
No, he just have the emotional and intellectual capacities of a five years old child. This is also the reason why he can't do anything by himself and everyone around him have to deal with the conflits for him. The book about how the Emperor is perceived by a child might be what he was going to become. A puppet abandoned by everyone. Well, it might be.

?? I mean the novel she transmigrated into. The "current" Selena is the only one the Emperor has ever meet with, so he did not fall in love because she "changed". Instead it was because he was jalous that she was friendly with everyone except him and he got to know her (not only does she have a super good reputation but he do like her personality). The "novel" Selena was going to stick to him to try to make him love her but it never happened.
Is it just me or was the emperor’s change of heart really random? You ignore your wife for ages and now all of a sudden you’re this super affectionate husband? It feels super unnatural