Cui Yuan continued, "Although Wei suffered devastating floods last year, as well as invasions by the Xiongnu and the Gan states, under the wise and courageous leadership of Wei's new emperor, the state not only did not falter, but instead quickly recovered and grew stronger. I think everyone can guess what Wei will do next, right?"

At this time, one of the businessmen stood up and said, "Wait a minute, Brother Cui Yuan, I want to say something."

Cui Yuan stopped his speech and said, "Brother Wang, please speak."

Wang An said, "Last year, it was your Gan State that invaded Wei. There's a huge hatred between you and Wei. Judging from Wei's actions now, it seems Wei is preparing to retaliate against Gan State in the near future. Aren't you going to send a message back to Gan State so that the court can prepare for a response?"

Cui Yuan sneered inwardly, muttering, "Everyone's a thousand-year-old fox, no one's going to give up." He'd just been planning to get these people to say something unfavorable about Wei so he could gain some benefits within the Wei court. He hadn't expected someone to use the same tactics against him now. If he said anything unfavorable about Wei, they'd definitely arrest him and report his crimes to the Wei court.

However, Cui Yuan remained calm and said, "Brother Wang, you are joking. I am now a member of the Wei State. Moreover, our Cui family moved to the Wei State long ago after His Majesty promulgated the new education reform. At that time, our Cui family donated 100,000 taels of silver to support Wei's education. At the same time, our Cui family also gained the trust and protection of Wei.

"Now, our Cui family enjoys the same rights as the common people of Wei. Our children have all enrolled in elementary and middle schools in Wei, receiving a Wei education. From now on, our Cui family are authentic citizens of Wei. Brother Wang, please do not mistake our family's nationality again."

Old Man Zhao began to speak, "Whoever came here wasn't a smart person who had established a foothold in Wei? As for returning to our own country, what status do merchants like us hold in the eyes of those in power? Even if we returned to our own country with the silver we earned from Wei and told those in power what we had seen and heard in Wei, they would not take our information seriously."

Even those in power might suspect that businesspeople like us are fabricating lies for personal gain. If that happens, not only will we lose the respect we deserve, we might even lose our lives.”

Old Man Zhao's words silenced everyone, because what he said was true. However, such things happened because, on the one hand, the authorities in various countries had deep-rooted prejudices against businessmen, and on the other hand, some businessmen would fabricate intelligence for their own benefit.

The most important point is that the Wei court is now run by the current emperor, who has worked hard to govern the country. There are no corrupt officials left in the court of Wei. Other countries simply do not have such a powerful emperor or such a clean and honest court.

When they really returned to their country with a large amount of silver, those greedy dignitaries and officials would not be interested in the information they provided when they saw them. Instead, they would directly regard them as fat sheep that could be harvested.

These officials didn't care if Wei attacked them. After all, even if Wei did attack, the emperor and his ministers would be responsible, not local officials. If Wei invaded their country, they could simply surrender, and perhaps even keep their positions and wealth.

In the hearts of these businessmen, they all know that in the current Wei State, not only the court ministers but also the people of Wei State have a strong sense of national honor, while officials from other countries on the Shengwu Continent have no so-called sense of national honor at all. They only care about their own interests.

Cui Yuan said with a wry smile, "Brother Zhao is absolutely right. We businessmen may seem prosperous, but we are actually walking on thin ice. Take, for example, the court ministers of the Gan Kingdom. They have no sense of national identity at all, and only see power and wealth. Many officials in the Gan Kingdom believe that what they do as officials is just to work for His Majesty the Emperor, and that the wealth they have plundered is real.

Moreover, these officials believed that even if the Gan Kingdom was defeated, they would be able to obtain an official position in the new court with their wealth, connections and Confucian knowledge and continue to enjoy wealth and glory.

If I truly returned to Gan with intelligence from Wei, as a merchant, I wouldn't be able to directly meet the Emperor or the court officials. All I could see were some local officials. However, these officials wouldn't take my humble merchant's information seriously. Instead, upon learning I was a merchant and had returned from Wei, they labeled me a Wei spy sent to Gan and executed my entire family.

After all, in their eyes, merchants are merely tools for profit, and they don't care about national justice. Even if they or their family were murdered and their property confiscated, and someone reported the matter to the emperor, the emperor and the court officials of the relevant countries would simply regard it as normal law enforcement by local officials and would not consider it a problem.

Cui Yuan's words illuminated the frustration and danger merchants faced in Wei. Other merchants, though not native to Wei, faced similar challenges in their home countries. He and his companions, having earned vast wealth in Wei, would return to their homeland and boast about its might. To officials in power, this was seen as devaluing their own country while promoting Wei, creating discontent within their own country and ultimately causing unrest.

In fact, there is no other way for these merchants. The only thing they can do now is to transfer their remaining property and family members in other countries to Wei as soon as possible. Otherwise, when Wei really launches a war, their families will be affected.

After Cui Yuan finished speaking, Wang An spoke up, "My country is similar to Brother Cui's. We merchants are wrong. Outside of Wei, where we receive fair treatment, the other countries on Shengwu Continent are merely the money bags of the rich and powerful. Moreover, our current situation is so awkward. Now, we can only fully become a member of Wei to ensure the safety of ourselves and our families."