The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 786 Unleashing a Storm

He felt like he was going crazy. What was going on? Was he some kind of hot commodity that everyone wanted to marry?

The third "fiancée" was brought in.

This woman was completely different from the previous two. She was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, looking heroic and dashing. Her short hair was neat and tidy, and her eyes were full of sharpness, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

"This humble general, Nangong Xue, greets Your Majesty." The woman clasped her hands in a salute, her voice clear and strong, without a trace of coquetry.

"You are also my fiancée?" Zhu Xiong Ying was already numb.

"This humble general has come to marry Your Majesty on the orders of my father," Nangong Xue said firmly.

"My father?" Zhu Xiong Ying was taken aback. "Who is your father?"

“My father is General Nangong Lie, the General Who Guards the North,” Nangong Xue said.

General Nangong Lie, the General Who Guards the North? Zhu Xiong Ying had some impression of this name. He remembered that Nangong Lie was a brave and skilled general who guarded the frontier for many years and made great achievements.

"General Nangong sent you to marry me?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked, somewhat puzzled. "How come I didn't know about this?"

“Your Majesty, this is the marriage agreement made by my father and the late Emperor,” Nangong Xue said.

"The late emperor?" Zhu Xiong Ying was even more puzzled. He remembered that his father had never mentioned this matter.

“Your Majesty, every word I have said is true, and I would never dare to deceive you,” Nangong Xue said.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the three women in front of him. Mu Wan'er was gentle and graceful, Dongfang Yu'er was charming and beautiful, and Nangong Xue was heroic and spirited. Each of them had their own merits and charm.

He suddenly realized that the presence of these three women here might not be a coincidence.

“My three ladies,” Zhu Xiong Ying said in a deep voice, “Although I do not recall having any marriage agreement with you, there must be more to the story. I will send people to investigate this matter thoroughly and give you three ladies justice.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the three women said in unison.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Zhang Sanfeng and said, "Master Zhang, I would like to trouble you to investigate this matter."

"I will certainly do my best." Zhang Sanfeng nodded.

"Your Majesty, these three young ladies..." Liu Ruyan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

"Let them stay in the palace for now, and we'll talk about it after we've investigated the matter thoroughly," Zhu Xiong Ying said.

"Yes," Liu Ruyan replied.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the three women, her heart filled with doubt. Who exactly were these three women? What did their appearance signify?
He had a vague feeling that a huge conspiracy was slowly unfolding, and he was at the heart of this conspiracy.

That night, Zhu Xiong Ying lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The images of three women kept flashing through his mind: Mu Wan'er's gentleness, Dongfang Yu'er's charm, and Nangong Xue's heroic spirit. They intertwined, leaving him in a state of utter confusion.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He once had a strange dream in which he was in a state of chaos, surrounded by countless twinkling stars. A mysterious voice whispered in his ear that he would meet three destined women who would change his fate.

Could these three women be the three destined women mentioned in the dream?

If that's the case, then is their appearance a blessing or a curse?

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly sat up, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He decided that he would investigate the matter himself, and he would find out the true identities of the three women and the secrets behind them.

The next morning, Zhu Xiong Ying left the palace and, disguised as a commoner, went to the hometowns of the three women to conduct an investigation.

He first arrived at Mu Wan'er's hometown, a small village called "Peach Blossom Spring".

This village is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with beautiful scenery, like a paradise on earth.

Zhu Xiong Ying arrived at the village entrance and inquired about Mu Wan'er's situation from an old farmer.

Upon hearing Mu Wan'er's name, the old farmer's expression immediately turned strange. "Young master, what brings you here to see Miss Mu Wan'er?" "Old man, I... I simply wish to inquire about some matters with her," Zhu Xiong Ying replied.

“Young master, you are unaware of this,” the old farmer sighed, “Miss Mu Wan’er is no ordinary person, she is…”

The old farmer's expression flickered, and he hesitated, finally managing to utter only, "Her life is so hard!" He then shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave, leaving Zhu Xiong Ying alone, bewildered in the wind.

What is this? A feigned retreat to lure the prey?

Zhu Xiong Ying was displeased. He, the emperor, was being left standing there by an old farmer. If word got out, where would he put his face?
He decided that he must find out the truth about Mu Wan'er's situation.

He entered the village and found that the villagers were wary of him, an outsider, and their eyes darted around as if they had some secret.

Zhu Xiong Ying became even more certain that Mu Wan'er must have some secret.

He found an inn to stay in and planned to investigate slowly.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high; it was a night for murder... no, a night for investigation.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneaked into Mu Wan'er's house, only to find it empty.

He looked around and found a letter on the table.

The letter was addressed to Mu Wan'er, and it read: "Wan'er, come to the capital immediately, but do not make a fuss."

The letter was signed with the character "雪" (snow).

Nangong Xue?
Could it be that Mu Wan'er and Nangong Xue know each other?
Zhu Xiong Ying's doubts deepened.

He decided to go to the capital first thing tomorrow morning to find Mu Wan'er and Nangong Xue in person and get to the bottom of things.

The next morning, Zhu Xiong Ying left Peach Blossom Spring and rode at full speed towards the capital.

Upon returning to the palace, Zhu Xiong Ying immediately summoned Nan Gong Xue.

"Nangong Xue, why did you write to Mu Wan'er, asking her to come to the capital?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked bluntly.

When Nangong Xue saw Zhu Xiong Ying, she was first taken aback, then knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I did write a letter to Mu Wan'er, asking her to come to the capital."

"Why?" Zhu Xiong Ying pressed.

“Because…because…” Nangong Xue stammered, as if she had something difficult to say.

"Speak!" Zhu Xiong Ying shouted sternly.

"Because I would like to ask Mu Wan'er for help in investigating a matter," Nangong Xue finally said.

"What is it?" Zhu Xiong Ying continued to press.

“It’s about… about the late emperor,” Nangong Xue said.

"The late emperor?" Zhu Xiong Ying's heart skipped a beat. "What happened to the late emperor?"

"The late emperor... there might be other hidden reasons behind the late emperor's death," Nangong Xue said.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying was stunned.

He always believed that the late emperor died of illness. Could there be some hidden story behind it?
"What do you mean by that?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked in a deep voice.

“Your Majesty, I dare not speak presumptuously, but I suspect that the late Emperor did not die of illness, but... but was murdered,” Nangong Xue said.

"He was murdered?" Zhu Xiong Ying's heart was filled with shock. "Who? Who killed the late emperor?"

"I don't know," Nangong Xue shook her head. "I only have some suspicions, which is why I wanted to ask Mu Wan'er to help investigate."

"Mu Wan'er? What could she possibly investigate?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked doubtfully.

(End of this chapter)