Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

“Brother Qinghai, are you implying that the evidence I just presented is fabricated?”

Li Yi retorted immediately, his voice dripping with icy sarcasm. “Heh. If this recording hadn’t undergone rigorous verification to confirm its absolute authenticity, I wouldn’t dare present it before the Imperial Court. The crime of deceiving the Sovereign is a burden this old man cannot bear.”

“That is hard to say!”

Mu Qinghai looked up at the Great Qin Emperor seated on the Dragon Throne. He composed himself, explaining methodically, “Your Majesty, the woman named Qian’er in the projection is a Songstress from the Gentle Fragrance Pavilion. A few days ago, my unfilial son, Mu Feng, vanished without a trace from that very establishment.”

Mu Qinghai’s voice grew louder, echoing through the hall. “I sent guards to seal off the pavilion, yet we could not find this woman anywhere. Therefore, I have sufficient reason to suspect that this is a trap orchestrated by Elder Li to frame me and my son! Otherwise, why would Mu Feng and this Qian’er disappear simultaneously, only for Elder Li to conveniently produce this evidence? I implore Your Majesty to see clearly!”

Li Yi did not miss a beat. “Heh. With such a grave incident occurring involving two crucial individuals, I naturally had to take them into protective custody.”

He smirked at his rival. “If I hadn’t, and Brother Qinghai arranged for your precious son to flee the Great Qin Dynasty, then even if His Majesty wished to punish him, there would be no one to find.”

“You…!” Mu Qinghai’s eyes bulged, panic seizing him. “So Mu Feng was indeed captured by you?!”

Li Yi corrected him coolly. “Brother Qinghai, your wording is inappropriate. This Senior prefers to call it ‘securing the criminal and the material witness.’”

In an instant, Mu Qinghai broke out in a cold sweat.

Desperate, he shot a pleading glance toward the Chief Grand Secretary, Zhao Xuanzi.

However, Zhao Xuanzi stood stiffly among the officials, eyes fixed forward as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He seemed determined to distance himself from the disaster unfolding before him. But in this Imperial Court, who didn’t know that Mu Qinghai was Zhao Xuanzi’s right-hand man?

Whatever Zhao Xuanzi was thinking, he knew that until the Emperor declared his stance, the only wise move was to remain motionless like a mountain.

After a long, suffocating silence, a voice filled with supreme majesty descended from above.

“Mu Qinghai is a meritorious subject of our Great Qin. Elder Li, since you claim the witness Qian’er and the criminal Mu Feng are under your control, bring them before the Court.”

The speaker was none other than the Great Qin Emperor, Qin Yusheng.

Clad in imperial yellow robes and a beaded crown, Qin Yusheng sat quietly on the Golden Dragon Throne. His face, etched with the authority of a True Dragon, was imposing without needing to display anger. A terrifying, domineering aura leaked from his very presence, crushing down on the civil and military officials in the grand hall until they trembled in fear.

“Your subject obeys the decree!”

Having received permission, Li Yi turned toward the palace doors and shouted, “Bring in the criminal Mu Feng and the witness Qian’er!”

As Li Yi’s command echoed, every neck in the hall craned toward the entrance. Mu Qinghai and Chief Grand Secretary Zhao Xuanzi felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Moments later, heavy doors creaked open. several armored guards escorted Mu Feng and Qian’er into the Grand Hall.

Today, Qian’er wore simple, unadorned clothing. The moment she entered the hall, the crushing pressure of the Dragon Aura forced her to her knees. She trembled violently, forehead touching the floor.

“This… this lowly woman Qian’er pays respects to Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Unlike the terrified songstress, Mu Feng’s face was pale with desperation. He tried to shout a defense, but Li Yi cut him off with a thunderous roar.

“Silence! This is the Imperial Court, not a wet market for you to haggle in! Speak only when you are commanded to speak!”

After the guards forced Mu Feng down, Li Yi retrieved the Recording Jade. He activated it, projecting the scenes from the Gentle Fragrance Pavilion once more.

