The Useless Alpha’s Yandere Wife - Chapter 6

After working up a sweat that morning, Tan Qianyue arrived early for her bath.

Though her heat cycle wasn’t due yet, her body felt perpetually weak and delicate. Even borrowing Jiang Yan for a while had only brought temporary relief, lasting just a few hours. She dreaded to think how she would cope when her actual heat cycle arrived.

The bathhouse’s pool was strewn with colorful flower petals. Her courtyard, lacking both Qianyuan and men, housed only three young maids and two cleaning women. Consequently, the windows behind the pool remained open for ventilation, ensuring the water temperature stayed comfortable for the Miss.

Dismissing the maids, Tan Qianyue walked to the white jade pool herself, tossing her outer robe and long, strapless dress onto the snow-white carpet.

Her slender, well-proportioned legs carried her forward. She casually grabbed a hip-length bodice from a rack and wrapped it around herself, securing it with a butterfly knot at the center. The playful knot accentuated her full, almost overflowing br3asts, lending her an air of mischievous charm.

Stepping to the pool’s edge, she tested the water with her foot—just right.

A semi-transparent red gauze draped loosely around her body floated on the water’s surface, mingling with the flower petals. The swirling mist rising from the pool blended with the scene, transforming the space into an ethereal paradise.

Tan Qianyue leaned against the jade pool’s edge, using a long-handled ladle to pour water over herself.

The splashing water, combined with the room’s intoxicating fragrance, stirred the imagination.

“Who’s there?” Tan Qianyue asked without alarm, hearing footsteps approaching.

“It’s me. I didn’t know you were in here,” Jiang Yan replied, standing awkwardly between staying and leaving.

“What are you doing here?” Tan Qianyue asked, her slender figure faintly visible through the white gauze curtain.

“Uh… I don’t have a place to bathe. You wouldn’t want me to fight the maids for the bathhouse, would you?” Jiang Yan stammered defensively.

“Well… then you’re not allowed to bathe with me either!” Tan Qianyue retorted, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and annoyance. She sank further into the water, her skin glowing pinkish-white in the misty air.

“I didn’t mean anything like that. I just came to fetch a couple of buckets of water. Since you’re here, I’ll leave now,” Jiang Yan said, fleeing as if escaping.

Tan Qianyue finally emerged from the water, but the way Jiang Yan had avoided her as if she were a demoness only fueled her anger. She splashed the water furiously, slapping the surface repeatedly, sending sprays of water flying.

Jiang Yan bolted away, terrified Tan Qianyue might mistake her for a pervert. After such an compromising start, she didn’t want to further solidify her image as a lust-crazed fool.

Yet, upon returning to the storeroom, she stumbled upon Tan Qianyue emerging from the bath, wrapped only in a dripping wet bodice.

Behind the drawn curtains, the woman slowly removed her red gauze robe and changed into the long, strapless dress lying nearby.

On the way back to the storeroom, a small ventilation window happened to face the Eldest Miss’s jade pool on the first floor.

“Heh, even if I try to avoid it, I can’t escape this kind of luck,” Jiang Yan thought, turning her head away almost instantly, her face flushing. Her body still remembered the Eldest Miss’s smooth, fair skin from that day—like a peeled lychee, both soft to the touch and sweetly fragrant.

Just as she was about to walk away, she heard a splash. Turning back, she saw the Eldest Miss had fallen into the water.

Jiang Yan jumped in fright.

She hurried back, pulled aside the gauze curtain, and saw the woman lying among the flower petals. Without hesitation, she waded in to pull her out.

“What happened?” she asked anxiously.

She scooped the woman into her arms, lifting her out of the water and carrying her to the edge.

“What happened?” Tan Qianyue murmured, her eyes, as radiant as a starry river, fluttering open with a rare, vulnerable charm.

“You fell into the water!” Jiang Yan said sternly.

“Oh. Then take me back first.”

“Shouldn’t we call a doctor to check you?” Jiang Yan insisted, unwilling to take any chances.

“I know my limits. I’ll see Doctor Lu tomorrow,” Tan Qianyue replied. She had her own physician, but he couldn’t visit her at the estate.

“Very well. I’ll take you back.” With that, Jiang Yan wrapped an outer robe around the Eldest Miss, lifted her by the waist, and carried her upstairs to the second floor.

Tan Qianyue’s arms hung limply around Jiang Yan’s shoulders, her sharp chin resting against her collarbone. The thin spring robe was damp from her rapid breathing.

Jiang Yan gently laid her on the bed and pulled a light quilt over her.

“Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?” Jiang Yan wondered what ailment had struck the Eldest Miss.

“It’s nothing. Just close the door tightly,” Tan Qianyue murmured, her eyelids heavy.

The next day, Jiang Yan received several uninvited guests.

“Sisters, you’ve climbed so high up the social ladder, yet you haven’t invited us to celebrate?” A tall, robust Female Qianyuan pointed at Jiang Yan, her tone dismissive.

“Oh? It’s Sister Zhou. This little sister hasn’t had time to catch up with you all yet. I’ll definitely host a banquet at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion when I’m free,” Jiang Yan replied, recalling that this woman was one of the Original Host’s disreputable friends. Half of the Original Host’s notoriety was thanks to this group.

“Why wait for some vague ‘later’? Strike while the iron’s hot! I bet you’ve been too busy rolling around with that Great Beauty to remember us. But hey, tell us all about the Great Beauty from Tan Manor—what’s she really like? Even if we can’t taste the meat, we can still savor the aroma.” A weasel-faced Male Qianyuan leered, his expression so repulsive that Jiang Yan wanted to vomit.

With a swift backhand, she struck the man’s stomach, scowling. “What are you thinking? Why don’t you tell everyone about your bedroom antics with that brothel boy?”

“Ouch! You actually hit me? I just asked a question! Was that necessary?”

“You shouldn’t have asked at all! Look at that pimply face of yours—you’ll taint my wife with your filth!” Jiang Yan glared at him, wrinkling her nose as she stepped back two paces.

Despite Jiang Yan’s daily recklessness, she possessed genuine martial skill. Her mother, Madam Yu, ran a martial arts school in Jiangnan. Though petite and refined in appearance, Madam Yu could easily subdue ten Qianyuan men.

If not for Madam Jiang’s silver-tongued persuasion, Madam Yu might have established a security escort agency, traveling across the country.

Yet Madam Jiang fared no better. The demure wife who clung to her husband in public transformed into a shrew at home, ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.

Among her students, only Jiang Yan had managed to escape her wrath—by marrying into Tan Manor as a live-in son-in-law.

Now in the capital, Madam Jiang, a minor Fifth-Rank official, had dragged Jiang Yan into her social climbing schemes. Forced to mingle with the sons of powerful officials, Jiang Yan struggled to infiltrate this circle of wealth and influence.

Now that they had come knocking, she couldn’t easily refuse.

The tall, sturdy woman was Zhou Yun, the youngest daughter of Madam Jiang’s superior. Jiang Yan had always been wary of offending her.

Despite her imposing stature, Zhou Yun was no simple brute. For instance, the crude and tactless behavior of the weasel-faced, rat-eyed man was often tacitly approved and orchestrated by her.

“Alright, alright, stop arguing,” Zhou Yun said, pressing her broad palm firmly on Jiang Yan’s shoulder with an air of undeniable authority. “It’s been ages since we’ve seen you. How about we treat you to a feast? Now that you’ve married such a stunning beauty, you can’t possibly refuse to foot the bill, can you?”

The original host had always deliberately associated with this group of unsavory characters. To avoid disturbing Tan Manor, Jiang Yan reluctantly agreed to join them at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, a lavish restaurant known for its private dining rooms and dedicated attendants.

Meanwhile, Tan Qianyue had decided to venture out of the manor for the day. She planned to visit a trusted doctor at a Medical Pavilion on Hibiscus Street.

Dressed in a plain white gown with subtle embroidered patterns, she donned a veiled hat and set off for Hibiscus Street with Ying Hong in tow.

“Where did Jiang Yan go?” Tan Qianyue asked casually from inside the carriage. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

“Miss Jiang had a visitor this morning, Miss,” Ying Hong replied. “She’s currently at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion with friends.” Ying Hong, ever vigilant, kept her ears open and eyes peeled, relishing the occasional juicy bit of gossip.

Ying Hong blurted out their destination before realizing she should have checked Miss Tan’s reaction first.

“The Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion?” Tan Qianyue’s face twisted with disdain.

The Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion was ostensibly a restaurant, but in reality, it was a one-stop shop for dining, drinking, and entertainment.

“Hmph, a dog can’t stop eating sh1t. What a waste of that pretty face!” Tan Qianyue’s anger flared. It wasn’t about whether she liked Jiang Yan or not; she simply couldn’t tolerate Jiang Yan bringing the pavilion’s courtesans back to her own boudoir.

“Master, I heard Miss Jiang was dragged there by a friend. I doubt she wanted to go herself,” Ying Hong subtly defended Jiang Yan.

