Conducting business as a merchant in the Qing Dynasty entailed risking one's life, where a slight mishap could mean not just your own decapitation, but the decapitation of your entire family.
Merchants with an extreme lack of security began to seek and climb the social ladder, thus the merchant class of the Qing court became known distinctively as 'Red Top Merchants'.
The merchants who made contributions were awarded by the Imperial Court with a yellow riding jacket and a Top hat. The Wu Family's Wu Bingjian was once granted a third-rank Top hat, which was later revoked.
After all, the Wu Family is now considered traitors and lackeys; the common folk, naturally resentful of the wealthy, immediately cursed the Wu Family as the situation turned dire.
