Chapter 6 Boat Trip on the Lake – The Aggrieved Male Lead
Chang’an ran out of the palace in a panic. He had never seen Yue Guanyi so angry before.
When Qiu Daren got promoted, he secretly sent a box of gold under a hidden name.
When Qiu Daren finished her shift, he would take a detour just to pretend to run into her, cherishing even a moment of polite small talk.
As long as it had something to do with Qiu Daren, that vicious and scheming living Yama would change, becoming no different from an ordinary delicate man, anxious and insecure with his heart and eyes full of her, wishing he could bare his heart to her.
Chang’an sighed as he ran.
Men in love!
When he reached the palace gates, it was just the time for officials to finish their shifts, walking out in groups of three or five.
At a glance, they all looked like a group of women wearing similar official robes, but Chang’an immediately spotted Qiu Shuzhi. Even without looking at her face, her figure alone stood out starkly – like a proud crane, fair-skinned, slender, quiet and independent.
No wonder the Crown Princess was so enamored with her.
As he passed by her, he saw Jiang Si, now a Deputy Minister of Personnel, approach her: “Qiu Niang, long time no see. Why don’t we go out for a drink?”
Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly: “Next time. My elder brother is waiting for me.”
The incident with Qin Shu was still fresh, and she remained wary of Jiang Si, unsure if she had anything to do with Qin Shu’s misfortune, and who had killed that unfortunate flower boy.
Jiang Si tugged at her official robe: “We joined at the same time. You made excuses to skip the last drinking gathering. You can’t refuse this time.”
Afraid Qiu Shuzhi would decline, she quickly added: “Don’t worry, I know you’re cautious. We won’t go to a boy brothel. We’ll just have tea on an ordinary pleasure boat on the lake, alright?”
Seeing no way to refuse, Qiu Shuzhi had no choice but to agree.
“Then it’s settled. It happens to be our day off tomorrow. Let’s meet at the Mingyue Lake pleasure boat,” Jiang Si immediately set the time.
Chang’an silently took note of some details and bought the finest rouge and face powder to bring back to the palace.
Yue Guanyi sat at the dressing table, applying light powder to his face using the newly delivered flower-shaped mirror. His already pale skin took on a misty, hazy quality.
Fine pearl powder was evenly applied under his pale cyan eyes, concealing the weary dark circles. His slender figure, under those clear, cold eyes, was beautifully aloof, like light snow and thin frost, restoring the bearing of the capital’s number one beauty.
“How is it? Does it look ugly?” Yue Guanyi asked him.
Chang’an was speechless. If Yue Guanyi was ugly, then men like himself must be monsters.
Yue Guanyi’s beauty was universally acknowledged in Da Qi. Even without makeup, he outshone everyone in the capital. Even though days of exhaustion had made him haggard and thin, it couldn’t diminish his graceful charm.
“Your Highness’s beauty is unparalleled in the world. Any woman who sees you would be moved,” Chang’an said.
“She won’t. She won’t,” Yue Guanyi murmured, looking at himself in the mirror.
He felt that everything about himself in the mirror was not good enough – his skin wasn’t fine enough, his lips weren’t red enough, his eyes weren’t alluring enough, his figure wasn’t captivating enough.
He was foolish, dull, lowly, humble. How could someone like him gain her favor?
Chang’an couldn’t bear to see his master sink into endless self-doubt, so he told him about Qiu Shuzhi and Jiang Si’s appointment for tomorrow.
“Jiang Si?” Yue Guanyi was immediately on alert.
Sure enough, at the mention of others, the decisive and ruthless Crown Princess from before returned.
“Jiang Si is neither part of the Qin faction nor close to imperial power. Why approach her for no reason? She must have some scheme,” Yue Guanyi’s expression tensed.
“Do you know where they’re going tomorrow?”
“Mingyue Lake.”
A fierce look flashed in Yue Guanyi’s eyes: “Send orders. Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard disguise themselves as commoners and guard Mingyue Lake tomorrow. Report to me any move Jiang Si makes.”
“Yes.”
The banks of Mingyue Lake stretched far with shimmering waves. Weeping willows swayed in the gentle breeze, their shadows intertwining with flower reflections. The spring scenery of the lake was breathtakingly beautiful, attracting countless scholars and artists to enjoy boat trips and appreciate the views.
A pleasure boat was moored by the lake, its exquisite and luxurious decorations drawing the gazes of many passersby.
“Qiu Niang!” Jiang Si called out to Qiu Shuzhi from the bow of the boat.
She was still dressed in plain, light-colored clothes, her black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, ethereal and unworldly.
Jiang Si, wearing a stand-collar casual outfit, walked down from the pleasure boat.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Qiu Shuzhi said.
“Not at all, I just arrived too.” Jiang Si led her onto the boat. The interior of the cabin was just as exquisitely decorated.
The oars began to move, and the surrounding scenery changed. The view of Mingyue Lake unfolded like a classical painting scroll.
“Is Qiu Niang satisfied with this pleasure boat?” Jiang Si asked as she personally poured tea for her.
Unsure of Jiang Si’s intentions for the invitation, Qiu Shuzhi played along: “The boat is exquisite and very nice.”
As the fragrance of tea slowly wafted through the air, the corner of Jiang Si’s lips curved up slightly: “There’s something even better.” She clapped her hands, and the pearl curtains behind them rustled as several young and beautiful boys filed out. The one in the lead was a youth of exceptional beauty with extremely alluring eyes.
“This servant Rui Zhu greets the two ladies,” he said.
