In the confusion, with the authorities distracted by firefighting efforts, the rōnin would storm the castle and kill key high officials.
The conspirators aimed to force the shogunate to relax its policies of seizing hans and dispossessing daimyōs, which under Iemitsu had deprived tens of thousands of samurai of position and income, adding them to the ranks of rōnin.
Marubashi Chūya fell ill, and, talking through his fever dreams, revealed secrets which made their way to the authorities by the time the rebels were ready to move.
Marubashi was arrested and executed in Edo; Yui Shōsetsu escaped that fate by committing seppuku, in Sunpu, upon finding himself surrounded by police.
Originally, most of the Elders sought to take severe measures, including expelling all rōnin from the city, but they were eventually convinced by Abe Tadaaki to take a more rational tack.