“Ye Daren, how do you plan to settle these beggars properly?” He Yanxiu pressed.

“This…” Ye Yongwang looked ashamed. “This humble official is incompetent; I can only think of some temporary relief measures from the government offices, and I have no proper long-term plan.”

“Miss Su does have a good plan here. Ye Daren, why don’t you listen to it?” He Yanxiu said. “If Ye Daren also thinks it’s very suitable, why not give it a try?”

“Really?” Ye Yongwang was overjoyed. “Miss Su really has a good plan to settle these beggars?”

Su Yujin, “…”

Hadn’t he said he had some matters to discuss with Ye Xianling?

So this so-called business of He Yanxiu’s was to first feign reproaching Ye Xianling and then use that to draw him into the discussion?

Still, this was a good thing. At least, after being deliberately put on the defensive at first, Ye Xianling would probably be eager to hear her thoughts…

Su Yujin cleared her throat. “It’s not exactly a good plan, just some ideas I wanted to share with Ye Daren.”

“Most beggars are vagrants. Although they have strength, they can’t work to earn a living, and ordinary people, even if they’d like to, dare not break the law and therefore dare not hire them. As a result, beggars can only beg on the streets, which not only makes the streets look unclean, but over time, it may also easily cause trouble.”

“So I thought that if the county government could step in and find a way for these beggars to make a living and let them work for the government, that would solve the problem.”

Ye Yongwang frowned upon hearing this. “However, although the government doesn’t discriminate based on household registration when hiring its servants, the number of servants is fixed. If we suddenly increase the number, I’m afraid it will be difficult to afford.”

In particular, he always respected the principle that officials should be honest and upright. Although he couldn’t be described as completely incorruptible, the entire Qinghe County government was certainly meager, and they really couldn’t afford to feed so many mouths.

“The government doesn’t need to pay. I’ll pay for this. Ye Daren only needs to use his position in the county government to manage it. If you manage it well and it goes smoothly, the government might even make a profit.”

Make a profit?

Ye Yongwang was surprised and overjoyed.

The government was meager and often couldn’t do anything extra to help the poor and needy or reward his subordinates, which often worried Ye Yongwang.

If it could solve the problem of the beggars and also earn some money for the yamen to supplement its daily expenses, that would be the best thing ever.

“Miss Su, please tell me quickly,” Ye Yongwang urged.

Seeing that the preliminary groundwork was almost sufficient, Su Yujin carefully explained her ideas to Ye Yongwang.

These beggars would be managed by the yamen, given fixed residences, issued bamboo tags symbolizing their identity, and registered one by one. The register would be posted publicly so that everyone would know their identities, and it would also serve a certain supervisory function.

Afterward, these beggars could go to the streets to take on errands, such as delivering goods to customers for shops or buying or delivering things for people who needed to buy things but were too busy to go themselves. They would receive a certain commission based on the size of the goods and the distance of the journey.

Qinghe County was adjacent to the capital and had a ferry crossing, attracting numerous travelers from both the north and south. Many arrived in Qinghe bewildered and encountered numerous inconveniences. These beggars could take turns at the city gate, acting as intermediaries to introduce inns and restaurants to merchants and passersby, earning commissions from them and accepting tips from travelers.

All the money earned by the beggars would be returned and redistributed proportionally.

Su Yujin, as the investor, would take 40%; the government, as the administrator, would also take 40%; and the remaining 20% ​​would be the beggars’ income, which they could save for their own use.

In addition to the initial investment, Su Yujin would be responsible for providing basic accommodation, daily meals, and uniforms for the initial period.

The yamen (government office) would need to manage the beggars, maintain daily order, resolve disputes, establish credibility and prestige for this business, and expand its influence.

Su Yujin spoke eloquently, while Ye Yongwang listened attentively, nodding frequently. “This method is truly excellent.”

It was indeed a brilliant idea that could solve the problem of beggars begging on the streets without costing the yamen a penny and even bring them some revenue.

