I want to know the answer to the following question:
How could a merchant prevent having to register as one?
All the background I'm provided with is that "These were often petty shopkeepers of urban marketplaces; merchants such as industrialists and itinerant traders working between a network of cities could avoid registering as merchants and were often wealthier and more powerful than the vast majority of government officials.". Is that enough to answer the question?
Answer: yes