Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

As Emperor Huizong was enraged by the actions of Zhao Tianming and his associates, Wang Zhiqiang's ambition began to swell rapidly. He knew this was a golden opportunity to seize Zhao Tianming's assets and realize his long-held scheme.

To ensure the plan's success, Wang Zhiqiang secretly met with Gao Qiu. In Gao Qiu's luxurious mansion, Wang Zhiqiang said with a fawning expression, "Grand Commandant Gao, now that Zhao Tianming and the others have been convicted, their properties are left unattended—a real piece of meat! If you can lend me a hand, you'll certainly reap the rewards in the future."

Gao Qiu narrowed his eyes, secretly calculating in his mind. He knew Wang Zhiqiang was cunning, but faced with such a huge temptation of profit, he was still tempted.

"What are your specific plans?" Gao Qiu asked.

Wang Zhiqiang leaned closer to Gao Qiu and whispered, "Grand Commandant, we can first use your influence in the court to advise Emperor Huizong to exaggerate the value of Zhao Tianming's assets, so that His Majesty can order their confiscation. Then, you can arrange for your trusted confidants to take over management, while I will secretly work to gradually transfer these assets to our name."

Gao Qiu nodded slightly: "This plan is feasible, but we must proceed with caution and lest we give others a handle to use against us."

Wang Zhiqiang repeatedly agreed, and then went to find Cai Jing.

In Cai Jing's study, Wang Zhiqiang respectfully presented a generous gift and said, "Grand Tutor Cai, there is a wonderful opportunity. If you help me, you will surely reap great rewards."

Cai Jing looked at Wang Zhiqiang calmly and said, "Tell me about it."

Wang Zhiqiang explained his plan to Cai Jing in detail. After listening, Cai Jing smiled and said, "Hmm, if this succeeds, it will also benefit me. But you must guarantee that everything will be done flawlessly."

Wang Zhiqiang patted his chest and assured, "Grand Tutor, rest assured, I will do my utmost."

With the support of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, Wang Zhiqiang began to take large-scale action. He first bribed some officials to deliberately exaggerate the scale and value of Zhao Tianming's properties in front of Emperor Huizong, claiming that if these properties could be brought under the control of the court, they could generate a lot of revenue for the court.

Emperor Huizong was furious and, believing these slanderous words, ordered the confiscation of Zhao Tianming's property.

Following this, Gao Qiu arranged for his cronies to take over these industries. Wang Zhiqiang, meanwhile, manipulated things behind the scenes, using various means to lower the industry's valuation and transfer assets.

They secretly altered the accounts, transferring valuable assets to their own businesses while leaving liabilities and bad assets in the confiscated assets.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhiqiang also used the influence of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing to suppress Zhao Tianming's subordinates and partners who dared to resist. Some merchants who had originally cooperated with Zhao Tianming were forced to cooperate with Wang Zhiqiang under pressure.

During this process, Wang Zhiqiang also made sure to win over some minor officials in the central government to provide cover for his actions.

Wu Yong was very frustrated when he learned that Zhao Tianming's general store had been seized and he couldn't find any clues. At this moment, He Xiang came running over, crying.

"Mr. Wu, something terrible has happened! A group of soldiers have come to the restaurant. They claim that Tianming has committed a crime and all his property will be confiscated." He Xiang sobbed uncontrollably.

Wu Yong's face darkened, and he thought to himself that Gao Qiu and Cai Jing must be behind this. He immediately ordered his men to temporarily stop the soldiers.

Upon hearing this news, Shi Qian and Shi Xiu angrily ran towards the officers and soldiers to argue.

"What makes you say Brother Zhao committed a crime? This business was built up through his hard work!" Shi Qian shouted at the top of his lungs.

The leading soldier's surname was He, and his name was He Yong. His eyes widened in anger, and he shouted, "Are you trying to rebel?"

Shi Xiu stepped forward, fearless: "We just want justice. Brother Zhao is an upright man and has never done anything illegal. You are framing him!"

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Zhang Bangchang stepped forward.

"I am Prime Minister Zhang Bangchang, stop right now!" Zhang Bangchang shouted.

The soldier surnamed He glanced at Zhang Bangchang and spat on the ground: "You retired guy, get out of my way. Who's going to listen to you?"

Zhang Bangchang trembled with rage: "You audacious scoundrel, how dare you be so disrespectful!"

Wu Yong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Zhang, I hope you can uphold justice in this matter. Zhao Tianming has always been law-abiding, there must be some misunderstanding here."

Zhang Bangchang snorted coldly: "Hmph, now that the officers and soldiers are acting under orders, I can't interfere."

Wu Yong said, "Lord Zhang, you have served as an official for many years and know that there must be some injustice involved. If Zhao Tianming's property is confiscated like this, wouldn't it discourage loyal and virtuous people?"

He Yong said impatiently, "Enough nonsense, we're taking this business today!"

Shi Qian's eyes darted around, and he whispered to Shi Xiu, "I'll go gather the brothers and see what they can do!"

Shi Xiu nodded slightly and continued to confront the officers and soldiers.

Before long, Shi Qian arrived with a group of Liangshan heroes.

"Who dares to touch Brother Zhao's property!"

Yang Xiong roared.

When He Yong and the others saw the Liangshan heroes arrive, they were somewhat intimidated, but they still tried to remain calm.

“Those Liangshan bandits dare to openly defy the law!” He Yong shouted.

Song Jiang said, "We are not resisting the law, we just want the truth. Zhao Tianming's property cannot be taken away without any explanation."

He Yong said, "This is the Emperor's decree. Do you dare to disobey it?"

Wu Yong said, "Even so, we must investigate thoroughly. We cannot convict someone based solely on one side of the story."

