Saigo resigned as General of the Army, and as concurrent Sangi councilor, and as Konoe-totoku on September 23, and announced that he would return these ranks, but Iwakura, who finished maneuvering in the Imperial Court, submitted an opinion document for the indefinite postponement of dispatching Saigo separetely from a decision of the Imperial Court.
9月23日、西郷が陸軍大将兼参議・近衛都督を辞し、位階も返上すると上表したのに対し、すでに宮中工作を終えていた岩倉は、閣議の決定とは別に西郷派遣延期の意見書を天皇に提出した。