Side Story 4: A Long Journey – Dumpling Brothers
When Chu Yi and Shi Wu were eighteen years old, Emperor Xiao Jing announced his abdiction.
This was truly beyond everyone’s expectation. Emperor Xiao Jing was fit and in good health, it was a good opportunity so why did he just abdicate just like that?
However for all these years, Emperor Xiao Jing and Empress Shen really solidified the reputation of ‘wildful’. Throughout history, there was no Emperor and Empress that was this casual, not having three thousand beauties in the Inner Palace, with only one Empress. It was not that the officials did not think of any methods but at the end, it tears their interest apart and thus it was impossible for them to move Empress Shen’s position.
Moreover Empress Shen had a strong maiden family. In the course of time, the officials followed along. Anyways Empress Shen had given birth to two sons and there were qualified successors to carry on the Empire of Great Liang.
But even there were qualified successors, one could not abdicate the throne that early.
Chu Yi and Shi Wu official names were Xie Shu and the other Xie Wu. It was because not long after the children’s first birthday, when they were about to be named, Chi Yan Taoist Priest popped up from no one knew where and said that because both children’s birth was difficult, in order to grow up safely, female names had to be used for them. Thus Xie Jing Xing picked such names for both of them.
(The Shu is 淑 and it is usually used for females, with the meaning of warm, virtuous and pure. This character is always used as consorts rank too… Like Consort Dong Shu aka FXY mum. The character Wu used for Zhi Wu official name is 舞 which means dance, which tends to be used for females.)
After Xie Shu and Xie Wu gradually grew up and became sensible, there were numerous of quarrels with Xie Jing Xing with regards to their name but even the easier going Shen Miao was not willing to change their name. Thus they gradually got used to it.
Xie Shu seemed to have Shen Miao’s character, being sensible, steady and matured young. Xie Wu was an exact copy of Xie Jing Xing, hanging in the streets everyday, looking like a frivolous noble gentleman but those people who were familiar knew that Xie Wu had a stomach full of bad water and he was worse than Xie Jing Xing.
However the relationship between both brothers was extremely good. Currently Xie Shu was the Crown Prince and would soon be enthroned and Xie Wu was Prince Dian.
The officials submitted memorandum with tears and snivels as they criticize Xie Jing Xing for leaving so early and that Xie Shu was still young and was unable to hold things down and would deal the matters of court immaturely. They fear that it would not be peaceful.
But would Xie Jing Xing listen to those officials’ words? Xie Jing Xing had an overbearing personality and these officials’ words were just farts to him. Moreover he had already made up his mind on the abdication. It was a decision that nine bulls would not be able to pull back so how would a few memorandums be able to change his mind?
Shen Miao was even calmer after being the Empress for so many years. At the beginning there were many people who wanted to exploit her shortcomings but she was self reliant and everything was steady and stable. It was strange for them as she seemed to have been an Empress for many years. She managed everything cleanly, making others unable to find any small mistake at all and even accidentally gotten the reputation of being virtuous. Those old stubborn ones were also unable to find any faults.
At this moment, Xie Jing Xing was talking to both of his sons.
Time seemed to be very good to him. Even though both of his sons had grown into handsome youths, he was still beautiful. As compared to his arrogance tens of years ago, the current Xie Jing Xing had a restrained domineering air and looked much more dangerous than before.
