Legend of the Embroiderer

The night outside the palace wall was like a thick black silk, covering the earth more and more deeply.

Li Zhao was extremely anxious and walked hurriedly on the winding path under the moonlight.

It felt like a heavy rock was pressing down on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

Su Mengyao was staying in the academy, trying her best to calm the panicked palace maids.

Li Zhao, on the other hand, resolutely chose to go outside the palace wall alone to search for clues, determined to uncover the shocking truth hidden behind those mysterious symbols.

He knew very well that this thrilling struggle had entered the most critical moment.

The so-called "final plan" is like a huge mystery that always lingers in his mind. If the mystery is not solved as soon as possible, the consequences will be disastrous.

Li Zhao finally arrived at the eerie and quiet woods outside the palace walls, where they had discovered the mysterious symbol.

The bright moonlight poured down like mercury, casting patches of mottled light and shadows on the ground.

These lights and shadows intertwine and crisscross, like a strange painting.

Li Zhao carefully examined every inch of land under his feet, not missing any clues.

Sometimes he squatted down and gently stroked the marks on the ground with his fingers; sometimes he stood up, looked around, and observed the movements of the surrounding trees and grass.

As time passed, beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, but he had no intention of giving up.

At this moment, Li Zhao's gaze suddenly fixed on a piece of soil that looked ordinary but had a hint of strangeness.

It was obvious that the soil there had been turned over, and there were some fine particles of soil scattered around, which showed that someone was deliberately trying to cover something up.

Li Zhao squatted down carefully, as if afraid of disturbing the secret hidden under the soil.

He stretched out his right hand, and gently, as if the breeze was blowing across the lake, he fiddled with the soil covering it.

As the soil was peeled away bit by bit, a stone slab half buried in the ground gradually emerged.

This stone slab looks quite old, and the traces of time have left lines of varying depths on its surface.

The most eye-catching thing is the strange symbols engraved on the stone slab.

They have various shapes, some look like twisted lines, and some look like variations of ancient characters.

Li Zhao's eyes were fixed on these symbols, and similar symbols that he had discovered before instantly emerged in his mind.

After careful comparison, he was surprised to find that although there was a certain degree of similarity between the two, there were obvious differences in the arrangement of these newly emerged symbols.

At this moment, a thought flashed through Li Zhao's mind like lightning. He quickly pulled out the commentary on the I Ching that he always carried with him, opened it, and eagerly searched for the corresponding Bagua symbol.

His fingers flipped the pages quickly, his eyes focused and sharp, not missing any possible clues.

"Hmm... the arrangement of these symbols seems to be somehow related to the terrain outside the palace walls."

Li Zhao unconsciously murmured to himself. Although his voice was soft, the excitement contained in it was difficult to conceal.

His eyes sparkled, as if he had suddenly found a guiding light in the darkness.

With full of anticipation and excitement, Li Zhao began to continue searching along the surrounding area.

He carefully observed every inch of land, every tree, and every seemingly insignificant corner.

His hard work paid off, and finally, he found an extremely hidden path deep in a lush forest.

The path twists and turns like a sleeping python, quietly stretching to a remote corner outside the palace wall.

Fallen leaves fluttered down like dancing fairies. Li Zhao walked slowly along the winding path with steady and cautious steps.

At this moment, his heart was filled with vigilance, as if every step could trigger an unknown crisis.

Although he didn't know what was waiting for him ahead, he firmly believed that there were important clues to unlock the mystery of the "final plan" hidden here.

At the same time, Su Mengyao stayed quietly in the school, trying to comfort the panicked palace maids who were like frightened deer.

Her slender hands tightly grasped the mysterious letter, as if the secret contained in it would disappear into thin air if she let go.

The fragments of the letter kept circling in her mind. What exactly did the so-called "final plan" mean? How much time did they have left to prevent all this from happening?

"Miss Su, what should we do?"

A palace maid asked in a trembling voice, her eyes filled with unconcealable fear.

Facing the anxious gazes of the palace maids, Su Mengyao raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a reassuring smile, and then said in an unusually calm tone:

"Sisters, don't panic. His Highness has already gone to investigate. We must have enough confidence in His Highness. We believe that with his wisdom and ability, he will be able to uncover the truth."

The palace maids nodded in agreement, but a hint of uneasiness still lurked deep in their eyes.

Su Mengyao knew very well that their fear was not groundless, because this fierce struggle had reached the most critical moment of life and death.

Li Zhao walked slowly and carefully along the winding path covered with fallen leaves, as if he was afraid of awakening the secret that had been sleeping for a long time in this quiet corner.

When he passed through the overlapping branches and leaves, he finally saw the abandoned pavilion hidden outside the palace wall.

The pavilion stands alone in a lush forest. The surrounding trees are tall and dense, tightly embracing it and forming a natural barrier.

The pavilion looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. The vermilion pillars had long lost their former bright colors and became mottled. The tiles on the roof were also incomplete, and moss and weeds had grown in some places.

It was such a dilapidated pavilion, but at this moment it exuded an indescribable attraction, which made Li Zhao involuntarily quicken his pace towards it.

Li Zhao stepped into the pavilion, his feet making a slight creaking sound. He looked closely and saw a huge stone tablet placed in the center of the pavilion.

The surface of this stone tablet is covered with traces of time, but the strange symbols engraved on it are still clearly visible.

These symbols were quite similar to those he had accidentally discovered before, but their arrangement was more complex and exquisite.

Li Zhao frowned and leaned in closer to examine the stone tablet. He murmured to himself, "The arrangement of these symbols seems to be related to the pavilion's location..."

Thinking of this, a glimmer of excitement suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself:

"Could it be that these symbols actually represent a specific location outside the palace? If so, then as long as we can solve this mystery, we might be able to find some important clues or treasure!"

With full of anticipation, Li Zhao quickly took out a yellowed annotation of the "Book of Changes" from his arms.

He turned the pages of the book and carefully compared the eight trigrams in the book, analyzing and interpreting the mysterious symbols in front of him one by one.

As time passed, he was completely absorbed in this world full of puzzles, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

After a lot of hard work, Li Zhao finally made some progress. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the arrangement of these seemingly incomprehensible symbols actually had a mysterious connection with the pavilion's location and the surrounding terrain!

Although this connection is obscure and difficult to understand, once it is revealed, it is like opening a door to an unknown area, making people want to explore it further.

"These symbols represent a hidden location outside the palace." Li Zhao said softly, his heart filled with excitement.

Perhaps, there lies the key to the 'final plan.'"

Li Zhao's heart was full of determination. He knew that this struggle had reached the most critical moment.

He must find the hidden location as soon as possible and uncover the truth of the "final plan." Su Mengyao stayed in the academy, comforting the palace maids and waiting for his news.

"Yao'er, you must wait for me." Li Zhao prayed silently in his heart, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

At this time, in the woods outside the palace wall, a pair of eyes were watching Li Zhao's actions coldly.

The other party seemed to have noticed his intention, but a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Your Highness, do you think you can stop us?" the other man whispered, a cold glint in his eyes. "The 'Final Plan' has already been launched, and you can no longer stop it."