"What?"
"Minister Li did it to collect land tax from the nobles and ease the people's burden?"
"The rich own fields stretching from path to path, yet owe little labor service; the poor have no ground to plant an awl in, yet bear more land tax."
"Well..."
"Lord Li's new law has too many restrictions. Sometimes it really does make you angry. Shift a field boundary or move a well just a little, and you get punished. Yet somehow, you can't find anything to say against it."
"I didn't feel that way at first, but it's been a year now. The new law is harsh, but its harshness really does command respect."
"Words spoken are like water spilled. What were you saying just now?"
"What's the problem? Ask Daoist Jiang or the Ghost Valley Master to perform a ritual, and even spilled water can be gathered back up."
"But Lord Li did administer punishment privately and have nobles beaten with rods. That's against the law!"
"Well..."
"How is it wrong? Take Fu Wen. Has he ever been short of filthy, rotten deeds?"
"His wool sweater gave Widow Wang at the village entrance a rash. Shouldn't he be punished for that?"
"That's fair, but that happened before-wait, how do you know Widow Wang got a rash?"
"Never mind how I know. Just tell me whether Fu Wen is a rotten bastard."
"Well..."
"What? Has Fu Wen never bullied you?"
"He hasn't, actually. But that fellow from the Gan Household who got beaten once harassed my sister-in-law."
"Then that settles it. Come on, let's go to Yuan Prison!"
"To lodge complaints? Ask the court to punish those people severely?"
"Do you dare lodge a complaint? Besides, His Majesty isn't settling old scores because too many people would be implicated. How could he