Legend of the Embroiderer

The night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed as if black water could drip out of it, gradually spreading deeper into the darkness. In the dense woods outside the palace walls, everything was silent, broken only by the occasional cry of a nightingale.

And in this seemingly peaceful forest, the plan carefully planned by Li Zhao and Su Mengyao was now half completed.

The arrogant envoy and his domineering subordinates were now tied up and subdued on the ground, and were escorted slowly into the palace by a team of well-trained guards.

Although they had achieved a temporary victory on the surface, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao knew in their hearts that the real struggle had just begun and the end was still a long way off.

Because next, they must race against time to find the whereabouts of the missing embroidery supplies.

These precious items are crucial to the smooth operation of the school's curriculum. If they are not retrieved in time, all previous efforts and achievements in educational reform may be destroyed.

Thinking of this, Li Zhao couldn't help but quicken his pace. He moved nimbly between the corridors of the palace and headed straight for the main hall in the center of the palace with a clear goal.

Su Mengyao did not dare to be negligent at all. She followed Li Zhao's steps closely, holding the important embroidered fabric tightly in her hand.

When the two finally arrived at the hall, they found that the chief eunuch had been waiting there for a long time with several other high-ranking officials.

Li Zhao didn't bother to exchange pleasantries. He strode to the table in the hall and carefully placed the piece of cloth on it. Then, with a solemn expression and a low voice, he spoke:

"Please look, everyone! This piece of cloth was something we stumbled upon just outside the palace walls. It's stained with quite a bit of dirt, and after careful comparison, we've confirmed that the dirt is very similar to the dirt outside the palace walls. This shows that the daring thief indeed chose to sneak in from outside the palace walls to commit his crime."

The eunuch nodded slowly, a subtle hint of thought flashing across his eyes. He said respectfully to Li Zhao:

"Your Highness, I and others have conducted a thorough search of all areas outside the palace walls. Unfortunately, apart from this piece of cloth, we have not been able to find any other useful clues."

After hearing this, Li Zhao couldn't help but frowned slightly, and his handsome face was now full of confusion.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and cast his gaze at Su Mengyao beside him. He then asked in a soft and gentle voice, "Yao'er, do you have any unique insights or ideas about this matter?"

Su Mengyao was silent for a moment, as if she was quickly thinking of a countermeasure in her mind.

Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the piece of cloth placed on the table.

After a while, she finally raised her head and said with her red lips:

"Your Highness, from what I've seen, although this piece of cloth has some damage, the gorgeous peony pattern embroidered on it bears a striking resemblance to the embroidery used in our school. Therefore, I boldly speculate that the thief may not have taken these embroidery items out of the palace, but instead secretly hid them somewhere within the palace."

When Li Zhao heard this, his eyes, which had been somewhat dim, instantly became bright, as if he had suddenly found a guiding light.

A sense of confidence and ideas surged in his mind, so he quickly shouted:

"In that case, then there's no time to lose! We should immediately conduct a comprehensive search of the palace, paying particular attention to those secluded corners that rarely receive attention. Perhaps we'll find something."

The messenger was now imprisoned in a dark and damp cell.

He sat upright on the stone bench, looking as calm as ever. However, if you looked closely, you could catch a glimpse of an unconcealable anxiety in the depths of his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly and whispered softly to several of his men beside him, "Everyone, from what I've observed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may have noticed something. Time waits for no one, we must act swiftly to avoid missing this opportunity."

Hearing this, the subordinates nodded in agreement with the envoy's words.

However, there was still a hint of confusion in their eyes, and one of them couldn't help but ask:

"Sir Envoy, if that's the case, then what exactly should we do next? I hope you can give us your instructions."

Facing the questions from his subordinates, the envoy raised the corners of his mouth slightly, outlining an imperceptible smile. At the same time, a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

He said slowly, "Don't worry, everyone. Our real target isn't just the embroidery supplies, but the academy itself. If we can prevent the academy's classes from continuing as usual, our mission will be accomplished."

Inside the palace, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao were leading a group of eunuchs in a comprehensive and meticulous search.

Holding lanterns, they examined every corner of the palace one by one, leaving no corner untouched, whether it was the halls with carved beams and painted rafters or the remote and quiet paths.

Not only that, even places like warehouses filled with debris that few people go to on weekdays and side halls in more remote locations are within the scope of their strict inspection.

What is surprising is that although their search was so meticulous and thorough, almost foolproof, the mysteriously missing embroidery supplies seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth and their whereabouts were never found.

"Your Highness, we have searched the entire palace thoroughly, searching every corner, but we have not found the slightest trace."

The chief eunuch reported to Li Zhao respectfully, with a hint of helplessness in his words.

Li Zhao couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this. His already anxious heart was now like an ant on a hot pan.

He turned his head, looked at Su Mengyao beside him tenderly, and asked softly:

"Yao'er, do you have any other opinions or ideas about this matter?"

Su Mengyao shook her head gently, a hint of confusion flashing in her beautiful eyes. She replied with a soft part of her red lips, "Your Highness, I also have no idea at the moment. I just vaguely feel that we seem to have missed some crucial clues."

Just as the two of them were racking their brains and at a loss, suddenly, a palace maid came trotting over in a hurry, her face full of panic, and she kept shouting:

"Miss Su, something terrible has happened! Someone just found a very strange package in a cabinet in the school!"

Su Mengyao's heart was shocked when she heard this, and her body trembled involuntarily. Then she ordered without hesitation:

"Take me there quickly to check it out!" After saying that, she lifted up her skirt and hurriedly ran towards the school.

After a while, they arrived at the school.

Many palace maids had already formed a circle, gathered in front of the cabinet where the mysterious package was placed, each of them with a look of panic on their face.

Seeing this, Su Mengyao quickened her pace and quickly came to the counter in two steps.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, then reached out and slowly opened the cabinet door.

Then, she carefully stretched out her delicate hands and gently untied the outer layer of cloth.

After the package was completely opened, everyone took a closer look and saw that inside was a pile of various embroidery items, and these items were exactly the items that were stolen before!

"Yao'er, what's going on?" Li Zhao stepped forward quickly, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Su Mengyao frowned slightly, puzzled. "How did these embroidery supplies get here? Did the thieves hide them in the school?"

At this moment, a palace maid suddenly pointed at the package and said, "Miss Su, look at this!"

Su Mengyao looked in the direction of her finger and saw a peony embroidered on the wrapped cloth, which was very similar to the cloth she had found before.

Her heart moved, and she immediately said: "This piece of cloth is the one we found before!"

Li Zhao frowned slightly, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "It seems that this is all a trap. The other party's real goal is not the embroidery supplies, but the school itself."