Initially, the people were glad that Murong Sheng was victorious, believing that he would be a capable ruler. That Murong Sheng's reign would be a harsh one, however, was immediately hinted at as he considered executing his wife Princess Lan as being of the traitor Lan Han's family. His mother Consort Ding opposed—citing the fact that Princess Lan had protected both Murong Sheng and her—and Princess Lan was spared, but was never able to become empress. (However, Murong Sheng would also never create another person as empress during his reign.) In winter 398, he formally accepted imperial title, and he honored his father's wife Empress Duan as the empress dowager, while honoring his mother with the title Empress Xianzhuang ().