For Mu Feng, it was a public execution. His treasonous, drunken slurring was replayed in high definition before the Emperor and the entire assembly of high officials.

“You are called Qian’er, correct? Raise your head.”

From the Dragon Throne, Qin Yusheng’s gaze fell upon the prostrate woman. His voice was heavy, carrying the weight of a mountain. “We ask you: Is everything Elder Li just presented the truth?”

“……..”

Qian’er’s vermilion lips parted slightly. But just as she was about to answer, she froze.

From the side, gazes filled with supreme killing intent stabbed into her. Zhao Xuanzi, Mu Qinghai, and the entire faction of corrupt ministers glared at her, their eyes promising a fate worse than death if she spoke out of turn.

These murderous stares were like invisible daggers, launching a fierce assault on her mind. As a mere songstress, how could Qian’er withstand the collective pressure of the empire’s most powerful, ruthless men? Her psychological defenses began to crumble.

“Miss Qian’er!”

Li Yi’s voice, righteous and imposing like a rainbow, shattered her paralysis.

“His Majesty asked you a question. Did you not hear? Answer His Majesty truthfully. If you conceal even half a sentence, you will be guilty of the Crime of Deceiving the Sovereign!”

Deceiving the Sovereign.

The penalty was death by a thousand cuts. Or worse.

Hearing those four words, Qian’er was scared out of her wits. The threat of the Emperor outweighed the threat of the Ministers. Trembling like a leaf in a storm, she stammered her reply.

“Replying to Your Majesty… it… it is true! Those words were personally spoken to this lowly woman by Young Master Mu that night. If I speak even half a lie… I… I willingly submit to the harshest punishment!”

Boom!

A wave of commotion erupted in the court. Officials began whispering frantically, the noise rising like a tide. Mu Feng’s face turned so pale he looked like a walking corpse; if he were filming a horror movie, he wouldn’t need makeup.

“Outrageous!”

The moment Qian’er finished, Mu Qinghai stepped forward, his voice sharp as a blade.

“A woman of ill repute from a brothel dares to make false accusations in the Imperial Court!?”

Mu Qinghai turned on Qian’er, launching a blistering counter-attack. “From the moment you and Mu Feng drank the nuptial cup, every word you spoke was calculated! You were guiding Mu Feng, baiting him to say exactly what you wanted to hear!”

He didn’t stop to let her breathe.

“You are a mere songstress—what interest do you have in court politics? Who is the mastermind behind you?! And the wine Mu Feng drank—did you drug it in advance?!”

Mu Qinghai’s triple interrogation was rapid, aggressive, and overwhelming, causing Qian’er’s mind to shut down completely.

Having silenced the witness, Mu Qinghai turned back to the Dragon Throne, bowing deeply with an air of righteous indignation.

“Your Majesty! It is obvious to anyone with eyes that this harlot was inducing Mu Feng from beginning to end! I have sufficient reason to suspect the wine she served was laced with a specialized pill to impair judgment! Under such influence, a man will agree to anything asked of him.”

Mu Qinghai pointed an accusing finger at the trembling girl. “How could a lowly woman execute such a scheme? There must be a powerful figure behind her, instructing her every move to frame my son and destroy the Mu Family!”

It was a solid defense. Mu Qinghai had correctly deduced the truth—Mu Feng had been drugged.

Qin Yusheng remained impassive, his expression unreadable.

Seeing this, Li Yi stepped forward to shield his witness, meeting Mu Qinghai head-on.

“Heh. Brother Qinghai, why beat around the bush? Why not just point your finger at me and call me the mastermind?”

Li Yi’s eyes narrowed, his voice dripping with scorn. “But when it comes to framing and false accusations, who in this court can surpass you, Minister Mu? Just because the marriage alliance between your precious son and Zhuo Hongyi failed, you sought to destroy the Zhuo Family.”

Li Yi took a step closer to his rival. “For a petty grudge, you did not hesitate to collude with Commandant Xie Kuan. You used coercion and torture on the younger generation of the Zhuo Family, all to crown them with a groundless charge of treason! Do you dare deny it?”