Legend of the Embroiderer

Though the rumors faded like morning mist, Su Mengyao and Li Zhao knew they were only the beginning of a turbulent undercurrent within the palace. Standing beneath the palace walls, they gazed up at the carved beams and painted buildings, their hearts filled with worry. Su Mengyao bit her lip and whispered, "Brother Zhao, there's probably still a lot going on in this palace." Li Zhao nodded slightly, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "Yes, we must be careful. We can't let these rumors or strange things get out again."

They sat at the table, frowning, thinking hard about how to uncover the secrets hidden behind the palace. After careful consideration, they finally reached a consensus - to start with the investigation of the trivial affairs that happened every day in the palace.

At this moment, Su Mengyao had an idea and suggested, "I think we can deploy more manpower to conduct a detailed investigation of the palace's food supply and various expenses. Perhaps we can find something unusual." Li Zhao's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he clapped his hands excitedly, praising the ingenious idea. He added, "That's right. Not only that, but we also need to properly discipline those palace maids and eunuchs. We should discipline them regularly and make sure they strictly abide by the rules."

The two hit it off and immediately put their plan into action. However, unexpectedly, not long after their investigation began, they made a new discovery. It turned out that within this vast palace, there was a young eunuch with rather strange behavior. It was observed that this young eunuch often sneaked outside the palace walls when no one was paying attention, and each time he went out, he appeared furtive and mysterious.

Su Mengyao and Li Zhao exchanged glances upon learning of this, a trace of suspicion rising within them. They immediately decided to quietly follow the eunuch, seeking to uncover his true intentions. The eunuch tiptoed out of the palace and then made his way to a secluded teahouse in the city. Upon reaching his destination, he cautiously glanced around, confirming he wasn't being followed or monitored, before confidently entering the teahouse.

Su Mengyao and Li Zhao, who had been hiding in the shadows, closely observing all the developments, continued to watch the situation unfold with bated breath. Before long, they saw the young eunuch whispering with a waiter in the teahouse, glancing around warily from time to time. Then, an even more astonishing scene unfolded—the young eunuch quickly handed the waiter a small, tightly clutched package...

In a flash, Li Zhao moved behind the waiter like a ghost. While the waiter was busy and distracted, Li Zhao reached out his right hand with lightning speed and silently grabbed the package on the table.

After receiving the package, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao quickly found a secluded place and carefully opened it to see what was inside. However, when they saw the contents, they were both shocked - it turned out to be filled with all kinds of secrets and gossips from the palace, and even some rumors that were not sure whether they were true or false!

Su Mengyao was immediately furious when she saw these things. Her beautiful eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she shouted angrily, "What a bold little thief! How dare you spread these rumors outside the palace? You are simply lawless!"

Li Zhao also had an indignant look on his face, but he soon calmed down. After a little thought, he said, "In that case, we might as well use the same trick against them and teach these people a lesson." Su Mengyao's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she nodded in agreement. Then she had an idea and came up with a brilliant idea.

She turned to look at Li Zhao and said confidently, "In my opinion, we can add some false information to this package to confuse them and make them lose their composure." Li Zhao was stunned at first, but then he suddenly understood. He couldn't help laughing and praised him endlessly, saying, "This is a brilliant plan! Let them taste the bitter fruit of their own sowing!"

They immediately began filling the package with ridiculous, fabricated rumors. For example, "A strange light appears somewhere in the palace late at night, possibly hiding a rare treasure," "A favored concubine is secretly having an affair with a man outside the palace, defiling the palace," and other such outrageous rumors.

After some careful preparation, the package was filled with all kinds of bizarre rumors. Afterwards, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao smiled at each other and contentedly rearranged the package, making it look exactly the same as before. Then, they quietly put the package back next to the clerk, as if nothing had happened...

As expected, within just a few days, the palace erupted in chaos. The gossipy and gossipy palace maids and eunuchs were all like puppets, completely captivated by the false rumors. They scurried around like headless flies, trying to gather all sorts of gossip.

At that moment, Su Mengyao and Li Zhao were quietly hiding in a corner, watching these usually arrogant guys now anxiously running around like ants on a hot pot. They couldn't contain their joy and couldn't help but laugh secretly. However, this short-lived joy didn't last long, because a new and severe test was about to come like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, shocking news arrived from nowhere within the palace—the legendary "treasure trove" had actually been found, and even more terrifyingly, a murder had occurred in the process! Upon hearing this devastating news, Su Mengyao and Li Zhao were instantly terrified, their bodies breaking out in a cold sweat, their hearts pounding. They could never have imagined that what had initially been intended as a simple prank, a fabricated rumor, would ultimately lead to such a disastrous outcome.

Without delay, the two men rushed to the "treasure place" in a frenzy. Upon reaching their destination, the scene before them was astonishing: the place had been completely surrounded by a dense crowd, with no escape possible. The palace maids and eunuchs were all pale as paper, their faces filled with fear, and they were constantly whispering and chattering.

Su Mengyao, with all her might, finally managed to squeeze through the throng. Upon closer inspection, she saw the corpse of a palace maid sprawled on the ground, clearly dead. Li Zhao, seeing this, was furious. His eyes widened as he shouted, "Who on earth is so audacious as to commit such a horrific act? How dare they commit murder in this heavily guarded palace?"

The crowd stirred, but no one dared to respond. Su Mengyao's heart sank, knowing there must be a greater conspiracy behind this. She exchanged a glance with Li Zhao, secretly resolving to get to the bottom of this and restore peace to the palace.

They began their investigation, starting with the deceased palace maid, and gradually uncovered clues. After careful investigation, they finally discovered that the murder was linked to a powerful concubine in the palace. To win favor, the concubine spread rumors, sowed discord, and even secretly ordered her subordinates to commit the murder.

The moment the truth was revealed, Su Mengyao and Li Zhao were filled with anger and helplessness. They hadn't imagined the palace struggle would be so brutal. But they also knew that only by bringing the mastermind to justice could they truly end this rumor-mongering and restore the palace to its former tranquility.

So, they began to carefully plan and gather evidence, ready to expose the concubine's crimes to the public. The journey was full of dangers and perils, but with wisdom and courage, they gradually approached the truth. And in this turmoil, the palace gradually ushered in a new turning point...