Mrangh

The Meng-Rjang Dynasty (孟梁, 543–681) is the second half of the Rjang Dynasty. It was a re-constitution of Rjang state with the Menghean Emperor I Ye (李睿 mljog'-shwjons) acclaimed as monarch, replacing the Siaw House that voluntarily vacated the throne for Emperor I Ye. The Dynasty saw the ascension of eight emperors from six generations, ultimately forced to abdicate in favour of another branch of the Siaw House that rose to prominence. The Meng-Rjang sharply departed from the proactive Siaw rule that came before (492—543), in that the throne took only a passive interest in public policy in a way described as "almost laissez-faire" by some scholars.

Transition from Siaw-Rjang

I Ye's arrival

In mid-542, the Emperor of Snin-glah (千鷺), under a title of all Menghe, abandoned his capital city in the comapny of his courtiers, officials, scholars, and other followers and travelled over the the Dzhungestani desert to Themiclesia. They arrived in the winter that year, having alerted the officials along the way to the capital city in Kien-k'ang. I Ye's arrival caused considerable confusion in Themiclesia, around the quesiton of his future status and that of his offsprings and his counterpart in Themiclesia. I Ye would not surrender his title and insisted on governing Themiclesia, but the Themiclesian court was highly skeptical of his aptitude, given his inability to prevent the Kim Dynasty from expelling him from country. Moreover, it was argued that the Kim State's objective was to eliminate the last remaining bloodline of the Meng Dynasty, which lost control over much of Menghe in the 200s; with a bloodline extant, Kim's claim to legitimacy would be open to question, and the nomad state may eventually attempt to invade Themiclesia only to eliminate I Ye and his successors, thereby destroying Themiclesia.

A leading house, that of Gwjang, was most critical of I Ye's demands, saying that all the aristocratic houses of Themiclesia were likewise refugees, and if I Ye were personally invited to rule, then any one of them would be as competent. Others argued that, from a legal perspective, I Ye was still the legitimate heir to the Meng Dynasty, to which Themiclesia undoubtedly paid allegiance centuries ago, and there was no reason to infer a change in this relationship. Gwjang responded, "If that is where your loyalties lie, then why do you not help him re-conquer Snin-glah and the rest of his dominion?" Eventually, the court decided against Gwjang, and the King abdicated to allow I Ye to govern unimpeded. His new throne did not, however, come at no cost, and provisions that the Themiclesian courtiers forced on him further weakened the crown from its alraedy-powerless state before his arrival. The existing royal house was granted the title of Prince of Gar-nom, which carried no political authority, but I Ye was to abide by the political institutions of Themiclesia and accept their current leadership. This requirement he appeared to have no will or ability to dispute, since he personally resented conflict after Snin-glah.

Transition

On the first day of the year beginning in 543, the monarch left his regalia in the Kien-k'ang Palace and departed. Gwjang, as Prime Minister, led the procession to chaperone I Ye into the palace, where he was re-acclaimed as Emperor of Meng. He was reportedly impressed with the wealth of the land and architcture of the palace complex, musing that it was "built and primed for his arrival". The memorial plaques of his ancestors were laid in the Great Temple. As soon as he took the throne, he attempted a coup against his prime minister, learning of the latter's objections against himself before he was enthroned; his edict, however, was intercepted by Gwjang when it was to be countersigned by the Council of Correspondence, and Gwjang took the edict to I Ye and threw it into a fire. Before I Ye could object, Gwjang said, "I, Your Majesty's subject, was scheming for the betterment of the country that feeds me, clothes me, and honours me. Now I scheme for Your Majesty's betterment. Even if I were to countersign this edict, by which I should die for offending Your Majesty, none of my colleagues who have also offended Your Majesty will be willing to give it effect, for they fear for their own lives. If it should emerge that Your Majesty does not command our support, Your Majesty's position would only deteriorate, even in this corner of the world. I therefore burn this draft so that Your Majesty will not be perceived as incompetent or impotent." To which I Ye could only reply, "This is good. You are very wise." This dynamic would persist, with few interruptions, through the rest of the Meng-Rjang period.

Effects on political identity

While the monarchy was virtually powerless, except during the reigns of more proactive and able monarchs, such as Kaw-tsung, that it could lay claim to Meng's heritage altered Themiclesia's political identity and policy choices in later ages. Whereas the first formal dynasty established in 265 by Gwjang Mhluh was led by an ersatz-kaiser-like figure that enjoyed all the dignities of an emperor except the title, I Ye's arrival substituted the substitute for the actual. While the Meng-Rjang did not last long, all later dynasties came to power by forcing the incumbent to abdicate, rather than overthrowing and re-establishing the state. Such peaceful, ceremonial transfer of power was thought to preserve the legitimacy of Menghean crown, which came to rule (albeit in name only) by such a peaceful transition. Into the 19th century, Themiclesia's Emperor was still thought of as the rightful ruler of both Menghe and Themiclesia, though this practice is now considered offensive to Menghe and no longer common.

