【明報專訊】In days of yore, there was an empire ruling the central plain. With its large expanse of territory and great ambition, kingdoms large or small were conquered and turned into provinces (省) one after another. People were treated like slaves under the regime, and taxed every year to sustain the empire's spending on its army and building of walls. But the money was running out like tap water. Sooner or later it would need a new source of money.