Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

With the help of Chai Da Guanren, Zhao Tianming and his group conducted a thorough investigation and discovered that Wang Zhiqiang's backers were actually Cai Jing and Gao Qiu, two powerful figures who held sway over the court.

Upon learning this shocking truth, everyone was well aware of the difficulty and danger of the matter, but they did not back down.

Wu Song decided to continue tracking Wang Zhiqiang, searching for direct evidence of his collusion with Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. He lay in wait day and night near Wang Zhiqiang's residence, observing everyone who came in and out.

Shi Qian then used his expertise to infiltrate Wang Zhiqiang's residence once again. This time, he was more cautious, avoiding the newly added guards and various traps. After a careful search, he found some letters in Wang Zhiqiang's secret room, correspondence between him and Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. However, the contents of these letters were cryptic and not yet sufficient to serve as conclusive evidence.

Using his wisdom, Shi Xiu analyzed the clues he had collected and the letters Shi Qian had found, and deduced the possible methods and timing of the transfer of benefits between Wang Zhiqiang, Cai Jing, and Gao Qiu.

Using his connections in officialdom, Yang Xiong attempted to extract inside information about the collusion between Wang Zhiqiang, Cai Jing, and Gao Qiu from various officials. He spared no expense in bribing minor officials who knew the inside story but feared the power of Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. These officials provided crucial clues, giving their investigation a new direction.

Using his wealth and influence, Lu Junyi began to secretly collect accounting information related to Wang Zhiqiang's businesses, and through some special channels, he obtained some financial records from Cai Jing and Gao Qiu's residences.

Song Jiang was responsible for coordinating everyone's actions, while also figuring out how to integrate these scattered clues and evidence into a powerful document that could bring down Cai Jing and Gao Qiu.

After everyone's tireless efforts, sufficient evidence was finally collected. However, this evidence still needed to be organized into a clear and convincing document.

So, the group invited the quick-witted Xiao Rang. After carefully studying all the evidence, Xiao Rang began to write furiously. With rigorous logic and sharp words, he exposed Wang Zhiqiang's crimes of embezzling Zhao Tianming's property and colluding with Cai Jing and Gao Qiu, and elaborated on their criminal methods and the harm they caused.

In drafting the document, Xiao Rang carefully considered every word to ensure that each word was accurate and persuasive.

After the document was completed, the group discussed and revised it multiple times to ensure that everything was perfect.

However, they also knew that this document alone was not enough. Cai Jing and Gao Qiu wielded immense power in the court, and their relationships were complex and intertwined. If they rashly submitted the document, it was very likely that it would be intercepted or destroyed by their cronies.

To ensure the documents could be delivered to the emperor smoothly, Song Jiang devised a plan.

He arranged for Yan Qing to infiltrate the palace and make contact with a trusted eunuch close to the emperor. Yan Qing, with his handsome appearance and quick wit, successfully gained the eunuch's trust.

The eunuch agreed to help secretly deliver the documents to the emperor.

With nowhere else to turn, Wang Zhiqiang finally sought refuge with Tong Guan. Knowing that his past crimes could not be concealed, he decided to take a desperate gamble in order to find a way out.

In Tong Guan's study, Wang Zhiqiang knelt on the ground in fear and trepidation, his forehead pressed against the ground, and said, "Lord Tong, I have no other way to go but to rely on you and beg for your protection."

Tong Guan sat behind his desk, toying with a jade seal in his hand. He glanced at Wang Zhiqiang and said coldly, "The things you've done are no small matter. Why should I take in a troublemaker like you?"

Wang Zhiqiang raised his head, his eyes filled with eagerness and flattery, and said, "Lord Tong, I am willing to offer you all the properties I obtained from Zhao Tianming. These properties are vast and highly profitable, enough to take your wealth to the next level."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint of greed flashed in Tong Guan's eyes, but he still said, "With just these businesses, you think you can make me take on this huge risk for you?"

Wang Zhiqiang quickly said, "Lord Tong, I have another plan that will surely allow you to not only obtain the property but also reap the benefits."

Tong Guan raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling Wang Zhiqiang to continue.

Wang Zhiqiang lowered his voice and said, "Lord Tong, I plan to transfer all the property deeds to your name. Then, we'll deliberately spread the word so that Gao Qiu and Zhao Tianming both know about this. Gao Qiu is greedy by nature, and seeing that you've gained such a great benefit, he'll surely become jealous and resentful. And Zhao Tianming, in order to reclaim his property, will definitely harbor resentment towards you. They'll inevitably clash and fight each other because of this."

Tong Guan put down the jade seal in his hand, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and pondered Wang Zhiqiang's words.

Seeing that Tong Guan was wavering, Wang Zhiqiang continued, "Lord Tong, by then, Gao Qiu and Zhao Tianming's factions will inevitably fight to the death. Not only will you be able to enjoy these properties, but you can also take advantage of their infighting to weaken Gao Qiu's power and consolidate your position in the court. I am willing to serve Lord Tong wholeheartedly, offering advice and strategies to ensure that everything proceeds according to plan."

