两次诏令，两个人，两件事。王莽的令在《汉书·食货志》：「今更名天下田曰王田，奴婢曰私属，皆不得卖买。」光武帝的诏在《后汉书·光武帝纪》：「天地之性人为贵。其杀奴婢，不得减罪。」一条改名与禁买卖，一条改刑罚——不是一回事，本文分写。只写条文、条件与年份；不写「奴隶制社会」这类社会形态论，也不作人道主义评价。
一、哀帝：一次没实行的限额
《汉书·食货志》先记了一次「限奴婢」的议。哀帝即位，师丹辅政，先说古之圣王莫不设井田，建言「宜略为限」；丞相孔光、大司空何武奏请：诸侯王奴婢二百人，列侯、公主百人，关内侯、吏民三十人，「期尽三年，犯者没入官」——限额按等级，三年为期，超出的没入官府。
结果没有实行，这一段也照录：议案一出，「时田宅奴婢贾为减贱」，田宅与奴婢的价钱都跌了；「丁、傅用事，董贤隆贵，皆不便也」，于是「诏书且须后，遂寝不行」。价格只这一句，没有数字；限额是「占有多少」的上限，不是奴婢总数，两页都不给总数。
二、王莽：王田与私属
王莽的令：「今更名天下田曰王田，奴婢曰私属，皆不得卖买。其男口不满八，而田过一井者，分余田与九族乡党。」——田改名「王田」，奴婢改名「私属」，两者都不得买卖；男口不满八而田过一井的，把余田分给九族乡党。后面还有一句：「犯令，法至死，制度又不定，吏缘为奸，天下謷謷然，陷刑者众。」
「私属」是王莽这道令里的特定名目，不是汉代奴婢的通称——本文只在这道令里用这个词，别处仍称奴婢。禁令也没一直行下去：「后三年，莽知民愁，下诏诸食王田及私属皆得卖买，勿拘以法。」——三年之后，王田与私属又都准许买卖，不再按法办。从禁到解禁，两次诏令都照录；改口的原因，页上只有「莽知民愁」四字。
三、光武：放免的几次诏
《后汉书·光武帝纪下》里，放免与改刑是一串诏令，各有各的范围。建武六年十一月丁卯：「诏王莽时吏人没入为奴婢不应旧法者，皆免为庶人。」——只放「王莽时没入」且「不应旧法」的那一批。建武七年：「诏吏人遭饥乱及为青、徐贼所略为奴婢下妻，欲去留者，恣听之。敢拘制不还，以卖人法从事。」——因饥乱与被掠而成为奴婢、下妻的，去留自便；敢拘留不放的，按「卖人」之法办。
建武十一年这一组，改的是刑罚与人身处置：「天地之性人为贵。其杀奴婢，不得减罪。」——杀奴婢不得减罪；「敢灸灼奴婢，论如律，免所灸灼者为庶民」——用艾灼奴婢的按律论处，被灼的免为庶民；「诏除奴婢射伤人弃市律」——废除奴婢射伤人要处弃市的那条律。三条并列，一条比一条具体。
建武十二年以后，放免按地域与事由分条：十二年三月癸酉，「诏陇、蜀民被略为奴婢自讼者，及狱官未报，一切免为庶民」；十三年十二月甲寅，「诏益州民自八年以来自被略为奴婢者，皆一切免为庶民；或依托为人下妻，欲去者，恣听之」；十四年十二月癸卯，「诏益、凉二州奴婢，自八年以来自讼在所官，一切免为庶民，卖者无还直」——「卖者无还直」五个字最要紧：卖主拿不回钱。
四、两次诏令怎么分
三次动作要分开：哀帝时是「限额」，而且没有实行；王莽是「改名与禁买卖」，三年后又「皆得卖买」；光武是一串「放免」与「改刑」，各诏各有条件（不应旧法、被略、自讼、自八年以来的）。这些不能合并成一套「汉代奴婢制度」；「私属」只属王莽那道令，不当通名。条件词（「不应旧法」「自讼」「被略」）是各诏的关键，本文照录不省；这些诏令各涉及多少人，两页也都不说。
五、两页都不给的
两页都不给奴婢的价格——只有「时田宅奴婢贾为减贱」一句，没有数目；不给奴婢总数、来源构成的统计（罪犯、债负、掠卖、买卖，两页各有提及，但没有一项有数）；不给私家奴婢的生活细节。钱数、人数一律不折今值、不推算。社会形态论（「奴隶制社会」之类）与人道主义评价，本文不写。
能确定的只有这些：哀帝时有过一次按等级限额的奏请，没行；王莽把奴婢改名「私属」并禁买卖，三年后解禁；光武从建武六年到十四年，一次次下诏放免特定的一批人，并改了杀、灼、射伤奴婢的刑罚。奴婢自己怎么过日子，两页都不说。
延伸阅读：三十税一：汉代的田租 · 钱少的时候：小钱与一场废钱之议 · 国家的书架：四个人校书，一份六略总账
参考来源与延伸阅读
- 《汉书》卷二十四·食货志（东汉班固撰；维基文库本，页面白文无注，未与中华书局点校本复核） — Three moments. Under Emperor Ai, at Shidan's urging, the chancellor Kong Guang and the grand secretary He Wu propose caps: 'the slaves of a king two hundred, of a marquis or a princess a hundred, of an interior marquis or an official or commoner thirty; within three years, offenders to have them confiscated by the state' — and because the proposal was made 'the price of land, houses and slaves fell', but the empress's kin obstructed it and 'the edict was put off, and the matter was dropped'. Wang Mang's order: 'the fields of the realm are now renamed royal fields, and slaves private dependants, none of them to be bought or sold', with death for offenders; three years later, 'knowing the people's distress, he issued an edict that royal fields and private dependants might all be bought and sold, without applying the law'. Earlier, under Emperor Wu, men who presented slaves could commute service for life.
- 《后汉书》卷一下·光武帝纪下（南朝宋范晔撰；维基文库本，页面白文，〈〉内为录文夹注，未与中华书局点校本复核） — The manumission edicts, each with its own scope: in the eleventh month of the sixth year, those 'made slaves under Wang Mang by officials and people, where this did not accord with the old law, are all freed as commoners'; in the seventh year, people enslaved in famine and disorder or taken by the rebels of Qing and Xu may go or stay as they wish, and any who detain them will be dealt with under the law on selling persons; in the second month of the eleventh year, 'of the nature of heaven and earth man is the most precious — those who kill slaves may not have their punishment reduced'; the same year, those who burn slaves with moxa are punished by law and the burned are freed, and the rule executing slaves who wound others is abolished; in the twelfth year, people of Long and Shu who were seized and enslaved and who bring their own case are all freed; in the thirteenth, the people of Yizhou enslaved since the eighth year are freed; in the fourteenth, slaves of Yi and Liang who bring their case are freed, 'and the seller gets no refund'.
