Jin-Mao Huang prizes two things above all others: his own might and the devotion of his subjects.
The Imperial Cult is the only sanctioned forum for worship in the Shining Empire, and it is considered one of the pillars of the Emperor’s rule. The cult welcomes all, young and old, far and wide, to partake in its rituals and prayers, administered by a class of scholar-priests that composes the cult hierarchy.
The Cult itself is organized around three important elements: Rituals, Offices, and Teachings.
The Rituals of the Cult are numerous and diverse, but they share a common purpose: they bring a small part of the Emperor’s presence and blessings to his subjects. Rituals exist for marriage, for births, for deaths, for coming of age, for planting, for harvest, for new business ventures, for sporting events, for solstices and equinoxes, for war and for peace. These rituals may be conducted anywhere with a minimum of preparation, but the Imperial Houses in all major cities and most smaller towns have exquisitely decorated shrines and grand plazas that help bring an atmosphere befitting the Emperor’s glory to the rituals.
The Offices of the Cult are the positions, held by classically-trained and -educated Mandarin, that confer the authority to lead rituals and see to the moral well-being of the Emperor’s subjects. The offices are arranged in a hierarchy that mirrors that of the civil service. Scribes and Acolytes are analogous to Judges and Prefects, holding a local office that allows them to conduct rituals and uphold teachings in their townships and city boroughs. Above them in the hierarchy are the Consuls and the Censors, who are Scribes of exceptional attainment. Much like the Directors and Secretaries of the civil service, the Consuls and Censors are peers who serve two distinct purposes. Consuls travel often in wide circuits, visiting villages and cities, conferring with local officials and lending extra grandeur and authority to momentous occasions. Censors conduct most of their business from the imperial capital, alternately corresponding with the Consuls and tending to matters of record, history, and doctrine. There are two top-ranking positions within the hierarchy, that of the Grand Consul and the High Censor, responsible for the well-being of the entire Cult and granted frequent audience with the Emperor himself.
The Teachings of the Cult represent the collected matters of doctrine and commandments. The officers of the cult are charged with upholding these teachings, and the rituals are meant to embody and reinforce these teachings. The great body of the doctrine of the cult concerns the moral foundation for the citizenry, placing an emphasis on loyalty, honesty, charity, strength of body and mind, and the duties a person has to family, friends, and strangers. Much of the rest of the teachings concern the ways in which the cult and the Emperor himself relate to the creation and the maintenance of these qualities in a person.
There are a few things to note of the commandments in the teachings. First, any given commandment is considered to have an objective element and a subjective element. The objective elements frequently intersect with matters of civil law. Transgressions on objective elements are punishable, and trials are usually overseen by Scribes when they are present. Transgressions on subjective elements are considered difficult to prosecute, so they are generally not punishable by law, but the cult admonishes its subjects to hold their friends and neighbors to high standards and to take responsibility for their community’s moral health.
Second, the teachings hold that, while there are several other gods present on Materia, Jin-Mao Huang alone is the sovereign of the Empire and the minder of its citizens, and so public worship outside the Cult’s teachings is prohibited.