What authority privileges did Beggar's Union Chiefs Emeritus retain?

[Ken Cheng]

The Beggar's Union was one of the luckier wulin organizations in Jin Yong's world in that in at least three known cases, the previous Beggar's Chief was able to voluntarily cede the position to his/her successor and then go on to many more years of life. After North Beggar Hung 7 Gung ceded the Union Chief position to Wong Yung, he lived and remained active in wulin for another twenty years. In turn, Wong Yung passed on the Union Chief position to Lo Yau Gerk and would still be around when Lo died and the position fell next to Wong Yung's own son-in-law, Yeh Lut Chai.

In such cases, when the previous Union Chief hands over power to the next Chief, but remains alive and in good graces with the Union (which excludes Kiu Fung and a few others who lived after being forced to surrender the Chief position), does that Union Chief Emeritus continue to have any authority in Union affairs?

[PJ]

In DGSD, it is stated that the previous chief would be positioned under the current chief. So his official power is limited, but his influence may be much bigger.

[Ken Cheng]

In DGSD, it is stated that the previous chief would be positioned under the current chief. So his official power is limited, but his influence may be much bigger.

Complicating this is that at least during DGSD, there was also an office of Deputy Union Chief. Nothing was written about such an office in the Beggar's Union during the CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY, though.