Legend of the Embroiderer

The night in the palace was like thick ink, slowly flowing out and gradually enveloping the entire palace in darkness.

Li Zhao and Su Mengyao sat quietly in the study, the faint candlelight flickering on the desk, as if it would be swallowed up by the endless darkness at any time.

The mountains of ancient books and manuscripts on the desk exude an old atmosphere, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

The two of them have been investigating for a long time and reading through countless materials, just to be able to unravel the secrets hidden behind those mysterious symbols.

Su Mengyao's slender fingers gently turned the yellowed pages of the "Book of Changes" in her hand, making a rustling sound.

Her beautiful eyes were now fixed on the densely packed Bagua symbols in the book, like two bright beams of light, trying to penetrate the layers of fog and find the key clues.

"Your Highness, I believe these symbols are most likely derived from the principles of the Eight Trigrams."

Su Mengyao suddenly broke the silence, her voice soft but full of excitement. She raised her head and looked at Li Zhao beside her, her eyes gleaming with confidence.

"You see, although the arrangement and combination of these symbols are slightly different from the traditional Bagua, its basic structure and the meaning it implies seem to have been preserved."

Li Zhao nodded slightly in agreement. He reached out and carefully took the book from Su Mengyao, then moved closer to the candlelight and examined it intently.

He frowned slightly, thinking seriously about what Su Mengyao had just said, and carefully comparing the symbols in the book with the memories in his mind.

After a long while, Li Zhao slowly spoke, "Indeed, the arrangement of these symbols may seem complex and disordered, but upon closer inspection, one can still discover a certain regularity. Perhaps we can try to use the interpretation of the Eight Trigrams to decipher their mysteries."

After saying that, he gently put the book back on the table, crossed his arms over his chest, and fell into deeper thought.

Su Mengyao's willow-like eyebrows furrowed slightly, like two crescent moons hanging above her fair face. Her bright eyes stared at the mysterious symbol before her, her mind racing with possibilities.

After a long while, she slowly spoke: "However, if you look closely at the arrangement of these symbols, you can clearly see that it has been carefully planned.

It must contain some special meaning that cannot be easily interpreted based solely on traditional Bagua theory."

Li Zhao, who was standing aside, couldn't help but fall into deep thought after hearing Su Mengyao's words.

He remained silent, just stroking his chin gently with his hand, his eyes still fixed on those strange symbols.

After a long time, his eyes suddenly lit up, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and he said

"Yao'er is absolutely right. In my opinion, we should begin our investigation by examining the locations where these symbols appeared. As far as we know, they appeared in the dense woods outside the palace walls and within the tranquil academy. This distribution is likely more than a coincidence."

When Su Mengyao heard this, she hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded slightly to show her agreement.

A thoughtful look appeared on her delicate face as she murmured softly:

"Yes, these specific locations are likely to have some connection with the true meaning behind the symbols. Next, why don't we try to combine these symbols with their locations and conduct a deeper study. Perhaps we can really find some key clues from them."

Li Zhao and Su Mengyao did not dare to delay for even a moment and quickly plunged into their busy work.

The two of them cooperated tacitly, carefully sorting and organizing the symbols that they had found with great difficulty according to their locations.

The two of them began to concentrate on carefully studying the unique arrangement of each symbol and the surrounding environment in which it appeared.

Time passed minute by minute, and sweat gradually soaked their foreheads, but the two of them never stopped what they were doing.

Finally, their hard work paid off. After a long and arduous exploration, they were surprised to discover a jaw-dropping pattern - it turned out that the arrangement of these seemingly chaotic symbols seemed to have an indescribable mysterious connection with the specific places where they appeared.

"My dear, come here!"

Li Zhao couldn't hide his excitement. He pointed to the map on the table that detailed the locations of all the discovered symbols and said in a trembling voice:

"Look, the arrangement of these symbols seems to be closely related to their location. Take the symbols outside the palace walls, for example; their arrangement is clearly more intricate than elsewhere. Meanwhile, the symbols inside the academy appear much simpler and clearer."

Hearing this, Su Mengyao couldn't help but nod slightly to show her agreement, and a hint of excitement flashed across her beautiful eyes:

"Yes, that's what I thought! In my opinion, these complex symbols outside the palace walls most likely represent some kind of warning or important instruction. As for the relatively simple symbols in the academy, they might just be a small part of a large and elaborate plan. In that case, why don't we try to start by considering the special properties of these different locations and gradually decipher the deeper meanings behind these symbols."

At this critical moment, a eunuch came rushing in like the wind. He looked pale and panicked and shouted loudly:

"Your Highness, Miss Su, this is terrible! We've made another astonishing discovery in another dense forest outside the palace walls—a large number of mysterious symbols have appeared there, accompanied by some strange and bizarre traces!"

Hearing this, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao couldn't help but look at each other, and there was a hint of astonishment in their eyes.

Li Zhao's heart tightened suddenly, and he quickly gave a loud order: "Lead the way quickly and take me down to find out what's going on!" After that, the group hurriedly ran towards the mysterious forest.

Once they arrived at their destination, under the bright moonlight, the eunuchs began their cautious search. Their eyes widened, not missing a single detail, meticulously examining every inch of the ground. Finally, after a painstaking search, in a hidden corner, they found those eerie symbols and strange traces.

Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that these newly discovered symbols are similar to those seen before, but their arrangement and combination are very different.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, suddenly, a sharp-eyed eunuch pointed at some marks on the ground and exclaimed:

"Your Highness, look here! There's some loose soil that's clearly been disturbed. It looks like someone has stopped here before."

Li Zhao and Su Mengyao slowly squatted down, staring intently at the mysterious symbols on the ground, as if they wanted to see through them to see the secrets hidden behind them.

The two of them were concentrating, not daring to miss any details.

Su Mengyao frowned slightly, her eyes focused and sharp. She suddenly seemed to have discovered something extraordinary, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement:

"Brother Zhao! Look! The arrangement of these symbols is exactly the same as the patterns on the embroidery supplies we stumbled upon in the academy earlier! However, upon closer inspection, you can still detect some subtle differences."

After saying that, she bit her lips lightly and fell into deep thought.

After a while, Su Mengyao raised her head, her beautiful eyes flashing with excitement, and she lowered her voice and said to Li Zhao:

"In my opinion, these symbols are very likely not just ordinary patterns. Maybe they are actually a dynamic cipher! The thought is very exciting. If we can crack the mystery, maybe we can uncover the truth behind this series of events!"

After hearing this, Li Zhao nodded slightly to show his agreement. His deep eyes were also staring at the symbols on the ground, and his mind was rapidly thinking about various possibilities.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Well, you're quite right. Judging from the current situation, these symbols do seem more like ciphertexts deliberately designed to convey some kind of dynamic information. Therefore, our top priority is to quickly decipher the meaning of these symbols. Only then can we hope to understand the enemy's true intentions."