Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

“Grand Secretary Li! Stop beating around the bush!”

Mu Qinghai’s voice boomed through the hall, cutting through Li Yi’s accusations.

“Are your ramblings even relevant to the matter we are discussing before His Majesty? Furthermore, I never explicitly named you, Grand Secretary Li, as the mastermind behind Qian’er. Why are you in such a hurry to claim the title? Unless you have a guilty conscience?”

Deftly side-stepping Li Yi’s mention of the Zhuo Family, Mu Qinghai pivoted back to the terrifying pressure he was exerting on the witness. He turned his hawk-like gaze onto the trembling songstress.

“Miss Qian’er, we are in the presence of the Son of Heaven. You had best confess truthfully. Who exactly instructed you to frame my son, Mu Feng?”

“Father, I know who it is!”

Before Qian’er could stammer a reply, Mu Feng saw a lifeline dangling before him and lunged for it.

“Silence!” Mu Qinghai glared at his son, his eyes filled with anger at his lack of backbone. “This is the Imperial Court! There are no fathers here, only subjects of the Great Qin Dynasty!”

He took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a commanding growl. “Mu Feng, since you know the identity of the mastermind, speak his name before His Majesty!”

“Yes, Lord Mu!”

Mu Feng scrambled to look up at Emperor Qin Yusheng on the Dragon Throne, eager to shift the black pot of blame onto someone else.

“The one who instructed Qian’er is Han Lie! He personally told me that he ordered Qian’er to lace my wine with drugs to force me to say those treasonous words!”

“Who is Han Lie?” Mu Qinghai pressed, feigning ignorance to lead the witness.

“He… he is a fiend from a Demonic Sect! And I believe he is a fellow disciple of Zhuo Hongyi from the Zhuo Family!”

With the name ‘Han Lie’ finally exposed, the true heavyweight of the court made his move.

Chief Grand Secretary Zhao Xuanzi stepped out from the ranks of officials. He bowed deeply to Qin Yusheng.

“Your Majesty, both the witness Qian’er and the suspect Mu Feng are present. However, if this Han Lie is the alleged instigator, should he not also be summoned to the court to answer for these crimes?”

“Hmm…”

Qin Yusheng nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. “Elder Zhao speaks with reason. This matter is of grave importance to the stability of the realm. We do not wish to wrong a good man, nor will We let a villain escape.”

The Emperor turned his gaze. “Grand Secretary Li, summon this Han Lie into the hall.”

Li Yi paused for a fraction of a second. The Emperor’s command was subtle, but telling; by asking Li Yi to summon him, the Emperor was tacitly acknowledging that Han Lie was under Li Yi’s protection.

“Your subject obeys the decree.”

Li Yi wasn’t surprised. The counter-move by Zhao Xuanzi and Mu Qinghai was within his calculations. Even with irrefutable evidence, these old foxes wouldn’t roll over and die so easily.

Besides, as Han Lie had said himself: I am not afraid to enter the hall.

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the heavy doors of the Holy Heaven Hall creaked open.

Accompanied by two palace guards, Han Lie stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the atmosphere in the hall shifted. The gaze of every official in Zhao Xuanzi’s faction snapped toward him like iron filings to a magnet. Their eyes were sharp, hostile, and filled with killing intent.

Especially Zhao Xuanzi. The Chief Grand Secretary scrutinized the young man, unable to fathom what grudge this cultivator held against the Mu Family to use such ruthless, scorched-earth tactics.

Facing a sea of blade-like stares, Han Lie did not flinch.

He walked with a straight back, his chest out and head high. He looked neither left nor right, his stride confident as he approached the throne.

“This junior, Han Lie, pays respects to the Great Qin Son of Heaven.”

Arriving beside the kneeling Qian’er, Han Lie cupped his hands and bowed—neither subservient nor arrogant.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, look!”

As soon as Han Lie spoke, Mu Feng, still kneeling, pointed a shaking finger at him. “This person is the Demonic Sect fiend! According to the laws of Great Qin, he should be apprehended and executed immediately!”

Thrum.

A wave of formless pressure descended from the Dragon Throne.

Qin Yusheng merely glanced at Mu Feng. It was a look containing the boundless majesty of a True Dragon. Mu Feng felt his throat constrict, and he shrank back, his neck disappearing into his shoulders like a turtle.

The Emperor’s eyes seemed to say: Are you trying to teach Me how to rule?

