Zhu Xi’s Legacy is not a good name. Hell, it isn’t even a “thing”–it is a sort of reference or title that doesn’t describe much nor does it really come into play through gameplay. To think that this was a second draft from the original Jade Empire still flabbergasts me.
I don’t think it is too late for a rename, personally. It is just a name afterall. The Chinese have such an interesting and varied historical background that could be explored in many legitimate ways, that it feels like a massive missed opportunity to have gone in this vague fantasy route.
I still propose the Jin which is already present in the game in the campaign going up against the Mongols. They represent a whole other coin of China, through the lense of other settled people in the northeastern region, the Khitans, Jurchens and eventually Manchurians of the Qing.
Honestly, anything real is better than a suggestive title. JDA is clearly just JDA’s name. OTD is named after an actual thing. The Ayyubids were a real group. Can’t we make it so for ZXL too?
I figure they couldn’t pivot too far from Jade Empire because the flag was already made. If that is all it takes, I’m sure you’d find hundreds of community members willing to do it for you. A name and a flag and suddenly the variant becomes infinitely more appealing.