The vast Tianheng Continent is home to countless races. After millions of years of war, a strict hierarchical system has been established among these races, divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
The strongest and highest-ranking races are the Heaven-rank races. They are few in number but possess most of the continent's resources and enjoy all privileges.
Next are the Earth-rank races, also few in number but possessing vast resources and enjoying most privileges.
Then come the Profound-rank races, far more numerous than the previous two, but with significantly lower status; the elves are one such example.
As for the most numerous but lowest-ranking races, they possess only meager resources.
Privileges are out of the question; they are an oppressed and exploited race, including humans and the Minotaur race.
Li Mufan, having inherited all of his predecessor's memories, naturally understood the meaning of the Profound-rank races. However, as a young man raised under the red flag, he couldn't immediately accept such a rigid racial system.
After hesitating for a long time, Li Mufan seemed to have made up his mind. Just as he was about to speak, suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away!
He was startled and looked up to see his personal guards in red armor. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The guard hurriedly dismounted and, seeing His Majesty the King and his guards standing there looking at him, immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Zhang Tie, the squad leader of the personal guard, greets His Majesty the King!"
Li Mufan nodded and said, "No need for formalities."
Liu Long, who was standing nearby, hurriedly asked, "Tie Tou, how did it go when I asked you to go and scout the area near Canaan Pass?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie hesitated, looking at Li Mufan and then at Liu Long, unsure of what to do.
Li Mufan frowned upon seeing this, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. He immediately snapped, "What have you found out? Speak quickly!"
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Prince Cheng ascended the throne yesterday!"
"What is it? So it's that traitor who ascended the throne."
Li Mufan sneered, unsurprised by this.
Seeing the king's calm expression, seemingly unaffected, Zhang Tie cautiously said,
"Your Majesty, the coronation ceremony was presided over by the Prime Minister. The Queen Consort personally presented the Sun and Moon Scepter, read out your ten major crimes, and announced your passing. The traitor Prince Cheng said during the ceremony, 'Three years later... three years later...'"
"What about three years later!"
Li Mufan asked coldly, his face terribly grim. From those few words, he had already vaguely guessed what was going on.
Zhang Tie had never seen the king with such an expression. He glanced at Li Mufan, who was on the verge of exploding, then at Liu Long and Fan Qingyue, who stood silently beside him with grim faces. His voice trembled as he said, "After the three-year widowhood period, I will marry the Queen..."
"You bastard! You bitch!"
Li Mufan roared, all the signs from the wedding day flashing through his mind. The more
he thought about it, the angrier he became. "So that's why she kept urging me to drink that day! She wanted to take advantage of my drunkenness to steal the scepter and transfer the army guarding the capital!"
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat upon hearing this. They realized that the Queen had also participated in the palace coup. Seeing the young emperor's fury, they were at a loss for what to do.
"Liu Long! Prepare the horses! Take men and follow me back to the palace to chop this bitch to pieces!"
Li Mufan's temper flared, and he was about to charge back on the spot.
Upon hearing this, Liu Long immediately jumped up and roared, "This humble general is willing to follow Your Majesty back to the capital and bring these adulterers to justice on the spot!"
He was also a man of fiery temper, and how could he tolerate seeing his most beloved king about to be cuckolded?