Having silenced the fool with a look, Qin Yusheng turned his attention to the newcomer. “Han Lie. Do you know why We summoned you to this hall?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, naturally I know.”

Han Lie’s voice was calm, echoing clearly in the silent hall. “Miss Qian’er’s actions were indeed instructed by me. That is correct.”

Gasps rippled through the court.

“And indeed, I was the one who placed the medicine in the wine Mu Feng drank that night.”

Han Lie paused, a faint smile playing on his lips. “However, the medicine I used is a pill known as ‘Truth Serum.’ As the name implies, anyone under its influence loses the ability to deceive. They subconsciously speak their deepest, truest thoughts.”

Han Lie looked around the room, meeting the gazes of the hostile ministers. “Therefore, the words Mu Feng spoke to Miss Qian’er that night were not fabrications. They were the absolute truth, drawn directly from his heart by the power of the serum.”

“Presumptuous!”

Mu Qinghai roared, stepping forward to seize control of the narrative. “A filthy Demonic Sect heretic dares to spout nonsense before His Majesty in the sacred court of Great Qin!”

Mu Qinghai pointed an accusatory finger at Han Lie, his righteous indignation overflowing. “You drug my son! You induce him to speak treasonous falsehoods! What are your intentions?!”

“Is it your Sect that sent you here? Are you a spy sent to disrupt the stability of the Great Qin Dynasty?!”

“Answer me! Is it, or is it not?!”

Li Yi’s face drained of color.

Mu Qinghai truly lived up to his reputation as an old fox. In a few sentences, he had twisted the narrative from “Mu Feng’s Treason” to “Foreign Agent Sabotaging the Empire.” He had pinned a massive, lethal charge on Han Lie.

If Han Lie stumbled in his defense now, Mu Qinghai would reverse the entire situation, and they would all be doomed.

Qin Yusheng’s gaze shifted back to Han Lie. He watched with interest. How will you handle this lethal accusation, young man?

Han Lie did not panic. In fact, his smile only widened.

“Minister Mu, why are you in such a desperate hurry to pin the crime of ‘Disrupting the Empire’ on my head?”

Han Lie’s voice remained unhurried. “You claim the words Mu Feng spoke under the Truth Serum were false. If that is so, why don’t we discuss how you colluded with the Commandant? How you used coercion and bribery on the children of the Zhuo Family, forcing them to confess to a fabricated charge of treason just so you could destroy their clan?”

“Hmph! What utter nonsense!”

Mu Qinghai scoffed, waving his sleeve dismissively. “Still harping on the Zhuo Family? Is the Zhuo Family relevant to the crisis we are discussing today?”

“You are clearly feeling guilty, trying to change the subject to save your own skin!”

Mu Qinghai turned to the Emperor, bowing deeply. “Your Majesty, please discern clearly! I can basically confirm that this fiend is here solely to sow chaos in our dynasty. I suggest we apprehend him immediately to stop him from spreading more lies!”

It had to be said—Mu Qinghai had not climbed to the position of Minister of War by accident. His ability to distort logic, pin crimes on opponents, and deflect blame was masterful. Far beyond anything his disappointing son could ever hope to achieve.

Unfortunately for him, neither Han Lie nor Emperor Qin Yusheng were men who could be easily led by the nose.

“Han Lie,” Qin Yusheng spoke, cutting through the Minister’s bluster. “Explain to Us. Why do you, like Grand Secretary Li, keep insisting on mentioning the Zhuo Family?”

Han Lie cupped his fists, his expression turning solemn. “Reporting to Your Majesty. I mention the Zhuo Family because their plight is inseparably linked to today’s events.”

Qin Yusheng waved a hand, signaling him to continue.

“Firstly, I am a fellow disciple of Zhuo Cheng’s daughter, Zhuo Hongyi. In years past, she showed me great kindness within our Sect. I am indebted to her.”

Han Lie’s voice grew firmer. “Now that the Zhuo Family faces a calamity, I naturally cannot stand idly by.”

“Your Majesty is wise. You must be aware that the Zhuo Family’s influence has waned day by day. They can barely survive within Qin Yang City. I ask you: Where would they find the audacity, the ambition, or the military strength to commit treason?”

Han Lie shook his head, looking Mu Qinghai dead in the eye.

“To accuse the current Zhuo Family of plotting a coup… it is as absurd as accusing a blind man of being a Peeping Tom at a women’s bathhouse!”