Not long after, the servants in the mansion prepared pens, inks, paper and inkstones for Li Sheng. Li Sheng, who was trying to persuade Xia Houxuan, wrote a special essay to answer the theory of corporal punishment, specifically to persuade Xia Houxuan:
"The practice of corporal punishment dates back to ancient times. It is recorded in the book that 'five punishments must be served', and it is also said that 'heaven punishes the guilty, and the five punishments are used for five purposes'. It is also about cutting off the genus. The system of Zhou officials also has five punishments. It lasted through three dynasties, and by the time of governance , the Duke of Zhou did it, but Confucius did not discuss it. Today, those who argue only use cutting off as cruelty, is it not less evil than the evil of death? Jun Yun said, "The demon rebels against this Jian to eliminate the great disaster." This Ming Dynasty cannot be eliminated. Killing and punishment are not the natural principles of heaven and earth, and they are used as a last resort. If a person who hurts others does not change, then why should he change his behavior? Why should he be punished if he does not change? If he does not change, then he should be trapped in death? The evil and rebellious person should be punished It's just that, how can it eliminate the evil? If you punish one person and discipline tens of thousands of people, how can one person change? If you steal his feet and cut off his feet, commit adultery and impregnate him, you will not change your desires, but you will be punished by An An. And save his life. Punishing his heart, why does it hurt the great virtue? Now there is a weak son, and the crime should be punished. If you ask his loving father, you must ask him to punish him with physical punishment. A loving father still punishes a weak son, but Kuang Jun adds it to the people! And the viper If you sting the hand, the strong man will cut off his wrist; if you tie the hoof to the foot, the beast will cut off its legs, and the branch will be destroyed and the whole family will be alive. A man is crying, and the whole group is not happy. Killing is said to be inappropriate, so what's the matter? What about corporal punishment? The streets are full of ocher clothes, and those with noses are ugly. At this time, the dead are dying one after another in the battle of the Great Wall, and the pits are filled with scholars from the Six Classics. How can I care about the ugly nose? This is why my son still mourns the punishment. Rather than mourning death."
This commentary is aimed at what Xia Houxuan said: "Only punishing evil and rebellious people. How can it be necessary to eliminate the evil?" The point of view of "punishing one person and warning millions of evil and rebellious people is to kill them" also puts forward the idea that "destroying branches can save lives". The evil and rebellious people are just punished, so why must the evil be eliminated? The opinion of punishing one person and punishing tens of thousands of people.
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Soon after, Xia Houxuan received another essay from Li Sheng in Chang'an.
The bright moon is in the sky, and the floating clouds are moving westward. The wooden window of the study room was open at the moment, and the cool night breeze, accompanied by the watery moonlight, soaked into the sandalwood table in the study room of Zhengxi Mansion.
Xia Houxuan, who had removed his crown and tied his hair with only a wooden hairpin, was wearing a wide moon-white mandarin coat. He was leaning on the seat by the window of the study, reading Li Sheng's reply in detail. After carefully reading the content of the letter word for word, I felt a little hesitant in my heart.
At this moment, Hui Gu took the one-year-old girl Xia Houyun and came to Xia Houxuan's side.
Xia Houxuan read the letter seriously, but he didn't notice it for a moment. Hui Gu made a 'shh' gesture to the child, signaling Xia Houyun to be quiet. Xia Houyun nodded to his mother with a smile, and quietly hid in the corner with unsteady steps.
Huigu came quietly behind Xia Houxuan and looked around. She saw a page of white paper that Xia Houxuan was reading, which read: Brother Taichu is like... Li Shengbai. Only then did she realize that her husband was still hesitant about resuming corporal punishment.
At this time, Xia Houxuan finished reading the letter and noticed that Huigu was behind him. He was not afraid of thunder and fire, so he was naturally not frightened by his wife's sudden appearance. He smiled and asked:
"I didn't notice when Madam came. Where did Yun'er go? Why didn't I see her?"
Huigu smiled and nodded to Xia Houyun in the corner. The little girl who was ordered to hide staggered out with a cheer and shouted inarticulately:
"I'm here, Daddy!"
When Xia Houxuan saw this, he couldn't help laughing. He lifted the little girl above his head and said with a smile:
"You little guy, you have learned how to hide and seek!"
Upon seeing this, Huigu hurriedly took her daughter from Taichu, fearing that Taichu would accidentally drop the child:
"Husband, be careful, don't imitate Liu Xuande and throw yourself in front of your horse."
