[drop 50 and fire for effect]

Correct, while Mr. Xi is the most powerful person in the party, he is still part of an oligarchy, not an absolute ruler. Other people want his jobs or fear a cult of personality. A crisis like this, If mishandled, makes him vulnerable.

Worst case, unlikely but possible, is that this is so botched, that the mishandling of this undermines the party’s legitimacy and triggers open conflict between factions/regions.

[Zhang Fei]

[Correct, while Mr. Xi is the most powerful person in the party, he is still part of an oligarchy, not an absolute ruler. ]

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Even absolute rulers weren’t necessarily able to do anything they wanted all the time. They were constrained by potential mutiny by powerful members (in their own right) of the imperial clan, influential courtiers, wealthy members of the gentry/aristocracy and military commanders appointed as self-sufficient viceroys to fend off significant foreign or domestic threats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yongle_Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Gao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Cao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Lushan

Mao was as powerful an emperor figure as China has ever had. And yet he failed to have Deng Xiaoping killed, protected as Deng was by a powerful regional military commander.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jianying

[Zhang Fei]

[Correct, while Mr. Xi is the most powerful person in the party, he is still part of an oligarchy, not an absolute ruler. Other people want his jobs or fear a cult of personality. A crisis like this, If mishandled, makes him vulnerable.]

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Not even for the greater good or out of any personal empathy - crises like these provide a window of opportunity to advance yourself to the head of the line at the expense of the incumbent. I’m sure Brutus was very idealistic guy, but one of his motivations was likely to set himself up as consul in Caesar’s place.