Zhu Wencong now realizes their true purpose: they want to establish a cooperation with Jiuding, yet they are worried that others will learn of this partnership.
Being well-established official merchants, the Jin Shang have won the support of a large group of Lovers of Qing. In the eyes of the Lovers of Qing, the Jin Shang are more capable than foreign merchants; they believe foreign banks are nothing but imitations of Jin Shang banks.
Repeated defeats in foreign wars have left the Lovers of Qing with no outlet for their emotions. They will never admit to the Qing court's backwardness and decline; they will always believe the Qing court is the Celestial Empire.
The Jin Shang represent the Qing court's façade in commerce and finance. Even if Foreign banks offer lower interest rates, they must have ulterior motives; people would rather pay for the high interest rates of the Jin Shang.