“Hmph, I shouldn’t have let my opinion of her change. That b1tch Tan Xue’er has really screwed me over this time!” Tan Qianyue tightened her grip on her sleeve, her fury palpable even through her veiled hat.

Ying Hong didn’t dare speak further, silently lighting a mental candle for Jiang Yan like a quail cowering in fear.

Upon arriving at the Medical Pavilion, Tan Qianyue dismounted from the carriage with Ying Hong’s assistance.

They slipped in through the back entrance.

“Well, well, what brings Eldest Miss Tan here today?” Doctor Lu Qing, a young female Qianyuan, greeted them with casual indifference.

“Naturally, it’s not a good wind, otherwise who would come to your place?” Tan Qianyue had been in a foul mood lately.

“What’s wrong? You’re radiating resentment,” Doctor Lu chuckled, not taking offense at Tan Qianyue’s bluntness.

“I haven’t been feeling right lately. Can you take a look?”

Doctor Lu pressed her fingers against Tan Qianyue’s wrist through a thin cloth. After a long moment, her expression darkened.

“How long have you been feeling this way?” she asked, her gaze solemn.

“Since my wedding day, I think. Is it serious?” A flicker of unease crossed Tan Qianyue’s eyes.

“Hmm… It’s serious if you consider it serious, and not serious if you don’t,” Doctor Lu replied, glancing up at Tan Qianyue.

“What do you mean?” Tan Qianyue’s confusion deepened.

“You’ve been given Harmony Powder, a secret formula exclusive to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. It’s specifically designed to subdue unruly Kunze. Once ingested, they must be pleasured for thirty days to counteract its effects.” Doctor Lu’s words struck Tan Qianyue like a thunderbolt, leaving her stunned.

“What happens if it’s not counteracted?”

“Without relief, you’ll initially experience weakness in your limbs, feverish heat, and fainting spells. After two weeks, your vital fluids will dry up, causing you to age more than twenty years in an instant.”

“Ah?” Two startled voices rang out simultaneously as mistress and servant exchanged frightened glances.

“But how could you have been exposed to such a potent aphrodisiac? Have you had any contact with anyone from the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion?” Lu Qing asked, his tone probing.

The mention of the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion struck a nerve. Ying Hong’s expression shifted repeatedly as Doctor Lu spoke.

Tan Qianyue immediately thought of Jiang Yan. She had initially suspected Tan Xue’er, but surely their rivalry hadn’t escalated to such a life-or-death level?

Even amidst their covert competition, she found it hard to believe Tan Xue’er would stoop to such malice for a Qianyuan.

Jiang Yan seemed the more likely culprit. As a frequent patron of the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, obtaining aphrodisiacs would be effortless for her.

And of course, she wouldn’t let herself age prematurely. She could easily control Tan Qianyue with the drug. By the thirtieth day, Qianyue would likely be completely compliant. What a vicious scheme.

Tan Qianyue’s fingers trembled slightly.

Yet she couldn’t forget Jiang Yan’s expression as she held her yesterday—there had been no hint of deceit or malice.

Tan Qianyue’s expression was conflicted. Both Jiang Yan and Tan Xue’er were suspects, so perhaps she should observe them further?

“What’s wrong? Do you know who dared to treat you this way?” Doctor Lu’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Tan Qianyue shook her head. “It’s too early to draw conclusions.”

In Tan Qianyue’s eyes, Jiang Yan and Tan Xue’er were already as good as condemned criminals—neither of them were good people.

“Isn’t there any antidote?” Tan Qianyue asked, snapping back to the present.

“The effects would be minimal. But since you’re married now, why would you need an antidote?” Lu Qing fixed Tan Qianyue with a steady gaze.

“I was just asking!”

“Oh? If your… husband gives you trouble, feel free to come to me!” Lu Qing’s lips curled into a teasing smile.

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Doctor Lu. Your place is always buzzing with flirtatious women—I’d rather not join the commotion,” Tan Qianyue retorted with a cold laugh.

“Then… you’re welcome anytime,” Doctor Lu said, spreading his arms with nonchalant indifference.

“Remember, you must start within fifteen days. Any later, and it will be too late!” Doctor Lu added urgently, fearing Tan Qianyue might not understand the urgency.

“Very well, I understand. Thank you!”

“Mm!”

On the carriage ride back to the manor, Tan Qianyue’s face was dark enough to tear someone apart.

As fate would have it, the carriage passed by Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and a corner of the curtain was lifted by the wind.

“Stop the carriage!”

“Does Miss have any instructions?”

“Get out. We’re going to Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion!”

“Uh… yes, Miss!”