After the two of them played with the children for a while, Hui Gu asked about the business. After asking, she found out that Xia Houxuan was really hesitant about whether to resume corporal punishment. She took the letter from Li Sheng and read softly:
"It's just punishing the evil and rebellious ones. How can we eliminate the evil?... Punish one person and discipline tens of thousands... But spare his life and punish his heart. How can it hurt the great virtue?... ....If a viper stings the hand, a strong man will cut off his wrist; if the hoof is tied to the foot, the beast will cut off its legs, and the limbs will be destroyed but the whole person will survive..."
After Huigu read the letter, she felt that what Li Sheng said was not unreasonable. As a doctor, she also understood the meaning of sacrificing life for the sake of life.
Xia Houxuan saw Huigu's reaction and said:
"Madam, you also think what Li Sheng said is very reasonable, right?"
Huigu was noncommittal.
Xia Houxuan frowned and continued:
"However, corporal punishment involves cutting off the human body and is so cruel. When Tai Shigong was tortured, he said that his intestines would turn nine times a day, and he would suddenly feel like he was dead when he was in the house. He would not know where he was going when he went out. It will be difficult to get rid of this knot for the rest of his life. I Every time I think of this kind of thing, I feel very sad. The previous Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty finally abolished this kind of torture. If today we reinstate it hastily, who knows that the people will not flee to other countries out of fear? Therefore, in my opinion, corporal punishment is absolutely inevitable Don’t talk about recovery lightly!”
Seeing that her husband had made up his mind, Huigu stopped trying to persuade her. She said warmly:
"Since your husband is still determined, you might as well write another letter to persuade Li Qingyin."
Seeing that Hui Gu supported him, Xia Houxuan smiled warmly, then immediately unrolled his scroll and wrote another letter:
"Li Jingyin Ruwu: The rule of sages. It can make the people become good and rehabilitate. Therefore, the Yi said: 'Small punishment but big warning.' Those who betray their husbands are those who do not discipline. If you can punish, there will be no punishment, but if there is punishment, there will be no punishment. Don’t do evil! Xuan Bai.”
[Note 1: Qing Yin and Jing Yin are the honorific titles for Henan Yin during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. 】
Ten days later, Li Sheng received another reply from Xia Houxuan. Xia Houxuan was even more stubborn, so he replied with another letter and sent it to Xia Houxuan:
"Brother Taichu Ruwu: Yi said: 'If you destroy your toes, there is no fault.' Zhongni explained: 'A small punishment but a big warning, this is the blessing of a small person.' Destroying the toes means removing the feet, which is a small punishment. It’s clear. It’s better than white.”
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When Xia Houxuan received Li Sheng's second letter, his determination, which was still a bit hesitant, was completely aroused. Therefore, Li Sheng unexpectedly received the third reply letter from Xia Houxuan:
"Brother Gongzhao personally said: Violence leads to death, this is natural. If you hurt people and don't change, let violence breed more, you can kill. If you hurt people and they can repent, then there is no need to torture them and then stop! Killing is to eliminate violence, it is natural Reason. The government of cutting off is the end of customs. Kong Shaofu said: "There is nothing to kill, and there will be small sores when cutting people. Therefore, cutting off the toes cannot repay the corpse, but the kun is not enough to compensate for the injury." Wounding a person by an inch And cutting off its branches is a severe punishment, and you will not be tired of the public's support. Xuan Bai."
Li Sheng traveled to the capital when he was young, and was praised as "elegant and intelligent" on the first day of the month. His temperament was originally excellent, but Xia Houxuan's three consecutive letters of refutation made Li Feng completely competitive. Being aroused, Li Sheng saw that Xia Houxuan still disagreed with the resumption of corporal punishment, and even the words of Kong Rong, a rotten scholar, were translated by him, so he got angry and got up overnight, came to the case, and wrote down his Third letter:
"The violent death that Taichu said before has its origin and is not natural. If you hurt people and do not change them, you will not be able to correct them, and the punishment is too light to be a great warning. If punishment and killing are both unnatural, then the punishment is light. When it comes to killing, how can it be cruel? Cutting off the toes of a husband cannot avenge the corpse, it is true; cutting off the toes is not enough to compensate for the injury. Wounding a person by an inch and cutting off his limbs is a serious crime; cutting off the hands and feet of a barbarian is a serious crime. Isn't it light to pay for Kun's loss? But considering its seriousness, it is not light and biased! Confucius's discussion may not be enough to be an elegant commentator. Sheng Bai."
In this way, the two wrote letters back and forth, writing a total of sixteen essays, but in the end no one could convince the other.
