Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Lu Junyi, Wu Song, Shi Qian, and Shi Xiu were temporarily imprisoned to await their fate. Upon learning this news, Dai Zong was extremely anxious and hurriedly searched for Zhao Tianming, Song Jiang, and Wu Yong to discuss countermeasures.

Dai Zong rushed over and found Zhao Tianming first. Zhao Tianming was busy in the restaurant when he saw Dai Zong rushing over in a panic, and he immediately felt something was wrong.

"Brother Zhao, something terrible has happened! Master Lu and the others have been imprisoned!" Dai Zong said breathlessly.

Zhao Tianming was shocked, nearly dropping the abacus in his hands: "What? How could this be?"

“Those two treacherous villains, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, used some tricks. Minister Li’s investigation concluded that the account books were forged. His Majesty was furious and imprisoned them,” Dai Zong explained anxiously.

Zhao Tianming frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This matter is of utmost importance. We must hurry and find Song Jiang and Wu Yong to discuss countermeasures together."

The two men rushed to where Song Jiang was. Song Jiang was pacing anxiously inside the house when he saw them arrive and hurriedly went to greet them.

"Brother Dai, Brother Zhao, you've finally arrived. What are we going to do?" Song Jiang asked, his face full of worry.

Zhao Tianming said, "Brother Song, don't panic, let's think of a solution together."

Just then, Wu Yong also rushed over.

"I've already heard about it; the situation is extremely critical," Wu Yong said gravely.

Song Jiang asked anxiously, "Mr. Wu, please think of a way to rescue them!"

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are now very powerful, so we can't just confront them head-on. We need to plan carefully and find their weaknesses."

Dai Zong asked, "Then where should we begin?"

Wu Yong analyzed, "First, we need to find out why Minister Li's investigation came to that conclusion. Was he bribed or threatened by Gao Qiu and his men? Second, we need to find new evidence to prove the authenticity of the account books."

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "That makes sense. I still have some connections in the capital, so perhaps I can inquire about Minister Li's situation through that."

Song Jiang said, "Alright, then I'll leave it to Brother Zhao."

Zhao Tianming immediately set off to gather information, while Wu Yong continued to ponder countermeasures.

After a while, Zhao Tianming returned, his face looking extremely grim.

"I've heard that several officials under Minister Li were bribed by Gao Qiu and deliberately tampered with the investigation," Zhao Tianming said angrily.

Wu Yong said, "Just as I expected. We must find a way to expose their conspiracy."

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, Dai Zong said, "I have a plan. We can send people to secretly monitor those bribed officials and find evidence of their dealings with Gao Qiu."

Wu Yong's eyes lit up: "This plan is feasible. But we must proceed with caution and avoid alerting the enemy."

So they arranged for people to monitor those officials.

Meanwhile, in the prison, Lu Junyi, Wu Song, Shi Qian, and Shi Xiu did not give up.

Lu Junyi comforted everyone: "Brothers, don't lose heart. I believe Brother Song and the others will definitely find a way to get us out of here."

Wu Song gritted his teeth and said, "Once we get out of here, I will definitely tear Gao Qiu and Cai Jing to pieces!"

Shi Qian cleverly observed the prison environment, wondering if there was any way to escape.

Shi Xiu clenched his fists silently, his heart filled with anger and resentment.

Just as everyone was actively plotting, the people in charge of surveillance discovered that a bribed official was secretly meeting with Gao Qiu's confidant at night. They quietly followed them, overheard their conversation, and obtained crucial evidence.

Zhao Tianming and the others were overjoyed when they heard the news.

Wu Yong said, "Now that we have evidence, we can see the Emperor again and clear our brothers' names."

Song Jiang said, "There's no time to lose, let's act immediately."

Carrying evidence, they prepared to embark once again on the arduous journey to seek justice for the people of Liangshan.

Because of the slanderous words of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, Emperor Huizong refused to see Zhao Tianming and his entourage.

Zhao Tianming, Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and others pleaded for an audience with the emperor outside the palace gates with evidence, but were ruthlessly blocked by the guards.

"His Majesty has decreed that he will not see you. Leave immediately!" the guard shouted.

Song Jiang was extremely anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, we have important evidence that proves Lu Junyi and the other brothers have been wronged. We hope you will be lenient with us."

The guards remained unmoved: "Stop talking! If you don't leave, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Wu Yong frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This can't go on. We need to find another way."

Zhao Tianming said angrily, "Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, those two traitors, have deceived the Emperor; they are truly despicable!"

Left with no other choice, the group had to leave the palace gates temporarily.

Back at their lodgings, everyone looked worried.

Dai Zong said, "Is there really no way to see His Majesty?"

Song Jiang sighed and said, "Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are spreading rumors in front of the Emperor. Now the Emperor is prejudiced against us. It will be as difficult as climbing to heaven to get an audience with him."

Wu Yong's eyes darted around, and he said, "Since we can't meet the Emperor directly, could we find a loyal and righteous person who can speak on our behalf to help us deliver messages?"

Everyone pondered for a moment, when Zhao Tianming suddenly said, "I have thought of someone, Minister Li of the Ministry of Rites. I've heard he's an upright official, so perhaps we could give him a try."

Therefore, they decided to send someone to contact Lord Li.

After some effort, they finally made contact with Lord Li. Upon hearing of this, Lord Li was also indignant about the actions of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, and expressed his willingness to help.

However, what they didn't know was that Gao Qiu and Cai Jing had already discovered their actions and were secretly plotting to prevent them from overturning the verdict.

