Re Deng Xiaoping’s hold on power, despite resigning his official posts, he did an inspection tour of the south like a reigning emperor. He undoubtedly had key allies in his pocket, much in the way he was protected from Mao’s assassins while he was technically down-and-out politically:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping#Resignation_and_1992_southern_tour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jianying#Life
It’s pretty simple - Deng was the power behind the throne while Jiang Zemin was technically the leader. If Jiang had moved against Deng, Jiang would have found out who really ruled China, much as shoguns had Japanese emperors as puppets on a string for almost 700 years.
Fascinating recount of Chinese history. more
and by the way an olds delta 88 was your living room ...:)