the yong hi dynasty

After years of corruption by the merchant emperors and almost a decade of civil war the yozong empire has fallen and the yong hi has risen from its ashes and to prevent the vast expense,luxury and corruption of the yozong mecantilism and outside trade is illegalized and penalized by banishment and branding. After 50 years since the death of the first emperor an enourmous famine and drought leads to the death of millions as well as a collapse of the economy and disloyalty of the nobility. After a new palace begins construction less than a year since starting the project the largest rebellion the empire has ever seen. the rebellion is put down 3 years after it started months later the emperor is nearly killed when the capital is burned down by a construction accident the 4th emperor is forced to open the country to trade and decriminalize mecantilism,organize the bureaucracy and create a small council buearacrats to run parts of the countries government. the 5th emperor dies heirless and the council chooses his cousin who was 15 at the time to become the new emperor in hopes of manipulating him. the famine and drought finally end and extreme new wealth comes into the empire with new trade routes and a new merchant class gaining so much wealth and influence that a new position is created on the council (trade govener) which would have started the 1st yong hi golden age almost a century since the start of the dynasty but the emperor is cruel,corrupt,lustfull and does everything in extremes for decades extreme taxes,outrageous construction projects and even slave labor to complete one of his many projects such as a palace made of marble and gold the size of a small city,having hundreds of mistresses married or unmarried with over 13 illegitimate sons 7 illegitimate daughters and likely dozens or hundreds of unknown children and only one legitimate son he believes is not his after years of his paranoia having members of his own family assasinated becuase of this he has no legitimate heir this has the entire government and the people on edge some believing the mandate of heaven is lost this is where the story starts. a young 16 year old who comes from a ahould be rich mechant family seemingly aces the imperial exam and becomes the youngest ever trade governer he moves to the capital and is dumbfounded how large and luxurious it is on the first day he realizes how corrupt the government is and how cruel,excessive,lustful and incompitent the now 40 year old emperor. after about a year after he joins and is put through the ringer trying to govern the economy and trade until the emperor starts a purge of all merchant families.