The Vicious Empress's Scum Wife (GL) - Chapter 001

It smelled so good.

A peculiar fragrance permeated the air—not strong, even faint if you deliberately tried to sniff it out, yet it diffused a scent that penetrated the lungs and soul.

Lin Yanran was dazed, her eyes half-closed, as if trapped in a chaotic dream. But the scent lingering at her nose tip was indescribably pleasant, carrying a lingering, enchanting aroma that stirred the most hidden desires in her heart, making her feel an unbearable itch.

What kind of fragrance was it, exactly?

As a dual Ph.D. in agricultural science and pharmacology, and the youngest academician at the National Academy of Sciences, she was familiar with countless plants, both cultivated and wild, knowing them intimately like family treasures. She was a walking plant encyclopedia, yet she had never smelled such a unique and mysterious fragrance.

She tried her best to see clearly, and unexpectedly, her eyes opened.

What came into view was an ancient courtyard house, with its double main doors tightly shut. Seven half-person-thick round wooden pillars supported a concave-shaped long corridor. The corridor was paved with blue bricks, and in the courtyard, a cross-shaped path was also laid with blue bricks—one leading directly to the courtyard gate, and the other reaching the left and right house corridors.

She lay under the corridor directly opposite the main gate, leaning against a wicker chair, her two feet propped on a wooden table, casually crossed.

A bronze-spouted teapot sat beside her feet.

This was a posture she utterly detested. How could she have such a strange dream?

The next instant, her eyes widened abruptly.

At the end of the corridor lay a woman dressed in a long green dress. Her arms and legs were curled up, her body arched outwards. A black dog lay beside her, occasionally nudging her with its head, emitting pitiful whimpers, but she remained motionless.

Her ink-black hair was scattered over her face, obscuring her features. Her dress was wrinkled and covered with many dirty footprints, haphazardly placed all over her body… where her face touched the ground, there was a small puddle of bl00d.

Lin Yanran’s heart lurched, and she stood up as if by reflex.

Such a realistic scene, as if she had traveled to a strange time and space.

She didn’t hesitate to pinch herself—it hurt a lot.

“System?”

She called out three times, but there was no response.

She walked uneasily towards the woman on the ground. A faint, profound scent, both present and elusive, drifted into her nostrils, like a tiny hook, fishing out all desires, pulling them outwards.

That earlier feeling of unbearable itchiness resurfaced. Unaccountably, she wanted to get closer, wanted to possess… wanted to knead the woman on the ground into her body. A sudden surge of desire swiftly eroded her rationality.

But soon, another even more pungent smell overwhelmed it.

Strong, irritating, unpleasant—it was the smell of cheap alcohol, usually found on drunkards in the street. Lin Yanran sniffed and discovered that this smell was coming from herself!

She immediately realized that the fragrance she had smelled earlier was emanating from the woman on the ground.

Still shaken, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

“Lin Yanran! Lin Yanran!”

The main door rattled loudly. The black dog jumped up in fright, its ears perked, its fur standing on end, yet it didn’t bark once. It only whimpered and retreated to shield the woman, watching the door vigilantly.

Lin Yanran didn’t open the door immediately. Instead, she cautiously scanned the courtyard, looking for a suitable weapon.

On a large stone mill in the center of the courtyard, there was a bow and a quiver. The quiver probably contained seven or eight arrows. She looked closely—they were iron arrows. Then, her gaze stopped at the corner of the left wall, where several clusters of plants grew.

She actually recognized them all! Devil’s Umbrella, Morning Glory—all top-tier hallucinogenic poisons!

The main door was suddenly kicked open with a “bang.”

Three people walked in one after another, their demeanor brazen, as if entering their own home.

Lin Yanran secretly frowned.

These three were all young women, but they gave her a slovenly impression.

