Ailing Politburo Standing Committee member Huang Ju, arguably one of the mainland's most mysterious politicians, is likely to trigger an overdue shift in the balance of power before passing quietly into history.
Speculation about the 69-year-old core member of the 'Shanghai gang' has been gathering pace since September, when former Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu was sacked because of his involvement in a massive pension funds scandal.
Mr Huang, who spent almost all of his political career in Shanghai before being promoted to Beijing in 2002, was said to have been embroiled in the Chen case and was singled out as a likely next victim in President Hu Jintao's anti-corruption drive.
His declining health, which has confined him to hospital and kept him out of public sight for most of the past 12 months, certainly helped stoke the rumour mill inside and outside Beijing. That continued yesterday with the central government denying reports of his death.
His failure to appear at the funeral in January of veteran revolutionary Bo Yibo further heightened speculation that Mr Huang was critically ill and no longer able to carry out his official functions.
Another report, hinting at the unlikelihood of Mr Huang's recovery, said the party leadership had decided that Vice-Premier Wu Yi should now act as executive vice-premier, a post previously held by Mr Huang. This meant Ms Wu would preside over the State Council when Premier Wen Jiabao was away on foreign visits.
Mr Wen has reportedly taken over Mr Huang's portfolio in the Politburo Standing Committee responsible for the financial sector.