When all news sources are being controlled it is often only by word of mouth (rumors) that can get information spread.
Is this story true or false? I don’t know. But unlike others on this forum I will not shoot the messenger for passing it along.
The thing to remember about China is that it is not so much a “nation” as a crime organization. The change of leadership is often violent.
Under the leadership of Xi the free flow of money (where everyone skims a bit) has slowed. If Xi is taken out it will only because he has cut into the take of the other gang leaders.
Sometimes a rumor is just a premature fact.