The leading woman wore a long gown with a hairpin askew in her hair. She had a pair of phoenix eyes that looked somewhat sinister. At this moment, her eyebrows were raised, and she squinted into the corridor. Seeing the woman lying on the ground, she wasn’t surprised at all; instead, she let out a chuckle.

“Lin Yanran, did you get drunk and beat your wife again?”

The second person wore a narrow-sleeved, belted long dress, looking more capable, but her hair was loosely tied into a bun, with the remaining long hair hanging loose. She had a blade of grass in her mouth, looking every bit like a street ruffian.

This woman craned her neck for a look and also chuckled: “Hehe, she deserved it!”

The third person squeezed in shoulder-to-shoulder with her, peeking at the woman on the ground. She had a round face and round eyes, but no hint of naivety. Instead, her eyes darted about, looking cunning and worldly. She chimed in: “Exactly! How dare she disrespect her own wife? Such disobedient Kunze need a good beating!”

Lin Yanran frowned, staring at the three. She didn’t recognize them, but the moment she saw them, three names popped into her mind: Zhang Zhen, Li Qing, Zhu Shiyu.

“What’s that smell? So fragrant?”

The three of them sniffed frantically like dogs.

The black dog let out pitiful whimpers, trembling all over, clearly afraid of them, yet it still shielded the woman on the ground.

Zhang Zhen followed the scent, a malicious smile on her face.

“Yanran, what good stuff is your Kunze hiding on her? Let me see.”

Lin Yanran’s heart jumped, and she instinctively blocked Zhang Zhen.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhen hooked her arm over Lin Yanran’s shoulder, smiling with a debauched expression: “Yanran, are you still reserved with me? The three of us are such good friends, shouldn’t your Kunze be brought out for us to share a bit, right?”

“Exactly.” Li Qing also squeezed over, putting her arm around Lin Yanran’s other shoulder, a wicked smile in her narrowed eyes. “Yanran, you’ve been married for three months, haven’t you? You hide your Kunze so tightly, not even letting us take a look. Smell it, it’s really fragrant. Maybe this Kunze you picked up is a top-grade one…”

Her words trailed off, her eyes becoming fixed as she released Lin Yanran’s shoulder.

Lin Yanran followed her gaze.

She saw that the previously unconscious woman had woken up at some point and was slowly standing up, supporting herself against the wall.

She wore a long, faded blue cloth dress, and her ink-black hair was disheveled. The moment she straightened up, her long hair slid from her cheek, revealing her face.

The entire courtyard seemed to brighten for a moment.

That wrinkled, faded blue cloth dress suddenly became luxurious and precious, as if woven from the finest silk into an ethereal fairy robe.

A phrase involuntarily welled up in Lin Yanran’s mind: “Nation-toppling beauty.”

Her breathing involuntarily lightened.

Could there truly be such a beautiful woman in the world?!

But soon, her heart ached. A trickle of bl00d slowly seeped from the corner of the woman’s mouth.

Her skin was snow-white, exuding an icy coolness, and her lips were extremely pale, making the trace of bl00d appear shocking.

Their gazes met.

Lin Yanran couldn’t help but shiver.

It was an icy coldness that cut to the bone, an gaze colder than ten thousand-year-old ice. Her ink-black pupils were like an unfathomable cold pool, watching her with abnormal calmness, devoid of any emotion.

She had never imagined a human could possess such an icy gaze, so cold it made her bones ache.

Beside her, Zhang Zhen, Li Qing, and Zhu Shiyu all gasped, their breathing quickening, drawing sharp breaths, their eyes fixed on the woman.

“Well, well, Lin Yanran, you actually hid such a stunning beauty and didn’t even let us feast our eyes.”

“How could Lin Yanran lay a hand on such a delicate beauty?”

“You don’t understand. The more beautiful the Kunze, the more they deserve a beating. The harder you beat them, the more enjoyable they are to play with!”

“Well said! No matter how beautiful, she’s just a Kunze, born to serve Qianyuan. If no Qianyuan marries her, she’ll either be a rich family’s slave or a prostitute everyone can toy with!”

