Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

Zhao Kuangyin paced back and forth in the palace, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

Tianmu wasn't particularly enthusiastic when praising people, but when it came to dirty business, he always managed to bring up the Song Dynasty.

Did professional beggars originate in the Song Dynasty?

If this blame is placed on him, wouldn't Zhao Kuangyin become a laughing stock of the world?

Zhao Kuangyin stopped and turned to ask Zhao Pu, "How many beggars are there in Bianjing?"

After stammering for a while, Zhao Pu finally managed to squeeze out, "I haven't paid attention to that."

Zhao Kuangyin rolled his eyes.

"You, a high-ranking official, can't even say how many beggars there are in the capital?"

Zhao Pu looked ashamed, but also aggrieved—what kind of good person would become prime minister and spend their time counting beggars?

Isn't that crazy?

Seeing that Zhao Pu couldn't give a clear answer, Zhao Kuangyin ordered the prefect of Kaifeng to mobilize officials to conduct a search of all the beggars in the city.

He sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes fixed on the sky.

"I want to see what the tricks of the trade are in this beggar's business."

"Having thoroughly investigated their situation, I will then formulate a plan to completely eradicate these parasites."

Next, we will divide them into five categories to take a look at beggars in the traditional sense.

They can be broadly divided into five categories: beggars, swindlers, disabled people, people with talents, and scoundrels.

Let's start by talking about the most common type of beggar, which is also the group that best fits the public's perception.

But a poor person can become a beggar, and a beggar is not necessarily poor.

The beggars we see on the street usually ask for money, and some even have QR codes on hand, as if they're afraid you won't be able to pay.

But would someone truly desperate, starving and dizzy, ask for money?

"You know what—"

One of the men suddenly realized what had happened and slapped his thigh in frustration, "Last time I gave a beggar two steamed buns, and he turned around and threw them on the ground."

"I was puzzled at the time. These days even beggars are picky about food. So they were just pretending to be poor to scam money!"

"In all my life, I've only ever met two beggars who would be happy to be given food."

"No wonder my elders say, 'Give some food to those who ask for money, and give some money to those who ask for food.'"

"Damn it! I toil my butt off carrying goods at the docks for a few dozen coins, while those beggars just lie on the ground groaning and get paid?"

These words stung the hearts of those around them.

In the past, when I saw a beggar looking pitiful, I would give him a few coins to ease my conscience.

Looking back now, that wasn't doing good deeds at all; it was clearly being exploited and sold off as a bargaining chip.

The faces that had initially shown some sympathy now all wore expressions of disgust.

Some people declared on the spot that they would not give a single penny to a beggar if they ever encountered one again.

Therefore, this is the first type of beggar, whether they ask for money or food, they are all classified as beggars.

Some people say, what kind of threshold is there? Who doesn't beg for food?

It's too narrow. Beggars are organized and disciplined, so it's not easy for them to make a living this way.

Even the most basic thing is that you have to be willing to lose face.

Choosing to be a beggar is tantamount to giving up all social dignity.

The ancients had a tradition of laughing at poverty but not at prostitution; beggars were even ranked after prostitutes, which shows how low their status was.

Why are beggars so disliked?

Although scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants have different social statuses, they must each perform their respective duties for society to function.

Beggars are a useless parasitic group. I can't even collect taxes, so why should I respect you?

"That's a very clear point, but it's not all there is to it."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang simply nodded and offered this single comment.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao's eyes flickered slightly, and a look of curiosity appeared on his face.

He really wanted to ask what hadn't been said completely, but he didn't dare to ask Old Zhu.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor, and he asked the reigning emperor how to beg. Even the crown prince wouldn't dare to do that!

Zhu Biao was struggling with his thoughts when he heard a soft laugh.

"If you want to ask, just ask! Why are you holding it in?"

"Your subject dares not."

"What's there to be afraid of? We used to be beggars, what's there to be afraid of saying?"

Zhu Yuanzhang answered casually and frankly, "Not only will we say it, but we will also make sure the historians record it, so that future generations will know that I, Zhu Yuanzhang, rose from a beggar to become the supreme ruler!"

These words resonated deeply, and the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall all lowered their heads, even their breathing became soft.

