Shortly after Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he issued an imperial edict, saying, "Anyone who breaks the law will be condemned. Why did the epilepsy hospital arrest his parents, wife and children together? I don't believe this kind of law is good. Please discuss the way to change. "
As soon as the ministers discussed it, according to the opinion of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the law that one person broke the law and the whole family sat down (sitting together is a crime) was abolished.
In BC 167, there was a little girl named Chunyu Ti Ying in Linzi (Chunyu's surname in Ti Ying was tíaying). Her father, Chunyu Kun, was originally a scholar. Because I like medicine, I often treat people. If he has lung cancer, he needs to go to a lung cancer hospital for treatment. He is very famous. Later, he gave a hasty order, but he didn't want to associate with an official and wouldn't kiss up to the boss. Not long after, I quit my job and became a doctor.
Once, a big businessman's wife fell ill and asked Chun Yuyi for medical treatment. The patient took the medicine and didn't get better. He died a few days later. The big businessman told the government about Chunyuyi, saying that he had wrongly treated the disease. Local officials sentenced him to "corporal punishment" (at that time, corporal punishment included tattooing on his face, cutting off his nose, cutting off his left foot or right foot, etc. ) and sent him to Chang' an for punishment.
Chun Yuyi has five daughters and no son. When he was escorted to Chang 'an to leave home, he looked at his daughters and said with a sigh, "Alas, I don't have any boys, and none of them are useful when I am in trouble."
Several daughters bowed their heads and wept, only the youngest daughter, Ti Ying, was sad and angry. She thought, "Why is my daughter useless?"
She offered to go to Chang 'an with her father, but it was useless for her family to dissuade her again and again.
When Ti Ying arrived in Chang 'an, the customer wrote a letter and gave it to the gatekeeper at the palace gate.
Emperor Wen of Han received the letter, knowing that it was written by a little girl, but attached great importance to it. The document reads:
"My name is Ti Ying, and I am the youngest daughter of Chunyuyi. When my father became an official, people everywhere said that he was an honest official. This time he committed a crime and was sentenced to corporal punishment. I feel sorry not only for my father, but also for everyone who has been tortured by corporal punishment. A person who cuts off his own feet becomes a disabled person; I cut off my nose and can't press it any more. I just want to turn over a new leaf in the future. I have no choice. I would rather be served as a handmaiden by the government, atoning for my father and giving him a chance to turn over a new leaf. "
After reading the letter, Emperor Wendi felt sorry for the little girl and thought what she said was reasonable. He called the ministers and said to them, "If you commit a crime, you should be punished. There is nothing to say. But after being punished, it's time for him to turn over a new leaf. Now punish a prisoner, tattoo his face or destroy his limbs. How can such punishment persuade people to do good? You discuss a way to replace corporal punishment! "
As soon as the ministers discussed it, they came up with a way to change corporal punishment into beating the board. The original sentence is to cut off your feet and hit 500 boards instead; The original sentence of cutting nose was changed to hitting 300 boards. Emperor Wen officially ordered the abolition of corporal punishment. In this way, Ti Ying saved her father.
It seems a good thing that Emperor Wendi abolished corporal punishment. But in practice, there are also many disadvantages. Some prisoners were killed by 500 or 300 boards, which aggravated the punishment. Later, it was in the hands of his son Han Jingdi, which reduced the punishment of hitting the board.