We Chinese people pay attention to benevolence and righteousness in everything. The so-called inner sage and outer king stop at perfection.

Therefore, even prisoners on death row will be given some preferential treatment, that is, a sumptuous meal will be arranged for them before execution, so that they will not go hungry and cause trouble to the Lord of Hell when they arrive below.

This meal is called "death meal", also called "farewell meal" and "ciyang meal".

It is said to have a long history. It was first created by King Chuzhuang. As one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, King Chuzhuang, in order to show his tolerance and generosity, ordered a feast for the prisoners who were about to be taken to the execution ground.

After a meal, let them eat before going on the road.

So this behavior was retained as a routine.

Although many art of death punishments have been invented in Chinese history, such as lingchi, cannon burning, cutting in half, quartering the body with five horses, etc., it is horrifying to hear it.

But after all, no matter how big the crime is, people will pay for it with death.

So for the last meal, give him something good to eat, as much as he can eat.

It can also be regarded as a manifestation of humanization.

It is said that "decapitation rice" had the highest standards in the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty governed the country with culture, and the emperor and civil servants governed the world. Not only did they not kill scholar-bureaucrats, they also took care of those who committed capital crimes.

Not only was there free food, but also meat and wine. The budget reached 3,000 Wen, which is equivalent to 800 RMB today.

The price of this meal is unavailable to ordinary families.

Although the number has decreased in subsequent dynasties, it is roughly the same. There is wine and meat, and you can eat well and go on the road.

But the strange thing is that in addition to good wine and delicious food, the yamen will usually put a piece of smelly raw meat at the bottom of the bowl for the prisoners to eat. Is this purely to prevent the prisoners from eating well, or is the food money deducted due to corruption issues?

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Although the corruption problem in feudal society is very serious, after all, "three years of pure prefecture" also has "one hundred thousand snowflakes of silver".

There have indeed been cases of depriving prisoners of their food money to line their own pockets.

But putting smelly raw meat at the bottom of the bowl is definitely not due to corruption or to disgust criminals.

But it is said that there is not only Meng Po's Meng Po soup to drink by the Naihe Bridge, but also a ferocious big dog.

The underworld is the same as the underworld, you have to use your power. This dog guards the Naihe Bridge and specializes in eating raw meat and rotten meat. When it encounters the dead souls who do not bring these two things, it will bite them all over and bruise them, and sometimes even devour them.

Their souls make them immortal.

Chinese people pay attention to the afterlife. After suffering in this life, they still hope that they will have a good pregnancy and a happy and healthy life in the next life.

It would be too miserable to be killed by a dog while crossing the Naihe Bridge.

Even being bitten is painful.

So the yamen servant put a piece of raw meat at the bottom of the bowl and let the prisoners eat it and take it to bribe the dog so that they could pass the Naihe Bridge smoothly and strive for a good afterlife.

The prisoners also happily accepted it, and would eat him up with relish when they saw the raw meat.

After all, it was normal for a feudal society to have some feudal superstitions.

But the "decapitation meal" is after all the last meal in life. In a dark dungeon, the dining environment for Xiangbi is not very good. It will definitely not be like the one in "The Last Supper", with bright and clean windows and crowds around.

Coupled with the fact that they will be tortured after eating, many prisoners will not be able to eat this rich delicacy due to the huge pressure on their hearts.

After all, there are few people like Mr. Hai Rui. "History of the Ming Dynasty" records that in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing (1566), Ming Shizong died.

At this time, Hai Ruishang was in prison and did not know it. He had been locked up for writing a letter scolding Jiajing.

At this time, Jiajing died and the new emperor succeeded to the throne. Hai Rui, who was famous all over the world, would definitely rise again. Therefore, after discussion, the government officials decided to flatter Hai Rui and pooled money together to buy him a sumptuous dinner.

Hai Rui thought it was a "death meal", so he started eating without thinking, and even drank afterward.

After drinking, he waited to be taken out and beheaded.

But the officials remained motionless until Hai Rui looked frightened and then said, The emperor is dead and you will be released from prison soon. Congratulations.

Unexpectedly, when Hai Rui heard about it, he burst into tears. He was so sad that he vomited all the food he had eaten while crying.

After all, there are only a few fierce men like Hai Rui who put life and death at risk. After many prisoners found out that it was a "decapitation meal", they were so frightened that they collapsed on the ground and couldn't even pick up their chopsticks, let alone eat!

The officer added a piece of fishy raw meat to the bottom of the bowl and made up a superstitious story, perhaps so that the prisoners on death row could eat better and avoid starving to death.

As a manifestation of primitive humanitarianism, "decapitation rice" has been preserved in modern times. Sometimes, not only the government arranges it, but family members can also send meals.

Let the death row inmates experience the last tenderness and goodwill in the world before execution.

There is also the practice of "decoupling rice" in foreign countries. Some dishes can be ordered by yourself within a reasonable range, which is quite sumptuous.

For example, Allen Davis, the famous American serial murderer who was executed on July 8, 1999, ate lobster, fried shrimp, fried oysters, garlic bread and a 960 ml bottle of non-alcoholic beverages before his death.

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This was all what he asked for, and the prison guards fulfilled his request.

There is also Ronnie Gardner, the murderer who was executed in 2010. He chose lobster, steak, apple pie and vanilla ice cream as his last meal, and even asked to watch the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy while eating.

I don’t know if it’s because “Lord of the Rings” lasts for nearly ten hours in total, or if I really like this movie so much.

All this shows that when dealing with prisoners on death row, countries around the world will adopt a spirit of humanitarian concern and try their best to satisfy their appetites before they die.