Eventually, when rumors began to fly that Cloistered Emperor Uda was going to raise Michizane's son-in-law, the Imperial Prince Tokiyo, to the rank of Kotaitei (one rank below the heir apparent), those who were nursing secret resentment against Uda and Michizane for their political maneuvers, including Emperor Daigo, FUJIWARA no Tokihira, and FUJIWARA no Sugane (the new Majordomo of the palace following TAIRA no Hidenaga's recent death by illness), began to plan how to recover control over the government.
やがて、宇多法皇が道真の娘婿でもある斉世親王を皇太弟に立てようとしているという風説が流れると、宇多上皇や道真の政治手法に密かに不満を抱いていた醍醐天皇と藤原時平、藤原菅根（折りしも病死した平季長の後任の蔵人頭に就任していた）らが政治の主導権を奪還せんとしたのである。