She did so, and after initially announcing that Emperor Xiaoming's "son" by Consort Pan would succeed him, admitted that the "son" was actually a daughter, and instead selected Yuan Zhao the son of Yuan Baohui (元寶暉) the Prince of Lintao, two-years in age, to succeed Emperor Xiaoming.
When this plot was discovered, Empress Dowager Hu poisoned Emperor Xiaoming and installed Yuan Zhao, a young child of an imperial prince, as emperor.
The general Erzhu Rong, with whom Emperor Xiaoming had conspired against Empress Dowager Hu, refused to recognize Yuan Zhao as emperor, quickly descending on the capital Luoyang with his troops and declaring a son of Emperor Xiaowen's brother Yuan Xie, Yuan Ziyou, emperor (as Emperor Xiaozhuang).
Yuan Dynasty | Yuan | Chinese yuan | yuan | Legislative Yuan | Executive Yuan | Yuan Shao | Yuan Ye | Yuan Shikai | Erzhu Zhao | Zhao Ziyang | Yuan T. Lee | Vincent Zhao | Zhao Yun | Zhao | Yuan Zhao | Eugenia Yuan | Emperor Yuan of Jin | Zhao Yi | Zhao Wei | Zhao (state) | Zhao Lianhai | Zhao Lei | Zhao Dayu | Zhao Benshan | Yuan Zhen | Yuan Ze University | Yuan Xie | Yuan Ke | Yuan Huangtou |
In 528, with Empress Dowager Hu and Emperor Xiaoming in a conflict after Emperor Xiaoming wanted to put Empress Dowager Hu's lover Zheng Yan (鄭儼) to death by conspiring with the general Erzhu Rong, Empress Dowager Hu poisoned Emperor Xiaoming and put the young child Yuan Zhao, a great-grandson of Emperor Xiaowen from a collateral line, on the throne.
He made Yuan Xie's son Yuan Ziyou emperor (as Emperor Xiaozhuang) and threw Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Zhao into the Yellow River to drown.