Turning over Chinese history, the invention and inheritance of torture has been accompanied by emperors ruling the country.
In the Book of Baoren An, Sima Qian explained that "punishment is not a doctor", that is, the integrity of a scholar cannot be disgraced. Although the class above the doctor in ancient China had the "privilege" to enjoy, it was also recorded in the "Li Ji Qu Li": "The monarch caresses the style, the doctor is subordinate; the doctor is caressed, the scholar is subordinate; the courtesy is not inferior to the people." "If the punishment is not a doctor, the prisoner should be treated fairly whether he is on the side of the king or not."
In ancient times, the authority of emperors (including monarchs, emperors, kings, and princes) and nobles was supreme, and the punishment for crime was extremely simple, about two types: execution and enslavement.
Today, we will talk about the first one: execution.
So how to put it to death?
There are no less than dozens of execution penalties in the canonical "recorded in the case", and the "punishment of Ling Chi" can be said to be the "most inhuman" punishment among them, cutting their flesh with a knife when they are alive, so that the prisoners slowly die in pain. Because, in Chinese history, there are no less than a thousand people who died in Lingchi, so much so that some people say that the "one who was stabbed with a thousand knives" in the mouth of the shrew scolded people refers to the punishment of Lingchi.
It is said that wu Zetian had the most cool officials in the era, but in fact, it was the Ming Dynasty, which set the highest number of tortures in this era. It is said that the officials at that time would soak the belt with "duck blood", and once they were "arrested", they immediately took the belt in their mouths, preferring to die rather than be tortured. In the "Chronicle of the Duke of Ruiyan", it is recorded that during the Chongzhen period in the late Ming Dynasty, the jinshi Zheng Yan was delayed.
Early in the morning of August 26, 1639, a shed was erected in Xishi (now Xisi, Beijing), and Zheng Yi was placed under the archway building in a large basket. Onlookers blocked the road, and even the nearby roof was full of people. Everyone whispered, and everyone did not hear clearly what the Holy Will said, and only heard the last sentence: "According to the law, three thousand three hundred and fifty-seven swords should be slashed." ”
As soon as the words fell, the executioner echoed loudly, and the crowd of onlookers was frightened by the position at that time. So, after three cannon shots, the execution officially began. The crowds were so strong that everyone wanted to see how the "rippers" did it. But there were too many people, and after a long time, the rope with something hanging at one end was pulled up, and it turned out to be the "liver and lungs" of the person, which should indicate that the execution process was basically over, and the meat had been cut.
After a while, another head was hoisted from the pole. Then the body was hung up. At that time, the scene was that the back of the body was facing everyone, and the muscles were still "hanging" on the body. At this time, the whole process is officially over, and there are lieutenants who are specifically responsible for reporting to the emperor. Later, Zheng's meat was sold as a "raw material" for boils.
"Ling Chi" is one of the official "death penalties", in addition, there are some more "cruel" criminal laws, although not included, but have been used many times, one of which is "skinning people alive". The Six Dynasties were previously limited to "skinning the face", but later evolved into "skinning the whole body". Especially in the Ming Dynasty, the means of "skinning people" were used to the extreme.
According to the "Records of Grass and Wood", Zhu Yuanzhang hated the corruption of officials and was sentenced to death if someone reported that officials had embezzled more than 60 taels of silver. Not only was his head cut off to show the public, but he would also peel off his skin, fill the skin with grass, and put it next to the gate to warn everyone not to "test the Fa by example." Therefore, during the Ming Dynasty, a hall would be built near the Yamen to worship the god of the land on weekdays, and if the criminal law was to be enforced, it would be carried out here, thus getting the name "Pichang Temple".
At that time, Wei Zhongxian liked to "peel people's skins", and "Survivorship" told a story.
One day, five people were drinking in the hotel, and one of them, surnamed Xu, said: "Wei Zhongxian will soon step down, he has done too many bad things." The others were frightened, either not to speak or to persuade him to say two words less. However, this person surnamed Xu actually shouted loudly: "What do I have to be afraid of, no matter how evil he is, can he still peel my skin?" "Who ever thought that these five people were taken to the yamen that night." At that time, Wei Zhongxian looked at them and said coldly, "Let's see if I can peel his skin?" ”
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian had people pour the melted asphalt on Xu people, and when the asphalt cooled and solidified, he struck it with a hammer, and even the asphalt peeled off in unison.
So, is there a criminal law worse than skinning?
Yes, "fry in a pan of oil".
When Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were fighting each other, they threatened to cook Liu Bang's father. At that time, Liu Bang listened to it and said: "You and I are brothers, my father is your father, if you really cook my father, you will share a piece of my pie." After listening, Xiang Yu's lungs were about to explode, but fortunately, under the timely persuasion of Xiang Bo, it did not cause a "tragic case.".
However, some people have not escaped this fate.
Zhu Di usurped power, and Emperor Jianwen's old general Tie Xuan was reluctant to surrender, and was later captured. The "Ming Shi Yanyi" records that when he saw Zhu Di, he turned his back on Zhu Di and did not say a word, so Zhu Di repeatedly forced him, and when he saw that Tie Xuan was still not soft, he had people cut off his ears and nose and cooked them, and then stuffed them into his mouth and asked: "Is it delicious?" ”
In response, Tie Hyun replied loudly, "How can the meat of the loyal servant Andiko not be delicious?" After hearing this, Zhu Di was very angry, so he let people "inch" (bing torture is an ancient torture, cutting flesh and bones, cutting limbs, and then cutting throats. Until the dead Iron Hyun scolded continuously. Of course, this did not end, Tie Hyun's body was still "cooked", until the end of the body is still "anti-standing".