The three of them spouted nonsense while circling the stunning woman, eyeing her up and down.

“Lin Yanran, tell your Kunze to prepare a good meal. Tonight, she’ll drink with us!”

“Hehe—that’s a good idea. A Kunze who’s just been ‘disciplined’ is usually more obedient. Looks like we’ll have some fun tonight.”

“Beauty, hurry and prepare the food and wine. Tonight, we’ll drink until we drop with you.”

The stunning woman’s face was devoid of expression. Her icy gaze swept over them and Lin Yanran in succession, as if she hadn’t heard their words at all.

Zhang Zhen’s expression was somewhat displeased, and a hint of malice flashed in her phoenix eyes.

“This Qin Mingyue is truly stubborn. I heard Yanran beats her three times a day, yet she still hasn’t been completely subdued. Now she dares to show attitude to her own wife right in front of us? What Qianyuan could tolerate that? If I were Yanran, I’d beat her fiercely too!”

Qin Mingyue? Qianyuan and Kunze? Wife?

*Boom!* Lin Yanran’s mind exploded.

Wasn’t this an ancient ABO Yuri novel she had read last night?

The main villain in the book, Qin Mingyue, possessed a nation-toppling beauty but had a heart like a viper, dark and cruel. To contend for the throne, she not only killed all her siblings but also severed the limbs of her most loyal personal guard, turning him into a human stick.

What was most unforgettable was that when she was weak and disgraced, a low-ranking Qianyuan used despicable means to make her his wife. This woman looked presentable but was actually a beast in human skin, indulging in drinking, gambling, and whoring, committing all sorts of evil. Because the marking failed, she lashed out in anger, brutally beating and humiliating Qin Mingyue. Finally, when she squandered all her family’s wealth, she actually drugged Qin Mingyue and sold her into a brothel to pay off debts.

And the reason the villain was a villain was naturally her ruthless cunning. She gouged out her own gland, jumped off a cliff to escape, and once she had the power to protect herself, she immediately launched a frenzied revenge against this scum wife who had humiliated her.

According to the original text: “Qin Mingyue watched with her own eyes as her guard flayed the scum wife alive with three thousand six hundred cuts, causing her to die in agonizing pain.”

Lin Yanran’s hands and feet grew cold, because she suddenly remembered that the name of this scum wife in the book, coincidentally, was the same as hers—Lin Yanran.

At that time, when she read this part, she swore furiously. She never expected to wake up and transmigrate into the body of the scum wife with the same name.

She slowly turned her already chilled neck and looked.

The villain before her, the future Empress, was disheveled, her mouth stained with bl00d, staring at her with icy eyes.

So, those footprints on her body were from the original owner’s kicks? The bl00d at the corner of her mouth was from the original owner’s slaps? Even the torn collar was ripped by the original owner?

What an animal!

No, that’s not right. Now, that animal was her.

As soon as she arrived, she had maxed out the villain’s hatred!

Lin Yanran’s vision went black.

“B1tch, are you deaf when we Qianyuan speak?”

“Lin Yanran, you’re really useless. You can’t even handle your own Kunze. Let me do it!”

Zhang Zhen rolled up her sleeves and walked towards Qin Mingyue with a sinister grin.

“So fragrant!” she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming.

“Where’s that smell coming from? Could it be from Qin Mingyue?”

She walked impatiently towards Qin Mingyue, her gaze gradually turning lustful.

Lin Yanran’s expression changed. She suddenly remembered the villain’s identity.

She was the legitimate eldest princess of the Shenyao Country, of noble birth. Not only was she the top-tier Kunze in the book, but she also possessed a natural exotic fragrance. Any Qianyuan who smelled it would completely lose control, frantically wanting to possess her! Therefore, her biological mother, the Empress of Shenyao Country, to protect her, secretly ordered a secret medicinal pellet to be made for her to wear, suppressing her exotic fragrance.

