After Bi'an finished speaking, silence settled over the hall.
Seen in this light, King Zhou's continual elevation of slaves, appointment of slaves as officials, and imposition of land taxes on the nobles truly did suggest that he intended to abolish the well-field system and carry out land reform.
But talk was talk, and sound reasoning was sound reasoning. When it actually fell into their hands, what were they supposed to do?
Li Jing felt rather helpless. King Zhou could decide something was wrong and issue an edict for his ministers to deal with it, but those ministers had to come up with a workable solution and put it into practice!
Now that the time had come to act, everyone was calling for a new land system-but what exactly was that new system?
The well-field system had been in use for a thousand years. Once it was abolished, what came next? They were groping in utter darkness; no one knew.
Moreover, once they used the new law as a foundation to abolish the well-field system completely, slavery would inevitably come to a complete end as well. How could that not shake the entire realm?
How could it not fill the feudal lords and nobles with dread, when they relied on slaves and private fields to dine amid ringing bells and rows of bronze vessels, living a cut above everyone else?
When that time came, those feudal lords who already harbored rebellious intentions would likely raise their banners of revolt outright.
But refusing to reform was a problem too.
Li Jing steeled himself and said, "The wealthy own fields stretching across paths and roads, yet bear scarcely any labor levies. The poor have nowhere even to plant an awl, yet shoulder heavier land taxes! Reform will bring pain for a time. Refusing