Why did ancient times execute entire clans for crimes?


For example: Boss Xu owes 2 trillion yuan, but his two sons still have 2.3 billion US dollars, living a worry-free life.
He had long planned ahead and set up a trust fund of 2.3 billion for his sons. Establishing a single trust.
No one can take this 2.3 billion away; the principal cannot be withdrawn, only the interest can be used, which is over 40 million each year.
Even if his sons later become defendants, no one can touch this money; it truly secures the future for several generations.
One person suffers, and several generations can enjoy wealth and honor; some "great smart" people say he's foolish.
Through this, it seems to explain why in ancient times, severe crimes led to the execution of entire clans.
Abolishing collective punishment, establishing trusts, leaving a backup plan for oneself—high, truly high.
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TokenTinkerTao
· 7h ago
Now talking about procedural justice, but wealthy people can still use tools to pull themselves out of risk.
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ReboundAtTheStreetCornerAfter
· 9h ago
Your comparison is quite intuitive: in ancient times, punishing families was used to prevent moral hazard; in modern times, systems are designed to allow families to continue accumulating wealth, as long as you know how to design the structure.
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HotAirBalloonViewingSchedule
· 11h ago
The old system was too harsh, involving collective punishment that harmed innocent people, purely for deterrence.
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Mirror-FinishTeacupWith
· 22h ago
Implication of punishing nine generations = External costs spill over to the family, forcing you not to dare gamble on national destiny; Trust = Cutting costs and passing them to creditors, the logic is completely opposite.
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Frost-ColoredCubeCity
· 22h ago
The essence of ancient kinship punishment was to sever roots completely, leaving no "way out" for you.
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FlowingColorfulInkHeart
· 22h ago
In reality, many “family arrangements” are really just pre-arranged asset isolation—so when something goes wrong, outsiders are left with scattered debris everywhere.
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GateUser-2d7346e0
· 22h ago
Owing 2 trillion but still able to leave 2.3 billion for the kids—that's what really breaks everyone's composure.
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GateUser-5f4bad9c
· 22h ago
But don't idolize it either; a trust isn't an all-purpose talisman, right?
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PerpWhisperer
· 22h ago
In plain terms: modern times use laws to isolate assets, ancient times used collective responsibility to isolate risks.
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ForkInTheRoadmap
· 22h ago
This kind of trust really has the rules figured out.
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