The original owner had just domestically abused her and torn her clothes, possibly damaging the pellet, causing a trace of her scent to leak out.

If this scent continued to leak, Qianyuan from hundreds of miles around would lose control and swarm here, inevitably causing unforeseen trouble and deviating from the plot.

Then she wouldn’t stand a chance of survival!

Zhang Zhen had already reached Qin Mingyue. “Beauty, why don’t you come with me? I’ll make sure you’re comfortable tonight?”

“No, this scent is getting stronger. Do you smell it?”

“Lin Yanran, your Kunze has a secret!”

“Let me see!”

The three of them had a wicked gleam in their eyes, staring at Qin Mingyue almost like wolves.

The black dog barked.

The exotic fragrance emitted by a top-tier Kunze, even just a trace, was enough to make three Qianyuan lose control.

Zhang Zhen was about to grab Qin Mingyue’s wrist when her collar was suddenly seized. A sudden strong force almost knocked her to the ground.

Lin Yanran’s face was as dark as water. Zhang Zhen was extremely displeased: “Yanran, what do you mean by this?”

“Heh heh.” Lin Yanran suddenly laughed meaningfully, “Why are you all so impatient? Come on, let’s go inside and sit. I’ll have someone bring some good wine and meat. We’ll eat our fill first, and then slowly savor her…”

She deliberately raised an eyebrow. The three immediately understood, grinning and hooking their arms around her: “Yanran, you’re really something!”

But they still stared fixedly at Qin Mingyue, unwilling to move an inch.

How could ordinary Qianyuan resist the allure of a top-tier Kunze?

Lin Yanran cajoled and pushed, dragging the three into the house. She immediately closed the door and found the wine the original owner had carefully kept.

“Come, come, come, this is my private stash of fine wine. I’ve always been reluctant to drink it, but today I’m sacrificing myself to accompany gentlemen. You must drink until you drop.”

The three had no interest in listening to her. Their eyes kept darting towards the door. Especially Zhang Zhen, who was the most arrogant, dismissed her: “Your wine smells mediocre. No rush to drink it yet. Let me take another look at the beauty. Tsk tsk, I’ve never seen such a beauty in my life—”

Lin Yanran calmly held a cup to block her.

“Zhang Zhen, if you’re my friend, drink up.”

A strange pressure entered her tone as she handed the cup to Zhang Zhen. Zhang Zhen subconsciously took it and downed it. The other two, seeing this, immediately followed suit.

Soon, she coaxed the three into drinking a few cups each. She said, “I’ll go out and discipline my wife for a bit, get her into some presentable clothes, and do her hair and makeup. Then she can come and serve you all later.”

The three were delighted to hear this and urged her to go quickly.

“Yanran, you’re really sensible. Go, go, we’ll pour our own wine. Oh, and order some more dishes to go with the wine.”

Lin Yanran turned and left the room.

Qin Mingyue was bending over, stretching her arm to reach a distant brocade pouch.

Her snow-white fingertips, set against the deep black blue-brick ground, appeared incredibly pale, radiating an icy coolness. She slowly extended her fingertips, struggling to grasp the brocade pouch.

The pouch seemed within reach but was always just a little short.

Lin Yanran then noticed a thin silver chain, pulled out from under Qin Mingyue’s ankle. As she moved, the chain became taut and straight.

The original owner actually… had her chained up!

At this moment, a tumultuous wave surged in Lin Yanran’s heart.

She quickly went over and picked up the brocade pouch.

That was the item Qin Mingyue wore close to her body, containing the secret medicinal pellets that could suppress her body’s exotic fragrance.

“Here.” She tried her best to appear calm as she handed over the brocade pouch.

Qin Mingyue’s outstretched hand sharply retracted.

Her red lips subtly moved, and she chillingly spat out a single word: “Scram.”