| Emperor Ai of Han's Cut Sleeve | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Emperor Ai of Han |
|
Type |
Robe Sleeve Clipping |
|
Effects |
Adheres one to a single position |
|
Downsides |
Nepotism towards lovers, negligence to dependents |
|
Activation |
Position in governmental power |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 6 |
|
Section |
|
|
Date of Collection |
1028 AD |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Emperor Ai of Han, personal name Liu Xin (25 BC – 15 August 1 BC), was an emperor of China's Han dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 20, having been made heir by his childless uncle Emperor Cheng, and he reigned from 7 to 1 BC.
The people and the officials were initially excited about his ascension, as he was viewed to be intelligent, articulate, and capable. However, corruption became even more prevalent and heavy taxes were levied on the people. Furthermore, Emperor Ai was highly controlled by his grandmother Consort Fu ,who demanded the title of Grand Empress Dowager. This led to the unprecedented and unrepeated situation of four women titled empress dowager at the same time—Empress Wang Zhengjun (Emperor Cheng's mother and Emperor Yuan's wife), Empress Zhao Feiyan (Emperor Cheng's wife), Consort Fu, and Consort Ding (Emperor Ai's mother).
During these years, other than the palatial infighting, what plagued Emperor Ai's administration was the general situation where good proposals would be made to Emperor Ai, and then he would approve of them personally but not take any actual actions on them. Further, he was harsh in his punishments of officials who disagreed with him—including, but not limited to, the issue of his grandmother and mother's titles. He would often backtrack in these punishments as well after some time, which also made him appear indecisive. He would also quickly promote officials that he saw as capable and honest and then, as soon as that capability or honesty offended him in some way, demote them. His temper might have been related to the fact that he was also constantly ill, although the nature of the illness is not known.
Emperor Ai was also famous for being the most effusive homosexual emperor of the Han dynasty. Historians characterized the relationship between Emperor Ai and Dong Xian as one between homosexual lovers and referred to their relationship as "the passion of the cut sleeve" after a story that one afternoon after falling asleep for a nap on the same bed, Emperor Ai cut off his sleeve rather than disturb the sleeping Dong Xian when he had to get out of bed. Dong was noted for his relative simplicity contrasted with the highly ornamented court, and was given progressively higher and higher posts as part of the relationship, eventually becoming the supreme commander of the armed forces by the time of Emperor Ai's death. Dong was afterward forced to die by suicide.
Effects[]
In accordance to the act of keeping Dong peacefully asleep, the sleeve now stops any disturbance from unseating the subject away. Will affix whatever it contacts either in the same place or position it currently rests at. People will have more mobility, usually able to move their limbs and torso, but unable to move beyond one-step away while the cloth remains attached.
Makes their lovers feel the urge to reward them handsomely, usually unduly. Bonuses beyond their capabilities or merit will be handed down freely to the annoyance of comrades and underlings, who view the gift-giving as a cheat unbecoming of their leader. Attempts to discuss with the user often lead to intimidation, coercion or removal from their position.