On the 30th, Japan replied to the letter, saying that it had given a reply to the matter of the Ryukyu domain, and there was no need to say more. On December 21, Foreign Minister Terashima Zong told China through the Japanese Minister to Qing that in the Peony Society incident, China had acquiesced that Ryukyu belonged to Japan and that the Ryukyu issue had become Japan's internal affairs. and apologize. He Ruzhang hoped to internationalize the incident because he was at a disadvantage in international law disputes and did not receive strong support from the Chinese government.
He encouraged the whatsapp database Ryukyu people to send their petition letters to the ambassadors of various countries in Japan, and the incident was made public. The ministers of various countries questioned Japan, but Japan presented evidence of international law of the Peony Club incident, and promised that the original contract between Ryukyu and other countries would remain unchanged, and all countries expressed their neutrality and non-interference. He Ruzhang's "international card" did not play. He Ruzhang's tough stance not only
made Japan respond with a tough response, but also closed the door to Sino-Japanese negotiations, and also accelerated the progress of annexing Ryukyu. In January 1879, Matsuda went to Ryukyu for the second time to urge the King of Ryukyu to suspend relations with the Qing Dynasty and was rejected. On March 11, Japan's Minister of State Affairs, Mijo Sanjo, announced the second Ryukyu punishment on the grounds that Ryukyu King Shangtai had disobeyed his orders, and Ryukyu abolished the domain and set it up as a county.