News spread rapidly through Chaoge: after reforming the laws, King Zhou was now going to reform the rites.
He had even hung a blade directly over the nobles' heads, holding it against their necks as he declared that he would collect land tax from them.
The nobles of Chaoge were shocked. King Zhou's nerve was far too great!
Fine, his legal reforms treated everyone equally, from nobles down to commoners. As long as they broke no laws, there was no problem, and there was still some room to maneuver. But now he wanted to redefine the rites and collect land tax while he was at it?
In redefining the rites, he promoted short garments, short sleeves, and all sorts of outlandish clothing. He had even issued an edict allowing people to dress however they pleased. So long as they did not find it troublesome, even commoners could wear the nobles' flowing robes and broad sleeves.
As for the land tax, the rate imposed on nobles was actually thirty percent higher than the commoners' rate. He dressed it up as easing the people's burdens, but damn it, then reduce their taxes! Instead of reducing them by a single coin, he had increased them. His words sounded lofty, but his intentions were sinister.
The nobles' opposition was fierce.
After two rebellions, there were hardly any tough nuts left among Chaoge's nobles. If they continued shifting toward commerce, they would pose almost no threat to Great Shang. On the contrary, the substantial commercial taxes they paid would be enormously beneficial.
Yet their reputations kept rising. This winter, in particular, their large-scale production of wool sweaters had given countless commoners sweaters to survive the bitter cold, earning them widespread praise.
The first to relay this news to the nobles was Yao Zhong, a court