The Imperial Government of Tian Xia

he infrastructure supporting the Tianlong Dynasty's rule of Tian Xia is referred to as 'The Sānshěng Liùbù', or 'The Three Departments and Six Ministries'.

Although the Emperor is technically the Supreme Ruler of Tian Xia, it is the Empress Tianlong Wangmu who heads the Sānshěng Liùbù. It is the Empress to whom the department and ministry heads report.

The Emperor spends his days in the Hall of Audience: a benevolent service which allows citizens of Tian Xia to, by appointment, approach the Emperor personally with requests and appeals for assistance.

Any requests approved and requiring legislative action are passed to the Secretariat for processing.

The Three Departments

Secretariat

Responsible for proposing and drafting Imperial Decrees, as well as ensuring that approved decrees are disseminated through the empire efficiently. Members of this department are chosen based on superlative communication skills and an expansive understanding of imperial governance and infrastructure.

Edict Examination Bureau

Policy advisors to the Secretariat and Tianlong family. There are sections to this department which correspond with the six ministries, ensuring that the Secretariat and Emperor has ready access to informed and educated advice. Members of this department are chosen based on exemplary expertise and experience in their respective fields.

Department of State Affairs

Responsible for maintaining and operating the Six Ministries Each ministry is headed by a minister and two sub-ministers, each chosen for experience in their respective fields and superior ability to manage people effectively.

The Ministry of Personnel

In charge of appointments, merit ratings, promotions, and demotions of officials, as well as granting of honorific titles.

The Ministry of Revenue

In charge of gathering census data, collecting taxes, and handling state revenues

The Ministry of Astral Influence

Responsible for the certification of Imperial magic users, gathering of rumour and news with regards to magical and supernatural occurrences, and oversees the Imperial University of Magical Studies. Includes a subministry in charge of state ceremonies and rituals.

The Ministry of Defense

In charge of the maintenance of military installations, equipment, and weapons, as well as the courier system. Oversees the infrastructure and logistics of keeping the Four Great Generals adequately supplied.

The Ministry of Justice

In charge of judicial and penal processes, as well as assigning and maintaining a list of regional and roaming magistrates.

The Ministry of Works

In charge of government construction projects, hiring of artisans and laborers for temporary service, manufacturing government equipment, the maintenance of roads and canals, standardization of weights and measures, and the gathering of resources from the countryside. Oversees the Dwarven and Gnomish manufacturing guilds.

The Imperial Examinations

The Imperial Examinations are designed to select the best potential candidates to serve as administrative officials, for the purpose of recruiting them into The Three Departments and Six Ministries.

Strictly speaking, anybody is permitted to take the Imperial Examinations in an attempt to obtain employment within the government. There are set curriculums for each department or ministry, encouraging a uniform understanding of those principals which underpin the Tianlong Dynasty amongst its diverse citizens.

There are, however, caps set on the number of applicants able to succeed at each level of the examinations, starting at the local county level, advancing to provincial level, and finally imperial level. Fierce competition is prevalent, as are innovations in cheating and the discovering of cheaters.

The Examination Process

Each student taking the exam is taken to a special examination compound. and is provided with only a few amenities: a water pitcher, a chamber pot, bedding, food, an ink stone, ink, and brushes.

Guards verify the students' identities and search them for hidden printed materials. Each exam taker spent three days and two nights in a tiny room with a makeshift bed, desk, and bench. There were no interruptions in those three days, nor were candidates allowed any communication.

During the examination period the applicants compose numerous essays related to subject matter involved in their chosen department or ministry. These essays would need to cover basic facts and procedures, evaluation and resolution of several difficult problems which a department or ministry member might face, and a single philosophical piece on the department or ministry itself.

Success at any level of the examination requires excellent memory under pressure and without references, clear calligraphy, concise communication skills, and a studied knowledge of the field in question.

Cultural significance of the Examinations in Tian Xia

The Imperial Examinations, devised by the Emperor Huangdi, have formed the central pillar of a sense of national identity within the empire of Tian Xia: for while people may live thousands of miles apart, they each take the same exams, and compete on a theoretically equal basis. No matter the domestic culture of a Tian Xian citizen, be it in the humid jungles of Nányuè or the cold Xiongnu Steppes, all are taught from the same curriculum.

Not all citizens view the examinations as a good thing, and no system is perfect. For those citizens whose knowledge of the Imperial Tian Xian language is less than fluent, the curriculum and requirements regarding calligraphy and literacy form an invisible barrier. This is one of the frequent causes of contention among the Xiongnu Tribes - for each time one of their best and brightest is rejected on the basis of poor calligraphy and use of language, it is seen as a slap in the face. At least three declarations of hostility by Xiongnu tribes in the past have been indirectly or almost-directly linked to the Imperial Examinations.

Despite this, the response to all complaints and appeals is as uniform as the curriculum: "All rejected applicants are welcome to try again during the next Examinations, and should use the intervening time to refine themselves in the areas where they were found unsuitable."

In this way, the Tianlong Dynasty promotes assimilation of the Imperial laws and language, and hampers the efforts of those who refuse to assimilate in their attempts to change the Empire from within.

The Nine Token Ranking System

Members of the The Sānshěng Liùbù are provided wages and responsibility based on their ranking within their section. There are nine ranks, each subdivided into 'regular' and 'senior' ranks. Each rank was assigned a unique rank badge with a bishani token of authenticity.

Each Ministry and Department members are graded initially based on their examination results, and then promoted or demoted internally based on individual merit and tenure. The highest ranks, however, must be approved and ratified by Emperor Huangdi and Empress Wangmu.

Loss of a minister's token is considered evidence of their negligence, and ministers in that lamentable situation are given a week to recover the token or be discharged from their position. Even success in relocating their token will not prevent the inevitable demotion resulting from their initial negligence. However, the theft of a minister's token (or even tampering with one) is considered a capital crime barely a step short of treason, with death being the guaranteed outcome if the Jinyiwei find sufficient evidence linking a theft to a particular individual.