Wu Zetian invented 3 punishments, the name is cruel, and the bloody criminal law is revealed
Wu Zetian was an amazing woman who made her way through the feudal patriarchal society and eventually ascended to the throne of power. Her life is not only a history of personal development, but also a history of women's struggle, which has a profound impact on future generations.
It can be said that Wu Zetian in order to reach the pinnacle of power"Do whatever it takes"。He committed suicide with his own hands, exhausted the power of the Emperor Taishang, and snatched the throne from his son. At that time, he only had supreme power in his eyes, and for a long time, he did not realize the pity and love for his wife, and did not realize the responsibilities and obligations of being a mother.
In 690 AD, Wu Zetian changed Tang to Zhou and became emperor. This year, he is 76 years old, but his thirst for power is still fierce. During Wu Zetian's reign, he appointed and promoted talent management, restricted gate valves, and promoted the development of the imperial examination system. Under his leadership, Wu Zhou prospered and was upright.
However, when the political situation stabilized, Wu Zetian suspected that someone would force the palace to rebel, so he reappointed the minister as a slave and eradicated dissidents. As a result, there was chaos in the palace, and the ** people were miserable.
Legend has it that during Wu Zetian's reign, he often ordered the working people to use three severe punishments for sinners. The names of these three punishments are all good, but when we dig deeper, we will find that one is more cruel than the other!These penalties belong"Evil"Which side of the story?
Phoenix spreads its wings: Extremely cruel.
The phoenix often appears in the myths and legends of our country, and since ancient times, its symbolism has been positive, such as longevity, elegance, supreme power, peace in the world, and so on.
In short,"Phoenix"The intuitive feeling of the word is relaxed and satisfied, who doesn't want to be blessed by the phoenix god?But when"The phoenix spreads its wings"When it appeared, all the beautiful fantasies about the phoenix were dispelled, because it was not a beautiful idiom, but a frightening torture.
So-called"The phoenix spreads its wings", that is, the prisoner is placed on a low wooden shed or stone shed, and the prisoner's abdomen is only close to the surface of the wooden shed or stone shed, so that the prisoner's limbs are suspended in the air like a bird with wings spread high, to put it elegantly"Phoenix"。
After the judge conducting the trial arrests the prisoner, he begins to ask questions to compel him to confess the details of the crime or agree to a plea agreement.
If the prisoner does not cooperate, the judge will grab the prisoner's hands and feet and swing them back and forth. Although limbs can be flexibly turned, it must be understood that eventually there will be a specific range, beyond which the person will feel pain or severe pain and even face the possibility of major fractures and dislocations.
The only purpose of the authorities is to force prisoners to tell the truth, or rather"Forced"They tell the truth. They do this without regard to whether the prisoner's physical condition can withstand torture, and even take pleasure in torturing the prisoner.
For example, the judge used it on the prisoner"Phoenix", often will break the prisoner's limbs, so that the prisoner's limbs **, limbs and limbs are wrong, very difficult to see. Some prisoners were on the verge of death and were forced to confess their guilt in order to survive.
Others are dying because of their poor physical condition. When"The phoenix spreads its wings"After the infamy spread, many prisoners were terrified and confessed their crimes before the judge even began the torture to avoid this cruel and extremely painful punishment.
Immortal Sacrifice Fruit: Ruthless.
Offering immortal fruits is also a very cruel punishment. The Tang Dynasty Zhang Ling's "Imperial System" has the following record of this punishment:"Holding the flail in both hands, there are tired bricks on it, which is called the fairy fruit sacrifice"。
It means that the prisoner holds a large wooden flail on which a heavy object is placed. While holding the wooden flail alof, the prisoner was also expected to kneel on the rubble of the ruined wall, the whole act resembling a servant sacrifice.
When the prisoner refuses to confess, the judge will increase the weight of the wooden flail, increase the weight of the upper body, and the pressure will wedge the gravel into the prisoner's legs, and the pain will be unbearable. This is how many prisoners were tortured to death.
Wu Zetian ruled until his old age, and every day he was worried that someone would suddenly appear and take away his throne. He was extremely suspicious and often dismissed innocent subjects as treason. During this period, the working people became his vultures and slaves. For example, Suo Yuanli and Lai Junchen are two of his favorite courtiers.
Legend,"Offering fairy fruits"The punishment was invented by Suo Yuanli, one of the most important ** of Wu Zetian during the Wu Zhou period. He is the father-in-law of Xue Huaiyi, one of Wu Zetian's favorite ministers, so he is deeply loved by Wu Zetian and gives him a lot of power.
Suo Yuanli was born in Hu, but he was cruel and bloodthirsty by nature. In his eyes, people are nothing more than ants that can be killed at any time, but the lives of others are precious. Suo Yuanli does not distinguish between good and evil. Even if innocent ministers fall into his hands, he will ** them and give them the most cruel punishment.
For example, Minister Yu Baojia suggested that four copper boxes be placed outside the palace gate, so that the people could express their opinions on the management of the palace and report the corrupt officials. Wu Zetian thought this was a good idea, so he took his suggestion and reused the copper box.
One day, someone found a secret letter in the copper cabinet, which said that Yu Baojia had created ** to support the rebellion. Wu Zetian believed it and asked Suo Yuanli to interrogate Yu Baojia.
In order to make Yu Baojia confess, Suo Yuanli mainly used two kinds of punishment: prisoner and prisoner. The first is corporal punishment, and the second is corporal punishment. The former subjected him to physical torture, the latter to mental torture. A few days later, Yu Baojia turned into a ghost. In the end, he was beheaded and died.
Jade Maiden to Heaven: The double torture of body and soul.
In addition to the above two punishments, the Jade Maiden's ascent to the ladder is also extremely cruel. It is also recorded in Zhang Zun's "Taiwei Mansion Order"."The Jade Maiden ascends the ladder"："Standing on the top of the tall tree, the yoke handle is reversed, so it is said that the jade girl climbs the ladder"。This punishment is specifically for female offenders.
In carrying out this punishment, the judge would put a rope around the offender's neck and then force her to stand on a stake. These stakes are several meters high. When an ordinary person stands on a stake, her legs tremble and her heart trembles.
Although this was already very cruel, the black-eyed judge still fixed a number of long, pointed wooden markers to the ground. When the prisoner fell, they stabbed him to death from the groove.
The female prisoners struggled desperately, trying to hold on to the stake, but the noose around their necks tightened as they struggled. They did not fall from the stake and be stabbed to death, but suffocated because the rope was too tight.
Under the physical and mental torture, the female prisoners were frightened and hurriedly confessed in order to survive. But most of those who are forced to confess are falsely accused.
However, the judges who tortured to extract confessions did not care about their victimization, let alone Wu Zetian. Therefore, in the years when Wu Zetian traveled around the world, cold-blooded ** prevailed, and the people were miserable. Dark clouds were gathering in the palace, and the courtiers feared that one day the workers would be sent to the door.
Conscription arose in the Qin Dynasty, developed in the Han Dynasty, and prevailed in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Today, people know that torture is very cruel from various history books, and we can imagine the suffering of these suffering people who personally experienced the torture of feudal society!