Originally Posted by
Aedilred
I think the first may be more likely. After all the only real reason to legally adopt someone is to acknowledge them as heir to your estate. To adopt them without giving them a claim would seem to defeat the object rather.
That's true, I guess. Although it seems that Azure City has a broadly hereditary succession, it might be that it has an element of tanistry about it: that the ruler selects their heir from among a pool of available candidates within the royal family.
The "no female rulers" part might actually be it, though. That would explain why it's Shinjo's nephew who's expected to be his heir, rather than his sister.