In the past, Jiang Xiyue would have agreed wholeheartedly with her mother—no need for urging; she would have dressed up extravagantly herself to trample down those jumping cats and dogs, reminding them who was truly the foremost beauty of the capital. But ever since that incident five days ago, Jiang Xiyue had lived in constant fear and anxiety. One moment she dreaded her secret being discovered, the next she seethed with rage over the bizarre humiliation she had suffered. Under such a mix of terror, fury, and resentment, her heart had long since grown haggard and exhausted. How could she still care about anything else? The ambition she once had to stand unrivaled among the flowers had flown to the ninth heavens long ago.
Carrying a belly full of worries, she squeezed into the bustling market. The shops along the street blazed with light, small stalls lined both sides with lit lanterns. Vendors hawked their wares energetically, their calls rising and falling. The entire street surged with people, shoulders rubbing shoulders. From time to time, groups of three or five would stop to browse the goods on the stalls—pinching a flower cake here, picking up a copper hairpin there, comparing them under the lantern glow. Even the sudden spring chill could not suppress the joy on everyone’s faces.
Surrounded and protected by the servants, the more Jiang Xiyue watched others reveling in the merriment, the more stifled she felt. A surge of wicked heat rose repeatedly at her entrance. Unfortunately, her maid Jian Jia lacked any sense of the situation and asked if she wanted to go guess lantern riddles. Jiang Xiyue turned to snap at her—only at that moment, following Jian Jia’s pointing finger, she caught sight of Lu Qian standing in front of a lantern stall.
The woman was still dressed in her usual plain white robes. The deafening clamor around her seemed to cool and fade the moment it touched her. She stood beneath strings of lanterns, head slightly raised, quietly gazing at the exquisite and ingenious lanterns. The warm yellow light filtered through the lantern paper, illuminating her naturally thin, almost cruel lips.
“Miss, look! It’s the Heir of Ninghai Marquis!” Jian Jia pointed at the extraordinary young man standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Qian. The poised and refined gentleman was turned toward Lu Qian, smiling gently. Even though Lu Qian’s gaze remained fixed on the lanterns, he showed no annoyance. His eyes were tender as he spoke softly and elegantly to the woman. The two of them together 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.
Jian Jia also spotted Lu Qian and immediately spat, “It’s that shameless, thick-skinned slut again! Does she think clinging to the Heir will let her climb up? She doesn’t even 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 again and again, yet she still doesn’t know her place. Miss, let’s go over right now and give her a taste of color…”
“Shut up!” Jiang Xiyue’s furious shout cut off Jian Jia’s endless chatter. She glared viciously at Jian Jia as if venting her anger. “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 endlessly by the Duchess. Any servant who failed to serve her perfectly would inevitably face her scolding. Jian Jia was long accustomed to being berated. But this time she was truly baffled. Everyone in the household knew her young miss had adored the Heir of Ninghai Marquis since childhood. Originally, the Heir was aloof, outstanding, and avoided women, so her miss could only scheme endless “chance encounters.” But in the past half-year, a country girl named Lu Qian had suddenly appeared by the Heir’s side. The Heir treated her with utmost care and protection—his usually stern face softened in her presence. Anyone with eyes could see he had truly fallen for her.
This infuriated her miss to no end. Day after day she cursed that mud-leg peasant girl for being shameless, wondering what fox-like tricks she 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 wouldn’t leave. Jiang Xiyue had sent people to cause trouble at the shop Lu Qian ran, spread rumors to ruin her reputation, even humiliated the cheap girl to her face. Instead of succeeding, it only made the Heir protect that slut even more fiercely—and worse, he started treating her miss with disdain, nose not nose, eyes not eyes. Because of this, her miss had personally smashed three full sets of porcelain cups and bowls in her room. Naturally, the maids like Jian Jia, serving by her side, followed their mistress in cursing. She had grown so used to insulting Lu Qian that the words came automatically. Who could have guessed that today, barely after starting, her miss would lash out and shut her down completely?
