Tibet.

Chapter 1271 Public Assessment
In fact, Queen Mother Zhang was initially strongly opposed to her son having a public evaluation. She did not want to see her son embarrassed in front of so many people. She could not stand this feeling.

However, Zhang Li still convinced her that her son was not an ordinary person, but the Son of Heaven. According to the conventions of past dynasties, abdicated emperors usually did not live to adulthood and always died for various reasons.

But if the young emperor were allowed to make a public assessment and abdicate as a regent, he would most likely have a good end.

Compared to my son's life, what does that little bit of face mean?
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 the Secretariat. They were all high-ranking officials of the fifth rank and above, including military generals in Beijing, and attended the review meeting held by the Political Affairs Hall.

Evaluate whether the emperor is capable of continuing to perform the duties of the supreme ruler.

All the officials had complicated looks. Although there had been cases of emperors being deposed in every dynasty, such as the deposed Emperor of Han, Liu He, the Shao Emperor of Han, Liu Bian, etc., they were all deposed by individual powerful officials.

This time, the decision will be made by hundreds of officials voting by raising their hands. This is 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 all officials.

The emperor was already eight years old, and many officials had only heard of him but saw him in person for the first time.

The emperor sat on a platform in the middle of the round hall, concentrating on fiddling with the wooden blocks in his hands.

Chief Imperial Physician Wang Guangji introduced his situation, "He has been like this since he was three years old, living in his own world, ignoring anyone who calls him, eating when fed, sleeping when told, and sitting in the room in a daze, or playing with the wooden blocks in his hands.

Even when the late emperor came to see him several times, he never paid any attention to him. He also ignored the roars behind him, which made the late emperor very disappointed and left with regret.

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 a few times behind the little emperor. The little emperor immediately turned his head, snatched the wooden fish, and started knocking it randomly.

After a moment, he threw the wooden fish aside and continued to play with his own small wooden blocks.

Wang Guangji smiled bitterly and said, "He likes the sound of wood. He reacts not only to wooden fish, cabinets, and wooden bowls, but not to other sounds. I will give you another test."

He walked behind the little emperor and suddenly shouted behind his head, "Your Majesty!"

The child turned a deaf ear and did not react at all, and the round hall was suddenly filled with whispers and discussions.

Wei Jiansu waved his hand, "Everyone, be quiet!"

Everyone gradually quieted down, and Wei Jiansu asked again: "Doctor Wang, what disease does this child have?"

Wang Guangji said slowly: "This is actually a kind of idiocy!"

There was an uproar in the round hall. 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 eunuch party supported Prince Ding to ascend the throne. In fact, as the son of Empress Zhang, Prince Ding Li Dong should have been the legitimate son, and it would be natural for the late emperor to make him the crown prince. However, the late emperor did not do so. The fundamental reason was that this child was an idiot.

"Everyone, please be quiet! Be quiet!"

Wei Jiansu struck the small bell again, "Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The officials quieted down, and Wei Jiansu asked Wang Guangji again, "Can he be cured?"

Wang Guangji shook his head and said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, this is something he was born with, and it will be like this for the rest of his life!" "I understand, please take him back!"

The imperial physician Wang Guangji took the little emperor's arm and took him away under the gaze 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 he is eight years old, and everyone has seen his current situation. Let's follow the agenda! Officials who agree to maintain the status quo and let this child continue to serve as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, please raise your hands."

There was total silence in the rotunda, and no one raised their hand.

Wei Jiansu continued, "Officials who agree to abolish the current emperor and establish a new emperor for the Tang Dynasty, please raise your hands!"

Everyone in the round hall raised their hands, including Wei Jiansu himself.

"Please put it down. I will ask again. Those officials who agree that he should continue to serve as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, please raise your hands!"

Still no one raised their hands, Wei Jiansu nodded, "A total of 343 votes in favor of abolishing the current emperor, and zero votes against. I formally announce that the court proposes to abolish the emperor and select another wise successor to the throne."

The Council of State Affairs immediately drafted a "Proposal on Abolishing the Current Emperor of the Tang Dynasty," which was signed and sealed by 343 ministers as an official document.

Although the court agreed to depose Emperor Li Dong, this was only a proposal of the court, not a formal resolution. The proposal had to be approved by the regent before it could become a formal resolution, and then the empress dowager would issue an edict to depose Emperor Li Dong.

As for who will inherit the throne, although everyone thinks of Regent Li Ye, it does not mean that other members of the Li clan have no chance. The key still depends on the support.

In the Council Hall, except for Liu Yan, the other eight members were discussing the plan to elect a new emperor.

Everyone is just setting the standards, not recommending who will succeed the throne, so no one mentions it, and no one submits the regent.

This is where Wei Jiansu's shrewdness and experience lie. He helped Li Ye to ascend to the throne in an open, reasonable and legal manner, making Li Ye's ascension to the throne completely in line with the orthodox doctrine. No historical books in the future would be able to deny the legitimacy of his accession to the throne.

The eight prime ministers and assistant prime ministers supplemented their opinions 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 family members can be named in the clan.

For example, although Li Linfu's descendants are all descendants of Li Shuliang, Prince of Changping, and can barely be called royal family, only Li Linfu, Li Dai and Li Ye are recorded in the clan name list, and the others are not.

There are many such cases. In fact, only the descendants of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, were recorded in the clan genealogy, and Li Linfu, Li Dai and Li Ye were specially included.

The second principle is the principle of recommendation. All officials above the seventh rank in the Tang Dynasty have the right to recommend, including not only civil officials, but also military generals, honorary officials, and nobles with titles, etc. Everyone has one 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 use their real names, and each recommender must be traceable.

The fourth principle is the principle of openness and fairness. The entire process of selecting the new emperor is open to the public. The qualifications are reviewed by the Political Affairs Hall, and the votes are counted publicly to ensure fairness.

The fifth principle is the principle of adulthood. Every candidate for the new emperor must be at least eighteen years old. Royal family members under the age of eighteen are not allowed to participate in the candidacy.

After the five principles were finalized, Wei Jiansu went to meet the Regent Princess and asked her to approve the five principles.

(End of this chapter)