Young Master System: My Mother Is the Matriarch-Chapter 200 - 199: The Heist Part 3

Li Wei departed the antique shop without ceremony. Lei Tao did not follow him to the door, nor did he offer parting words. The bolt slid free at Li Wei's hand, and the door eased open with a tired groan. ~creak~ Cool night air spilled in, carrying with it the distant noise of the city at leisure.

He stepped back onto the street and pulled the door shut behind him. For a brief moment, the antique shop vanished into anonymity, just another darkened storefront among many. Li Wei adjusted his cloak once more and set off.

This part of the capital was livelier than the alleys he had just left behind. Music drifted through open windows, punctuated by bursts of laughter and the clatter of dishes being cleared away. ~clatter~

Vendors leisurly pushed carts laden with late-night fare, steam rising from bamboo baskets as they called out their wares. He passed them without slowing, eyes already fixed on a taller structure further down the avenue.

The restaurant pavilion was a marvel to behold, Its upper floors rose above the neighboring buildings, balconies stacked like terraces overlooking the street. Lanterns hung in careful intervals, their light warm and inviting rather than ostentatious.

From within came the layered sounds of conversation, music played on stringed instruments, and the steady rhythm of service well practiced. ~soft strings~

Li Wei paused across the street and took in the scene with a small smile, as this establisment was not merely a place to converse and consume delacacies.

It had served as a neutral ground between Merchants, officials, visiting sect representatives, all passed through its doors under the understanding that discretion was part of the price. Deals were made between courses and alliances softened over fine liquor.

This was the only place enmities were postponed until morning. 'It is no surprise those old sages chose the top floor,' Li Wei thought as he crossed the street and ascended the shallow steps at the entrance, where a pair of attendants bowed in greeting.

Both had expressions that were polite and unremarkable.

One reached for his sleeve, and hesitated slightly before withdrewing her hand as Li Wei met her gaze. "I am here to speak with your proprietor," Li Wei said quietly.

"Umm…." The attendant glanced at her companion, then nodded. "Please wait a moment…."

Li Wei was guided into a side chamber just off the main hall. The space was narrow, fully furnished with a low bench and a lacquered screen painted with mountain scenery. He sat down quietly, resting his forearms on his knees and listening to the sounds around him.

Beyond the screen, trays were set down and cups hastily refilled, while orders murmured in practiced cadence. ~pour~

The faint scent of roasted meat and citrus peel drifted in, mixing with the lingering smoke from oil lamps. Time passed in measured beats as the minutes dragged on uneventfully

At last, footsteps approached from the corridor beyond. The screen shifted aside, revealing a man in his middle years dressed in dark vermilion robes. His hair was bound neatly into a bun, while his face was calm in every sense of the word

This person was clearly someone accustomed to balancing competing interests.

"You must be Li Wei," the man said, inclining his head. "I am Chen Rong."

"That is correct…" Li Wei rose. "I appreciate you receiving me at this hour."

"Think nothing of it," Chen Rong gestured toward the corridor. "Walk with me."

They moved through the pavilion together, ascending a narrow staircase at the rear. As they climbed, the noise of the dining halls softened, replaced by muffled voices and the occasional scrape of furniture being rearranged. ~scrape~

The top floor was reserved for private gatherings, as both doors lined the hall.

Each of them sealed and guarded discreetly, while Chen Rong stopped near a window overlooking the street below and rested one hand against the frame. "Am sure you are aware…." he paused briefly, "that what you are asking places my establishment in a rather uncomfortable position."

Li Wei stood beside him, following his gaze downward. "I am not here asking you to choose sides," he replied. "Only to listen for a brief moment."

Chen Rong's fingers tapped once against the wood. ~tap~ " I doubt that remaining passive is an option at this juncture."

"Not when imperial powers are involved," Li Wei agreed. "But what will be discussed tonight concerns the entire city. You deserve to know how close it stands to collapse spontaniously."

Chen Rong studied him for a moment, then turned his attention back to the hall. From behind one of the doors came the low murmur of voices already gathering. ~murmur~

"You want ears where eyes are forbidden," Chen Rong said. "And then my silence afterward."

"Yes."

"And in return?"

