Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 182: Hidden Arrow in the Mist

The night was as dark as ink, so deep that it seemed to swallow everything. The lights in the palace went out one by one, and the once bright and glorious palace was gradually shrouded in darkness, leaving only a few tiny flickering stars.

But in this silence and darkness, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao did not feel tired at all. Their minds were completely immersed in the task of finding the truth.

At this moment, Su Mengyao was walking alone between the rooms where the palace maids lived. Her footsteps were light, like a ghost in the dark night, quietly approaching each room.

The door was gently pushed open, and the faint candlelight illuminated the scene inside the room. Su Mengyao's sharp eyes quickly scanned every corner, not missing any clues.

When she faced each palace maid, she would ask them in detail about their whereabouts and what they had seen and heard in a gentle but firm tone.

Most of the answers received were disappointing. Most of the palace maids just shook their heads, indicating that they did not notice anything unusual.

One of the palace maids seemed even more timid. She looked at Su Mengyao timidly, her voice trembling slightly, "Miss Su, I... I really didn't see anyone suspicious. On weekdays, apart from learning etiquette and rules in the academy, we rarely have the opportunity to go out."

After saying that, she lowered her head uneasily, clutching the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands.

Despite this, Su Mengyao did not give up hope. She knew that it would not be easy to solve this mystery, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, she would never give up easily.

So she continued to visit every room patiently, constantly asking questions, observing, and thinking, trying to dig out useful information from these seemingly ordinary palace maids.

Su Mengyao nodded slightly in agreement, but the anxiety in her heart surged like a tide.

She knew very well that time was fleeting, and if she couldn't find the key clues quickly, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, a subtle light suddenly caught her attention. When she looked closely, she found that it was something held in the hands of a palace maid - the cloth embroidered with a gorgeous peony pattern.

This familiar fabric instantly cheered up Su Mengyao, because she recognized it at a glance. It was the essential item commonly used in embroidery teaching in the school.

"Where does this piece of cloth come from?" Su Mengyao asked without hesitation, and her voice was unable to conceal the hint of anxiety.

The maid was obviously startled by the sudden question. She was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and quickly answered:

"To answer Miss Su, this is what I have left over from my daily use at school. I usually keep it in a cabinet for safekeeping. I wonder why Miss Su cares so much about it?"

Hearing this, Su Mengyao's heart suddenly moved, as if a flash of lightning flashed in the darkness, illuminating the confusing road ahead.

Without a word, she stood up and hurried towards the school. When she got close to the school, she saw that the door was half-open, as if silently waiting for someone to arrive.

Su Mengyao cautiously reached out her hand and gently pushed open the door. The bright moonlight poured into the room like mercury, illuminating the entire school.

Su Mengyao quickly scanned her surroundings with the dim light of a flashlight. Soon, her gaze settled on a cabinet in the corner of the classroom that had clearly been rummaged through.

When I got closer, I saw that the cabinet that was supposed to store various embroidery materials and tools was now empty, leaving only a mess.

"As expected..." Su Mengyao murmured softly, her uneasiness growing stronger. Not wanting to delay even a moment, she immediately turned around and, striding like a swift stream, dashed towards Li Zhao's location.

Li Zhao, his face solemn, led a group of eunuchs, slowly advancing along the palace wall. They held lanterns in their hands, the dim light illuminating their tense and focused expressions.

These eunuchs carefully searched every inch of land, every patch of grass, and every brick and stone near the palace wall, not missing any possible clues.

Although they had searched the area thoroughly, they still couldn't find any useful clues.

Li Zhao's frown deepened, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He knew that time was running out, and if he couldn't find a clue quickly, the consequences would be disastrous.

Just as he was getting extremely anxious, he suddenly heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from afar. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Su Mengyao running towards them in a hurry. Her pretty face was pale with panic.

"Your Highness," Su Mengyao ran to Li Zhao breathlessly, her eyes revealing unconcealable fear and anxiety, "I... I found a clue!"

Li Zhao's heart skipped a beat. He rushed forward, grabbed Su Mengyao's arm, and asked anxiously, "My beloved, what clues do you have? Tell me now!"

Su Mengyao took a deep breath, calmed her breathing a little, and then quickly said: "When I passed by the school just now, I accidentally found that one of the cabinets had been turned over.

The cabinet was originally used to store embroidery supplies, but now it is empty and all the items are gone.

And judging from the situation at the scene, the other party was clearly well prepared, and their goal was very clear, which was to disrupt the school's curriculum.

After hearing Su Mengyao's words, Li Zhao's face became even gloomier.

He frowned slightly and thought to himself, "It seems that the other party's plan is far more thorough than we imagined.

They not only stole the embroidery supplies, but also deliberately created chaos in this way, making it difficult for us to cope with the situation and putting us in a passive position.

Who on earth could this be? Why would they go to such great lengths to target the school?

Su Mengyao nodded slightly, agreeing, "Indeed, if we don't quickly retrieve those crucial embroidery supplies, it will be difficult for our school to continue its courses, and the reforms we've worked so hard to promote will also suffer a heavy blow!"

Li Zhao couldn't help but fall into deep thought after hearing this. After a while, he suddenly raised his head, and a look of determination suddenly flashed across his eyes:

"My beloved concubine, what you said is absolutely true. However, in my opinion, we can no longer take such a passive and defensive stance."

"Since the person who dared to do such an unjust act had the guts to do such a thing, there will surely be a series of subsequent actions that will follow."

"The only solution now is to take the initiative, seize the initiative, and cleverly set a perfect trap to lure those guys who are hiding their heads and showing their tails."

Su Mengyao was stunned at first, but soon understood the deeper meaning behind Li Zhao's words: "Well, Brother Li, that's a great idea! Then let's set up this trap and wait for those with ulterior motives to fall into it."

On this dark and windy night, Li Zhao and Su Mengyao acted decisively and quickly drew up a detailed and comprehensive action plan.

After careful consideration, they finally decided to use the school as an excellent bait to lure the enemy into the trap and thereby expose the mastermind behind the scenes.

Su Mengyao returned to the school without hesitation and directed the palace maids in an orderly manner to pretend that nothing had happened and everything was as usual.

Li Zhaoze led a group of eunuchs to lurk quietly in hidden places around the school, ready to take action.

"Everyone, remember, this time our opponent will not give up and will definitely send people to investigate the actual situation within the academy. All we have to do is remain calm and wait patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike. Then, with unstoppable force, we will wipe them out!"

Li Zhao lowered his voice and whispered instructions to the eunuchs around him, his eyes cold and chilling, as if he had already seen the enemy about to fall into his trap.

The eunuchs nodded and took their places. Inside the academy, the palace maids continued their daily embroidery practice according to Su Mengyao's arrangements, as if nothing had happened.

Just when everything seemed calm, a pair of eyes in the shadows outside the palace wall were watching everything coldly. The other party had obviously noticed their plan, but did not seem to care, instead revealing a sly smile.