"Many people in later generations supported the abolition of the death penalty, but I disagree. Some people say that abolishing the death penalty is a symbol of civilization, but in fact, civilization has never been reflected in this aspect."

On the evening of November 15th, in the Guanjia Hall in the back garden of the imperial palace in Tokyo City of the Great Song Dynasty, candles had already been lit, and the room was filled with incense and charcoal, warm as spring.

It has been raining in recent days. As the year draws to a close, the weather is getting colder. There are fewer people walking around in the streets and markets of Bianliang City.

The only thing that remained unchanged was that every morning when the prison vans carrying prisoners from Kaifeng Prefecture creaked from East Street to the outside of East City, countless people would flock to the streets and head to the execution ground regardless of rain or shine.

They surrounded the prison van and prepared vegetable leaves and rotten eggs every day. Although stones were prohibited, these were not available. Then they followed the prison van all the way to the execution ground and watched the prisoners being tortured.

Many people cried and laughed on the execution ground, but only a very small number of people watched it all expressionlessly. After the execution was over and the crowd dispersed, they would enter the execution ground under the supervision of the government, silently carry away the body of the death row prisoner, and take it back for burial.

In the city of Bianliang, every household was celebrating as if it were New Year. Even the poorest people happily bought a few pounds of meat to celebrate the beheading of their oppressors and went home to spend a happy winter.

Only Zhao Zhen heard that more than a thousand people had been beheaded in the past few days. Thinking that these were more than a thousand living lives, he felt sorry for them, so he brought up the issue at the usual Guanjia Hall meeting today to see if the execution could be stopped.

After all, he felt that he had killed more than a thousand people, and the first batch of people killed were death row prisoners with extremely serious crimes.

The purpose of deterrence has been achieved. There is no need to kill those who have only committed serious crimes but have not yet received the death penalty. This will only increase the killing.

However, Zhao Jun disagreed. He said to the crowd, "The death penalty has never been solely for the purpose of deterring criminals. If it were solely for the purpose of deterring criminals, imprisoning them for hundreds of years without freedom would also be effective."

"How many hundreds of years?"

Everyone was surprised. Yan Shu said in astonishment: "During the Han Dynasty, there was no such long-term punishment."

“But in later times, the West did.”

Zhao Jun said: "These prisoners will spend a difficult life in prison and then die, but I think sentencing them to hundreds of years is the most uncivilized and meaningless thing. It is unfair to both the prisoners and the victims' families."

"Why?"

Lu Yijian wondered, "Isn't it torture to spend hundreds of years in prison and live in prison forever?"

"Some prisoners may, but at least most of them will be grateful to be alive."

Zhao Jun explained, "Perhaps during their long prison sentences, they will encounter many unfortunate events, resent the lack of the death penalty, and even consider suicide. But for the victims' families, such an outcome, no matter how much the criminals suffer, loses its meaning."

“Where the meaning is lost.”

Zhao Zhen imagined spending his entire life in a dark cell, and his scalp tingled. He shuddered and said, "At least I don't want to live like this for even a single day."

"So I say it can only serve as a deterrent to criminals, or rather, it may not actually deter criminals. At most, it will make them regret it in the future."

Zhao Jun shrugged and said, "Only the true death penalty can be a deterrent and also a redemption."

"Deterrence? Redemption? What does this mean?"

"Redemption is about saving a person's soul, and the greatest significance of the death penalty is to comfort the victim's family."

“I don’t quite understand.”

"Because the victim is already dead, even if the murderer dies, he will not come back to life. But for the victim's family, time is forever frozen at the moment of their loved one's death, and there is no going back."

"Time is frozen at that moment forever?"

Everyone fell into deep thought.

They never imagined that the victims' families would have such a heavy psychological burden.

Because they have never thought about this issue from the perspective of the people and the victims, naturally they have no reason to empathize with them.

"yes."

Zhao Jun sighed and said, "Think about it from another perspective. If your son, Lu Xiangruo, was murdered, would you hate the murderer?"

Lu Yijian hesitated slightly, but still said, "Hate."

"It's right to hate."

Zhao Jun looked at everyone seriously and said, "That's why the death penalty is the only way to bring justice to the victims. Only when the murderer is executed can the victims' families let go of this matter and move on with their lives. Otherwise, they will live in pain and hatred for the rest of their lives, unable to extricate themselves."

After hearing this, everyone fell into silence.

yes.

For the dead, they are already dead and cannot be resurrected, so there is no point in killing the criminal.

In this world, there is no such thing as knowledge in the afterlife, nor any comfort for the dead. All that exists is a living life that is gone.

But for the families of the victims, only by seeing the criminals being executed with their own eyes can the hatred in their hearts dissipate and they can start a new life with the victims' last wishes.

This is the greatest comfort for them, enough to heal their wounds and give them the courage to face life again.

So perhaps hatred is not something that should be let go, but rather dissipated, because only in this way can people be reborn!

"The purpose of the law has never been to punish, but to care and protect. Those who have committed crimes deserve to die. This is to care for the weak and protect those who have been oppressed and persecuted by them."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!