Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Emperor Huizong sat in the court, his face gloomy, his gaze stern as he stared at Gao Qiu and Cai Jing.

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing knelt below the hall, their hearts filled with fear and unease. Gao Qiu spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, this must be a misunderstanding! Your Majesty, neither I nor Grand Tutor Cai have ever done anything to harm Manager Zhao. It was all Tong Guan and that Wang Zhiqiang's doing!"

Emperor Huizong snorted coldly: "Where is the evidence?"

Cai Jing hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we have solid evidence." As he spoke, he took out a stack of letters and account books from his bosom and presented them with both hands.

The eunuch took the evidence from Cai Jing and presented it to Emperor Huizong. Emperor Huizong carefully examined it, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Cai Jing continued, “Your Majesty, these letters are secret correspondence between Wang Zhiqiang and Tong Guan. They intend to frame me and Grand Commandant Gao for their own gain. The account books clearly record the many benefits Tong Guan received from Wang Zhiqiang.”

Emperor Huizong slammed his fist on the dragon throne in anger: "How dare Tong Guan and Wang Zhiqiang be so audacious!"

Gao Qiu quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We were also misled by these two, which led to the misunderstanding with Manager Zhao."

Emperor Huizong questioned, "Then how did you obtain this evidence?"

Gao Qiu said, "Your Majesty, I sent a trusted confidant to secretly investigate this matter and discovered that Wang Zhiqiang left this evidence at a secret hideout when he fled. My confidant went through many hardships to retrieve it."

Cai Jing also said, "Your Majesty, after learning of this matter, I also mobilized all forces to assist Grand Commandant Gao in obtaining evidence, just to prove our innocence to Your Majesty."

Emperor Huizong pondered for a moment and said, "If this is true, I will certainly not let Tong Guan and Wang Zhiqiang off lightly. But you two will also not escape the responsibility for inadequate supervision!"

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing kowtowed repeatedly to apologize: "Your Majesty is wise. We will be careful and cautious in the future and share Your Majesty's burdens."

At this moment, Zhao Tianming stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, what Gao Qiu and Cai Jing said may not be credible. They have made things difficult for me in every way before, and now they are producing this evidence, which may be suspicious."

Gao Qiu glared at Zhao Tianming: "Manager Zhao, don't make baseless accusations! The evidence is conclusive, and you still want to deny it?"

Zhao Tianming said righteously, "Gao Qiu, you sent assassins to kill me, and Cai Jing, you instructed scholars to slander me. Are these also misunderstandings?"

There was an uproar in the court.

Emperor Huizong shouted, "Shut up, all of you! I will investigate this matter thoroughly myself."

After the court session, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing plotted in secret at the mansion.

Gao Qiu said with great concern, "Although we have temporarily stabilized the situation, I don't know if His Majesty truly believes in us."

Cai Jing said, "No matter what, we must be fully prepared. Send people to keep a close eye on Zhao Tianming and Tong Guan's movements."

Meanwhile, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong were discussing matters in the study.

After the court session, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong held an emergency discussion in the study.

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan and said with a profound look in his eyes, "Tong Guan has a huge influence and is backed by Consort Shu. A direct attack is not the best strategy. We need to start by dealing with his business operations."

Zhao Tianming asked eagerly, "What brilliant plan do you have, sir?"

Wu Yong said, "Tong Guan's many businesses rely on specific supply channels. We can try to cut off the supply of some of his key goods first. Send Shi Qian to secretly sabotage his transportation team so that the goods cannot be delivered on time. At the same time, the three Ruan brothers will lead some of their brothers to infiltrate the docks and control the flow of some important materials."

Zhao Tianming nodded in agreement and immediately arranged for people to carry out the plan.

Soon after, Tong Guan's business fell into chaos due to supply shortages, and his operations were severely affected.

Wu Yong added, "Taking advantage of this opportunity, we should send people to infiltrate Tong Guan's businesses, bribe some key personnel, and obtain internal intelligence."

Through bribed individuals, Zhao Tianming and others learned that Tong Guan, Wang Zhiqiang, and Consort Shu had a secret ledger that recorded evidence of their collusion and details of their illegal transactions. However, this ledger was hidden in Tong Guan's secret room.

Night fell over Tong Guan's mansion, a silence tinged with an eerie atmosphere. Shi Qian, dressed in black, leaped nimbly onto the wall like a nimble black cat.

He carefully observed the movements within the mansion, determining the patrolling guards' routes and schedules. Shi Qian knew that Tong Guan's mansion was heavily guarded, and the slightest carelessness could lead to utter ruin, but for Zhao Tianming to reclaim his property, he had long since disregarded his own life.

Taking advantage of the moment when the patrolling guards had just passed by, Shi Qian silently leaped down from the wall, landing as quietly as a falling leaf. Using his prior knowledge of the terrain, he quickly made his way towards Tong Guan's study.

However, just as he was about to reach the study, he suddenly heard footsteps. Shi Qian's heart tightened, and he quickly slipped into the nearby flower bushes. It turned out that two maids were walking by carrying lanterns, talking in hushed tones as they went.

"The master has been in a bad mood these past few days, so we all need to be careful."

"Who says otherwise? I heard something big happened in the manor."

Shi Qian held his breath and remained focused until the maid had gone far away before reappearing.

