Xiongjing – In a shocking announcement yesterday evening, Bai Emperor Fengyang confirmed in his special televised address that his daughter, Princess Yu Shenghui, will formally succeed the throne after him.

This announcement comes after he returned from a trip to the Demirhan Empire, during which he suffered a stroke. While he had recovered and was in “good spirits”, he had to cut short his Ulethan tour and return back to Bai.

The announcement came earlier than expected, as the Emperor said previously last year that he would not officially designate a successor unless “necessary”. However, in his speech, he explained that he had to “officially designate” a successor so as to prevent confusion and uncertainty should his death comes prematurely.

Currently, there are no official rules or principles with regard to the succession of the Bai monarch. The Bai Yihuiting made plans to draft a succession law multiple times, though all attempts had been vetoed by the Emperor.

The succession will be the first power transfer for the throne in the current New Bai Dynasty. Yu Zeming, the father of the current Emperor, only held power as Crown Regent while his son was officially crowned Emperor. Emperor Fengyang only regained his full powers as Emperor following his father’s death in 1989.

Inside sources said that the announcement was completely unexpected even for senior government officials, with reports of officials rushing to line up in support of the Princess. Just this morning, Chancellor Li Shenkang said, “We must all prepare to rally around his successor. We greatly welcome his decision and will support the Princess’ ascension as the time comes.”

The Emperor has five sons and one daughter. His eldest, Prince Yu Shengde, who was initially widely speculated to succeed his father, died suddenly in a plane accident in 2007. The second son, Yu Shengwen, who is leading several key companies in the Empire, showed little interest in taking the throne. The Princess, however, regularly accompanied her father on trips, leading some to speculate she might be the next in line.