The ancients who attached importance to the inheritance of the ancestors, what should they do if they can't marry a wife?They will use a method that has been repeatedly banned by the government, and the process is very despicable, called "pawn wife".
To put it bluntly, it is "borrowing a wife to have children". The husband, who was too poor to survive, pawned his wife as a personal item to the rich man, returned it when it expired, and the child born during the period went to the rich man.
Doesn't that sound very inhumane?
In fact, the pain and torture experienced by those pawned wives was far more terrible than everyone imagined.
The blood and tears of the "pawn wife".
In the early years of the ** that are closer to us, there is a creepy example of a "pawn wife".
The incident happened in a deserted village on the coast of eastern Zhejiang, and there was a rich son called "Master Ouyang", who was in his 40s and had no son.
The Ouyang family is in a single line, and the incense is about to be cut off, and Master Ouyang is so anxious that he blushes every day.
Mrs. Ouyang also hated her stomach for not being angry, and in order to continue the bloodline of her husband's family, she took the initiative to offer her husband a plan - pawning his wife.
Soon, they found a poor couple in a deserted village. The couple had a healthy son, but the husband was too weak and sick to work, and he worked hard every day, and the family still couldn't open the pot.
Master Ouyang spent 80 yuan to accept ** as a "pawn wife" for a lease period of 3 years. That night, ** went to Master Ouyang's bed.
* looks a little good, and is young, very pleasing to Master Ouyang, so he naturally compares the old and decrepit Mrs. Ouyang. Mrs. Ouyang dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.
A year later, ** gave birth to a son, and Master Ouyang was overjoyed: he was finally worthy of his ancestors!
When her son was born, she lost her use value, so Mrs. Ouyang began to retaliate against her, beating and scolding her at every turn, torturing her every day, and locking her in the backyard, not allowing her to see her son and Master Ouyang.
Master Ouyang was afraid of guilt, and he didn't dare to protect his wife, so he could only let Mrs. Ouyang come to him.
* The lease period is 3 years, and although I gave birth to a son, I have to stay for 2 years before I can return home, and I live like a slave every day.
Several times, she couldn't stand it anymore, and tried her best to escape, but she was caught and beaten half to death.
Finally, one time, she managed to escape back to her original home, took her husband and son, and hurriedly prepared to escape from the deserted village. But the Ouyang family was very influential in the local area, and they were soon found in the nearby mountains.
The poor husband had his leg broken on the spot, and the "pawn wife" was escorted back to Ouyang Mansion.
Mrs. Ouyang had long hated **, and now let her grab the handle, and let the servants tie up the ** five flowers in the middle of the night and sink into the ancient well in the backyard.
In a backward and conservative deserted village, there is zero tolerance for unfaithful women. **Despite the desolate death, no one cares.
The culture of "pawn wife" has a long history
*'s death is probably not an isolated case.
According to historical documents, as early as the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was already a "pawn wife":
"At the beginning of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, the cunning and brave wandering soul, the military Yin Guang, the five counties in eastern Zhejiang, and the Ding tax of 1,000, were sold to their wives and children to fill this limit. ”In the troubled times, the military tax increased, and the common people could not pay the money, so they could only sell their wives and children in exchange for a few taels of broken silver in order to survive.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, the phenomenon of "pawn wife" gradually evolved into a custom. In the Yuan Dynasty, it can be said that it was prevalent, which caused many social contradictions.
First of all, those who can be used as "pawn wives" are generally younger **, and when they go to their employer's house, it is easy to please their employer whether they are in bed or under the bed. If a son is born, the employer will be even happier.
When the lease period expires, some employers are greedy for the beauty of **, and if they have a little conscience, they will give some money to "renew the lease", and the domineering ones will not let ** go home and forcibly take it for themselves.
In addition, some ** tasted a good life at the employer's house, began to dislike the original husband, was unwilling to go back, and took the initiative to stay with the employer.
Although the original husband was poor, he couldn't stand this nest. As a result, there have been many cases of killing and injuring people among the people.
Therefore, for the sake of social stability, starting from the Yuan Dynasty, the government explicitly banned "pawn wives".
However, the ban did not work, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of "pawning wives" was still prevalent in the southern provinces.
* After its establishment, the provision of "prohibiting the employment of wives and daughters" was clearly promulgated, but the custom of pawning wives still exists in most parts of the country, especially in Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jinhua in Zhejiang, and Fu'an and Gutian in Fujian.
Not only that, but the bad habit of pawning wives has also spread from the south to the north, such as the "partner" in Liaoning and the "wife" in Gansu, which are similar in nature to "pawn wife".
Why is the "pawn wife" repeatedly banned?
The Biography of Hanshu Jia Don records: "Marrying a wife and selling children, the law cannot be forbidden, and righteousness cannot be stopped." ”
Although the "pawn wife" is expressly forbidden, it has always grown savagely, and it has continued all the way from ancient times until it was basically eliminated.
In the author's opinion, there are three main reasons:
First, life is compelling.
"Pawn wives" mostly occur in times of frequent disasters or wars, as well as in economically backward places. The common people can't survive, so they can only pawn their wives and daughters. After all, in the face of survival, all morality and dignity have to stand aside.
Second, the idea of passing on the family line is deeply rooted.
There is an old saying in China, called "there are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is the greatest", and if you don't give birth to a son, you are sorry for your ancestors and ancestors. Therefore, if the rich and noble families do not have children, they rent and sell the "good birth" pawn wife to pass on the incense.
Third, the low status of women.
In the final analysis, the "pawn wife" is to objectify women and buy and sell them as men's private property, and women have no independent personality and have a low status. "Women are not human" is a portrayal of the fate of the vast majority of women in China for thousands of years.
Therefore, the "pawn wife" can be said to be a willing to fight and a willing to suffer business, and the government usually turns a blind eye for the above practical reasons, and will not really strictly investigate, and the "pawn wife" can continue forever.
Whose fault is it that the "pawn wife"?
From the perspective of modern values, "pawn wife" is a very inhumane bad habit, so whose fault is it in this transaction?
Is it the wife's fault?
Apparently not. The wife is the biggest victim in this transaction. They remain married to their former husbands, but have to leave to "serve" another man. When the lease period expired, the rule of "leaving children without mothers" forced them to separate from their flesh and blood.
It can be said that this bad habit has brought both physical and mental harm to these wives.
Is it my husband's fault?
Neither is it. If you don't do this, there is a high probability that the whole family will have to wait for death. Most ordinary people do not have the faith and courage to sacrifice their lives for righteousness, and selling their wives is often a choice of last resort.
Is it the employer's fault?
It doesn't seem to be accurate either. Because the employer did this, judging from the objective facts, the money given by the employer did save the lives of the other party's family.
It can only be said that "pawn wife" is a last resort choice for poor people at the bottom under a specific culture.
Our traditional culture has a great side and a decadent side, and the "pawn wife" obviously belongs to the latter. Not only is it unethical, but it also hurts women, and it needs to be abandoned.
Today, most people will definitely not accept the behavior of "pawning wives".
However, compared with ancient times, the economic level has increased significantly, but the birth rate has been declining year by year.
Why is the concept of succession gradually weakened?This may be a question worth pondering, what do you think?
Reference: Deserted Village Apartment - Cai Jun.
The Bachelor in the Village" - Peng Dasong.
Research on Marriage Archives in Ba County in the Qing Dynasty - Zhang Xiaoxia.