Eh, the title sounds weird. Whatever.
As most of us already know, Confucius is rumored to have said that merchants were bad because they didn't produce anything. Under the same idea, government bureaucrats don't really 'produce much' either.
So what would happen if the governments (Ming, Song, Tang, Joseon, Silla, whichever you want) felt that the merchants didn't produce anything - and chose to take over trading themselves? The merchants might be re-hired, of course, just as government employees (hey, free insurance!).
As most of us already know, Confucius is rumored to have said that merchants were bad because they didn't produce anything. Under the same idea, government bureaucrats don't really 'produce much' either.
So what would happen if the governments (Ming, Song, Tang, Joseon, Silla, whichever you want) felt that the merchants didn't produce anything - and chose to take over trading themselves? The merchants might be re-hired, of course, just as government employees (hey, free insurance!).