Li Wei had already decided his next course of action. The young master had no qualms inciting instability within the city, especially at a crucial juncture were the lives of thousands was at stake.
Despite his inexperience in the field of leadership, he was still very aware that any transition of power would not occur without bloodshed. Although the conscription order appeared to be rely a summoning order, Li Wei sensed the violent undercurrents swirling below.
It was very likely that the sects would simply reject the imperial decree, which would lead to a horrific fallout between the imperial family and the union of sects present in their borders. If left unchecked, the unrest could spread beyond the nation's borders and into the neighbouring states.
A civil war had a number of drawbacks, but a battle crossing national boundaries would be a calamity. The young master was not about to let the faction manipulating things in the background to carry out their plan, thus he had to improvise.
After leaving the small establishnt, Li Wei did not return to his residence. The young man opted to et with another contact, who would aid him at this critical conjencture. It did not take long for him to navigate through the city streets, that were still vibrant and active after dusk.
Young master Wei was pleasently surprised by the sights that welcod him, as he approached the site his contact was waiting his arrival. Both sides of the street were illuminated with soft candles that carried a seductive scent that was hard to ignore, with rows of female attendants wearing revealing garnts that left little to the imagination.
"Young hero, It appears your path has lead you here." A short lady with pearly blue eyes coiled herself around Li Wei's arm and tugged him towards the nearby pavilion, "Co inside… My sisters are eagerly awaiting your arrival."
It did not take a scholar to realize that the young master had ended up at the red light district, which happened to be the most profitable sector in the entire capital city. One could easily observe the makeup and perfu that every female in sight seed to be using.
The ploy of each pavilion was clever to say the least, from a neutral perspective the pavilion appeared to be independently run. However, each of the estaablishnts on either side of the street operated under a single banner. Custors are none the wiser and eagerly return to sample services from various pavilions, blissfully unaware that their coin is lining the pockets of one owner.
From a business point of view, this monopoly was extremly profitable and had been watched closely by the imperial court.
Tonight he had to et the owner of this entire district, a woman known simply as Lady Wu.
The attendant's grip was light, practiced. Li Wei allowed himself to be guided several steps before he gently freed his arm, offering her a faint nod instead. She studied him for a mont, then laughed softly and drifted back toward the pavilion entrance, already turning her attention to another passerby. ~tinkle of bangles~
Li Wei remained where he was, taking in the district more carefully now.
The street narrowed as it continued inward, the candles giving way to lanterns hung from carved beams. Silk curtains stirred at every doorway. Music bled from behind painted screens, accompanied by the low murmur of conversation and the rhythmic tap of cups on lacquered tables. ~tap~ Sowhere above, wind chis answered one another in uneven notes. ~chi~
This was not a haphazard arrangent, though one had to look closely to notice.
Each pavilion differed in color and the, yet the spacing between them was uniform. The guards posted at intersections wore different outfits, but their stance was the sa. Even the attendants' dialect followed similar patterns, tempting and luring like a rehearsed act.
'A single hand guides all of this,' Li Wei thought.
He resud walking.
Two intersections in, he veered away from the brighter street and followed a narrower passage between pavilions. The scents shifted here as the perfu clouds lessened, due to an abundance of incense and old wood.
A delivery boy hurried past him with a crate balanced on his shoulder, nearly colliding with the young master before bowing quickly and retreating. ~thud~
At the end of the passage stood a three-story structure set slightly back from the others. They were no lanterns adorning it, only a pair of red cords hung beside the entrance.
Each of the fibers were faded by ti and touch.
A woman sat on a low stool near the doorway, trimming the wick of a small lamp with careful fingers. She did not bother looking up as Li Wei approached. "I find nas are unnecessary," she said calmly. "Not in this sort of place."
"I am here to see Lady Wu," Li Wei replied.
The woman snipped the wick and finally raised her eyes. They moved over him once, slow and thodical. She stood and pushed the door open partway. "Third floor," she said. "Do not touch anything that isn't offered."
Li Wei stepped inside with unhurried strides.The interior corridor was dim, lit by wall lamps set low. His footsteps sounded muted against the woven flooring. ~soft step~ As he climbed, he passed closed doors marked only by small ivory plaques.
