In 266 AD, Sima Yan seized the throne of Cao Wei and ushered in the Western Jin Dynasty. However, the dynasty lasted only 50 years before it came to an end. One of the important reasons for the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty came from Sima Yan's passing on the throne to an ignorant heir, Sima Zhen. This decision made it difficult to promote government affairs, and the Western Jin Dynasty was weakened and eventually overthrown. It is worth noting that Sima Yan has 26 sons, why did he choose a son with limited intelligence to succeed him?
In the selection of the heir, Sima Yan considered two candidates who were expected to become emperors. One is his younger brother Sima You, who was succeeded to Sima Shi and named the King of Qi, who is deeply loved by the people and has both ability and political integrity. However, Sima Yan had always been wary of Sima You, worried about his ambition to usurp the throne. The other is the crown prince Sima Zhen, born to Empress Yang. Although Sima Zhen was not extremely smart, he became the eldest son. Soon after Sima Yan ascended the throne, he made him the crown prince.
After Sima Yan fell ill, many ministers thought he would choose Sima You as his successor. However, Sima Yan's cronies had been at odds with Sima You, and took the opportunity to persuade Sima Yan to order Sima You to return to the fiefdom of Qi, where Sima You had been living in Luoyang. Because Sima You was angry and became ill, Sima Yan sent a doctor to see him, but the doctor said that he was not sick. Sima Yan was annoyed by this and ordered Sima You to set off immediately. In the end, Sima You's condition worsened and he also died due to his brother's suspicion.
Therefore, Sima Yan hurriedly passed the throne to Sima Zhen. There are three main reasons for his decision. First of all, the crown princess Empress Yang adhered to the principle of establishing a successor and not establishing a virtuous person, and Sima Yan could not refute it. Secondly, the crown princess has a strong background, and Sima Xin's princess Jia Nanfeng is a famous figure in history, she is the daughter of the powerful minister Jia Chong. Jia Chong persuaded Sima Yan many times to assist him in ascending to the throne, and Sima Yan was grateful for this. In the end, although Sima Zhao was not a smart man, he had a wise son, Sima Shu, who was favored by Sima Yan. Sima Yan intended to make Sima Shu the future ruler through the inheritance system, so that he could govern the country well. However, all this was Sima Yan's miscalculation. Jia Nanfeng showed no mercy to Sima Shu, and in the end, her power plot led to the fall of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Text: The ancient and modern team created the ancient city.
Figure: From the Internet.
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