The correct answer is: "were severe".
Legalism is the belief that individuals are inclined to execute more bad actions than good actions. It was developed by philosopher Han Feizi and became the official philosophy of China during the Qin Dynasty and under the rule of Shi Huangti.
Legalism was the opposite belief to Confucianism, which believed that human beings were good by default and only needed slight orientation in order to behave well in life. After the end of the Qin Dynasty, Legalism was abandoned and replaced by Confucianism as the main philosophy in China.