In fact, Queen Mother Zhang was initially firmly opposed to her son having a public evaluation. She didn't want to see her son embarrassed in front of so many people. She couldn't stand this feeling.
However, Zhang Li still convinced her that her son was not an ordinary person, but the emperor. According to the practice of past dynasties, emperors who abdicated generally did not live to adulthood and always died for various reasons.
But if the young emperor is allowed to make a public assessment and abdicate in the same way as the regent, then he is likely to have a good death.
Compared to my son’s life, what’s that little bit of face?
Empress Dowager Zhang was finally persuaded and agreed to her father's plan.
The next morning, hundreds of officials gathered in the round hall of Zhongshu Province, all senior officials of fifth rank or above, including military generals in Beijing, to participate in the review meeting held by the Zhengshi Hall.
Evaluate whether the emperor is able to continue to perform the duties of the supreme ruler.
All officials have complex visions. Although emperors have been deposed in all dynasties, such as the deposed emperor Liu He of the Han Dynasty, the young emperor Liu Bian of the Han Dynasty, etc., these were all deposed by individual powerful ministers.
This time, hundreds of officials will vote by a show of hands to decide. It is truly the first time in history, but it is reasonable and fully reflects the principle that the court is not only the emperor's court, but also the court of hundreds of officials.
The Emperor is eight years old, and many officials have only heard of him by name, but this is the first time they have seen him in person.
The emperor was sitting on a table in the middle of the rotunda, concentrating on playing with the wooden blocks under his hands.
Chief physician Wang Guangji introduced his situation, "He has been like this since he was three years old. He lives in his own world and ignores anyone who tells him. He eats when he is fed and sleeps when he is told to.
Other than that, he would just sit in the room in a daze, or play with the wooden blocks in his hands.
Even when the late emperor came to see him several times, he never paid attention to him and ignored him even when he yelled angrily behind him, which made the late emperor very disappointed and left with regrets."
Wei Jiansu asked: "Is this child deaf?"
Wang Guangji shook his head, "He is not deaf, I can prove it to everyone!"
Wang Guangji took a wooden fish and knocked it several times behind the little emperor. The little emperor immediately turned his head, grabbed the wooden fish, and started banging randomly.
After a while, he threw the wooden fish aside again and continued to play with his own little piece of wood.
Wang Guangji smiled bitterly and said: "He just likes the sound of wood. Not only does he knock on wooden fish, but he also knocks on cabinets and wooden bowls. But he can't do anything else. I'll give it a try for everyone."
He walked behind the little emperor and suddenly shouted behind his head, "Your Majesty the Emperor!"
The child turned a deaf ear and showed no reaction, and the round hall suddenly became filled with murmurs.
Wei Jiansu waved his hand, "Everyone, be quiet!"
Everyone gradually became quiet, and Wei Jiansu asked again: "Physician Wang, what disease does this child have?"
Wang Guangji said slowly: "This is actually a kind of idiot!"
There was an uproar in the rotunda. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was actually an idiot. How did he become the emperor?
In fact, there is no need to ask this question. Everyone remembers clearly what happened a few years ago. In order to control the imperial power and the court, the eunuchs supported King Ding to ascend the throne. In fact, as the son of Queen Zhang, King Ding Li Dong should be the legitimate son.
It was only natural that he should be the crown prince, but the late emperor did not appoint him. The fundamental reason was that this child was an idiot.
"Everyone, please be quiet! Be quiet!"
Wei Jiansu struck the small bell again, "Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!"
The officials became quiet, and Wei Jiansu asked Wang Guangji again, "Can he be cured?"
Wang Guangji shook his head and said, "Report it to the Prime Minister, this is what you brought in your mother's womb, and it will be like this for the rest of your life!"
"I understand, please take him back!"
??????55.??????
The imperial physician Wang Guangji picked up the young emperor and took him away under the watchful eyes of hundreds of officials.
After they left, Wei Jiansu slowly said: "Because the emperor was young in the past, everyone thought that maybe he would return to normal when he grew up, but now that he is eight years old, everyone has seen his current situation.
Follow the agenda! Those officials who agree to maintain the status quo and let this child continue to serve as Emperor of the Tang Dynasty please raise your hands."
There was silence in the rotunda, no one raised their hand.
Wei Jiansu continued: "Officials who agree to abolish the current emperor and re-establish a new emperor of the Tang Dynasty, please raise your hands!"
Everyone in the rotunda raised their hands, including Wei Jiansu himself.
"Please put it down. I'll ask again. Officials who agree that he will continue to be Emperor of the Tang Dynasty please raise your hands!"
Still no one raised their hands, Wei Jiansu nodded, "A total of 343 votes were in favor of abolishing the current emperor, and zero votes were against. The truth is officially announced that the imperial court proposes to abolish the emperor and elect a wise successor to the throne."
The Political Affairs Hall immediately drafted the "Proposal on Abolition of the Current Emperor of the Tang Dynasty", which was signed and affixed by 343 ministers as a formal document.
Although the imperial court agreed to depose the emperor Li Dong, this was only a court proposal, not a formal resolution. The proposal must be approved by the regent before it can become a formal resolution, and then the queen mother issued an edict to depose the emperor Li Dong.
As for who will inherit the throne, although everyone thinks of the regent Li Ye, it does not mean that other Li clans have no chance. The key depends on the support.
In the Political Affairs Hall, except for Liu Yan, the other eight members of the Political Affairs Hall were discussing the plan to elect a new emperor.
Everyone is just setting standards, not recommending who should succeed the throne, so no one mentions it, nor does it submit it to the regent.
This is the shrewdness and sophistication of Wei Jiansu. He helped Li Ye ascend to the throne in an open, reasonable and legal way, making Li Ye's ascendance completely in line with the orthodoxy. No history book in the future will be able to deny the legitimacy of his ascension to the throne.
The eight prime ministers and assistant prime ministers added one by one, gradually reached a consensus, and formulated a total of five principles.
The first principle is the Li clan principle. All candidates for the new emperor must be recorded in the clan genealogy. Not all royal families can be named in the clan.
For example, although Li Linfu's descendants are all descendants of Changping County Prince Li Shuliang and can barely be called a royal family, only Li Linfu, Li Dai and Li Ye are recorded in the family tree, and the others are not.
There are many such cases. In fact, only the descendants of Tang Emperor Li Yuan are recorded in the family tree, and Li Linfu, Li Dai and Li Ye are specially included.
The second principle is the principle of recommendation. All officials above the seventh rank of the Tang Dynasty have the right to recommend, not only civil officials, but also military generals, false officials, nobles with titles, etc. Everyone has a recommendation vote.
Therefore, a candidate must obtain at least thirty recommendation votes to be eligible to become a candidate for the new emperor.
The third principle is the real-name principle. All participants are required to have their real names, and every recommender must have documented evidence.
The fourth principle is the principle of openness and fairness. This time, the selection process of the new emperor is all open to the public. The political hall will review the qualifications and the votes will be counted publicly to ensure fairness.
The fifth principle, the principle of adulthood, is that every candidate for the new emperor must be at least eighteen years old, and members of the clan under the age of eighteen are not allowed to participate in the candidacy.
After the five principles were finalized, Wei Jiansu went to see the Princess Regent and asked her to approve the five principles.