Zhang Hong is a punishment for harem concubines or imperial secretaries. The way is similar to playing the board, but it is far more cruel than playing the board. It hits the waist and below of the executed person with a plank stick about 6 cm thick and 5 feet long (about 166 cm) until the waist bones and muscles are broken and bloody. I saw Scarlett in the distance. Therefore, it is called red.

This kind of criminal law will cripple people and even lead to death due to poor recovery of wound infection. But during the beating, the prisoner was awake and could only endure the pain, but he couldn't if he wanted to die. Therefore, this is a very cruel punishment, which is relatively rare among the people. Only the higher-ranking people in the harem have the right to implement this punishment. For example, emperors and queens, princes and princesses, and concubines above the second class are all eligible.

In "Harem", when Hua Fei punished Xia Dongchun, the penalty was a red post, so Xia Dongchun suffered a thigh fracture and was disabled for life. In this play, Hua Fei is the second best and Xia Dongchun is the fifth best. Therefore, Hua Fei has the right to pay tribute to Xia Dongchun.

For harem women, a red post is not only physical destruction and torture, but also a huge psychological blow. Once a woman enters the palace, her purpose is clear. Even if she survives by luck, her disabled body will never be liked by the emperor again. In this life, she can only spend the rest of her life under high walls and in a cold palace, being bullied. Therefore, most concubines who have received such punishment choose to commit suicide.

However, whether this kind of punishment exists in real history remains to be verified. At present, neither the history books nor unofficial history shows that this kind of punishment has been used in history. So maybe it's just a punishment invented by the novelist.