Upon arriving at the study door, Shi Qian noticed a large padlock. He took a thin wire from his pocket, gently inserted it into the keyhole, pressed his ear against the lock, and listened carefully to the sound of the lock cylinder. With a soft "click," the lock opened.

Shi Qian gently pushed open the door and slipped into the study. A faint scent of sandalwood filled the room, and the bookshelves were filled with books and scrolls. He quickly searched the study, leaving no corner unchecked where account books might be hidden.

He opened drawer after drawer and flipped through book after book. Sweat gradually beaded on Shi Qian's forehead, but he still couldn't find the account book.

Just as Shi Qian was starting to feel anxious, he suddenly noticed a book on the bookshelf that stood out from the crowd. Its slightly worn color contrasted sharply with the newer books around it. A thought struck Shi Qian, and he reached out to take the book.

Just as his hand touched the book, a mechanism suddenly activated. Shi Qian knew something was wrong. The floor of the study suddenly began to sink, and he quickly leaped onto a nearby table.

At that moment, a dense barrage of arrows shot out from the surrounding walls. Shi Qian dodged left and right on the table, narrowly escaping death. An arrow grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

But Shi Qian didn't panic. He quickly scanned his surroundings and noticed that the arrows were being fired in a predictable pattern. He seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of a lull in the barrage of arrows, leaped onto the bookshelf, clinging tightly to it and avoiding the subsequent attacks.

Once the mechanism stopped working, Shi Qian breathed a sigh of relief. He looked again at the book that had triggered the mechanism and discovered a small button hidden underneath. Shi Qian hesitated for a moment, then pressed the button.

With a rumbling sound, the bookshelf slowly moved, revealing the entrance to a hidden secret room behind it.

Shi Qian cautiously entered the secret room, which was dark and damp, exuding an old and worn smell. He lit a tinderbox, and the faint light flickered in the darkness.

Several boxes were placed in the secret room, which Shi Qian opened one by one to examine. The first few boxes contained gold and silver jewelry, but not the account books he wanted.

When he opened the last box, he finally saw a thick ledger. Shi Qian was overjoyed and was about to reach for it when he suddenly heard footsteps and voices outside.

"Sir, are you sure it's safe to keep the account books here?"

"Hmph, this secret room is full of traps and mechanisms, no one can find it easily."

Shi Qian's expression changed, and he quickly extinguished the tinderbox and hid behind a large box.

Tong Guan and his confidants entered the secret room. Tong Guan walked to the box where the account books were kept, inspected it, and muttered to himself, "As long as I have this account book, they won't dare to do anything to me."

The confidant said, "Sir, it's best to be cautious."

Tong Guan snorted coldly: "Strengthen the security in the mansion. I want to see what tricks they can play."

After saying this, Tong Guan and his confidants turned and left the secret room.

Shi Qian waited behind the box for a while, making sure they were far away, before reappearing. He picked up the ledger, stuffed it into his robes, and then carefully left the secret room.

However, just as he was about to leave the study, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"There is an assassin! Catch the assassin!"

Shi Qian's heart sank; he knew his whereabouts might have been exposed. He quickened his pace, rushed to the window, and broke it open.

At this moment, the guards in the mansion were rushing towards the study. Shi Qian ran and jumped on the roof, with the guards chasing closely behind him.

Arrows rained down on Shi Qian, which he nimbly dodged. Suddenly, he slipped and nearly fell off the roof.

Shi Qian clung tightly to the eaves to steady himself and continued to flee forward.

At a corner, Shi Qian saw a rope hanging down. Overjoyed, he grabbed the rope and slid down.

After landing, Shi Qian quickly blended into the darkness and, thanks to his familiarity with the terrain, successfully evaded the guards' pursuit.

When he returned to Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong with the account books, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Tianming said excitedly, "Brother Shi Qian, thank you for your hard work!"

Shi Qian wiped the sweat from his face and laughed, "What's a little hardship if I can help my brother reclaim his property?"

Wu Yong took the ledger and said, "With this ledger, we are one step closer to success."

After obtaining the ledgers, they discovered that some key pages had been smeared with a special solution by Tong Guan, making the writing illegible.

At this moment, the skilled scholar Xiao Rang stepped in. After careful research and experimentation with various potions, he finally made the blurred writing reappear.

Master Tong Guan’s table guide:

It has been a long time since we last corresponded; I respectfully inquire after your well-being.

It is truly an honor for me to associate with you, sir. I am deeply grateful for your guidance and care in the past, and I will always remember it. I am writing this letter to express my gratitude.

Recently, my businesses have seen some improvement, yielding considerable profits. Considering your daily toil and the affairs of the court, I cannot bear to see you suffer. Therefore, I have sent this gift of a thousand taels of gold, ten pairs of fine jade, and a hundred bolts of silk, hoping you will accept it with pleasure. This is my token of respect for you, and I earnestly hope you will not refuse it.

In addition, I have several acres of fertile land and a villa outside the capital. If you are interested, you may go there to rest at any time.

I am well aware of your great talent and ambition, and your lofty aspirations. I hope to continue to rely on your esteemed reputation and work together to achieve great things. I will certainly follow your lead and serve you with utmost loyalty.

Words cannot express everything; I will elaborate further later.

Respectfully submitted by Wang Zhiqiang