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

Chapter 807 Bringing them to justice!

"Hmph! You beasts who traffic in children deserve to die!" Zhu Xiong Ying roared, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Your Majesty, leave these people to me to handle," the King of Kucha said hastily. He knew that Zhu Xiong Ying was furious at the moment, and if he were to take action himself, these people would probably be beaten to death.

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, handed Zhu Yunwen to a guard beside him, and then said to the King of Kucha, "Then I will trouble Your Majesty to make sure these people are severely punished as a warning to others!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the King of Kucha replied respectfully.

Zhu Xiong Ying picked up Zhu Yun Wen again and turned to leave.

Upon returning to the palace, Zhu Xiong Ying immediately ordered a full-scale purge of the Black Sand organization.

Under the powerful blows of the Ming cavalry, the Black Sand organization was quickly and completely destroyed, with its members either captured or killed on the spot.

The various countries of the Western Regions also expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to jointly combat child trafficking.

Zhu Xiong Ying's reputation reached its peak as a result, and he was revered as the "Guardian God" by the people of various countries in the Western Regions.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying was not blinded by victory. He knew that although the Black Sands organization had been destroyed, child trafficking still existed.

In order to eradicate this social scourge, Zhu Xiong Ying decided to establish specialized agencies in various countries of the Western Regions to combat child trafficking.

He also ordered a nationwide public awareness campaign to raise public awareness of prevention.

Thanks to Zhu Xiong Ying's efforts, child trafficking has been effectively curbed, and the people of various countries in the Western Regions are living a more peaceful life.

One day, Zhu Xiong Ying was taking a walk in the Imperial Garden when he suddenly heard the sound of a zither.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman in white sitting in the pavilion playing the zither.

The woman was stunningly beautiful, with an ethereal air, and her zither music was melodious and plaintive.

Zhu Xiong Ying was mesmerized; he had never seen such a beautiful woman before.

As the music ended, the woman slowly rose and bowed gracefully to Zhu Xiong Ying, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities," Zhu Xiong Ying said hastily, his voice trembling slightly.

"May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked.

"My surname is Liu, and my given name is Ruyan," the woman replied softly.

“Liu Ruyan…” Zhu Xiong Ying murmured to himself, his heart filled with excitement.

"Your Majesty, I have a request to make," Liu Ruyan said.

"Please speak, young lady," Zhu Xiong Ying said.

"This humble woman wishes to request Your Majesty's permission to remain in the palace and play the zither for you," Liu Ruyan said.

Zhu Xiong Ying was overjoyed and quickly agreed, "Alright, I grant your permission."

And so, Liu Ruyan became Zhu Xiong Ying's zither player, and the two spent every day together, gradually developing feelings for each other.

However, this relationship is fraught with crisis.

Because Liu Ruyan's true identity is not that of an ordinary commoner, but a princess from the Western Regions.

What was the purpose of her appearance?
Was her affection for Zhu Xiong Ying genuine?

All of this remains a mystery.

One day, Zhu Xiong Ying was reviewing memorials when suddenly a eunuch rushed in, shouting in a panic, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! A coalition of forces from the Western Regions has attacked the border of our Great Ming!"

Zhu Xiong Ying's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up. "What? Why are they attacking my Great Ming?"

"It is said that it is because Your Majesty detained the treasures presented as tribute by the Western Regions..." the eunuch said. Zhu Xiong Ying frowned. He had never detained any treasures presented as tribute by the Western Regions. There must be some misunderstanding.

"Send down the order, I will personally lead the expedition!" Zhu Xiong Ying said coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

He wanted to see who was really behind this!

Inside the Golden Palace, Zhu Xiong Ying, clad in a dragon robe, stood with a somber expression. Envoys from various Western Regions countries knelt trembling below, none daring to utter a sound.

"I ask you, what is the reason for the Western Regions allied forces attacking the border of my Great Ming?" Zhu Xiong Ying's voice was cold, carrying the majesty of an emperor.

The King of Kucha spoke first, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, you are wise! We had no such intention! Someone must be trying to sabotage us and sow discord!"

Other envoys echoed their sentiments, crying out for justice.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, "Sowing discord? I'd like to see who has such audacity!" He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, "Guards, bring Liu Ru Yan here!"

A moment later, Liu Ruyan was brought up. She was still dressed in white, with an exquisite face, but her complexion was somewhat pale at this moment.

"Liu Ruyan, you tell me, what exactly happened?" Zhu Xiong Ying stared at her, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Liu Ruyan knelt on the ground, head bowed, without uttering a word.

"What, have you become mute?" Zhu Xiong's tone was even colder.

Liu Ruyan raised her head, her eyes slightly red, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

"Injustice? The allied forces of the Western Regions attacked the border of my Great Ming Dynasty, and you say you are innocent? You are a princess of the Western Regions, and you say you have nothing to do with this matter? Who would believe you?" Zhu Xiong Ying said angrily.

Liu Ruyan tearfully pleaded, "Your Majesty, I am indeed a princess from the Western Regions, but my love for you is genuine! I have never intended to harm the Ming Dynasty, nor have I ever thought of sowing discord!"

"Sincerity? Your so-called sincerity is colluding with the Western Regions to attack my Great Ming?" Zhu Xiong Ying laughed angrily.

Liu Ruyan wept bitterly, her face streaked with tears. "Your Majesty, I truly did not! I have no idea why they attacked the Ming Dynasty! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

Zhu Xiong Ying felt a pang of pity when she saw her crying, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

"Guards, throw Liu Ruyan into the dungeon and keep her under strict guard!"

"Your Majesty, no!" Liu Ruyan cried out as she was dragged away by the guards.

The envoys from the Western Regions were terrified when they saw this.

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at them and said coldly, "Go back and tell your king that I have given them three days to withdraw to the border, otherwise, I will raze the Western Regions to the ground!"

The envoys hurriedly kowtowed and agreed, then scrambled out of the Golden Palace.

Zhu Xiong Ying stood on the main hall, looking at the empty hall, his heart filled with restlessness.

He thought he could be a wise ruler and lead the Ming Dynasty to prosperity, but he never expected to encounter such a thing.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

Now is not the time for sorrowful autumn moon; what he needs to do is find the mastermind behind it all and bring them to justice!

He immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

"My esteemed ministers, the allied forces of the Western Regions have attacked the borders of our Great Ming. How should we respond to this?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked.

The ministers expressed their opinions, some advocating for peace talks, while others advocated for a strong response.

Minister of War Wang Bi stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to find out why the Western Regions are attacking our Great Ming. If, as Liu Ruyan said, someone is interfering, then we must find that person and bring them to justice! If the Western Regions are indeed intent on attacking our Great Ming, then we cannot show weakness and must give them a resounding victory!”

(End of this chapter)