Maybe it can wait until next winter?

==>>> 'later' is always an option .... whats the hurry??? .. lets see how it reacts to what you already did.. and spend some time this season watching the 2 you want.. and gather enough info to make your decision ...

but i would plant on removing one or the other.. it bugs me when branches rub on each other ...

i dont know what you mean about the crotch ... unless you mean the crown at ground level ... there really isnt a reason you have to remove one all the way down ... but it might unbalance it even more.. if you leave a 2 or 3 foot branch ... but there is no reason you couldnt come up from the crown 3 or 4 inches.. or where ever you saw will actually fit in there.. without scarring whats left ...

i wonder what kind of saw you have ... is it rather thin bladed???

pruning and maintenance of flowering shrubs is an ongoing process over the years.. so there is always later.. or tomorrow.. or next year ... except for injured material ...

ken

Do you have a good set of bypass secateurs? I would remove those stubs sooner than later, but hold off on other pruning until next year.

Yep, we call 'em hand pruners in the US. You should have seen what it looked like before. I'm too tired to do more sawing so I'll take the stubs off and leave it alone.