南宋在室女分產權探疑──史料解讀及研究方法

An Investigation of Inheritance Rights for Unmarried Daughters in the Southern Sung Dynasty: Data Analysis and Research Methodology

根據北宋初年頒布的《宋刑統》，父母服闋後子女分產，在室女（未婚女）只能分到兄弟聘財的一半，可謂之「聘財之半法」或舊法，但根據南宋《名公書判清明集》，在室女可分到兄弟繼承父親遺產的一半，如兄分到一百萬，未婚妹可分到五十萬，可謂之「男2女1法」或新法。毫無疑問，較諸舊法，新法大幅度增加了在室女的所得，實際上是以減少了兒子的所得來增加在室女的所得，這是新法最重要的變化，學人必須掌握這個重點，分析時才不致本末倒置或誤中副車。這個變化應如何解釋？它的原委是甚麼？反映的是甚麼社會變化？最近（二○○八年至今）有學人指出，是為了照顧孤幼，例如高橋芳郎認為，男2女1法是為了讓多得遺產的長姐來照顧少得遺產的幼弟，是為了保護男性，而邢鐵認為是照顧孤幼之女，是為了保護女性。讀者不免困惑，為何利用相同的史料，研究的也是同一條法規，學人竟會推論出截然不同的保護對象。本文目的有三：一是論證男2女1法並無照顧孤幼之意。有些歷史真相不易確定，只好退而求取各種可能性和最大的可能性，而照顧孤幼這個可能性是可以排除了。二是解讀相關史料，希望不要再生誤解，並提供一些史學方法或治史經驗，或可供年輕學子參考。三是檢討相關判詞內「戶絕」和「代位承分」等法律概念，指出一旦理解有了偏差，便容易曲解史料，把平順易明的判詞弄得曲折難懂。

How much of her deceased father’s property could an unmarried daughter obtain? During the Northern Sung, according to the Sung Codes, the amount was only half the value of her brother’s betrothal gift. During the Southern Sung, as seen from a few cases in the Enlightened Judgments of the Renowned Judges, it was half the value of her brother’s inherited property. How can we explain this big change, which was in fact a reduction of the brother’s share to increase the sister’s. Simply put, the brother’s loss was the sister’s gain (少給男以多給女). Researchers must bear this in mind to avoid missing the most important point in explaining the change. Recently some researchers suggested that the change was aimed at benefitting the orphaned children. For example, Takahasi Yoshiro (高橋芳郎) maintained that it was for the older sister who gained in the inheritance to take care of the orphaned junior brother who lost, while Hsing T’e (邢鐵) argued that it was not the brother, but the orphaned junior sister who was being cared for. Readers may wonder how researchers studying the same law and using the same legal cases could have come up with totally different answers, in particular regarding the gender of the beneficiaries. This essay has three goals. First, to prove that the new law of the Southern Sung was not aimed at benefitting any orphaned child, male or female. Second, to explain the legal cases anatomically in order to preempt further misunderstanding, describe some research experiences, and provide methods for younger researchers. Third, to clarify some legal concepts, like “heirless family” (戶絕) and “inheritance by subrogation” (代位承分) to avoid further distortion or complication of historical data.