On March 16th, the imperial court finally reached a decision: The late emperor's will nominated King Xing, Zhu Houji, a member of the royal family, to succeed to the throne.
On March 18th, King Xing met with the ministers who had arrived to relay the imperial decree, and together, they entered the Imperial City.
Yet, upon entering the Imperial City, an unexpected conflict arose. The Minister of the Ministry of Rites proposed that King Xing honour the late emperor as his royal father and himself as the late emperor's imperial uncle — thus assuming the throne in the capacity of a crown prince. Using a precedent set by Song Chengyi's advice to the Prince of Pu, the minister endeavored to advise King Xing. However, his advice was rejected.
King Xing told his close allies, "The late emperor's will stated that I should succeed him as emperor, not as his son."
The two sides remained at an impasse, and in the end, the various ministers of the court were forced to compromise reluctantly.
