Introduction: Since the Qin Dynasty enacted the law to the present, China has formed a relatively complete legal system. Many dynasties have precedents for rewarding meritorious ministers with certificates of exoneration, such as the famous Ming Dynasty Danshu Iron Coupon.
However, such evidence was invalid for some serious crimes such as treason, and its final interpretation power belonged to the emperor. In the face of these major cases of rebellion, the impact of punishment is not only on the individual, but on the entire family. The "Zhulian Nine Tribes" that we are more familiar with today has such a meaning.
In ancient punishments, there is a term that is relatively similar to the "Nine Tribes of Zhulian", that is, full of door slashing. The words "copy" and "chop" should be taken apart to refer to the confiscation of family property and the execution of the entire family. But the whole family here is limited to the family of the executor. The "Nine Tribes" of the Nine Tribes will implicate more people than the whole family. So who exactly does the "Nine Tribes" include? Next, I will analyze it in detail.
The concept of "nine tribes" has always existed in many different ways. This article is one of the most widely accepted statements. The first is the four "patriarchs". The first is the family of the person subject to enforcement, the second is the married sister of the father of the judgment debtor, and the family of his heirs, the third is the family of the judgment debtor's own sister and nephew, and the fourth is the daughter of the judgment debtor himself and the grandson's family.
This is followed by three "matriarchs". One refers to the family of the maternal grandfather of the executor, the second is the family of his maternal grandmother, and the third is the whole family of his mother's siblings and her children. Finally, there are two "wives". One refers to the family of the father-in-law of the person subject to enforcement, and the other refers to the mother-in-law's mother-in-law. This adds up to exactly the "Nine Tribes". According to this system, it is basically equivalent to uprooting all the people who are related to the deceased.
Although the old saying "misfortune is not enough for the family", and the Zhulian Nine Ethnic Groups are often only used for major crimes such as treason or political prisoners, the purpose of implicating so many people is to cut the grass and remove the roots. The ruler will do whatever it takes to eliminate all possible hostile forces, and such people are often highly likely to be in the family of the executor.
In ancient times, family-style rebellions were not uncommon, especially during the Han Dynasty. The foreign forces of the Han Dynasty often played a very important political role, and the more famous ones were the Lü family of Lü Hou and the Huo family of Huo Guang. Such foreign relatives often have power for a while, and chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, but when they fall, they will almost be uprooted.
This kind of law involving consecutive sitting should have appeared as early as the Shang Martingale period of the Qin State, which was also the beginning of the Qin State's vigorous law, and also broke the old ritual law that was once "not a doctor". And there is another very typical example that we are more familiar with, that is, Fang Xiaoru of the Ming Dynasty.
Fang Xiaoru was imprisoned for refusing to write an edict for Zhu Di's usurpation of the throne and accusing Zhu Di to his face. His final verdict was "Zhu Shi Clan". So according to the above, there are only nine tribes, where did the tenth come from?
Zhu Di creatively invented the term "Ten Tribes", adding Fang Xiaoru's friends, teachers, and protégés. No ruler followed this practice in later generations, so Fang Xiaoru was also the only person in history to be cursed by the Ten Tribes.
So, suppose someone learns that his relatives have broken the law and wants to make a connection, why doesn't he choose to run away? First of all, the relevant laws are also in development. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, corporal punishment was abolished, which was the beginning of a relaxation of punishment. Of course, except for a few people who committed the most heinous crimes, the rulers would not have to kill the "Nine Tribes" completely.
Generally speaking, the three clans closest to the executor must die, and the rest will be sentenced according to the distance of the relatives. Those who are more distant may only be subject to exile, military and other punishments. For example, during the Wu Zetian period of the Tang Dynasty, there were a large number of Li clan people exiled there in Lingnan, most of whom were members of the family of political prisoners.
Second, the traffic conditions in ancient times were not as developed as they are today. In "The Getaway", it was said that "those who are suitable for thousands of miles will gather grain in March". What this saying means is that if you go thousands of miles away, you need three months to prepare food. And on the way, he will definitely be wanted by the government.
Most of the ancient wanted people posted portraits of suspects in the city and at various passes, and the soldiers guarding the customs would interrogate those who passed the customs. As a result, fugitives must not be able to take the road and settle down in a new place. To sum it up in one sentence, that is, "under the whole world, can it be the royal land", where can a person escape?
Summary: Therefore, even if the ancients were sentenced to zhulian, most people would not choose to escape. Coupled with the old feudal idea of foolish loyalty to the rulers of ancient times, that is, "the king let the subject die, the subject has to die", even if they have the opportunity to escape, they may not escape.
Of course, the law is still constantly improving, for example, after the Qin Dynasty, the dynasties directly executed all people, and replaced them with exiles, military reinforcements, and so on.