Tong Guan stood up and paced back and forth in the study, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

After a while, Tong Guan stopped and stared at Wang Zhiqiang, saying, "Your plan sounds good, but you should know the consequences if it is exposed."

Wang Zhiqiang kowtowed repeatedly and said, "Lord Tong, rest assured, I will act with caution and ensure that nothing goes wrong in this matter."

Tong Guan nodded slightly and said, "Then we will proceed according to your plan. If it succeeds, you will be rewarded handsomely. But if it fails, hmph, you can expect to be torn to pieces."

Wang Zhiqiang felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly thanked him, saying, "Thank you very much, Lord Tong. I will certainly not let you down."

Subsequently, Wang Zhiqiang began to handle the transfer of property ownership. He secretly contacted his confidants, forged various documents and contracts, and gradually transferred Zhao Tianming's property to Tong Guan's name.

At the same time, Tong Guan also deliberately revealed on some occasions that he had acquired this batch of assets, as planned.

Upon learning of this, Gao Qiu was indeed furious. He roared in his mansion, "That old bastard Tong Guan dared to take advantage of the chaos and snatch such a large piece of meat!"

Gao Qiu's men offered various suggestions, with one saying, "Grand Commandant, we cannot let Tong Guan succeed; we must find a way to reclaim these properties."

Gao Qiu pondered for a moment and said, "First, send someone to investigate and see if there is any trickery involved."

On the other hand, Zhao Tianming was furious when he learned that his assets had been transferred to Tong Guan.

He summoned his confidants and said, "Tong Guan and Wang Zhiqiang colluded to embezzle my property. I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

Tong Guan knew this restaurant was a hot potato, but now that it was in his hands, he would not allow anyone else to take it away. In order to consolidate his control over the restaurant, he decided to seek help from Consort Shu.

Tong Guan carefully selected a fine jade bracelet and went to Consort Shu's palace. Consort Shu was reclining on the couch, with a palace maid gently fanning her beside her.

Upon seeing Consort Shu, Tong Guan immediately knelt down and bowed, saying with a beaming smile, "Your Highness, this is a jade bracelet that I specially sought out for you. It is a rare treasure, and only someone as beautiful as you is worthy of such a fine item."

Consort Shu glanced at the jade bracelet in Tong Guan's hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she still pretended to be reserved and said, "Lord Tong, what do you mean by this? I dare not accept such a valuable gift from you so casually."

Tong Guan quickly replied, “Your Majesty, you flatter me. I have always held Your Majesty in high esteem, and this jade bracelet is merely a small token of my respect. Moreover, I have another matter to ask Your Majesty to put in a good word for me before His Majesty.”

Consort Shu sat up slightly and asked, "What is it? Tell me."

Tong Guan leaned closer to Consort Shu and whispered, "Your Majesty, I recently acquired a restaurant and intended to run it well to bring in more revenue for His Majesty. However, somehow the news got out, and I'm worried that someone might try to sabotage it. I hope Your Majesty can speak to His Majesty on my behalf and issue an edict to ensure that I can run this restaurant safely."

Consort Shu gently stroked the jade bracelet in her hand, and after a moment of thought, said, "Lord Tong, I am naturally aware of your loyalty to His Majesty. However, I need to find a suitable time to discuss this matter."

Tong Guan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful. I will remember Your Majesty's kindness as long as Your Majesty is willing to help me."

Consort Shu nodded and said, "Fine, I'll help you this time."

A few days later, seeing that Emperor Huizong was in a good mood, Consort Shu began to recount Tong Guan's past military achievements.

Consort Shu said sweetly, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the great military achievements that Lord Tong Guan made for the court in the past? He truly made great contributions to our dynasty."

Emperor Huizong nodded slightly and said, "I will naturally remember Tong Guan's contributions."

Consort Shu continued, "Now that Lord Tong has acquired another restaurant, he wants to manage it well and increase the revenue for His Majesty's treasury."

Emperor Huizong laughed and said, "Oh? Tong Guan is quite thoughtful."

Consort Shu seized the opportunity and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you bestow a plaque upon Lord Tong's restaurant? That would motivate Lord Tong to serve Your Majesty even more."

Emperor Huizong was in a good mood and immediately said, "Very well, then I will bestow upon him a plaque."

So Emperor Huizong went to the imperial study, picked up his brush, pondered for a moment, and wrote the four characters "琼楼玉宇" (qionglou yuyu).

When Tong Guan learned that Emperor Huizong had bestowed a plaque upon him, he was overjoyed and rushed to the palace to express his gratitude.

Tong Guan knelt in the imperial study and said excitedly, "Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Emperor Huizong waved his hand and said, "Tong Guan, you must manage this restaurant well and not disappoint me."

Tong Guan kowtowed repeatedly: "This humble official will obey Your Majesty's decree."

With the calligraphy bestowed by Emperor Huizong, Tong Guan's restaurant became famous overnight, and Tong Guan became increasingly proud.