The Official Roads were trade routes built by the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty to facilitate commerce between the various states.
Most of the eight great merchant families of Qing State, for instance, used these trade routes to travel and trade goods. However, the largest merchants operating between states were the Imperial Merchants, which naturally involved even greater profits.
The Imperial Family had naturally set its sights on these profits. They had Imperial Merchants in every state—not just in name, but merchants who truly worked for the Imperial Family, with the majority of the profits ending up in its hands.
Qing State also had such Imperial Merchants, but the Cyan Yuan Sect paid them no mind, allowing them to develop freely.
As long as they didn't threaten the Cyan Yuan Sect, the Sect wouldn't interfere. This was their bottom line, a line shared not just by the Cyan Yuan Sect but by other sects as well.
