"Move!"
"Sir, there's nothing valuable in this house. A whole family of paupers."
"Take them away. Take them all away!"
"Yes, sir."
"..."
Under Great Sui law, those unable to pay their taxes could be thrown in prison.
Most of the time, however, local authorities had no need to imprison you and waste prison resources.
They would generally convert the debt into corvée labor and escort you off to work it off.
Soon, the weeping of men and women rang out, mingled with harsh reprimands.
Li Ping'an drained his iced plum soup in one go and remarked casually, "The gentry pay no taxes, the vast ranks of imperial clansmen suck the nation's lifeblood, and sects everywhere falsify their disciple numbers.
"Land consolidation is rampant, and the entire country's tax burden falls on the impoverished common folk. Who knows how much longer Great Sui can hold out at this rate?"
The speaker meant nothing particular by it, but the listener took it to heart. Liu Yun froze slightly.
She reached up to smooth the ends of her hair and said, "Land consolidation has always been an insoluble problem. The imperial clansmen also need proper arrangements, while the various sects need to be courted and appeased... the court has its own difficulties."
Li Ping'an said, "The rich own fields stretching from path to path, while the poor have nowhere even to plant an awl. Even if it can't be changed completely, it must at least be curbed.
"Otherwise, once things reach the point of no return, all will be lost."
As Liu Yun listened, she poured the iced plum soup remaining in her bowl into Li Ping'an's empty one.
The two talked about a great many things that night.
From organizational assessments, industrial restructuring, and adjustments to the fiscal and taxation structure,