Charles Dahl was a writer, poet, and traveler from Swagen. His journals regarding his journeys in the Jia Dynasty are of great interest as his acute observations provide an insight into the culture of this civilization:
Journal #1 - Imperial Luxury
The Jia Dynasty is a highly centralized state. Everything revolves around the Emperor. He is not considered to be a simple human being but rather the Son of Heaven. He has the Mandate of the Jade Emperor to rule over all humans. All those that stand against him thus stand against the Heavens. They are not simply traitors but also sinners. Compared to our King in Swagen, the Emperor of the Jia Dynasty has near absolute powers, at least in theory. In reality, however, the powers of an Emperor depend upon his competence. A weak Emperor can be dominated by his court. The officials with the most influence are the Chancellor and the Supreme Commander. The first post is usually given to eunuchs, though this time it has been given to a fellow named Cao, a wicked man. The post of Supreme Commander has been held for decades by members of the Yang Clan, a famous family of martial artists renown for their martial prowess.
The state is governed by an officialdom of highly educated bureaucrats. They gain office by successfully passing the Imperial Examinations. Those cultured men, unfortunately, spend a lot of their time forming factions and bickering with one another instead of trying to cure the ills of the state. Sycophants and conspirators are the ones who rise to the top while conscientious and moral officials are delegated to the provinces, exiled from the court where all decisions are taken. I've seen with my own eyes men of influence and wealth bribing officials in order to push their agenda in the court. Many officials have thus amassed huge fortunes and live more luxuriously than even our own King in Swagen. But their wealth cannot compare to that of the Emperor.
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The luxury and, indeed, the decadence of the court is famous around the continent. There is more gold in the Imperial Capital than in all other forty richest cities combined. The Palace is a gigantic structure fortified by gargantuan walls. Its halls are decorated with gold, silver and the finest jewels and gems of the continent. Every year each province sends its finest products, whether silk, jewels or precious stones, as tribute to the court. The Emperor and his chief officials participate frequently in festive banquets, where they are served the finest wine and the most exquisite and delicious dishes. I've seen it with my own eyes. I was called to one such banquet by the Minister of Public Works, a friend of my family. I couldn't believe my eyes at the luxury I saw nor could I imagine the pleasure that each dish would bring to me. Tens of girls, all young, most beautiful and agile, danced before us accompanied by the soothing sound of zither music. Their dance was mesmerizing and I was convinced that I was at the Celestial Court, for indeed such pleasures are divine.
Speaking of pleasures, the Emperor has more than one thousand concubines, all of them considered the greatest beauties of the realm. Their beauty is as renown as the Emperor's depravity. He prefers spending his time with those concubines than with dealing with matters of the court. For all the luxury and decadence that initially clouded my judgment, on taking a closer look I could see that the dynasty is in peril. Once I left behind the capital, I could see in the villages I passed through the misery and poverty of the people. They were all weeping about the high taxation and corruption of the officials. It was then when I realized how the divine pleasures accorded to the Emperor and his court were paid for. The foundations of the Jia Dynasty, for all its glory, are rotten.