In ancient times, it was a feudal society. Most people believed in ghosts and gods. Even the punishment system also had this color, which also made some punishments extremely terrifying. For example, whipping the corpse after death meant that The soul can never rest in peace, nor can it enter reincarnation. The ten major punishments in the "Qing Dynasty Laws" make people shudder. Compared with modern and contemporary societies dominated by human rights, the punishments in ancient times are so cruel that people cannot look directly at them. .
In ancient times, there was another kind of punishment called exile. Most of the people who suffered this punishment were family members or slaves of high-ranking officials. This kind of punishment seemed like a gift, but in fact it was the most miserable thing. punish. In ancient times, escorting prisoners into exile was a long and arduous journey. It was a very hard job. Why did the government officials rush to do it when they met female prisoners?
The crime of exile
The punishment of exile first appeared in tribes in primitive societies and has a relatively long history. In the "Book of Han: Li Chuanzan of Hou Jingyi of the Two Xia Dynasties", it is said that "Li Xun's exile is a great warning for this scholar." It can be seen that the written records of exile are also very early in Chinese history. Exile is the process of banishing punished criminals to remote and remote areas for punishment. The most difficult thing about exile is the pain of lovesickness. Being far away from home and away from familiar people and things is the most unbearable pain, and the dual physical and mental torture is the most despairing.
The road to exile is difficult and bumpy, as in the poem "I miss my loved ones even more during the holidays", this feeling and scene make people miss the most. The taste and laughter of hometown are all left in the memories, and the laughter and happiness in the memory can only be sealed in the past forever. Life suddenly encounters earth-shaking changes. What is close at hand is the pain of lovesickness that cannot be relieved, and the longing for a foreign land. The pain of loneliness and all kinds of torture are the most despairing. No bright future can be seen. On the road of exile, he has been suffering from the pain of lovesickness in the center.
Exile is also difficult because of the distance and unknown disasters along the way. Transportation in ancient times was particularly inconvenient. The journey to exile was long, usually thousands of miles. The sin-ridden person was not qualified to use any means of transportation and could only rely on two legs to walk to the destination little by little. The bumps along the way and the inability to get adequate transportation This also made it difficult for many pampered aristocratic children to endure the pain of exile. They died of illness on the road, and medical conditions were not good in ancient times. Exiled prisoners accidentally contracted some diseases and did not receive timely treatment and rest. They can only live and die of illness.
Even if the exiled people can go through all kinds of hardships to reach the place of exile, the greatest difficulty may have just begun. In ancient times, most of the places of exile chosen by the government were barren lands like borders. In remote areas, far away from the bustling cities, most of these aristocratic children lived a very good life in the past, with people taking care of everything in their daily life. However, in this foreign land, the food and clothing are not as good as before, and some people are unavoidable. Difficulties caused by people's acclimatization and mosquito infestation, harsh living environment and emotional distress make people most likely to die of depression.
The government officials loved hard work
In ancient times, the government officials who escorted prisoners loved this job the most and considered it a lucrative job. Unlike the prisoner's suffering, the yamen servant was most happy to receive this job.
Although the ancient yamen servants were officials and personnel appointed by the government on the surface, in reality they were only coolies hired by the court, doing all kinds of hard work every day. Dirty work and no suitable holidays. In addition to ordinary chores, these government officials would risk their lives to catch desperadoes day and night. The daily workload is very heavy, but only the salary of Weibo is small. The families behind the government officials can hardly survive on this salary. The imperial government greatly squeezes these ordinary government officials.
The government officials got up early and went to bed late every day. They did more and gained less. As for the punishment of exile, most of the official families were wealthy people. In order to prevent their own people from suffering too much, They all manage yamen servants, and most of these rewards are very generous, up to the annual salary of the yamen servants. This is why many yamen servants like this job. After all, "people die for money, and birds die for food." As for female prisoners, the relationship between relatives The family had more money to manage, because they were afraid that the government officials would harm female prisoners, and the government officials had a long way to go, so having a woman as a companion would make the journey easier.
There is another reason why the government officials like this job. It is far away from the government, they are free and the time is longer. There is no one to restrain them. The intensity of the work is far less than that in the government. In addition to the bumpy and long journey, This is a very well-paid job, and various reasons make the exile job very popular among the government officials.
"Who is alone with me in the Mid-Autumn Festival? Looking northward sadly. "The most lovesick thing in a foreign land is the separation of being together at the same time but not in the same place. Maybe the day of exile can be looked forward to in my lifetime. At the end, the loss of happiness, the pain encountered, and the sharp psychological contrast between the government servants and the criminals are really a bit sad.