Legend of the Embroiderer

The night was as dark as ink, pressing heavily outside the palace walls, as if it was going to swallow the entire world into endless darkness.

In this suffocatingly dark night, Li Zhao stood quietly in the hidden basement.

The dim candlelight flickered, illuminating his solemn face and the key scrolls and letters tightly held in his hands.

Each document seemed to carry a heavy weight, weighing heavily on Li Zhao's heart.

When he finished reading these words word by word, a strong shock surged in his heart, like a surging wave that could not be calmed.

This shock reached its peak especially when he saw the letter related to the "final plan".

"The contents recorded in these scrolls..." Li Zhao muttered to himself, his voice as soft as a sigh in the night wind, "are clearly related to the identity of the envoys from the neighboring country."

His brows were furrowed tightly, his eyes fixed on the scroll in his hand, but his thoughts had already drifted far away as he tried hard to piece together the full picture of what had happened.

Doubts grew wildly in my heart like weeds. "Could it be that the envoys from the neighboring country are really colluding with those opponents in the palace? What exactly are they plotting?"

With such questions in mind, Li Zhao couldn't wait to continue flipping through other scrolls.

As the pages were turned, more shocking information appeared before his eyes.

Some scrolls record in detail the various reform plans that the palace is about to implement, including specific measures, expected results, and possible resistance.

Others revealed the unknown secrets of envoys from neighboring countries, such as the intelligence they secretly transmitted, their private dealings with certain powerful people, etc.

All of these contents are intertwined together, gradually outlining an intricate picture, which makes Li Zhao deeply realize that behind this seemingly simple court struggle, there is a conspiracy that is far larger and more treacherous than he originally imagined.

The mastermind behind everything is likely not just the open opponents in the palace. His tentacles may have extended to distant neighboring countries, forming a close alliance with external forces.

Thinking of this, Li Zhao couldn't help but feel a chill rising from his spine, and a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Li Zhao's heart was beating like a drum and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. The anxiety in his heart was like a burning flame, burning every nerve in his body.

These scrolls are of vital importance to him and Su Mengyao. They must race against time to return to the palace and uncover the secrets hidden in them together.

Just as Li Zhao was about to step out of the dark and damp basement, a very subtle, almost inaudible sound of footsteps suddenly floated into his sensitive ears.

His body tensed up instantly, like a bow with a fully drawn string. The torch held high in his hand swayed slightly, and the flickering flames barely illuminated a small area around him.

"Who's there?" Li Zhao lowered his voice and asked in a deep voice. His voice echoed in the silent basement with a barely perceptible tremor.

The mysterious footsteps suddenly stopped as if under a spell, and the entire basement fell into silence again.

But then, a faint gasping sound was clearly heard.

Li Zhao's heart suddenly tightened, and a chill ran down his spine.

He knew very well that there must be someone hiding in a corner, secretly watching his every move.

Without any hesitation, he dodged and hid in a nearby corner at lightning speed, while holding the precious scrolls tightly in his arms, as if guarding his most precious life.

As time passed, the atmosphere in the basement became extremely tense, as if even the air had frozen.

Li Zhao widened his eyes and watched the movements around him vigilantly. All the muscles in his body were in a state of high alert, ready to face any possible danger at any time.

At this moment, a voice that couldn't be more familiar came from the depths of the endless darkness, like a flash of lightning that cut through the night sky: "Your Highness, it's me..."

When Li Zhao heard this familiar voice, his body trembled slightly involuntarily, and his eyes instantly focused on the direction where the voice came from.

After seeing who it was, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and shouted in surprise, "Ayao? It's you! Why are you here?"

A Yao slowly walked out from the inky black shadow, her right hand tightly grasping a burning torch. Under the light of the fire, one could clearly see that her originally pretty face was now filled with fatigue and haggardness.

When Li Zhao saw this, his heart suddenly tightened and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

Before he could ask for more information, A Yao spoke first, "Your Highness, please believe me. I knew you would come here, so I waited here specifically to prevent the conspiracy those people had hatched."

Li Zhao was shocked when he heard this, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He stared into A-Yao's eyes, which were as clear as water but revealed an incomparable determination. After a moment's silence, he finally lowered his voice and asked, "My beloved, now that things have come to this, you might as well tell me the truth. Who are you? And why are you sparing no effort to help us?"

Faced with Li Zhao's sharp questioning, A Yao was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Behind this smile seemed to be hidden endless bitterness and helplessness. She calmed herself down, looked at Li Zhao firmly and replied:

"Your Highness, to be honest, I did not willingly participate in their plans. I was nothing more than a pitiful pawn manipulated and exploited at their will. However, deep in my heart, I always have a conscience that longs to stop their evil deeds."

Li Zhao couldn't help but frown even more tightly when listening to A Yao's earnest words. Instead of being eliminated, the doubts in his heart became even more intense.

He pressed on, "My beloved, who are these 'they' you're talking about? What ulterior motives do they have?"

A Yao took a deep breath, as if he wanted to expel all the fear and anxiety in his heart with this breath.

Then, in a low, trembling voice, she said, "Your Highness, 'they' are a group of opposition forces within the palace, secretly colluding with neighboring countries. Their true intention is to deliberately sabotage the various reforms currently being implemented by the palace, attempting to plunge the entire court into chaos and disorder. And I... alas, I am merely a small tool they use to transmit confidential information."

Li Zhao's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief, and his heart seemed to be hit hard by a heavy hammer. He never imagined that behind this seemingly internal power struggle within the palace, there was such an intricate conspiracy!

The mastermind behind this is most likely not just the open opponents in the palace, but is very likely to have intricate and unknown connections with neighboring countries.

Li Zhao knew very well that this matter was of great importance. If he could not clear up the mystery in time, the consequences would be disastrous.

He tightly grasped the mysterious scrolls in his hands, wishing he could fly back to the palace immediately.

Because only by returning to the palace and studying the secrets contained in these scrolls with the clever Su Mengyao can we find the truth of the matter and resolve the huge crisis before us.

"Yao'er, you must wait for me to come back!" Li Zhao prayed silently in his heart, his eyes extremely determined.

He knew that he had a heavy responsibility and had to protect Su Mengyao and the entire country at all costs.

In the dense woods outside the high palace walls, a pair of cold eyes, like a ghost, quietly stared at Li Zhao's every move.

This person had obviously seen through Li Zhao's purpose long ago, but surprisingly, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a cunning and sinister smile.

"Your Highness, you are too naive, aren't you? Do you really think you can stop everything we have carefully planned with your own strength?"

The man muttered to himself in a low voice, his eyes flashing with a bone-chilling coldness.

"Haha, the so-called 'final plan' has been fully launched. Now, even if a great immortal descends to earth, there is no way he can stop its progress!"