The naming of Xiao Chen ( A'chen) carries profound literal and symbolic weight, tying together the tragic love story and themes of the series.

1. Literal Meaning: A Precious Gem

The Chinese character "Chen" translates directly to a precious treasure, valuable gem, or rare jade.

• The connection to Lu Wenxi: After entering the palace, Lu Wenxi had to cast aside her identity and use the pseudonym A'bao, which means "treasure". Naming their son A'chen directly echoes her name.

2. A Silent Act of Defiance and Love

In ancient Chinese imperial families, a prince did not possess the ultimate authority to formally name his own son; that privilege was reserved for the reigning Emperor. Xiao Dingquan’s final months were spent stripped of power, heavily guarded, and awaiting a fate dictated by his paranoid, distant father.

• Choosing the name Chen privately with Lu Wenxi was a quiet, intimate rebellion. It asserted that the child belonged to them and their love, rather than the cold politics of the Xiao imperial family.

• Because the name came from the parents and not an imperial decree, calling him "A'chen" emphasizes his identity as a beloved child first, and an imperial prince second.

3. Redemption for the Grandfather

When Xiao Dingquan commits suicide, the Emperor is finally broken by the crushing guilt of his cruelty. In the epilogue of Royal Nirvana Special, we see a fragile, aging Emperor holding the young child.

• By accepting the child as A'chen, the Emperor implicitly accepts his deceased son's final choice.

• The boy's presence allows the Emperor to finally express the affection, warmth, and gentleness to his grandson that he pridefully denied to his own son.

In a drama defined by "Nirvana" (rebirth through immense suffering), A'chen's name signifies that something pure, beautiful, and "precious" managed to grow out of the ashes of Xiao Dingquan and Lu Wenxi's tragic lives.