Legend of the Embroiderer

The night outside the palace wall was like thick ink, becoming increasingly dark and oppressive, as if it was going to swallow the entire world into endless darkness.

Li Zhao stood quietly in the hidden basement. All around him was silence, with only his light breathing breaking the tranquility.

He held the crucial scrolls and letters tightly in his hands, his fingers turning white from the excessive force.

At this moment, a figure appeared quietly in front of him, as silent as a ghost.

Li Zhao took a closer look and was suddenly shocked - the person coming was Su Mengyao! Why was she here?

All sorts of questions immediately flooded his mind, but before he could ask, A Yao had already said, "Your Highness, I'm so glad to see you're safe and sound."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried an indescribable complex emotion.

Li Zhao took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions. Then he said in a deep voice, "My beloved, who are you? Why are you here? And, you said you wanted to help us. What exactly do you mean by that?"

His gaze was as sharp as a sword, piercing straight at A Yao, and there was a barely perceptible hint of vigilance in his eyes.

Facing Li Zhao's questioning, A Yao smiled slightly, revealing a hint of bitterness and helplessness.

She gently raised her head, her eyes meeting Li Zhao's, a firmness flashing in them. "Your Highness, please believe me. I did not willingly participate in their conspiracy. I was merely a pawn manipulated at their will. But deep down, I yearn to stop their evil deeds and atone for the mistakes I have made. That is why I have taken the risk of coming to you, hoping to help you uncover the truth behind this."

After hearing this, Li Zhao frowned slightly. The doubts in his heart not only did not decrease, but became even more intense.

He stared at A Yao and asked, "Who are they? What kind of forces are you referring to as 'they'? Why would they plot such a conspiracy?"

At this moment, he urgently wanted to know the full picture of the matter so that he could better deal with the complicated situation before him.

Su Mengyao took a deep breath, as if to absorb all the courage around her into her body, then she lowered her voice and said slowly:

"They're no ordinary people! They're a group of palace opponents secretly colluding with neighboring countries. They have ulterior motives, and their true purpose is to sabotage the series of reforms currently being implemented in the palace, thereby plunging the entire court into chaos. As for me... alas, I'm just a pitiful tool in their hands to pass on information."

Hearing this, Li Zhao couldn't help but be shocked, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

However, he had experienced many storms after all, and he quickly suppressed his inner shock and regained his usual composure.

He stared at A Yao and asked in a deep voice, "My beloved, why did you suddenly reveal such an important matter to me?"

Su Mengyao just smiled slightly, but that smile revealed a hint of helplessness and bitterness that was hard to conceal.

She shook her head slightly and looked into the distance, as if she wanted to see her distant hometown through the palace walls.

After a moment, she turned her head, tears glistening in her eyes, and replied softly:

"Because I, like you, am a victim of this conspiracy. They seized upon my weakness—my family—and used it as a threat, forcing me to obey their manipulations and participate in this horrific plan. However, as time went on, I became increasingly unable to bear watching the palace's reforms being destroyed. Therefore, I want to do my best to atone for the mistakes I have made."

Li Zhao listened quietly to A Yao's story, and gradually gained more trust in her words.

He nodded slightly, indicating that he understood A Yao's current situation and mood, and then said in a firm tone:

"Well, in that case, we must act now without further delay. We must find a way to uncover their true purpose and do everything in our power to prevent their wicked plan from succeeding!"

Li Zhao and A Yao nervously and eagerly flipped through the piles of scrolls and letters in front of them, their eyes quickly scanning every line of words and every picture, for fear of missing any clues that might become the key.

As time passed, beads of sweat gradually appeared on their foreheads, but their hands did not slow down at all.

Finally, after a careful search, they made a major discovery!

These documents record in detail the specific plans and steps for palace reform, from personnel deployment to resource allocation, every detail is listed.

In addition, there is a lot of confidential information involving envoys from neighboring countries, including the purpose of their visit, the supporting forces behind them, etc.

At this moment, one of the letters caught their attention like a flash of lightning.

It read: "Your Highness, Crown Princess: The reforms you have implemented have already affected the vested interests of too many people. The so-called embroidery supplies are just a cover to deceive people. Our real goal is to make your reforms collapse and fail completely. Now, the "final plan" has been launched and it must be launched. Even if you are aware of it, it is too late to reverse the situation. - Mysterious man"

After reading the letter, Li Zhao felt a shock in his heart and a chill running down his spine.

Because he suddenly realized that the content of this letter was surprisingly similar to the letter he had accidentally found in the school before. However, the difference was that this letter obviously contained many more crucial details.

With a heart full of doubts and uneasiness, Li Zhao took a breath, calmed himself down, and continued to read the rest of the scrolls.

As the scrolls were unfolded one after another, detailed plans for palace reform gradually appeared before them.

Not only that, some unknown secrets about the envoys from neighboring countries also began to surface...

"The information recorded in these scrolls is clearly inextricably linked to the identity of the envoy from the neighboring country."

Li Zhao muttered to himself in a low voice, his heart shrouded in a thick cloud of suspicion. His brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the scroll in his hands, as if trying to penetrate the yellowed paper to see the secret hidden behind it.

"Could it be that... the envoy from the neighboring country is secretly colluding with those evil-minded opponents in the palace?"

Once this thought emerged in his mind, it grew wildly like weeds, making Li Zhao feel even more depressed.

Amidst deep worry, a strong determination also surged from the bottom of my heart.

He knew very well that this fierce power struggle had entered the most critical moment and any carelessness would lead to a complete loss.

At this moment, he held the scroll tightly in his hand and hurried towards the palace.

He must race against time to bring these crucial scrolls back to the palace as soon as possible, and carefully study and analyze the profound meaning contained in them with the extremely intelligent Su Mengyao.

Su Mengyao was quietly staying in the academy, a hint of worry on her gentle and beautiful face. She was seen softly comforting a group of panicked palace maids, trying to calm their uneasy emotions.

Despite being in the hustle and bustle, her heart was always concerned about Li Zhao, and she silently prayed that he could successfully complete his mission and return safely.

"My beloved, you must wait for me!" Li Zhao quickened his pace while muttering to himself.

There was a glimmer of determination in his eyes, as if no difficulties or obstacles could stop him from moving forward.

At this time, outside the towering palace walls, deep in a dense forest, a pair of cold eyes were staring at Li Zhao's hurried figure.

The owner of those eyes seemed to have seen through Li Zhao's every move long ago, but there was no sign of nervousness on his face. Instead, he slowly raised a sly and complacent smile.

"Your Highness, don't be so naive as to think that you can stop us from advancing by yourself!"

The other party lowered his voice and spoke slowly, and a chilling cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes, as if that light could instantly penetrate a person's soul.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then continued:

"The 'Final Plan' has already been launched with the swiftness of an arrow, like a surging torrent, unstoppable. No one can stop it even for a moment. Even if a god descended to earth, I'm afraid it would be difficult to reverse this inevitable situation. Therefore, Your Highness, I advise you to give up resistance as soon as possible, so as to avoid any pointless struggle and unnecessary trouble."