When the topic of the Qing Dynasty's fate came up, everyone immediately perked up; the current Qing court was already in a precarious and unstable state.
On the surface, it had defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army, but in reality, the central government had lost control over its counterpart and struggled to issue effective orders.
The Qing court needed the provinces to recognize its legitimate rule, while the provinces likewise needed the Qing court to recognize their legitimacy. In essence, it was like a married couple sleeping in separate beds.
When Zhu Wencong mentioned migration to Songjiang or even overseas, the Zhejiang businessmen already had an answer in their minds, though they were still uncertain.
The instability of the political situation made every merchant live in constant fear, dreading the possibility of being persecuted and having their property confiscated one day.
