Young Master System: My Mother Is the Matriarch

Chapter 205 204: More Guests

The door opened no wider than a hand's breadth with warm light spilling across the threshold, brushing against Li Wei's sandals before fading into the corridor. A lined face appeared in the gap, framed by graying hair pulled back with care.

The emperor's eyes were clear despite their age, measuring the darkness beyond the door with practiced restraint. "I am not expecting any visitors at this hour," Emperor Hui Tong said. His gaze drifted briefly to either side of the corridor, then returned to the empty space before him. "Nor do I entertain foolish games or antics"

Li Wei stepped forward just enough for his voice to be heard, as his form leaned in closer. "Then I will be brief." The emperor's brow creased as he studied the space again, this time he took even longer almost as though listening for something more than a voice.

His hand remained on the door, knuckles pale beneath the skin.

"Close the door," Hui Tong said at last. "Am short for time."

The latch turned.

~thunk~

The chamber sealed itself away from the night.

Inside, the emperor's quarters were modest for a ruler of his standing. A low table stood near the window, scattered with scrolls weighed down by carved stones.

An incense burner smoldered near the wall, releasing a thin trail of smoke that drifted upward before dissolving.

~faint crackle~

The air carried the scent of dried herbs and old paper.

Li Wei slipped fully into the room and let the veil fall away and the fabric peeled from his shoulders and vanished into his inventory without causing a stir.

His corporal form had returned to the world all at once.

The emperor did not recoil, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "That answers one question," he said. "You are no mere court jester."

Li Wei inclined his head. "Indeed… I am here to discuss a grave matter."

Hui Tong turned and walked toward the table, his steps unhurried. He set one scroll aside and rested both palms against the wood, shoulders squared. "You said you wished to prevent a calamity that is going to befall me. Sit, if you intend to actually explain yourself."

Li Wei moved to the opposite side of the table but remained standing.

His gaze swept the room once more, noting the absence of guards and a single exit. He felt the faint draft slipping through the window lattice.

~whisper~

"The parliament elected by your family appears to have undergone a radical change," Li Wei said. "Records have already been forged to legitimize the claims and slander against you…. Conscription figures have been adjusted and anyone still in opposition of this movement has been quietly removed."

The emperor's fingers stilled against the table. "You speak as though you have seen these things with two eyes."

"I have heard them spoken and watched them recorded," Li Wei replied. "Clerks do not conspire unless they are being instructed and Councilors do not waver unless rewards are promised."

Hui Tong exhaled through his nose and reached for the incense burner, nudging it aside to clear space. "I am not ignorant in matters regarding discontent," he said. "But this minor discord does not mean treason."

Li Wei reached into his robe and set the chalice upon the table between them. It made no sound when it touched the wood.

~mute~

The emperor's eyes were focused on it at once.

"That," Hui Tong said slowly, "is not an item meant for festive matters"

"No," Li Wei agreed. "It is meant for your blood."

Silence settled between them.

The incense smoke curled and broke apart above the table. Meanwhile, the emperor straightened and looked at Li Wei fully now. His gaze was not resembling a ruler addressing a subject, but as a man weighing another's intent.

"You have crossed into a place where many die without any trace" Hui Tong said. "If this is some form of extortion, you chose the wrong monarch"

Li Wei met his gaze without flinching. "If I wished you harm, you would not have had the chance to converse in this manner." The emperor studied him for a long moment, then gave a short, humorless sigh. "That does not give me any reassurance."

Li Wei placed two fingers on the rim of the chalice. "Your offspring are being guided toward a choice that will destroy this empire methodically. I am certain that those guiding them do not intend to stop at your removal, am in dire need of proof that cannot be dismissed as mere rumors or hearsay."

Hui Tong's jaw tightened.

He turned away from the table and walked toward the window, peering out into the garden beyond. Lantern light traced the lines of his face, deepening them. "So," he said quietly, "you ask me to cut my own palm and drink from a cursed relic, on the word of a stranger who entered my chamber unseen."

"That is correct," Li Wei replied. "Because the alternative is to wait until your reign comes to a close under the blue sky…"

The emperor's hand rested against the window frame.

His fingers tapped once, then stopped. ~tap~

"When I was only a young noble," Hui Tong said, "I believed blood was the strongest bond in this world. Age has unfortunately taught me otherwise." He turned back to the table, eyes heavy but steady. "If what you say is false, this will not change anything. If it is true…"

He reached for a small blade resting beside the scrolls, its edge worn from years of use. "Then this palace is already on the brink of collapse…" Li Wei did not move as the emperor returned to the table.

The blade flashed briefly as Hui Tong drew it across his palm., while a thin line of red welled and fell into the chalice. ~drip~

The emperor lifted the cup without ceremony and drank.

Much of the room seemed to draw inward, as a stream of lantern light dimmed for only a breath before returning. The incense smoke twisted, then stilled. Hui Tong set the chalice down with care.

His expression did not change, but his eyes were rather unfocused.

It was as though looking far beyond the walls of the chamber, "…So that is how it is," he murmured.

Li Wei watched him closely. "It appears that my suspicions were not unfounded?"

The emperor closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the grief within was unmistakable. "Paths are being traversed in secret," he said. "Hands with blood on them are lavishly enjoying themselves beneath my roof. Promises made in rooms I have not had the mood to enter"

He looked at Li Wei afterwards, truly gazing into his clear blue eyes "You have done far more than prevent a calamity tomorrow," Hui Tong said. "You have shown me that today is already compromised."

Li Wei inclined his head once more. "Then you understand why I made the effort to convey this message"

"Yes," the emperor replied. "And now you will help me decide how many must fall so the rest may stand."

The incense burned low, its flame guttering softly.

~flicker~

Outside, the palace remained still and largely unaware that its quiet vigil had been broken.

Hui Tong did not sit and just remained standing beside the table, one hand resting near the chalice. The other was loosely gripping the small blade he had yet to wipe clean, while a thin trail of red continued down his palm before dripping onto the floorboards below.

~pat~

Li Wei reached for a folded cloth placed near the scroll weights and slid it across the table. "Try and apply pressure," he said. "The cut is rather shallow." The emperor glanced at the cloth before pressing it against his palm.

His movements were steady, though the lines around his eyes had deepened.

"You spoke of the city councilors," Hui Tong said after a moment. He walked toward a lacquered cabinet near the far wall and opened it.

~creak~

Inside were bundles of sealed memorials stacked with care.

He pulled one free and tossed it lightly onto the table between them, "These were delivered this morning. All urging immediate policy revisions." Li Wei untied the cord and unrolled the document.

The script was formal, yet the phrasing resembling the archive clerk's words almost exactly

"It is some form of coordinated language," Li Wei murmured. "Likely drafted by the same hand or dictated from one source."Hui Tong circled the table slowly, stopping beside the incense burner.

He adjusted the lid slightly, allowing a faint stream of smoke to rise once more.

~faint crackle~

"The one pushing this agenda," he said, "is not a mere council member."

Li Wei's eyes lifted. "You appear to recognize them?"

The emperor's jaw tightened. "I am familiar with their influence. My second son has neither the patience nor the intellect for such an undertaking alone."

Li Wei set the scroll down and folded his hands behind his back. "Then he is being manipulated…"

"Yes." Hui Tong's gaze drifted toward the window lattice. "And those guiding him have convinced him that his own father is an obstacle to prosperity."

A faint disturbance brushed against Li Wei's awareness.

Not from within the room.

Beyond it.

He raised his left hand slightly, "Your Majesty."

Hui Tong stopped speaking.