Neither side would back down, and the situation became increasingly tense.

Yang Xiong and He Yong's troops were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere on the scene was extremely tense.

"He Yong, don't you dare act recklessly! This restaurant belongs to Zhao Tianming, you have no right to seize it!" Yang Xiong shouted angrily.

He Yong, with an arrogant expression, held the seizure order in his hand and sneered, "Hmph, there are orders from above that Zhao Tianming has committed a crime, all his properties are to be confiscated, and all related personnel are to be taken away!"

Yang Xiong argued forcefully: "Zhao Tianming has been wronged; you are forcing him to confess!"

He Yong shouted impatiently, "Enough nonsense! Men, seal off this restaurant and take the people away!"

The officers and soldiers rushed forward, but Yang Xiong desperately tried to stop them, and the two sides began to shove each other.

Just then, Chai Jin arrived.

"Stop it, all of you!" Chai Jin shouted angrily.

He Yong glanced at Chai Jin sideways and said disdainfully, "Master Chai, you'd better not get involved in this matter."

Chai Jin stepped forward, stared at He Yong, and said, "He Yong, you rely on your little bit of power to act recklessly. Do you have any respect for the law?"

He Yong snorted: "Master Chai, this is an order from above, and I am just following orders."

Chai Jin was so angry that his face turned pale: "Acting under orders? You're clearly using your position to settle personal scores! This restaurant is innocent, you have no reason to shut it down."

He Yong didn't back down at all: "Master Chai, don't block my way, or I'll arrest you too!"

Enraged, Chai Jin raised his hand and slapped He Yong across the face.

"Smack!" The crisp, loud sound stunned He Yong.

“He Yong, I, Chai Jin, possess the imperial edict bestowed by the founding emperor. What can he do if I slap you or even kill you?” Chai Jin glared at him, his voice authoritative.

He Yong covered his face, both shocked and furious: "Chai Jin, how dare you hit me!"

Chai Jin stepped forward, his imposing aura overwhelming: "This is exactly what we're going to do, you ignorant fool! You think you can do whatever you want just because you have Emperor Huizong's decree? Let me tell you, justice will prevail, and right and wrong will be judged by history!"

He Yong felt a little guilty, but still stubbornly insisted: "Chai Jin, this is defying the imperial decree!"

Chai Jin sneered, "Disobeying the imperial decree? I think you're the one who's forging the decree to line your own pockets! With me here today, you can forget about shutting down this restaurant and taking these innocent people away!"

He Yong's eyes began to dart away; he knew Chai Jin's identity and the significance of the imperial edict.

Chai Jin shouted again, "Get out of here now! Otherwise, I'll make sure you regret it!"

He Yong gritted his teeth, hesitated for a long time, and finally led his officers and soldiers away in a sorry state.

Yang Xiong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked Chai Jin: "Master Chai, it's all thanks to your timely arrival, otherwise this matter would have become a huge mess."

Chai Jin waved his hand: "Brother Yang, no need to be so polite. It's just that the situation is getting more and more serious, and we need to find a way to rescue Zhao Tianming and the other brothers as soon as possible."

Yang Xiong nodded and said, "Master Chai, whatever you say, we will do as you say."

After a moment of contemplation, Chai Jin said, "Let's gather evidence first, and then find a way to meet with Emperor Huizong to seek justice for Zhao Tianming and the others."

Yang Xiong replied, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Afterwards, Chai Jin looked in the direction He Yong had left and secretly vowed to clear Zhao Tianming and the others' names and expose the conspiracy behind it.

Wu Yong and several of his Liangshan brothers sat together, their faces grim. Chai Jin sat in the main seat, his gaze fixed anxiously on Wu Yong.

"Mr. Wu, have you found out who is responsible for embezzling Brother Zhao's property?" Chai Jin asked.

Wu Yong shook his head slightly and replied with a solemn expression, "Master Chai, this person's true identity has not yet been found out. Judging from the clues we have so far, it seems that he is acting under an alias and is very well hidden."

After listening, Chai Jin frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he fell into deep thought. After a moment, he raised his head and said with a firm gaze, "Since that's the case, we can't just sit here and wait to die. First, send out men to secretly investigate inside and outside the capital, especially those who have done business with Brother Zhao or have had grudges against him. We can't let a single one of them go."

Everyone nodded and listened attentively.

Chai Jin continued, "Secondly, we can use our connections in the underworld to spread the word and offer substantial rewards. Perhaps someone will provide us with useful clues. Furthermore, we can start with Brother Zhao's businesses and carefully investigate any suspicious individuals who have recently had contact with these businesses."

Wu Yong interjected, "Master Chai, should we send someone to keep an eye on the government's movements?"

After a moment's thought, Chai Jin replied, "We must not act rashly. The relationships with the government are complicated, and the slightest carelessness could alert them. However, we can keep an eye on the daily activities of some officials to see if there is anything unusual."

“Furthermore,” Chai Jin continued, “we need to find a way to get close to people who might know the inside story, such as stewards or confidants of wealthy families, and try to get some unexpected information from them indirectly.”

At this moment, one of the Liangshan brothers said, "Master Chai, why don't we launch a surprise attack on those properties that have already been embezzled? Maybe we can find crucial evidence."

Chai Jin shook his head: "We must not be rash. Doing so could easily arouse the other side's suspicion and might even endanger Brother Zhao's safety. We must remain calm and plan carefully before we act."

Chai Jin stood up and looked around at everyone: "Brothers, this matter is fraught with difficulties, but we must not back down. We must find the mastermind behind this, give Brother Zhao justice, and not let such evil forces go unpunished!"

The crowd responded in unison, "We are willing to obey Lord Chai's orders!"

Following Chai Jin's instructions, the group quickly began their operation.