"Listen to your wife in prison": the last benefit of death row prisoners in ancient times. In our modern civilized society, equality of life and human rights are highly valued. However, in the context of that particular era in ancient times, some seemingly absurd regulations and customs were given different meanings. Today, let's explore the interesting phenomenon of "listening to wives in prison" in the Han Dynasty. This special system set up to perpetuate the incense not only highlights the ancients' dedication to inheritance, but also reflects the wisdom of the rulers to maintain their rule. Although it has the meaning of humane care, doesn't it also expose the lowliness of women's status?
The ancients' pursuit of filial piety can be described as persistent and integrated into almost all aspects of life. Especially for men, it is a matter of duty to marry a wife and have children and continue the incense. Once you are in prison and serving a sentence, especially if you are given a suspended death sentence, it means that you have to stop all this, which is undoubtedly a great sin in the eyes of the ancients.
Therefore, the rulers of the Han Dynasty, while complying with the rites and religions, also considered how to retain human care in the face of harsh laws. Under the guidance of the ideas of "rule by virtue" and "benevolent government", they created a special system of "listening to wives and going to prison". To put it simply, it is to let those death row inmates who have married wives but have no children be able to realize their wish to inherit the family for the last time before their deaths, leaving a blood incense for the family.
Here's how it works: If a death row inmate has already taken a wife but has not conceived an heir, the jailer will allow his wife to live with him in prison, and when his wife becomes pregnant, he will be hanged or executed. looks at some humane and caring practices, but in fact, it reflects the ancients' obsession with continuing the bloodline.
This practice was widely practiced in both the Eastern and Western periods of the Han Dynasty, and was passed down to the Ming and Qing dynasties, and became a long-standing practice. In some places, some widows are even specially arranged to be imprisoned for some death row inmates who are lonely and have no wife, so as to avoid cutting off the incense. It can be said that this is the last "welfare" of death row inmates before their deaths in ancient times.
It is true that this tradition was formed based on the unique way of thinking of the ancients. But if it is modern, I am afraid it is difficult for people to buy it. After all, in our opinion, the most basic right of a person is the right to life, and life and death are the biggest things. What's more, such an approach obviously uses women as tools, which is incompatible with modern civilization.
Of course, we cannot completely dismiss the practices of the ancients with modern ideas. After all, it was a very different era from the modern landscape. The implementation of this provision may also have some deep-seated considerations for maintaining the rule and consolidating the political power.
You think, when a condemned prisoner is dying, he is often very prone to rebellion. However, if they leave offspring, relatives will naturally get some psychological comfort from it, and the condemned prisoner himself will be more likely to die willingly. In this sense, there is a bit of wisdom in the government's approach.
At the same time, the Han Dynasty actually faced a demographic crisis for a time, and encouraging childbirth can undoubtedly provide new human resources for the country, which is a very realistic approach. In addition, the existence of heirs can also increase the root system of relatives, which is conducive to the common people to keep to themselves, so as to maintain social stability.
Therefore, to a certain extent, "listening to his wife and going to prison" not only reflects the way of thinking of the ancients, but also contains the wisdom of the rulers. However, no one expected that this seemingly humanitarian provision would breed a lot of drawbacks in the process of implementation.
For example, some wealthy and powerful families have been exposed to the scandal of hiring "substitute ghosts". Even more cunning death row prisoners secretly gave their wives some "child-avoiding soup" after they were imprisoned, so that they could never get pregnant, resulting in an indefinite extension of their sentences. This kind of chaos has not only fueled the arrogance of corrupt forces, but also aggravated the proliferation of civil crimes to a great extent.
The most hateful thing is that in the process of implementation, this regulation completely treats women as tools, equivalent to reproductive machines. As long as she is pregnant, her wife will be thrown out of prison and never heard from again, which is very different from the "heavy female virtue" in the mouth of the ancients.
In general, although the special phenomenon of "listening to his wife in prison" in the Han Dynasty seems to give human care on the surface, there are many drawbacks in the actual implementation process. It not only reflects the persistent thinking of the ancients to continue the incense, but also reveals some of the scheming of the rulers to maintain their authority. More importantly, it exposes the humility of the status of women in ancient times from one side.