She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 428 - 427: A Capable Person

Chapter 428: Chapter 427: A Capable Person

Upon hearing the mockery from the two idle men, the Prince Household’s Steward didn’t get annoyed and invited the young man to the front of the signboard, "Could you please read this section to everyone?" The Steward pointed at a passage written on the signboard.

The signboard contained information about the Railway Carriage trial operation. The part indicated by the Steward read: An individual can only ride once every two shichen; disturbances and noncompliance will be reported to the authorities.

"Hey, look closely, I’m riding for the first time," shouted one of the idle men.

No sooner had the idle man spoken than a Government Official emerged from behind the Steward, "What’s going on here! What’s going on here! Causing trouble, are you? I’ve seen you ride three times already!"

Then another Government Official appeared, shamelessly chiming in: "That’s right, these two, they’ve ridden three times."

"..."

Even the people around them widened their eyes in speechless disbelief. Government Official, brother, the Railway Carriage has only been operated three times, okay?

One of the idle men said, "Look here, Officer, though you’re an official, your words should still be credible, right? I haven’t ridden the Railway Carriage even once."

The Government Official chuckled slyly, then pointed at the man beside him, "But he has taken a ride. Go on, if you want to ride, come back later this afternoon, and remember not to bring this companion of yours with you. My eyes are sharp; I remember every face that crosses my path."

What sort of professional conduct is this? Even if you’re messing about, you’ve got to pick the right place, and they dare to meddle with the business of Prince Yu’s Mansion?

Today’s task was one that the Steward of Prince Yu’s Mansion personally took to the Capital Prefecture Yamen through formal channels, and the Prefect himself had assigned them. After they arrived, the Steward of the Prince’s Household had even given them money for tea, so they needed to exert their utmost effort to fulfill their duties, to be able to account to the officials, and to live up to the tea money from Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Clearly, these two clowns were utter amateurs. The idle man who was falsely accused of riding three times felt indignant: "Doesn’t the sign say one can ride once every four shichen? Why can’t I come back later this afternoon?"

Even if he couldn’t come, he had some good brothers. He could just have them and their friends come by and mess around when they had nothing better to do. Riding for free, they had to get their money’s worth.

Ye Xinyan, who was sitting by the window in the teahouse, had already noticed many idle men among the crowd here to watch the commotion. Speaking of idle men, that was a very important profession in ancient times, they had to work to earn Silver. These guys... you could tell they weren’t successful in the industry at a glance.

Ye Xinyan turned to Guan He who was sitting at the neighboring table, "Big Brother Guan."

Guan He didn’t even glance her way, acting as if he hadn’t heard anyone call him.

Ye Xinyan was not discouraged. She knew that Guan He didn’t like her, and if it wasn’t for the Qi family’s stable life and the endless stream of novelties, they wouldn’t have been able to keep him. Similarly, Ye Xinyan disdained Guan He’s arrogance, but because of his great abilities and her younger brothers and clansmen learning martial arts from him, she wouldn’t show him any courtesy either.

Ye Xinyan pointed out a few scruffy figures in the crowd and said, "Big Brother Guan can tell which ones are idle ruffians, right? Could you help handle these few? Keep them farther away from the Railway Carriage route. If you could make them stay away out of fear and not dare to come anymore, that would be perfect."

The Railway Carriage was a legitimate means of transportation, and most, if not the vast majority, of passengers were women. If idle men and troublemakers constantly hung around here and occasionally boarded to cause disturbances, it would severely affect the reputation and business of the Railway Carriage.

"Aren’t there people from the yamen here?" Guan He asked, throwing a salted peanut into his mouth and chewing it leisurely.

Ye Xinyan explained patiently, "The people from the yamen can only maintain order according to the court’s regulations. How can they manage these people riding? If one of these troublemakers boards the eight-person carriages, the trip goes to waste. Gradually, the reputation of the carriage service will suffer."

"And isn’t there the Prince’s Household?" Guan He threw another salted green plum into his mouth.

Ye Xinyan frowned and said, "When people from the Prince’s Household intervene, where is it as convenient and quick as when Big Brother Guan takes action? Not to mention, your sudden appearances and disappearances carry a lot of deterrent power. Besides, the Prince’s Household would need a reason to act, right? If they just hover around the waiting area every day, doing nothing and not breaking the law, then the young ladies and women of status will end up staying far away."

In this era, unlike the past, encountering a pervert on a bus and being slapped by a beauty was an amusing story. Here, however, if a woman were to be molested or groped by a hooligan, it would mean a dead end for her.