Li Wei did not answer immediately. He reached into his sleeve and produced a small slip of paper, placing it on the window ledge between them.

"When an opportune moment arrives," Li Wei said, "this will ensure your pavilion is considered as a place that is highly regarded"

Chen Rong did not touch the paper. He stared at it, then at Li Wei.

"You are asking me to blindly follow you based on donations," he said.

"I am asking you to listen to your instincts," Li Wei replied. "You built this place by knowing when to listen and when to look away." The proprietor exhaled slowly and stared far below him, as a bell chimed to announce the arrival of honored guests. ~chime~

Chen Rong closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again.

"The walls on this floor are thin," he said quietly. "Thinner than most believe."

Li Wei inclined his head. "That will be enough."

Chen Rong straightened and gestured toward the hall. "Then we have come to a consensus. But understand this, Li Wei. If tonight goes poorly, everyone present will pretend they heard nothing."

Li Wei allowed himself a small, restrained smile. "That is all I require."

As Chen Rong departed to oversee his guests, Li Wei remained by the window, listening as the the street had grown busier rather than quieter. Lanterns swayed gently as servants moved between floors, and the sound of conversation rose and fell in uneven waves.

Somewhere inside the pavilion, a string was plucked too hard and corrected a moment later. ~twang~

He rested his palm against the window frame, feeling the faint vibration of footsteps passing through the building. 'These are indeed Thin walls,' he thought. Chen Rong had not been exaggerating about the place being built to spy long before it was built to host.

The door at the far end of the hall opened, then closed again. ~thump~ Voices followed shortly after, low and measured, the kind that carried authority without needing volume. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Li Wei shifted his stance slightly, angling himself closer to the wall adjacent to the largest chamber.

The lacquered wood was cool beneath his fingertips. "…the conscription will proceed as scheduled," a man could be heard from within. His tone was clipped and rather rehearsed. "Delays will be interpreted as weakness."

Another voice answered, older and slower. "You speak as though the sects will comply quietly, you have to be ware that they have already begun withdrawing from provincial councils."

A pause followed. Someone cleared their throat. ~cough~

Li Wei closed his eyes briefly and listened, committing the cadence of each speaker to memory. He could hear the faint scrape of a cup being lifted, liquid sloshing against porcelain. ~clink~

"The true Emperor is aware of the resistance," a third voice interjected. "That is precisely why Magistrate Yun has been repositioned, due to his presence alone possessing the ability to stifle unrest."

'Or provoke it," Li Wei thought.

A chair shifted inside the room, its legs dragging softly across the floor. ~scrape~

The voices grew more animated now, overlapping at the edges as irritation crept in. "You rely too heavily on brute force," the older voice said. "History has not been kind to such thinking."

"History is written by those who endure," came the reply. "And endurance requires obedience from the masses"

Li Wei leaned his shoulder lightly against the wall, adjusting his breathing to remain unnoticed. Meanwhile, a servant passed behind him carrying a tray with her steps quick and quiet.

She spared him a glance but said nothing. ~step~

Inside the chamber, the discussion turned toward logistics. Names were being mentioned, then dismissed. Regions were referenced obliquely and indirectly. Li Wei traced the outlines in his mind, mapping the riddles to territory.

Then a name surfaced that made his attention narrow. "…and the assets in the southern vault will be secured before dawn," one of them said. "No records will remain."

Li Wei's slightly hands moved against the wood, 'So that's where it's being hidden,' He had noted an anomaly on Lady Wu's routes and Lei Tao's maps, it appeared the pieces were aligning with unsettling ease.

A bell rang softly somewhere below, signaling the start of another course.~chime~

The voices inside the chamber lowered again, retreating into guarded phrases and half-finished thoughts. Li Wei straightened and stepped back from the wall, as he had heard enough for now.

When he turned, Chen Rong stood a short distance away near the stairwell, watching him without an expression.

The proprietor's hands were folded neatly in his sleeves. "It has alread begun," Chen Rong said quietly.

Li Wei nodded. "Yes."

"You will move soon," Chen Rong continued. "I can see it in the way you're standing."

Li Wei allowed a brief pause before answering. "The city has already made its choice," he said. "Tyranny shall not endure the test of time…."