Just behind them ca murmurs, occasional laughter and the sound of sliding of furniture. ~murmur~
The third floor was eerily quiet. There was just a single door stood at the end of the hall, its surface carved with scenes of gardens and rivers.
Li Wei reached out and tapped twice. "Enter," a woman's voice called.
The room beyond was wide and spare with a low table occuping its center, bearing a tea set and a shallow dish of dark stones arranged into an unfamiliar pattern. Shelves lined the far wall, holding scrolls, sealed jars, and ledgers stacked with care.
All the windows were open wide enough to admit the night air, stirring the cotton drapes. Lady Wu stood near one of the shelves, her back to him. She wore simple robes of muted violet, her hair bound with a single pin of black jade. The woman was neither adorned nor guarded, Yet the space felt occupied in a way.
"You arrived sooner than expected," she said, turning at last.
Her gaze settled on him without hesitation.
Li Wei returned the gesture, then inclined his head. "Appointnts are an adjustable thing," he replied. "My ti is quite short…"
Lady Wu gestured toward the table. "Sit, if you wish."
Li Wei moved forward and stopped beside the table, resting his hand near the dish of stones. The Young master did not bother touching them. "I assu you know why I'm here," he said.
Lady Wu picked up a teacup and poured, the liquid striking porcelain in a thin stream. ~pour~ "I have seen n co here for many reasons," she said. "Few are honest about them and Fewer still leave fulfilled..."
She set one cup down, then the other.
Steam rose and thinned between them. "You have an undeniable monopoly over the most profitable district within the walls of this city," Li Wei said. "Your reach extends into shipping, lending, gambling, and information gathering. I am not here for such pleasantries."
"No?" Lady Wu spoke calmly. She took her cup and walked to the window, glancing down at the lantern-lit streets below. "You are here because sothing is about to happen, and you wish to be on the correct side of history."
Li Wei watched her reflection in the glass. "I am here because the events that will occur next have a detrintal affect on the fate of this nation." She turned back, studying him more closely now. "And you intend to interfere?"
"I intend to seize and opportunity," Li Wei corrected. "My reasons are not important."
Lady Wu returned to the table and set her cup down. "Any business with is rarely brief," she said. "And never that simple."
Li Wei's fingers brushed the table's edge. "Neither is what the imperial court is about to unleash."
A pause followed.
Lady Wu reached for one of the dark stones and rolled it between her fingers before returning it to its place. ~soft click~
"Then speak," she said. "Before the people watching your residence begin to track you down."
"It seems your already aware of my situation…" Li Wei t her gaze. "I need unrestricted access to a few routes that do not appear on maps, as well as vault locations and combinations that are not listed in records. Finally, nas of n that are expendable and looking for a worthy cause."
Lady Wu's expression did not change, but her eyes shifted slightly, as if marking sothing behind him.
"Are you planning a simple theft," she said. "Or perhaps a usurpation.."
Li Wei did not deny it. "I am planning to remove sothing and soone that should not remain where it is." Lady Wu considered him in silence. Outside, a burst of music rose from the street and faded. ~distant strings~
"At this mont," she said, "half the city is already plotting on the other half. What makes your intention different?"
Li Wei answered without raising his voice. "Mine are not aiming for sothing tangible."
Lady Wu's fingers stilled on the rim of her cup.
"Then," she said slowly, "you are either very deceitful… or you have already chosen the shape of your grave."
Li Wei's expression remained calm. "I prefer to think of it as choosing a path forward."
Another mont passed and the drapes stirred again as the night air shifted. ~rustle~
Lady Wu finally gestured toward the stones. "These represent holdings," she said. "Routes, houses, accounts, people. Rashly remove the wrong one, and all the others grow suspicious."
Li Wei glanced at the pattern. "I am not concerned with the collapse of order," he said. "Only with the imdiate aftermath of my choices…"
Lady Wu watched him for a long mont. "Then we may speak further," she said at last. "But understand this, Li Wei. Once I involve myself, there is no such thing as a small disturbance."
Li Wei inclined his head. "That is precisely why I ca."
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