“What’s this?” Qiu Shuzhi hadn’t expected Jiang Si to arrange such a scene. She couldn’t help feeling nervous, as if she could already see Qin Shu’s fate beckoning to her.
Jiang Si smiled nonchalantly: “How can a lake trip be without the company of beauties? Don’t worry, he’s a boy who sells his art, not his body.”
“That’s not what I meant. Please ask him to leave. I don’t enjoy song and dance,” Qiu Shuzhi explained.
Jiang Si sighed: “What a pity. I promised this boy that if he could dance for you, I’d reward him with ten taels of gold. Since you’re unwilling, forget it then. You may leave!”
Rui Zhu immediately knelt before Qiu Shuzhi, pleading in a delicate voice: “My lady, please allow this servant to dance for you. This servant’s family is poor and I have a young sister. Mother said if I can’t earn money again, she’ll sell me and my brothers to a brothel. Please save this servant!”
Qiu Shuzhi understood that she had been set up by Jiang Si, but she really couldn’t harden her heart to do such a thing as ‘forcing an honest person into prostitution’. It was just a dance after all. She could explain to the Emperor later.
“Stand up,” Qiu Shuzhi gestured for him to rise.
Rui Zhu looked at her with tearful eyes: “Do you agree?”
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If you’re like me…
Too tired of reading stories where the female lead is often foolish, weak, feeble both physically and mentally, usually in a subservient and oppressed role in society such as a maid, secretary, concubine… or to put it bluntly, typically the one who has to serve and please the male lead, always needing protection and rescue from male leads, while the male lead is often described as talented, strikingly handsome, powerful,…
Then please continue reading.
Hi there, girls!
I’m Yuushi L.
Every day, movies and comics continuously reinforce the notion that women are weak, that they can only handle trivial matters in the background, that women are petty-minded and constantly jealous, mocking, and laughing at other women, while men are strong, wealthy, and solely focused on conquering the world, with countless mindless women ready to fall into their arms.
Believe me, once you read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels, your mindset will change significantly.
I am deeply inspired by strong, independent, and rational women who have the power to take control of their lives, and I am fascinated by the way society’s gender roles are reversed in this genre compared to real life.
So I have created this web with the noble purpose of promoting the “Female-dominant (FEDO)” genre of novels.
In my country, there was a rare renowned female poet in ancient times who wrote the following about the fate of women in that era:
“Damn this life of sharing a husband,
One wrapped in warmth, the other left cold.
I’d rather have stayed single from the start,
Than to endure a life so torn apart.”
Perhaps my penchant for reading female-dominant stories is partly a way of rebelling against the realities of life.
On my site, there will be stories that are not only female-dominant novels, as long as they align with my taste, featuring strong female protagonists and fresh, captivating storylines. Usually, they will be modern or fantasy novels.
I rarely read ancient novels that aren’t female-dominant because they often contain details that easily trigger me. These include the portrayal of men having multiple wives and concubines, which was considered utterly normal in ancient society, and the frequent disdain towards women.
I cannot change the world, as the societal structure that discriminates against women and elevates men has existed for thousands of years. Changing it to truly give women an equal role in society is not something that can happen overnight. If you want gender equality now, it’s laughable. It will never happen when over 90% of national and business leaders are men.
But I can start by changing the mindset of women, sisters, and young girls. Don’t just read dull slogans urging women to be strong and independent; it’s hard to imagine. Read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels to see clearly what true female empowerment looks like.
I believe there will be more and more independent and strong women who prioritize their careers and personal stability over seeking a man to rely on.
In the future, there will be more successful female entrepreneurs, politicians, and thought leaders.
As for me, I will start by making this website grow stronger day by day.
I especially like the concept of “the male lead falls in love first, the female lead is the cold-hearted and rational one, and the male lead suffers because the female lead doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.”
Therefore, you’ll see that most of the novels on my website will belong to this trope. Of course, there will be exceptions.
In the future, I also plan to write my own novels following this concept, where the female lead in my stories will never be the weaker party. I hope I can do it soon.
The novels I highly recommend will be listed under the category:
There will be exceptionally brilliant stories, but there will also be mediocre ones. As the Female-dominant (FEDO) genre has fewer authors and readers, the number of high-quality novels is limited.
Therefore, I want to promote this genre to reach a wider audience, which will encourage more talented authors to choose to write in this style, leading to the birth of more outstanding Female-dominant (FEDO) novels.
The Chinese versions of the novels I use for translation are all sourced from various websites on the internet. You know, I don’t have much budget to purchase so many novels.
Therefore, if your financial situation allows, please support the authors by purchasing the original works. You can find the original works using the Chinese titles of the novels.
*
WARNING:
In some novels, there are certain unhealthy ideologies and illegal actions held by the main characters (for example, treating human lives as worthless, or casually deciding to kill someone, forcing others to do things they don’t want to do, arbitrarily imprisoning others, plotting to harm others, using violence to retaliate against violence,…).
This may be because the authors are still young and inexperienced, unaware that what they’re writing goes beyond moral standards and can negatively influence young readers.
It’s important that readers under 18 years old need to recognize these are illegal actions, not permitted to be carried out in real life, always keep a clear head while reading, treat these works only as entertainment, and don’t let yourself be influenced by those plot points.
*
If you want to join me, support me, recommend novels, or simply want to connect with me privately, please contact me via email: yuushi.l.me@gmail.com
Or join my Discord to connect with others who share the same taste for novels:
With love and appreciation,
YUUSHI L
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*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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