Chapter 138 - Noble Aspirations (2/2)

Of course, Lei Xing did not really think it was the Empress dowager's fault, it was an enraging situation and she was grieving. It was also preposterous for him to still have expected the Empress dowager to still have happily been with him. Lei Xing thought that if it were her, she would hate him too. But angry people suffering won't be as sympathetic to her plight at the time. Their suffering outweighs hers in the long run and so lei Xing could not help but mention, ”If you free just one set of people, won't that potentially cause other problems?”

The Emperor raised his eyebrows then smiled at her and pat her cheek, ”This is one of the reasons I like you. You're smart and reasonable...I wish others could easily understand this point too.” He said, sighing as he thought of his mother.

Lei Xing frowned and looked down as her heart jumped and her ears turned slightly red.

{...He has been mentioning that quite a bit today, it's... a bit annoying...Yes, that's what it is...}

”I think the same as well...I consider everyone within our border as our citizens. It is a complicated process but I plan to do away with the slave system entirely. Years have passed and new lives have been built where theirs once were, so I can't say I will restore their former lives, especially not in the cases of the nobles. But I can give them the freedom to live their lives...How much will be enough to restart their lives? How to handle the nobles who currently profit from having slaves? How to help them rebuild their lives? Where will they go? I have been busily working on measures to smoothly make the transition. Although there's bound to still be problems. Problems come with change, it is unavoidable.”

Listening to this, Lei Xing was quite surprised by his reasoning. She did not expect this at all and was honestly re-evaluating her perception of him. She never thought he was a bad person or anything, she just never expected to care this much or to think this much of the people. It was honestly refreshing.

”But it will all work out in the end. Even if some nobles want to start trouble, they lack the manpower for it, I have a mass army and they have a few slaves who will then be free. There will be little insurgents if any...They will probably be too busy trying to rally their disgruntled troops.” He finished with a chuckle as he thought of a certain disgruntled brother of his who will probably be a raging bull with this development.

Lei Xing looked at him for a bit, then smiled and said, ”You are a good Emperor. I say good for now because you are still new to the position. But you are most likely to end up a great Emperor in history since you care so much for your people. It is a truly noble aspiration.”

The Emperor stopped walking and looked at her. They were walking currently by the canal and there were not many people around. She was smiling at him and he lightly smiled back and then took her hands and looked at their joined hands for a bit. She made him happy, truly happy.

Lei Xing slightly knit her brows, feeling a bit nervous, the atmosphere was seemed a bit odd. The Emperor looked up at her and her heart jumped and she took a deep breath. He smiled at her and gently caressed her hands and Lei Xing blinked down and their hands and the Emperor softly said, ”Xing er', I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now...I don't necessarily have to ask but I want to...”

Lei Xing glanced at him and then looked back down, she was feeling incredibly nervous now and her heart was jumping crazily. She gulped and tightly knit her brows.

{...Doesn't this atmosphere feel like a - He wouldn't be...}

{...*Better remember our deal...}

Lei Xing's eyes went wide, she blinked a few times and felt panicked.

{...No way, this is - It's not happening!... You're misunderstanding -_-)...}

{...*Hmph, we'll see...Just don't forget!...}