I Study Laws and Ordinances in the Eastern Han Dynasty

In the third year of Yongchu, heavy snow fell on Luoyang.

An Ping was a low-ranking clerk in the Court of Judicial Review. His daily work was repairing shoes, or rather, repairing laws and decrees.

Armed with a scraper, he was responsible for making the military account from Longxi Commandery, which was short by 480 heads, look absolutely flawless.

His superior said, "If you can't fix it, you'll be cut in half."

His political rival said, "If you do fix it, I'll kill you."

An Ping smiled and pointed at the pile of rotten accounts. "This isn't a ledger. It's the Han Dynasty's rotten shoe. The sole's coming apart, and we'll all end up barefoot."

And so, with a countdown to a day called "New Year's Eve," An Ping began his career repairing shoes, that is, repairing laws and decrees.