The coroner is a plant, also known as sheep grape vine, grass grape, madder, ground blood, dye, windmill grass. The tin snake is originally an animal, which is an alias of the silver snake, and is used as an antidote in Chinese medicine. However, in Li Boyuan's "Living Hell" and Xie Zhaozhe's "Wenhai Pisha" records, "mountain dragon" and "tin snake" became a kind of punishment. However, by the Qing Dynasty, this criminal law had improved somewhat.
The "mountain dragon" and the "tin snake" are actually a kind of punishment, saying that the prisoner is naked, wrapped around the waist with a pipe, the tin pipe opens a large opening on the top, a small opening is opened on the bottom, and boiling water is poured from this end, and the head flows out, without interruption...
Even, in ancient China, even the "palace punishment" would sit continuously, which is also a kind of creation. Why did Zhao Gao enter the palace and become a eunuch? He was a victim of the "palace punishment". At that time, his mother remarried and gave birth to Zhao Gao, but according to the law at that time, he not only inherited another person's surname, but also "inherited" the "palace punishment", was this to make this person extinct, or was it a pure perverted punishment? It's no longer known.
Then, after the palace punishment, where did the eunuch's "life root" go? The Ming and Qing dynasties had special "eunuch factories", which, as the name suggests, were "making eunuchs". At that time, the eunuch was cut off from the "baby", but it would be well kept. Once someone is reused, they take it out and "present it". It is said that the eunuch will be "restored" before his death in order to become a new person in the next life.
In addition, "cane punishment" is also an ancient criminal law, that is: spanking. This kind of punishment, although not fatal, is extremely common.
Why did you choose this part?
There are two ways to say it:
One believes that there is a lot of "fat" here, and a few strokes of the board will not hurt its roots;
Another believes that "exposed flesh" hurt self-esteem more than losing one's head in ancient times.
Since ancient times, Chinese have taken the "face" the most seriously, and taken off their pants under the public's publicity, that is the real "fatal" thing.
Probably because "cane punishment" is more popular, even the treatment methods are recorded in the book, and the Qing Dynasty's vernacular short fiction book collection "Entertainment Eye Awakening Heart Compilation" details "take the leg meat of live sheep to fill." And "The Memories of the Old Eunuch" records that the Qing Dynasty harem "beat" almost every day, in order to protect their buttocks, everyone will tie an eraser on the buttocks, called "baby".
In fact, there are the prisoners, there are the executioners, and the audience.
Take "cane punishment", although "cane punishment" is not a legitimate profession, it is definitely a craft. Sometimes I look at the skin and flesh, but I don't hurt the bones; sometimes I only see the epidermis, but the inside is very serious. In this way, a gray chain of interests has been spawned. The spender buys a peace, and the money earner can not only complete the task, but also sell personal affection. The "Miscellaneous Records in Prison" records a real case in which three prisoners were sentenced to the same cane, and the one who sent the least money was raised for a month, and the one who sent the most money could walk on the ground that night.
Of course, punishment is mainly done for people to see, and without the audience, it loses its meaning.
But for the "cane torture", more people get a kind of "twisted" pleasure in the soul, as soon as they hear that there is a board, many people will go to the county court, especially when they hear that the beaten person is a "woman", everyone will be more inexplicably excited.
The Notes of the Right Terrace Sendan records this story:
A woman who committed adultery with someone else, still unrepentant, after several years of education, is still the same. In the end, the government arrested the two and took off the woman's clothes to play the board. It is said that there were thousands of onlookers at that time, and after the execution, the parent covered her daughter's body with her own clothes. As a result, the spectators stripped them of their clothes and let them go home naked.
What kind of psychology is this?
During the Southern Song Dynasty, due to the army's strict "flogging", the result was that no one could be recruited. As a result, the government issued new regulations to improve their treatment and status: they could be promoted after only five years in the military. Such good promotion conditions, but can not recruit people. In fact, for martial artists, promotion is small, face is big, and being beaten in public is too hurtful to self-esteem.
Later, in the face of a strong enemy army with no one to use, can we draw such a conclusion: "Hit the board and mislead the country"?
Of course, there are also many "soft-hearted" people.
Zheng Banqiao served as the county commander of Weixian County, Shandong Province, and could not bear to hit people's buttocks instead of hitting their backs. To this end, he also explained in his letters: "Flogging the buttocks is really incomprehensible. Then, Zheng Banqiao also said that there are so many parts of people's bodies, why do they have to spank? I saw the "beautiful buttocks" of the torturer, "thin muscles and flesh", like "fat goose's stock", a stick down too bad scenery. I really can't bear it, and I don't know if the people who formulated this criminal law had a vendetta against the buttocks, and had to hit people's buttocks, and other places couldn't? So, I changed it to "whip back".
It can be seen that Mr. Zheng Banqiao is really an interesting person. To beautify the "buttocks" to express their "human care", but also to "defend" their "human touch", enough to see his "open-minded" temperament, which is enough to make people respect.
Resources:
["Bao Ren An Shu", "RuiYan Gong Annals", "Cao Mu Zi Yu Lu", "Ming Shi Yanyi", "Notes of the Right Tai Sendan"]