The emperor tells the prince regent that he is the emperor of the empire and that he can read anything he wants. The prince regent is angry, the emperor tells him, because he has gone too far. The emperor says that a ruler should rule through power, wealth, virtue, and the rule, or punishment, has never been anything that comes from "nowhere" . He says that he will not let the situation get worse, and that if he leads people astray again, he will send the books to the Ministry of Justice. He asks the prince to hurry up and have some tea with his beautiful lady. He thinks that the prince must be planning a big thing, and he says that no matter what, they will wait for the emperor to fall in the trap.