There was once a popular question on a social media platform: "If you have a stable government job, donate a kidney to save your mother, and can no longer perform your duties as a result, will you be fired?" The answers were all a resounding no. Not only would you not be fired, you would be held up as a moral exemplar, becoming the beloved mascot of your entire workplace—the propaganda department's favorite kind of story.
By fasting and praying for the Empress's well-being to the point of fainting, one certainly showed sincerity. It even earned her a rare look of approval from the Empress Dowager.
To her rivals of the same rank, it was an excessively sycophantic, manipulative ploy. But to those in power, since an Imperial Physician had been sent and confirmed it wasn't a feigned collapse but a genuine faint requiring proper rest, that display of respect and dedication was enough to earn their approval.
And really, not everyone was willing to resort to such a tactic.
