Hero's Ribbon

The **Hero's Ribbon** (英烈绶, *Yīngliè Shòu*), also known as the **merit ribbon**, is a ribbon given to the descendants of Chonghua's martyred heroes.

## Appearance

The Hero's Ribbon is a blue head ribbon with golden edges. It is also made of silk.

## Description

The Hero's Ribbon is an honor bestowed upon someone deemed to be a hero and is placed upon their coffin after their death. It is given to the hero's family and is passed down for their descendants to wear.

It is extremely precious to the hero's descendants, and it is taboo for someone other than the ribbon's rightful owner to wear or even touch the ribbon.

## Owners

### Mo Xi

Mo Xi's Hero's Ribbon is one of his most important possessions because it is the last thing he has left of his father.

Once, while Gu Mang and Mo Xi were bathing in Xihe Manor's hotspring, Mo Xi looked at him to see that Gu Mang had worn his Hero's Ribbon. At this, Mo Xi's eyes immediately began to redden in fury. He ordered Gu Mang to take it off, and when he refused, he tore it off of his head.

### Gu Mang

Gu Mang has always longed to possess a Hero's Ribbon as it would mean that Chonghua acknowledges him despite being a slave by birth.

Once, in his youth, as he tidied up Wangshu Manor's abandoned library, he chanced upon an old box containing Murong Xuan's letters to his mother, Miss Chu and his ceremonial robes. Though he realized that he was Murong Lian's half-brother, the only thing he wanted to do was to try tying Murong Xuan's Hero's Ribbon on his forehead. Before he could even look at the mirror, Murong Lian stormed into the room and snatched the ribbon from him. This was the start of Gu Mang's longing for Hero's Ribbon, as it represented something he could never hope to own.

Years later, Gu Mang was promised the Hero's Ribbon by the emperor in return for becoming his spy, and it was one of Gu Mang's sole comfort during his time in Liao Kingdom. Later, Gu Mang is seen wearing a bloodstained Hero's Ribbon that he pulled off from a corpse's body as he tells Mo Xi about how it was something that was wrongfully unattainable for him to possess due to his upbringing.

Around eight years later after Gu Mang was taken into Xihe Manor, Gu Mang accidentally wore Mo Xi's Hero's Ribbon because he instinctively felt that it belonged to him, and that he deserved to wear it. This immediately incited Mo Xi's rage and it was snatched from his head, with him not knowing what he did wrong to be underserving of such a ribbon. Though he understood that it clearly was not his, he still felt that it was important to him and would often gaze longingly at Mo Xi's ribbon.

Later, after Gu Mang regains his two missing souls, Murong Lian gives him the Hero's Ribbon. Gu Mang is overjoyed, bringing his brother into a hug as gratitude and wearing it to their final battle against the Liao Kingdom.

### Murong Lian

Murong Lian is extremely possessive of his Hero's Ribbon due to his inferiority complex and paranoia that Gu Mang would eventually rise up and seize his position. Eventually, he realizes that Gu Mang never sought to rebel against him and that Gu Mang was more worthy of possessing the Hero's Ribbon. He hesitantly gives Gu Mang the Hero's Ribbon before the battle against Liao Kingdom.

## References

2. ↑ Novel, Chapter 59: Memory Begins to Wake
3. ↑ Novel, Chapter 81: Return to Eight Years Ago
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Novel, Chapter 54: In the Baths
5. ↑ Novel, Chapter 157: The Hero's Ribbon He Could Never Wear
6. ↑ Novel, Chapter 117: Are You Willing to Die For the Nation
7. ↑ Novel, Chapter 188: My Martyr's Path
8. ↑ Novel, Chapter 117: Elder Brother Gives You The Hero's Ribbon