Chapter 1: Deposed Emperor? Stripped of Citizenship! I Journey to the Southern Barbarians to Rebuild a Kingdom
The Great Zhao Kingdom, inside the imperial court during the morning assembly.
“The dethroned emperor, Li Muchen, is the offspring of the Grand Princess, not the legitimate bloodline of the late emperor!”
“The late emperor’s only child, who was lost among the common folk, has now been found and returned to the palace. He shall inherit the late emperor’s throne.”
“Effective immediately, the late emperor’s son ascends as the new emperor.”
“By the decree of the new emperor—”
“The dethroned emperor Li Muchen ruled without benevolence and was punished by Heaven, resulting in two years of drought in Great Zhao. The resulting famine caused countless deaths among the people...”
“To appease the wrath of the gods, from this day forward, Li Muchen is stripped of Great Zhao citizenship and is to be expelled from our lands at once.”
“Forbidden to enter Great Zhao for life!!”
Dethroned Emperor Li Muchen knelt in the center of the palace, his arms restrained by two guards.
Li Muchen’s face was expressionless as he silently listened to the eunuch proclaim the new emperor’s decree.
At this moment, all the civil officials and military generals of the Great Zhao court seized the opportunity to heap scorn upon Li Muchen.
“His Majesty is wise. The dethroned emperor has sat on the throne for two years, during which time consecutive droughts have struck. This is surely Heaven’s punishment.”
“The dethroned emperor was unkind, and Heaven’s wrath has fallen upon him.”
“Now that the dethroned emperor is no longer a subject of Great Zhao, surely the gods will soon relent and bring rain.”
“Indeed, we must drive the dethroned emperor out of our lands swiftly to bring about Heaven’s grace.”
“Yes—expel the dethroned emperor!”
“I concur!”
“Dethroned emperor! You are utterly unworthy to be our sovereign.”
“A ruler without virtue—leave the imperial palace of Great Zhao at once!”
“Get out!”
“Get out!”
“......”
“......”
Seated on the Dragon Throne, the new emperor of Great Zhao glanced down at the fallen former sovereign with a trace of mockery in his eyes.
“Silence, ministers.”
“Dethroned emperor, do you have anything to say?”
“I grant you... one final chance to speak.”
Li Muchen lifted his gaze and stared coldly at the young emperor on the throne, his voice frosty:
“Two years ago, the late emperor’s uncle suddenly passed away!”
“The late emperor left no heirs, and the royal clan had no descendants…”
“It was you princes and ministers who forced my mother, the Grand Princess, to claim me as the late emperor’s son.”
“Now that the court has stabilized, you have arbitrarily brought in an unknown man from among the common folk and declared him the late emperor’s only son.”
“You even conspired with a group of generals to rebel and force a palace coup, installing him as the new emperor?!”
Li Muchen suddenly pointed at the man on the Dragon Throne and shouted angrily, “Your throne was won through rebellion and treason!”
“How dare you—”
“Guards! Drag the dethroned emperor away and expel him from the palace immediately.”
The new emperor gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his image as a benevolent ruler.
“Let go of me—I will leave on my own!”
Li Muchen fiercely shook off the hands of the guards and turned away from the palace without looking back.
Fifteen minutes later.
Li Muchen stood at the palace gates, accompanied by his mother and his full younger sister.
Taking their hands, he led them toward the city’s main gate.
Behind them, a squad of guards escorted them as they were banished from Great Zhao territory.
...
Five days later,
Li Muchen finally stepped beyond the borders of Great Zhao.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Divine System successfully activated!!]
[System Notification: Host has become the dethroned emperor—achievement unlocked!]
[System Notification: Host has been expelled from Great Zhao—achievement unlocked!]
[System Notification: The Divine System has successfully bound to the host.]
[Host is now the master of the Divine System. Please follow the prompts to complete the main quests in this world.]
[Main Quest officially activated!]
[Main Quest One: Host is to depart immediately for the unclaimed southern barbarian lands of this continent to establish a new nation.]
[System Reminder: New players may choose to view the guide to quickly familiarize themselves with system operations.]
[Popup: Would you like to view the guide? Or skip?]
Li Muchen, having already spent two years in this ancient fantasy world, had never heard of any system before.
What on earth was going on?
“I choose… to view the guide.”
[Guide panel opened. Please browse the various guides as needed.]
“I want to… view the main quest guide.”
[Ding! Main quest guide opened.]
[The system will provide the host with various divine powers to establish the strongest unified empire in this world, ending the long-standing chaos of fragmented warring states.]
[Important Reminder: Rewards for activating the Divine System have been granted. Please check promptly.]
“View reward details...” Li Muchen spoke again.
[Reward details opened—]
[Congratulations, host has received: One Aladdin’s flying carpet.]
[Congratulations, host has received: One thousand taels of gold, three thousand taels of silver, ten thousand copper coins.]
[Congratulations, host has received: Three loyal secret guards, three loyal bodyguards, three loyal maidservants.]
[Congratulations, host has received: Two carriages, six fine horses, six bags of grain.]
[Note: The secret guards, bodyguards, maidservants, carriages, horses, and grain await the host three li ahead. Please proceed to claim them.]
[Congratulations, host has received: Divine power to create a nation with one-click rapid modeling in the unclaimed southern barbarian lands.]
[All rewards for activating the Divine System have been fully distributed.]
...
After the system’s voice fell silent, Li Muchen scanned the bestowed rewards with his mind.
When he saw the last item—divine power to create a nation with one click—his restless heart could no longer be contained.
“System, are you still there?” Li Muchen tentatively asked.
[At your command, host.]
“System, I want to activate the divine power of creation now, and initiate the one-click rapid nation-building.”
[Understood. System has received the command.]
[Activating divine power of creation.]
[Congratulations, host has obtained the beginner-level divine creative power.]
[One-click rapid empire establishment in progress. Target: Build a preliminary level-one city.]
[City has been initially constructed. Host must proceed to the southern barbarian lands to claim it.]
A vision flashed through Li Muchen’s consciousness:
On a wild and desolate land, an ancient small city was swiftly taking shape.
Stone walls surrounded the city on all four sides, with a single gate serving as the city’s entrance and exit.
At the very center, a modest building bore the inscription “Imperial Palace.”
Besides the palace, many commoner houses and some farmlands had also been constructed with a single click.
“This is incredible—” Li Muchen exclaimed in awe!
[Important Reminder: Host must expedite completion of Main Quest One.]
[Host must travel promptly to the newly established nation and hold the coronation ceremony to become the rightful emperor.]
Li Muchen immediately closed the system interface and said to his mother and sister, “Let’s go to the southern barbarians.”