Not to mention the reason for incompetence, even if the eldest son is an idiot (literally an idiot), he can successfully inherit the throne. It can be seen from this that the ancient primogeniture inheritance system was very unreliable.
This famous idiot emperor in history was actually Sima Zheng, the Emperor of Jinhui. He has a famous saying that everyone must know as soon as they hear it: Why not eat minced meat.
Sima Zheng's parents were Sima Yan, emperor of the Jin Dynasty, and Empress Yang Yan of Wuyuan.
As the eldest son, he was made crown prince at a very young age. However, as Sima Zheng grew up, the ministers discovered that the child had a brain problem and was a pure idiot.
So much so that at that time, some ministers openly opposed Sima Zheng's succession to the throne. For example, He Yu once advised Sima Yan: "The crown prince has the style of Chungu, and Ji Shi is too fake to fear His Majesty's family affairs." ”
"The Wind of Chungu" does not mean that Sima is sincerely kind. It is a euphemism for idiots and fools. Being able to be attacked by the minister pointing at the nose must have shocked Sima Zheng's degree of idiotism.
Sure enough, after Sima Zheng became emperor, he was simply a fool who was brushed by people, plus he also had an inattentive wife, Jia Nanfeng.
This elite couple eventually provoked the Chaos of the Eight Kings, followed by the result of "Five Hu Chaohua".
If idiots can become emperors, then the primogeniture system is really a drawback. What's more, the coups d'état caused by the primogeniture system are really innumerable, such as the famous Xuanwumen Revolution.
The reason why the ancients insisted on the primogeniture system lies in the ancient patriarchal system.
The primogeniture system originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the liturgical reforms implemented by the Western Zhou Dynasty, patriarchy and feudalism were derived from the eldest son as the core, and eventually shaped the social structure and ethical order of the ancient family world.
Therefore, if the family world does not perish, if the patriarchal law does not disintegrate, the superior position of the eldest son will always exist. This is the sadness of ancient society.