Not only Jian Jia was confused—even the surrounding maids and older servants were stunned, unable to fathom what madness had possessed their young miss.
The servants exchanged furtive glances at Jiang Xiyue, their probing eyes flickering. Jiang Xiyue’s crotch throbbed repeatedly; she endured and endured, barely managing to hold back from cursing aloud in the street. It wasn’t out of consideration for the servants’ dignity, but because she refused to cause a scene that would let that Lu Qian see her as a laughingstock.
In truth, forget being laughed at—right now Jiang Xiyue didn’t even want to come face-to-face with anyone surnamed Lu. The heavy, dangling flesh between her legs was all thanks to that vicious, terrifying woman. Jiang Xiyue wished she could tear that face under the lanterns into shreds. After treating her that way, the bitch could still show up unscathed to admire lanterns with a man. How could she have the face to act so carefree? Clearly a monster who had harmed someone, yet still wearing that indifferent mask to seduce the man Jiang Xiyue had set her heart on. Absolutely outrageous! Truly outrageous!
Jiang Xiyue’s poison-laced eyes fixed on Lu Qian’s profile. She watched as the woman reached out to take down a lotus lantern, softly murmur something, whereupon the stall owner handed her the prize for solving the riddle. The man beside her clapped lightly and laughed—clearly praising her vast knowledge and superior intellect, unmatched by others.
The brocade handkerchief in Jiang Xiyue’s hand was nearly twisted to shreds by her own grip. She had suffered such misery, yet Lu Qian lived smoothly and freely. If only—if only this monster hadn’t caused something abnormal to grow on her body, she would definitely go to Heir Pan right now and expose that 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 frightened she immediately turned away and pulled up her hood.
“Miss?” Jian Jia was stunned. There was no wind or snow—why had her miss suddenly put on the cloak’s hood?
Jiang Xiyue shot Jian Jia a fierce glare, instantly silencing her. She muttered lowly, “Back to the mansion,” then fled in haste. The servants hurriedly followed, shouting to part the crowd, terrified that their precious young miss might be jostled by commoners.
The haughty entourage gradually faded into the distance, unaware that a pair of ink-black eyes followed the vermilion hood among the servants, coldly watching for a long, long time.
“Miss Lu,” Pan Jingyuan picked another revolving-heron lantern from the stall. Raising his head, he saw Lu Qian gazing distantly toward the other end of the long street. He followed her gaze but could make nothing of it. “Is there something troubling you?”
Lu Qian lightly withdrew her gaze. “Nothing. Just saw something lively, that’s all.”
Seeing her calm expression, Pan Jingyuan didn’t press further. He offered the carefully selected revolving-heron lantern to her. “The painting on this lantern caught my eye as quite novel. Consider it a festival gift for you, Miss.”
Lu Qian looked at the brilliantly colored scene of barbarian plays on the lantern—high-nosed, deep-eyed foreigners rendered vividly lifelike, clearly the work of a master craftsman. She curved her lips in a faint smile but did not reach out to take it. Instead, she lifted the lotus lantern she had won by solving the riddle. “Tonight, obtaining this one lantern is enough to satisfy me. I hear Young Master Pan has a little sister at home. Why not keep this revolving-heron lantern for her?”
Pan Jingyuan’s grip tightened on the lantern pole. In an instant, his mouth filled with bitterness. 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. His full chest of passionate heat never reached her—it cooled in the mere inches before her.
Lu Qian turned, carrying her lotus lantern, showing no reluctance toward the costly revolving-heron lantern behind her. Sure enough, even after being publicly rebuffed, Pan Jingyuan still chased after her. Lu Qian’s brows furrowed imperceptibly.
She had no romantic interest in Pan Jingyuan. Their earlier association had merely been mutually beneficial: his status protected her business, while her abilities helped the Pan family gain more footing in the court. At first it was fine, but lately this Heir, burdened with his own peach-blossom entanglements yet inexplicably finding idle time, had grown 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, rolling together in passion and turning the world upside down?
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Author’s Note:
Rest assured, this male character won’t show up every day to annoy people. At most, he’ll serve as background scenery.
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