Preface
In ancient times, there were some outrageous and unethical professions that are still practiced even today. These professions are not only contrary to human nature, but also a serious violation of human morality. From tomb robbing to harvesting and cutting, from executioners to second-leathermen, the actions of these people make people shudder. What led them to this point of no return, and what is it that has allowed these immoral behaviors to continue to this day?
Chapter 1: Grave Robbers: Uncovering the Secrets of the Underground
In a small remote village, a villager found that the soil from his tomb appeared to have been moved. He immediately called the police, who waited with him and finally caught the four grave robbers as night fell. These people have been obsessed with tomb robbery novels since childhood, and they are salivating over the life and profits of tomb robbing described in them. They prepared shovels, crowbars, flashlights and other tools, and agreed to come to this ancient tomb at a time to try to uncover the secrets underground.
Tomb robbing, which was severely punished in ancient times, still occurs from time to time today. There is a clear provision in the "Da Ming Law" that those who excavate the grave and see the coffin will be punished by cane and exile, and those who have opened the coffin and see the corpse will be hanged.
In modern times, the mainland's Criminal Law has also made stricter provisions on the illegal excavation of ancient cultural sites and ancient tombs with historical, artistic, and scientific value, which can be punishable by criminal detention and controlled release, and life imprisonment and death punishment at worst.
In addition to the influence of the novel, more importantly, some people are attracted to the treasures that may exist in the tombs. In their eyes, the ancient tombs may be buried with priceless cultural relics, and as long as they can be successfully stolen, they can become rich overnight. However, they often overlook the damage to cultural heritage caused by such acts, as well as the severe penalties they can face if caught.
Chapter 2 The Executioner: The Profession of the Knife in Hand
In ancient times, there was a profession known as "executioners", whose job was to cut off the heads of criminals. This profession is outrageous, but it is quite a lucrative one. It is said that the average person's annual expenses are only one and a half oceans, and the executioner can get a piece of the ocean by cutting off a person's head once
The birth of the executioner stems from a special punishment in ancient times: beheading. At that time, the emperor held the power of life and death of the people in the world, and if he violated the emperor's will or violated the ancient laws, he could be dragged out and beheaded. In order to make the people take this as a warning, the beheaded corpses are sometimes hung at the entrance of the vegetable market for public display.
Becoming an executioner is not an easy task, and it requires a certain amount of skill and experience. For example, how to hold a knife most securely, how to use the most force, and how to cut off a person's head at once without hanging on the body. These need to be taught by seniors and explored by themselves.
Although the profession of executioners is very bloody, they were not treated poorly in ancient times. In addition to a fixed salary, the beheaded family sometimes bribed the executioner in order to be crisp and tidy, so that people would suffer a little less sin. Sometimes, the government also gave the executioner additional benefits.
The existence of this profession is undoubtedly a serious violation of human nature and morality. Even today, it is hard to imagine that someone would be able to so brutally deprive others of their lives. However, in the context of that particular era, the existence of the executioner also seemed to become an inevitability.
Chapter 3 Harvesting and Harvesting: A Heinous Crime
In the laws of the Ming Dynasty, there was a clause called "Harvesting and Cutting People", which imposed severe penalties for this crime. Anyone who commits this crime is to be put to death, his family members are to be exiled even if they do not know it, and all the family's property is to be compensated to the family of the person who was killed.
Harvesting and cutting is the act of artificially creating disabled beggars. They abduct women and children, cut off their limbs and blind them by irregular means, and in some cases burn their skin by splashing hot water on their bodies. The purpose of this is to manipulate these "beggars" to make money.
This kind of behavior is undoubtedly the greatest violation of human nature and morality. Even today, there are some remote areas or abroad where this happens. In ancient documents, it is also recorded that in Liyang County, Lizhou, there are local people who specialize in harvesting and cutting, they tie the abducted person with hemp rope, knock out the back of the head, cut the belly with a sharp knife, take out the heart, liver, spleen and lungs in the abdomen, and then dig out the eyeballs raw, and cut off the fingers of the hands and feet. This is just for sacrifice, and it is simply cruel and unbearable.
Why would anyone do such a cruel thing? Maybe it's greed and callousness, or maybe it's a twisted belief. In any case, this kind of behavior is the greatest insult to human nature and deserves the most severe punishment.
Chapter 4 The Second Leatherman: Sewing and mending the body of the deceased
In addition to tomb robbers, executioners, and excavators, there was also a profession known as the "second leatherman" in ancient times, who were responsible for sewing the corpse to the end. This profession, along with executioners, servants, and papermakers, is known as the "Four Yin Gates".
The second cobbler mainly serves two kinds of people: one is the soldiers who died on the battlefield, because of the war, their corpses may be mutilated; The other is the criminal who is beheaded by the executioner, and after the beheading, the body and head of the criminal are separated from each other. In the eyes of the ancients, if there is no complete corpse, even if you enter reincarnation, you cannot cast a good fetus, and some people think that without a head, these souls cannot find a home and become a lonely ghost.
The work of the second leatherman, although special, pays well. In order to make their relatives feel at ease, the family members are also willing to spend money to hire a second leatherman to work. However, second-hand tanners generally only work at night and avoid people during the day, because their work is so special.
The existence of this profession also reflects some special concepts of the ancients about death. They believe that only when the body is intact can the soul of the deceased rest in peace and be reincarnated. The work of the second tanner, is to satisfy this concept, so that the deceased can die with dignity.
Chapter 5 The Continuation of Unethical Occupations
From tomb robbing to harvesting and cutting, from executioners to second-hand tanners, these heinous and unethical professions are still practiced even today. What is it about these professions that continues to this day?
First of all, these professions tend to be well paid. For some poor or greedy people, even if they know that these actions are illegal and immoral, they will do whatever it takes to make money. For example, an executioner can get a piece of ocean by cutting off his head at a time, while ordinary people spend only a piece and a half of ocean a year, and this kind of income is enough to tempt some people.
Secondly, some people are influenced by cultural works such as novels, and develop a yearning and fascination with these professions. For example, tomb robbers are influenced by novels such as "Ghost Blows the Lamp" and "Notes on Tomb Robbery", and covet the life and income of tomb robbers described in them.
Furthermore, some people may engage in these cruel acts out of distorted beliefs or discrimination against vulnerable groups. For example, the criminals of the harvesting and mutilation may think that women and children are the objects to be manipulated at will.
epilogue
Finally, even today, there are still some remote areas or foreign countries where the shadow of these unethical professions exists. Although mainland laws have severely punished these acts, it will take sustained crackdown and education to eradicate these bad habits once and for all.
In short, these heinous and unethical professions are undoubtedly a serious violation of human nature and morality. Even today, they still happen from time to time, which is not only heart-wrenching, but also infuriating. We must resolutely crack down on these illegal and immoral practices, so that these unethical professions will disappear forever.