Nickname
Li Xian's birth brought much vitality to the Zichen Palace.
On the day of the full moon, Wu Meiniang held the baby wrapped in a bright yellow swaddling cloth and watched as Li Hong and Li Xian argued over who should give their younger brother a nickname.
"His name is Ruixue!" Li Xian excitedly pointed to the snow outside the window, "My little brother was born from snow!"
Li Hong shook his head and retorted: "The Book of Songs says 'like a jade tablet, like a precious stone tablet,' so it should be called 'gui gui'."
Wu Zetian watched her two sons arguing with a smile, then lowered her head to gently inhale the pleasant milky scent emanating from the baby.
(Inner monologue: Actually, I've already thought it through...)
During dinner, she casually mentioned, "This morning, while reviewing the memorials from Jiannan Circuit, I saw that the locals call their youngest son 'Aman,' which is quite lively and adorable."
Li Zhi was feeding her soup when he heard this and his wrist stiffened: "Aman? Isn't that the childhood name of Cao Cao, the Emperor Wu of Wei..."
“Your Majesty is overthinking it,” Wu Meiniang said, taking a sip of chicken soup from his hand. “It’s just the opposite of ‘crossing the sea under cover of darkness’—wishing this child to be upright and honest, without the need for concealment.”
(Inner monologue: I can't exactly say this is some kind of sadistic nostalgia for another time and space, can I?)
Li Hong pondered for a moment: "The Analects says, 'A gentleman is magnanimous and at ease,' so how about calling him Tan'er?"
"It doesn't sound good!" Li Xian exclaimed anxiously, climbing onto a stool. "Call him Snowball! Little brother is all white and soft!"
In the end, it was Li Zhi who made the final decision.
That night, holding the three-month-old baby in his arms, he suddenly laughed and said, "I see that he always likes to hold Xian'er's fingers tightly. How about calling him 'Chi Lang'? May he hold his heart upright and his body proper."
Wu Meiniang paused, a warmth rising in her eyes.
(Inner monologue: "Chi Lang... sounds much better than A Man.")
After the nickname was decided, the Zichen Palace became even more lively.
The first thing Li Xian does after school every day is to run over and tease his younger brother: "Chilang, Chilang, how many characters did you learn today?"
The baby, who was only a month old, couldn't read yet, but he always loved to grab the "Thousand Character Classic" that his older brothers brought him and tear it up to play with it.
At such times, Wu Zetian would hold the baby in front of the map, point to the canal route, and softly say, "Look, my love, this is the Bian River, which will be dredged in the future..."
Li Hong followed suit, always explaining while holding his younger brother and reviewing memorials: "This is a case file from the Ministry of Justice; Minister Di's judgment was very fair..."
(Inner monologue: Early childhood education should continue from prenatal education!)
At the 100-day celebration, Li Zhi held Li Xian in his arms as he received congratulations from his ministers.
When the head of the Cui family presented the jade ruyi, the baby suddenly stretched out his little hand with a "ah ah" sound.
Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Is Chi Lang going to do his own first birthday celebration?"
She ordered people to spread out a brocade carpet and place a model of the imperial seal, a volume of the Tang Code, an abacus, a model of a ship, and other items on it.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Xian actually wobbled as he climbed toward the model ship and grabbed it tightly.
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, but Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Good Chilang, he will surely be able to help Father Emperor to reorganize the grain transport in the future."
In the stillness of the night, she leaned against Li Zhi's chest and whispered, "Does Your Majesty remember? When I was in the position of Prince of Huai, I was revising the 'River and Canal Regulations'."
Li Zhi stroked her long hair: "I remember. That day you were suffering from severe morning sickness, but you insisted on adding a clause about 'winter clothing supplies for the canal workers' to the memorial."
Moonlight streamed over the baby's cradle, and Wu Zetian suddenly felt that this unexpectedly arrived child might truly have come with a mission.
——
[Mini-Drama: The Battle of Nicknames]
(Excerpt from Li Xian's Diary)
Today I argued with my brother again about Chilang's nickname!
I suggested calling it Snowball, but my brother insisted on calling it Guigui.
In the end, it was Mother who was truly amazing; somehow she managed to get Father to name him "Chilang".
But Chiro seems to really like the little rocking horse I gave him; he was holding onto it tightly the whole time.
(When Mochirou grows up, I'm going to teach him to ride a real horse!)
My mother always loves to hold Chilang and look at maps, which makes me jealous.
My mother wasn't this happy when I memorized the Thousand Character Classic.
...Oh well, what can I do? He's the youngest brother.
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