How can the crown prince of a country be changed if he wants? It would be fine if Sebastian Duan was Li Yanqiu's biological son, but they were uncle and nephew, which involved the late emperor Nathaniel Li. Li Yanqiu succeeded to the throne as a matter of course, and Sebastian Duan was Nathaniel Li's son. The court officials agreed that Nathaniel Li's son would be the next successor to the Nanchen monarch.
As for Sebastian Duan's identity, that is not something Li Yanqiu can decide. Although Li Yanqiu is the emperor, when it comes to proving "who is my nephew", he is only standing as a witness and cannot change the prince at will.
In other words, if we want to depose Cai Yan, who has been recognized by Nanchen, and welcome Sebastian Duan as the crown prince, we must have enough evidence to prove that he is that person.
In the past two days, Li Yanqiu has discussed with Sebastian Duan that the evidence in their hands is insufficient. Even if Theodore Lang corroborates, it is only a witness. There is suspicion of collusion and more evidence is needed.
As long as the first confrontation in court fails to win the trust of the Manchu civil and military officials, extremely embarrassing problems will arise next. The ministers could neither be convinced that Cai Yan was fake nor admit that Sebastian Duan was real. We can only wait for more evidence and let the two "princes" stay in the palace until everyone is convinced.
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