China's early penal system was very cruel, and it was common to cut off hands and feet at every turn, and throw large living people into the pot to cook. So when did this direct physical destruction of people's bodies be abolished? This has to start with a righteous act of a young girl sacrificing herself to save her father in the early Western Han Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, there was a man named Chun Yuyi who was well-known for his medical skills in the State of Qi (Western Han Dynasty). It is worth mentioning that Chun Yuyi is not only a healer, but also a court official, the official to The Taicang Order, equivalent to today's grain bureau chief. However, it was this official status that brought him endless trouble.
Chun Yuyi's medical skills are superb, so there are countless people who come to seek medical treatment. Some powerful people wanted to recruit Chun Yuyi to become their own personal doctors, so they sent invitations to Chun Yuyi. However, Chun Yuyi's wish was to hang the pot to save the world, not to become an attachment to some magnate, so he always politely declined. But some magnates are good at talking, and some magnates are willing to bully others. Chun Yuyi's refusal to invite the powerful people who are difficult to serve is to give face to face, so they plan to cure this famous doctor who does not know what to do.
Since ancient times, granary management has been a big problem. Whether the reduction in grain in the warehouse is due to natural attrition or the theft of "giant rats" has always been unclear. Therefore, some people made a small report to the imperial court on the issue of grain loss in Taicang, saying that Chun Yu was meant to be taicang ling, but he guarded himself and stole it, and his crime was punished. The imperial court sent people to check and found that there was indeed a problem, and Chun Yuyi could not prove his innocence, so he was beaten into a prison cart and escorted to chang'an, the capital of the capital.
Chun Yuyi has a total of 5 daughters, and the younger daughter Chun Yu Ti can't bear her father's suffering, so she decides to follow her all the way and try to take care of her father's life. After more than 2,000 miles of arduous trekking, Chun Yuyi's father and daughter finally arrived in Chang'an. The laws of the early Western Han Dynasty were modeled on the Qin Laws, emphasizing heavy punishments and misdemeanors. In the case of Chun Yu's mind at that time, if he wanted to be tortured, he was afraid that he would either die or be maimed.
Ti Hao knew that it was too late to say anything when the verdict came down, so she wrote to the imperial court at the first time, which read: "The concubine father is an official, and the people of Qi Di call him incorruptible." Now to be tortured, the concubine knows that the dead cannot be resurrected, and the tortured person cannot grow new limbs, even if he wants to reform, there is no way. Concubines are willing to become official concubines to atone for their father's criminal sins, so that their fathers have the opportunity to reform themselves. ”
Chun Yuyi was a famous doctor of a generation, so his case was paid special attention to by the imperial court, and Ti Qian's letter was thus submitted to the imperial court. Emperor Wendi of Han was deeply touched after reading Ti Qian's letter, and was not only touched by her filial piety, but also felt that her words were very reasonable. Emperor Wen of Han told his ministers: "Now that people have made mistakes, they are severely punished before they are indoctrinated, which is equivalent to depriving them of the opportunity to reform themselves." How cruel and immoral is it that corporal punishment destroys a person's body and the pain is endless for life, is this the original intention of the people's parents? Therefore, he decided to abolish corporal punishment and replace it with other punishments. ”
Ti Qian's original intention was to sacrifice himself to save his father and to bear his sins for him. But she never expected that her letter not only saved her father and herself, but also changed history and saved the fate of thousands of people. Before long, Zhang Cang and Feng Jing, the Imperial Master, were instructed to formulate a new law, replacing the original corporal punishments that destroyed people's bodies with flogging, rods, and disciples. Thus, "Ti Qian Saves the Father" became a milestone event in the humanization of ancient Chinese law.
Reference: Zizhi Tongjian