During the Ming Dynasty, official corruption was a serious problem, and in order to prevent corruption, the imperial court issued many decrees, including one
The stipulation is that officials found to have embezzled more than 60 taels of silver will be punished by skinning. This tradition has survived to this day, and many people believe that Ming officials who embezzle are to be skinned. But whether this tradition is real is an open question.
First of all, we need to be clear that the Ming Dynasty did have the punishment of skinning. The punishment of peeling refers to the use of an iron hook to take the prisoner's skin, and then peel off the prisoner's skin from head to toe. This punishment was very cruel in ancient times and was generally used to punish felons such as murderers, rebels, etc.
However, according to historians, the Ming Dynasty did not implement the system of "60 taels of silver peeling". In the History of Ming, there is no relevant record. On the contrary, the Ming Dynasty's corruption punishment system was very strict, and once criminals were discovered, they were often held accountable and severely punished, such as fines for silver, exile, and military charge. Moreover, the punishment system of the Ming Dynasty was also very diverse, with many other types of punishment in addition to skinning.
However, although the Ming Dynasty did not have a tradition of "peeling 60 taels of silver", official corruption occurred from time to time. One of the famous cases is the Blue Jade case.
Lan Yu was an official during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and when he was the superintendent of Henan Province, he embezzled huge sums of money, seriously harming the interests of the people. His actions were eventually exposed, severely condemned by the emperor, and sent to serve in the frontiers. This case attracted widespread attention in Ming society and was widely praised by later generations.
However, there is a theory that sapphire was eventually peeled. This claim is based mainly on descriptions in novels and legends, which may have elements of exaggeration and fiction.
In fact, according to historical records, the blue jade was not skinned, and he eventually returned to the capital after his foreign term expired
The Ming Dynasty was a very prosperous and prosperous era in Chinese history, as well as a time of rampant official corruption and corruption. It is said that Ming officials would be skinned for 60 taels of silver, and blue jade was also rumored to be "skinned and grassed". Are these rumors true or false? Let's reveal the secret together.
First, will officials really be skinned for 60 taels of silver?
In the Ming Dynasty, skinning was an extremely cruel punishment. It is said that Ming Dynasty law stipulated that if an official embezzled more than 60 taels of silver, he was to be skinned and displayed in public. However, this provision has not been confirmed historically. In fact, the laws of the Ming Dynasty punished officials for corruption more severely, but they did not take cruel methods such as skinning. Therefore, whether officials greedy for 60 taels of silver will be skinned is a rumor that has been exaggerated and passed down.
Second, is sapphire really "peeled grass"?
Lan Yu was a well-known official in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, he performed well in the officialdom, and was known as a good official who was "loyal and upright, honest and law-abiding". However, he was eventually brutally punished by "peeling real grass". This story was widely circulated in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, but in fact, the blue jade was not peeled.
According to historical records, blue jade was eventually sentenced to death, but was not skinned. In fact, the way blue jade was executed was "beheading for public display", which was a common way to execute the death penalty at that time. Therefore, the rumor that sapphire was "skinned and solid" is also an exaggerated and passed down rumor.
3. The punishment method of official corruption in the Ming Dynasty
During the Ming Dynasty, the punishment for official corruption was relatively severe, but it was not cruel such as skinning. In fact, during the Ming Dynasty, officials were punished for corruption in the following ways:
- Execution: Officials with serious corruption are sentenced to death and are generally paraded in public.
- Flogging: Minor acts of corruption are punishable by whipping, as well as punishment