Footsteps could be heard in the corridor.
It was not the idle shifting of attendants, the young master could sense about three to four individuals moving closer with measured strides.
~step… step… step~
Li Wei moved at once, using his right hand to lift the chalice and slip it back into his robe. The emperor noticed but did not object, "Guards?" Hui Tong asked quietly.
"No," Li Wei replied. "These were not the group assigned to you." The emperor extinguished the incense with his fingers, pressing the ember flat.
~press~
Smoke ceased at once.
He crossed a decorative screen near the wall and shifted it slightly, revealing a narrow recess behind it. "There is a passage here," he said. "An old construction placed by my grandfather, It should lead to the western archives."
Li Wei shook his head. "If you flee now, it will only confirm their suspicion. They may be testing your vigilance."
The footsteps stopped outside the door and a brief pause ensued.