In court, Minister Li petitioned Emperor Huizong to re-examine the case of Lu Junyi and others. Emperor Huizong was already troubled, and Gao Qiu seized the opportunity to slander him, saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Li must have been bribed by the Liangshan bandits and did this on purpose."

Emperor Huizong hesitated again, and Minister Li argued his case logically, but Emperor Huizong still did not express his opinion.

The Liangshan heroes anxiously awaited news, wondering if this would bring a turning point.

After agreeing to Song Jiang and Zhao Tianming's request, Minister Li dispatched his most trusted confidant to investigate. After several days of surveillance and investigation, the confidant finally discovered an important clue: Wang Zhiqiang was secretly meeting with Gao Qiu's steward Gao Sheng and Cai Jing's steward Hong Pangzi at Wang Zhiqiang's Fuxiang Restaurant.

Upon receiving this news, Minister Li decided to personally lead a team to Fuxiang Restaurant to arrest the three men on the spot and obtain crucial evidence. When they rushed to Fuxiang Restaurant, Minister Li kicked open the door to the private room, only to be surprised to find that the people sitting inside were not Wang Zhiqiang, Gao Sheng, and Fatty Hong, but Dai Zong, Yang Xiong, and Li Kui.

Minister Li asked in surprise, "What are you all doing here?"

Dai Zong quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Minister Li, we have also come to arrest someone."

Upon hearing this answer, Minister Li's heart sank. He realized that he and Dai Zong had definitely fallen into a trap set by the enemy, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing.

Dai Zong continued, "Minister Li, we received information that Fuxiang Restaurant is a secret stronghold of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's gang, and important figures will be discussing their conspiracy here today. We, the Liangshan brothers, are determined to clear the names of our unjustly accused brothers, so we rushed here to find incriminating evidence against them. Unexpectedly..."

Minister Li frowned and said, "It seems we've all been tricked. This must be a scheme by Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, deliberately spreading false information to lure us in."

Yang Xiong said angrily, "These two treacherous villains are extremely cunning!"

Li Kui brandished his double axes and roared, "I'm going to chop them down!"

Minister Li quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't be impulsive, the situation is not good for us now."

It turned out that after learning that Minister Li had agreed to help the Liangshan heroes reinvestigate the case, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing devised a plan. They deliberately had Wang Zhiqiang spread false information, saying that they were plotting something important at Fuxiang Restaurant. Then they arranged for Gao Sheng and Fatty Hong to hide elsewhere, while simultaneously sending people to closely monitor the movements at Fuxiang Restaurant.

When Dai Zong and his men arrived at the restaurant after receiving the news, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's men immediately reported to them. Taking advantage of this, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing quickly led Dai Zong and his men into a private room before Minister Li arrived with his men, creating the illusion that they were plotting something there.

In this way, it would both make Minister Li suspicious of the Liangshan group and undermine their cooperation, and give Emperor Huizong of Song a handle to accuse the Liangshan group of still harboring ulterior motives and trying to collude with officials.

After pondering for a moment, Minister Li said, "We need to consider this matter carefully and not let Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's treacherous scheme succeed."

Dai Zong said, "Minister Li, we Liangshan people sincerely want to expose their crimes, and we hope that you will believe us."

Looking into the sincere eyes of Dai Zong and the others, Minister Li said, "I naturally believe in your original intentions, but now we must find a way to get out of our current predicament."

The group discussed their next move in the private room, deciding to leave Fuxiang Restaurant first and then look for other evidence to prove Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's crimes. However, as soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, they found that Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's men were already surrounding them.

Gao Qiu's voice came from behind the crowd: "Minister Li, Liangshan bandits, how dare you collude in secret and plot treason! Today, you will not be able to escape!"

Minister Li roared, "Gao Qiu, stop making false accusations! It was clearly you who framed him!"

Cai Jing also said sarcastically, "The evidence is conclusive, yet they still dare to argue. Men, seize them all!"

Just at this critical moment, a shout of battle suddenly rang out. It turned out that Song Jiang had arrived with a large number of Liangshan troops.

Song Jiang shouted, "Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, your conspiracy will not succeed!"

A fierce battle ensued. Amid the chaos, Dai Zong, Yang Xiong, and Li Kui protected Minister Li and fought their way out.

After a fierce battle, they finally broke free from the encirclement of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing.

After Song Jiang and his men successfully rescued Minister Li, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were greatly alarmed. They knew that if this matter was not dealt with promptly, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, the two hurriedly rushed to the palace to meet Emperor Huizong.

Upon entering the palace, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were filled with trepidation and immediately knelt down. Gao Qiu was the first to burst into tears and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I failed to properly handle the matter of Minister Li's collusion with the Liangshan bandits."

Cai Jing, standing nearby, also cried out, "Your Majesty, your humble servant and Lord Gao had already found conclusive evidence and were about to arrest Minister Li to uphold the law. But who knew that Song Jiang would suddenly lead a band of bandits to ambush us and kidnap Minister Li? He is utterly audacious and lawless!"

While wiping away his tears, Gao Qiu continued, "Your Majesty, those Liangshan bandits have always disregarded the law. This time, they openly kidnapped an official of the court, which is clearly a provocation against Your Majesty's authority and a contempt for the court! If they are not severely punished, they will probably become even more reckless in the future and endanger the country."

Cai Jing then said, "Your Majesty, this matter must be decided quickly. Send a large army to besiege Liangshan and wipe out Minister Li and his gang of bandits in one fell swoop, so as to set an example for others and demonstrate Your Majesty's divine power."

The two knelt on the ground, trembling, kowtowing repeatedly, displaying extreme fear and loyalty.