“I need to discuss this with the people in the yamen over the next couple of days, roughly determine the division of labor, and then discuss it in detail after the Lantern Festival, and get started as soon as possible.”

He would do everything in his power to make this happen.

Seeing Ye Yongwang’s enthusiasm for this matter, a huge weight was lifted from Su Yujin’s heart.

But after a moment, Ye Yongwang frowned slightly. “This is a good thing, but beggars are used to begging and often have hostility towards the government. I’m a little afraid that if I suddenly tell them about such a great thing, they might not believe it.”

Although time will tell, their lack of cooperation in the early stages could easily lead to many problems.

“Ye Daren, there’s no need to worry. Among the beggars, there’s one named Huzi, who has some prestige. I know him very well. If I explain the matter to them in detail, they’ll probably understand and think it’s a good job,” Su Yujin said. “If Ye Daren is comfortable with this, then please entrust it to me.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Su,” Ye Yongwang said, bowing. “But I was thinking, since we’re doing this business and distributing uniforms to the beggars, why don’t we give them names and assign them numbers? That would be more standardized.”

“Since this was Miss Su’s idea and suggestion, why don’t you bestow the names?”

This would make the county annals more substantial and highlight Su Yujin’s contributions.

Those who devoted themselves to practical work and sought to bring benefits to others deserved to have their names remembered for generations!

“Since Ye Daren puts it that way, I shall not stand on ceremony.” Su Yujin thought for a moment. “What does Ye Daren think of the name Fei Mao Tui?”

Fei Mao Tui?((literally meaning “swift as a flying foot,” an expression used to describe someone who could run exceptionally fast.))

Ye Yongwang repeated the three words to himself for quite some time before nodding repeatedly. “I recall an ancient verse that goes, ‘Beneath Helan Mountain, battle formations rise like clouds; urgent military dispatches rush back and forth, their arrival heard day and night.’ In ancient times, urgent military documents were usually marked by attaching a feather to one corner of the envelope and were known as Yu Xi. Sometimes, when horses could not reach certain places, people with exceptional stamina and speed were tasked with delivering these dispatches. They ran incredibly fast, with steps as swift as flying, much like the Fei Mao Tui you mentioned, Miss Su.”

“These beggars have to earn a living by their feet, so naturally, the faster they run, the better. Describing them as ‘Fei Mao Tui’ is not an exaggeration, and it even has an encouraging effect. It’s truly excellent.”

Ye Yongwang cupped his hands to Su Yujin. “Miss Su is very knowledgeable and admirable.”

Su Yujin, “…”

After excluding the businesses belonging to the Tong generation and the Feng generation, she had simply thought of a three-character phrase most closely associated with running errands. She really hadn’t given it that much thought.

“Ye Daren, you flatter me.” Su Yujin quickly waved her hand.

“Miss Su, you are too modest.” Ye Yongwang cupped his hands again, his admiration growing even stronger.

Author’s Note: The line “Beneath Helan Mountain, battle formations are like clouds, urgent dispatches fly back and forth day and night” borrows from Wang Wei’s((Wang Wei (王维, 699–759): A renowned poet, painter, and musician of the Tang dynasty, widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of his era. The verse quoted here is from his poem The Old General’s Song (《老将行》), which describes the urgency of military communications and the movement of dispatches during wartime.)) poem “The Old General’s Song.” The term “swift-footed” originates from the ancient postal system and existed in ancient times. There’s even a story about “swift-footed” soldiers in *Water Margin*((Water Margin (水浒传): One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, traditionally attributed to Shi Nai’an. Set during the Northern Song dynasty, it recounts the adventures of 108 outlaws who gathered at Liangshan Marsh. The novel includes references to swift-footed soldiers, reflecting the historical association of exceptionally fast runners with military and postal duties.)) but its exact dynasty of origin is unclear. For the sake of the plot, this text won’t delve too deeply into that.

(End of Chapter)

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