Zhu Yuanzhang's indifference to his past does not mean that the Huai-Xi group was indifferent.

If anyone lets slip the secret, the consequences will be absolutely dire—they will be skinned alive and their entire family wiped out!

Seeing his father so open and honest, Zhu Biao grew bolder, took a half-step closer, and asked in a low voice:

"Father, what exactly did Tian Mu omit from his explanation?"

Zhu Yuanzhang squinted, his thoughts drifting back to those years of famine and hardship.

"In the past, beggars might have genuinely been trying to get food, but by the end of the Yuan Dynasty, things were different."

"These beggars nowadays, calling them a bunch of thugs and hooligans in rags wouldn't be an exaggeration!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and spoke with great force.

"Back when we were begging in Haozhou, I saw with my own eyes that kind merchants gave beggars small amounts of silver. Dozens of beggars immediately appeared, all of them strong men in their twenties or thirties."

"The beggars surrounded the merchant, demanding that he not show favoritism and wouldn't let him leave without giving him money."

Zhu Biao felt a chill run down his spine, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"What's the difference between this and highway robbery? It's just a different face, a different skin."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said hatefully, "It is because of these scoundrels that the people dare not give alms easily, leaving beggars who truly need help to freeze and starve to death."

"Those thugs profit from beggars but tarnish their reputation; they deserve to die!"

"So that's how it is. No wonder the laws enacted by Father Emperor are so strict on beggars."

Only after hearing this did Zhu Biao understand the reason.

These scoundrels who take advantage of others' kindness to commit fraud and robbery deserve severe punishment!

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"This is just the beginning. You'll understand why we set such severe punishments as we go on."

These are just basic beggar examples. Let's take a look at how professional beggars beg for food.

In short, it boils down to three things: playing the victim, saying nice things, and being shameless.

Professional beggars rely on these three tricks, employing different begging tactics in different scenarios.

For example, when they go to people's homes, they rely on playing the victim to gain sympathy, and they always manage to run into a kind person.

But when you get to the shops along the street, you can't play the victim anymore; you have to start by asking for good luck.

They shout "May your business prosper!" or "May your wealth increase!" as soon as you enter the door, whatever sounds good.

Merchants want good fortune, and besides, it doesn't look good to have a beggar squatting in front of their shop, so they simply give him a few coins to send him away.

"Ahem, actually, there's one more thing missing from the sky screen."

Under the sky, someone suddenly whispered something.

Curious onlookers swarmed around, bombarding him with questions.

"Sir, what else? Tell me quickly, what are the rules?"

The man speaking was a traveling peddler who had been around the country. He took a sip of water and cleared his throat.

"There's another kind, called 'crashing a happy funeral'."

"Stealing a wedding feast?" Most ordinary people are honest and law-abiding citizens, and they have never heard of such jargon.

"It's similar to what Tianmu said about seeking good fortune, but it places more emphasis on skill."

The peddler explained, "These people usually go around asking around, finding out who's getting married or having a funeral, and they'll show up on time that day."

"They start reciting rhymes as soon as they enter the door, say nice things when there's a happy occasion, and kneel down and kowtow when there's a funeral."

"The host wants things to be lively and prosperous, so these people go along with it and naturally succeed in begging."

"Giving a large sum of money, or arranging a place for them and providing them with a full meal, is a common occurrence."

"oh--"

The surrounding people exclaimed in surprise, never expecting that there were so many rules to begging.

But if you think about it carefully, if people pay you to say nice things, then if they don't pay you, wouldn't they cause trouble on the spot?

All things considered, it's shameless!

As expected, the comments confirmed the public's suspicions.

(What's with all the nice talk? It's just extortion and harassment. And they're trying to make a scene by claiming it's a happy occasion to glorify themselves.)

(If you don't give them money, those beggars will put on a show for you on the spot, showing you what it means to act crazy when you're drunk.)

(Aren't there similar cases now? People just stop a caravan whenever they see one, they're even worse than beggars in ancient times.)

(At least beggars offer some emotional value, but traffic jams are just plain stupid; they're there specifically to disgust people.)

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the comments and chuckled softly.

"Begging is considered well-behaved; those behind are truly not good people."