In ancient times, there was a form of torture called "renbiao". As torture, human beings are extremely cruel and barbaric. It is not only the destruction of the prisoner's body, but also the destruction of human nature. Such punishment is totally contrary to humanitarian principles and gives rise to fear and anger. This brutal form of torture originated in the Han Dynasty, beginning with a feud between Empress Lü and Lady Qi. Empress Lü, the inventor of Renbiao, is therefore regarded as a cruel woman in history.
What does "Renbi" mean? 彘 (zhì), 豕也, i.e. pig also. This type of torture means turning people into pigs. The execution process was very brutal, first chopping off the prisoner's limbs, then gouging out the eyes, injecting copper into the ears to make him deaf (fumigated), pouring drugs into the throat to cut off the tongue, destroying the vocal cords so that he could not speak. Then, the prisoners are thrown into the toilet, some have to cut off their noses, shave their hair, shave their eyebrows (not only the eyebrows and hair, but also the eyelashes), and then apply a medicine to destroy the hair follicles, so that the hair follicles will no longer grow after they fall off, never grow hair again, and then pull them out one by one, and some are tired and pulled out together. If the skin falls off, or dies during the execution, the executioner will be scorned and even lose his job. There are also those who die during the execution, and those who do not die are put in the toilet to make human beings. This torture is extremely cruel and chilling.
Lü He: During the Western Han Dynasty (241 BC – 180 BC), the character 娥姁 (xū), commonly known as Empress Lü. On the issue of fighting for the crown prince, Empress Lu and Lady Qi formed a hatred. Soon after, Empress Lü arrested Lady Qi and executed her. Treat her like a servant first, and let her do the hardest, most tiring, dirtiest work. Mrs. Qi was overwhelmed by humiliation, singing sadly every day, and repeatedly singing her original poem "Song of the Song": The son is king. The mother is a captive. All day long. Often with death. Three thousand miles apart. Who makes the informant.
Empress Lü was furious when she heard this, so she inflicted the cruelest punishment on Madame Qi. Ma Qian's "History" of the Taishi Company recorded: The Empress Dowager then cut off Mrs. Qi's hands and feet, removed her eyes, smoked her ears, drank fistula medicine, and made her life in the toilet "Renbiao". For a few days, he summoned Emperor Xiaohui to observe people. Filial piety saw and asked, but knowing his wife, he cried, and because of illness, he could not get up for the rest of his life. Cut off limbs, ears, nose, gouge out eyes, smoke deaf ears with medicine, pour medicine into the throat, destroy the vocal cords, make it impossible to speak. Finally, he threw her into the pit and became a "human pig" who could not speak, could not move, and silently struggled in the dark. When he finally dies, he may have lost his humanity long ago. Human beings can live for more than three days, and even in such conditions, they need to endure endless pain, hunger and despair.
Historically, this punishment was repeated, and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty also emulated it against Empress Wang and Xiao Shufei. The deposed Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei did not escape the clutches of Wu Zetian, who first sent people to beat Empress Wang and Xiao Shufei into a blur of flesh and blood, and then ordered people to cut off their hands and feet, and finally let them be put into a jar full of wine to be used as adults. Compared with Lu He, Wu Zetian's means are more cruel and vicious, Empress Lu just threw Mrs. Qi into the pigsty, and Wu Zetian actually soaked people in the wine altar, you can imagine the pain of the victim. These are the cruelest punishments for women.
The history of human civilization has inevitably witnessed some phenomena of extreme violence and cruelty, and human punishment is one of them. Let us remember this history, advocate civilization and humanistic spirit, cherish life, and fully develop the kindness and compassion of human nature.