Cao Xi saw that the two men were arguing in an intractable manner. He felt that as Xia Houxuan's brother and best friend, he should help Xia Houxuan. Therefore, he also wrote a memorial to support Xia Houxuan's opposition to the complete resumption of corporal punishment, and sent it to Li Sheng:
"Gong Zhao personally said: What Fu Taichu said about the treatment of corporal punishment was sung by Xun Qing and described by Ban Gu. If you look at its meaning, it is said that it is like the heaven and earth, but it is only clear; if you look at its use, it is said that the death penalty is heavy and the punishment of life is light. This is the extreme of his galloping. The punishment for rule is heavy, and the punishment for disorder is light. Those who kill people will die, and those who hurt others will be punished. This is the same for hundreds of kings, but it has not reached the foundation of punishment. The husband is not the only one who is sentenced to death. It is the way of heaven and earth to kill people and eliminate evil and rebellion. Those who hurt others do not change, which is also a kind of evil and rebellion. If they can be changed, then there is no need for corporal punishment. In addition, hurting people and killing people are all inhuman and natural. There must be something that is natural. If there is something natural, if it is stimulated, it will be lustful. If it is suppressed, it will be unified. If it is stimulated, it will be advantageous. If it is suppressed, it will be simple. Therefore, the above is the main point of this discussion. , do not engage in strange thoughts, keep it simple, and keep it quiet. If it is large, its prominence is enough to conquer the world, if it is moderate, its principles can enrich the people, and if it is small, its punishments can be cruel. If people are quiet and rational, they will turn into evil ones. , Abandoned by the public. Abandoned by the public, there is no proof of change. The dead man can still live, but he wants to increase the punishment of adultery to facilitate violent punishment. The addition of violent punishment, although it is said that punishment is caused by slowness, there is To make it so, it is said that it is suitable to live, and it is possible to live. How can it be wrong to sacrifice one's life and break one's body? It is said that the whole hall is filled with drinks, and some people cry in the corner, then the whole hall is not honored. The one above cleans his heart and is quiet. The people are content and each has his or her own nature. Why should we be afraid of being overthrown by traitors, but want to cut them off and turn them into death? Xi Bai."
When Cao Xi's letter arrived, Li Sheng felt powerless in his heart. In desperation, he could only go to Ding Mi, an extraordinary strategist, to discuss countermeasures. After all, if Xiahou Xuanru, a prominent figure in today's literary circles, does not nod, the restoration of corporal punishment will definitely not be implemented.
After the two discussed for half a day from midnight to night, Ding Mi agreed to write a letter to Xia Houxuan personally in an attempt to persuade the other party and implement this policy smoothly.
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This is the ninth letter Xia Houxuan received suggesting the restoration of corporal punishment.
However, what surprised Xia Houxuan was that what he received this time was not Li Sheng's letter. What he received was Ding Mi's personal letter:
"General Xiahou Zunjian: Yao Dian said: 'Images are punished by daggers, five punishments are exempted, whips are used as official punishments, simple punishments are used as teaching punishments, gold is used as redemption punishments, disasters are forgiven, and parents are punished for thieves." Jiu Yao said: "Heaven To punish the guilty, five punishments and five uses are used." Lu Xing said: "Chi You only started to cause chaos, which extended to the common people. He ignored the thieves and the righteous, and the traitors and the bandits tried to show their piety. The Miao people did not use their spirits, but only used the five cruel punishments. Law, killing innocent people, and the first sexual intercourse in Yuan Dynasty was 劓, 刵, 礓, 锥. According to this, corporal punishment was in the generation of Chi You, and Yao and Shun replaced it with exile. Therefore, the writings of 黥 and 铓 do not contain the records of Tang and Yu, but The number of the five punishments does not correspond to the purpose of the saint. Yu inherited the Zen of Shun and ruled with Yao, so he would not let the two saints go far away, which is evident from the fierce and stubborn nature. King Tang and Wu, only took Xi from Luhou? Therefore, my uncle Xiangyun said: 'The rise of the Three Pisces is all due to the uncle's birth.' This is what a gentleman has said about his campaign. Mi Jin will pay his respects again to hear about it."
Ding Mi's letter is not necessarily more persuasive than Li Sheng's, and its diction is not as beautiful as Li Sheng's letter. However, Xia Houxuan thought of his cousin General Cao Shuang because of his letter.
Now that Zhaobo is implementing the reform, the first thing he will do is to discuss corporal punishment. If he blindly blocks it and causes the matter to go unresolved, I am afraid that the subsequent series of reforms will be made difficult by officials in the DPRK and China.
Xia Houxuan was also very clear about the benefits of restoring corporal punishment. After much consideration, he finally decided to compromise a little and agreed to restore some corporal punishments of tattooing and facial hair to replace the death penalty and caning.
With Xia Houxuan's statement, this corporal punishment discussion has finally come to an end.