In terms of its effects on the public, as the Meng-Rjang progressed, literary trends shifted from landscapes and Poddhism to history, and a sense of patriotism developed around Themiclesia's image as the seat of Meng culture, in addition to political legitimacy. Poetry such as "Peacock Glides Evermore" received critical acclaim, when only a century ago it would have been considered mundane and shallow. Additionally, terms such as "Middle Earth" (中土) and "Central Illustrious Land" (中華) were applied to Themiclesia only after I Ye's arrival.

Territorial extent

Like all Themiclesian dynasties, the monarchy claimed the entire world as its jurisdiction. The extent of governance, however, was delimited by the ability of the state to survey land establish domestic records for the populace. As it inherited power directly from the Siaw-Rjang immediately preceding, its initial territories extended from what is today Yanarksbourg in Maverica to just south of the modern border with Nukkumaa. Throughout the dynasty, Themiclesia was subject to incursions from the south by Maverican nomads, which slowly pushed the border north.

Government

The Meng-Rjang Dynasty government had the emperor at its heart, and most state decisions, as defined by the Administrative Code (mlings), required the emperor's nominal assent. The quintessentially-Themiclesian institutions of the inner and outer courts were established at this point; the inner court was responsible for making policy and administrative decisions that belonged to the emperor's remit, while the outer court was responsible for their implementation, centrally and locally.

Outer Court

The outer court was nominally led by the Chancellor (相國, sjangs-kwek) or Vice Chancellor (丞相, sgrjing-sjangs). Under their instruction were the Nine Counsels (nine permanent positions, but actual number could be as high as fourteen or fifteen at times), in the central government. Themiclesia was divided into 36 prefectures, each governed by a magistrate nominated by the Vice Chancellor. Each prefecture was subdivided into counties, each also led by a magistrate, nominated by the prefectural magistrate and appointed by the Vice Chancellor.

Inner court

The inner court is centred on the Council of Correspondence, which is the office that receives all papers bound for the emperor; in opening and reading reports, which is done before the reports are read to the emperor, the secretaries in the Council affix their opinions and draft responses in the emperor's voice. These drafts are then presented with the letters themselves for the emperor's approval. Since the Council has access to all papers accessible to the emperor, it often has the power to establish co-ordinate policies and draft responses to each letter according to its policies. During the Meng-Rjang Dynasty, the Council of Correspondence, using its position as the secretariat of all major state affairs, created almost all policies, with only minor influence from the crown itself. The Council had a panel of seven or eight leaders and hundreds of subordinate clerks, each possessing a varying degree of authority over a specific field of government. Major policies are made by consensus amongst its leaders.

The emperor is furnished with advice on a more personal level by three types of attendants—regular, meridian, and cavaliers. Though their titles differ, their functions are largely indistinguishable. While the emperor is rarely assertive, he is in a position to grant personal favours and motivate the Council to alter their policies in slight ways or make exceptions.

List of monarchs

Surname	Personal name		Temple name		Epithet		Reign
李 rje'	睿	ljui	中宗	trjung-tsung	孝元帝	hruh-nhwjan-tis	545-558
	魯	ngla'			孝靜帝	hruh-tsings-tis	558-574
	清仁	tsjing-njing	高宗	kaw-tsung	孝康帝	hruh-khlang-tis	574-602
	袂	nhwrais			孝桓帝	hruh-gwan-tis	602-619
	暌	krjei'			孝明帝	hruh-mrjang-tis	619-624
	孿磬	luan-sk'lings			孝沖帝	hruh-drjung-tis	624-634
	恭芝	kung-tje	穆宗	mjuk-tsung	孝平帝	hruh-brjing-tis	634-662
	買	mria			孝獻帝	hruh-hngjans-tis	662-681
	慷	k'lang			孝惠帝	hruh-gwiih-tis	681-701
	退	t'uls			孝靈帝	hruh-rjing-tis	701-709
	拱	kjung'			孝文帝	hruh-mjen-tis	709-747
	槐	kwrei'			孝愍帝	hruh-mrjing-tis	747-753

See also

• Five States and Seven Fiefdoms
• Menghe
• Themiclesia