Legend of the Embroiderer

The night outside the palace wall was like thick ink, slowly seeping into every inch of space, as if it was going to swallow up the entire world.

Li Zhao and A Yao stood quietly in the basement that was so hidden that almost no one knew about it. There was an old and oppressive atmosphere around them.

Their figures appeared somewhat blurry in the dim candlelight, and only the key scrolls and letters tightly held in their hands emitted a remarkable glow.

When A Yao suddenly appeared in front of him, Li Zhao's heart was shocked and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

This surprise was quickly replaced by a glimmer of hope that welled up in my heart.

He stared at A Yao with sharp and deep eyes, as if trying to see through her appearance to see her true intentions.

"My beloved, who are you? Why are you helping us here?" Li Zhao lowered his voice, his tone was calm but revealed an alertness that was hard to conceal.

His eyes were like two cold rays, shooting straight at A Yao, not missing any subtle changes in her expression.

Mengyao smiled gently, with a hint of helplessness and bitterness in her smile.

A determined light flashed in her beautiful eyes, like the brightest star in the night sky.

"Your Highness, please believe that I did not willingly participate in their conspiracy. I am merely a pawn manipulated at will by others. But even so, my heart always longs to prevent all this evil from happening. Therefore, I choose to stand by you, hoping to help you uncover the truth behind this and atone for the mistakes I have made."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhao frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

He knew that this matter was of great importance and must be handled with caution. After a moment, he raised his head again, looked directly into A Yao's eyes, and asked:

"So, who are these 'they' you're talking about? What are their identities and backgrounds, and what are their goals?"

The Crown Princess took a deep breath, as if she wanted to suck all the air around her into her lungs. Then she lowered her voice and slowly spoke:

"They...are actually a group of palace opponents secretly colluding with neighboring countries. They are scheming and harboring ulterior motives. Their true goal is to sabotage the various reforms currently being implemented in the palace and plunge the entire court into chaos. As for me...ah! It's truly shameful to say that I'm just a small tool in their hands, used to pass on various confidential news and intelligence."

Hearing this, Li Zhao couldn't help but feel a sudden shock in his heart, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

After all, he had been through a lot, and he quickly calmed down his inner turmoil and regained his former composure.

He stared at A Yao and asked in a deep voice, "A Yao, if it's so dangerous, why did you take the risk of revealing this to me?"

The corners of A Yao's mouth rose slightly, revealing a slightly bitter smile.

A trace of unconcealable helplessness and sorrow flashed across her beautiful eyes. "This is all because... I, too, am an innocent victim of this conspiracy. They cruelly exploited my family to coerce and bribe me, forcing me to participate in their evil plan against my will. But... every night, when I think about the palace reforms about to be destroyed, I can't sleep or eat, and my conscience torments me. Therefore, I long to do my utmost to atone for the mistakes I have made."

After hearing this, Li Zhao nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he had more trust in A Yao.

Then, with a determined look in his eyes, he said, "Alright! Now that things have come to this, we must act without delay. We must quickly uncover their true intentions and do everything we can to prevent their conspiracy from succeeding!"

Li Zhao and A Yao quickly flipped through the scrolls and letters, trying to find more key clues.

They found that the documents contained detailed plans for palace reforms and some secrets about envoys from neighboring countries. One of the letters caught their attention:

"Your Highness, Crown Prince, Crown Princess: Your reforms have already affected the interests of too many people. Embroidery supplies are just a cover. Our real goal is to completely destroy your reforms. The 'final plan' is about to be launched, and you can no longer stop it. - Mysterious Man"

Li Zhao was filled with shock. The content of this letter was very similar to the letter he had found in the school before, but it contained some more key information.

He continued to flip through other scrolls and found that they contained some detailed plans for palace reforms and some secrets about envoys from neighboring countries.

These scrolls are neatly arranged on the bookshelf, and each volume exudes an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

Li Zhao carefully picked up one of the scrolls and gently unfolded it. Strange symbols and words were densely written on the yellowed paper.

He stared at the records, his brows gradually furrowed, and doubts in his heart surged like a tide.

"The contents recorded in these scrolls are obviously related to the identity of the envoys from the neighboring country."

Li Zhao spoke softly, his tone filled with confusion. His eyes flickered in the darkness, as if trying to see through the faint light of the fire to the truth hidden behind it.

"Could it be that the envoys from the neighboring country are secretly colluding with those opponents in the palace? If so, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Thinking of this, Li Zhao couldn't help but take a breath.

Suddenly, a very subtle sound of footsteps reached their ears. The sound was as light as a feather falling to the ground, but it was particularly clear in the silent basement.

Li Zhao and A Yao became alert instantly. They looked at each other and saw a hint of tension in each other's eyes.

The torches in the two men's hands swayed slightly, and the orange-yellow flames illuminated the surrounding environment.

With the flickering light, you can see that the walls of the basement are covered with traces of time and there is thick dust on the ground.

"Who's there?" Li Zhao asked in a low voice.

His voice echoed in the basement, carrying an undeniable majesty, and the only answer he received was a brief silence and a slight gasp.

Li Zhao's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition came over him. He knew that at this moment, someone was hiding in the dark, silently monitoring their every move.

He acted decisively, quickly dodged and hid in a corner, holding the scroll tightly against his chest, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.

Just as Li Zhao was concentrating on preparing for possible danger, an extremely familiar voice suddenly came from the bottomless darkness: "Your Highness, it's me."

The sudden sound startled Li Zhao, and he froze in place.

However, just a moment later, relying on his deep understanding of the owner of this voice, Li Zhao quickly identified who the other person was.

His tone was filled with surprise and confusion: "Su Mengyao? It's you! Why are you here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure slowly walked out from the endless darkness.

A closer look revealed that it was Su Mengyao. She was also clutching a blazing torch, the flickering flames illuminating her pale face, revealing a faint trace of fatigue.

"Your Highness..." Su Mengyao opened her red lips and called softly.

I was really worried about you facing such a dangerous situation alone, and I was afraid that you would encounter an accident, so I followed you all the way here.

No matter what, I must find a way to stop those people's conspiracy from succeeding." Hearing this, Li Zhao was suddenly shocked, and his already tense nerves instantly tightened a little more.

He stared at Su Mengyao in front of him with sharp eyes, thinking about various possibilities rapidly in his mind.

After a moment, he asked solemnly, "Yao'er, now that things have come to this, can you please tell me the truth about your true identity? Also, why are you sparing no effort to help us?"

Facing Li Zhao's questioning, Su Mengyao raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile.

But behind that smile, there was a hint of unwavering determination.

Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she spoke slowly, "Brother Zhao, please believe me. I didn't willingly participate in their conspiracy. From beginning to end, I was just a pawn manipulated and used at their will. Yet, despite this, I still harbor a sense of conscience and justice deep in my heart. I know I've made utterly wrongdoings, and I'm determined to do my utmost to atone for them and help you uncover the truth hidden within this fog."

Li Zhao was filled with shock. He realized that the mastermind behind this struggle might not be simply opponents in the palace, but might have some connection with the neighboring country.

He must bring these scrolls back to the palace as soon as possible and interpret their contents with Su Mengyao.

"My beloved, 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 party whispered, a cold glint in his eyes. "The final plan has been launched, and you can no longer stop it."