Chapter 481: What Should an Emperor Be Like?
The little fox hadn’t wanted to come to the empress’s palace. She dislike this hypocritical empress who was always acting so dignified and virtuous even though she was clearly so black-hearted. If she wasn’t black-hearted, what would explain why she was the only woman in this inner palace that had a child?
The little fox had read a lot of novels before she transmigrated, so she was certain that this empress had poisoned the other women so that they couldn’t have children.
She had felt guilty about the puppy’s death since she quite liked Huo Chengwang, this white and chubby little boy. When she played with him, she felt like she was teasing a mini Huo Qing, so it felt very cute.
She had come today to apologize to Huo Chengwang, but he didn’t seem to want to pay attention to her. When this woman showed up, the little fox felt even more annoyed.
Huo Chengwang had liked her a lot before, but now he wouldn’t pay attention to her at all. The little fox jumped down from the table and slipped away.
Ning Shu lifted her brows. “The little fox came to play with you?”
“Aunt, this fox is really amazing. It was actually able to write!” Xiao Qingyan handed Ning Shu a sheet of paper and Ning Shu saw that the words ‘I’m sorry’ were roughly scrawled onto the page.
“It is very smart. If it wasn’t, why would the emperor dote on it so much?” said Ning Shu casually as she tossed the page aside.
Huo Chengwang looked up towards Ning Shu. “Imperial Mother, why does Imperial Father like a fox instead of this subject son? This subject son hates the fox. It made this subject son’s dog die. This subject son is Imperial Father’s son, so why doesn’t Imperial Father like this subject son?”
Uh, um… Ning Shu didn’t know how to answer Huo Chengwang. Could it be that she should tell him it was obviously because he wasn’t the child of the woman his imperial father loved? It would probably stab a hole in Huo Chengwang’s little heart.
Ning Shu crouched down and placed her hand on Huo Chengwang’s shoulder. As she looked into his eyes, she said earnestly, “Chengwang, Imperial Mother has said this before. Your imperial father is the emperor. Don’t long for an emperor’s affection.”
“Qingyang, go to the imperial kitchen to get some snacks.” Ning Shu sent Xiao Qingyan away and he enthusiastically went.
Ning Shu and Huo Chengwang sat down on the chairs. Ning Shu asked, “Chengwang, what do you feel is the most important thing for an emperor?”
“This subject son doesn’t know.” Huo Chengwang’s eyes were bright as he looked towards Ning Shu.
Ning Shu asked with a smile, “Chengwang, what do you think an emperor should be like? He should possess three palaces and six courtyards? He should call the wind and summon the rain as he wills?”
“The emperor should be respected by all the citizens,” said Huo Chengwang.
Ning Shu pinched his cheek and said, “That’s right. The emperor should be respected by the citizens. What’s most important for an emperor is responsibility. Countless citizens work to feed the imperial clan, and the emperor’s responsibility is to make the lives of the citizens even better.”
Huo Chengwang slowly nodded in partial understanding. Ning Shu knew that it was too soon for him to fully understand this, so she asked, “Does Chengwang want to become the emperor? An emperor that the citizens worship and sing praises of?”
“I do. This subject son wants to become the emperor. This subject son wants to replace Imperial Father as the emperor. This subject son wants to protect Imperial Mother and all the things this subject son cares about.” Huo Chengwang clenched his fists, his face red.
“As the emperor, you can’t like or care about things too much. Right now, your imperial father likes something too much, which caused him to lose his most basic sense of alertness and calm.” Ning Shu looked at Huo Chengwang as she asked, “What do you think your imperial father is like right now?”
Huo Chengwang bit his lips, then said quietly, “He seems like an incapable ruler.”