Even without being an emperor, they would still be noble aristocrats capable of holding powerful positions in the court, enjoying wealth and influence without reduction.
Given that.
Then for ordinary members of the Xiao clan, or for those of Emperor Hongdao's lineage, why should they follow a puppet emperor who is about to abdicate for the sake of a false name and put their lives at risk?
Isn't it better to maintain the current convention?
Even if they abdicate today, they will still have opportunities in the future to regain the throne.
As long as the younger generation of the Xiao family can produce a transcendent figure who can command the world, like their founding ancestors or Shen Qiu today.
Then, it would be easy to repeat today's story, ask the six surnames and seven families to elect a new leader, and re-ascend the throne.
