Nobuyoshi had an ulterior motive that, even after he returned the administration to the Imperial court, he should be able to exercise his political clout as the chairman or as a powerful councilor of the lords conference which was to be organized later, because the Emperor Meiji was too young (in his 16th year) to have the ability to hold the reins of government, so was the Imperial court.
慶喜としては、まだ年若い明治天皇（当時数え年16歳）を戴く朝廷に政権担当能力はなく、やがて組織されるであろう諸侯会議で自らが議長もしくは有力議員となるなどの手段で、政治的影響力を行使できるはずという目論見の上での政権返上であった。