Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Chen San, one of Pang Wanchun's subordinates, rushed over and reported some startling news to Pang Wanchun.

"General, I've uncovered a major secret. Xiao Lie has been secretly buying and selling imperial military rations, a capital offense! And I also know the location of the secret warehouse where these rations are stored." Chen San lowered his voice, his eyes filled with tension and excitement.

Upon hearing this, Pang Wanchun was startled and immediately summoned Wu Yong and Zhao Tianming to discuss the matter.

"Gentlemen, Chen San just brought news that Xiao Lie dared to buy and sell imperial military rations. This is a golden opportunity to bring him and the Deputy Privy Councilor down," Pang Wanchun said urgently.

Wu stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This matter is of utmost importance. We need to investigate carefully to prevent any fraud."

Zhao Tianming nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother Wu is absolutely right, but if this is true, they will certainly be severely punished."

Chen San said from the side, "I have personally seen the relevant documents and signs of the transaction, so this matter should be true."

After a thorough investigation, Wu Yong and the others concluded that the evidence was conclusive and decided to inform Su Yuanjing of the matter.

They rushed to Su Yuanjing's place and reported the situation they had gathered.

Upon hearing this, Su Yuanjing's expression turned stern, and he said, "If that's really the case, we must bring them to justice."

So Su Yuanjing led his men to the secret warehouse. However, when they arrived, they found that all the deputy privy councilors in the warehouse were dead, and the scene was in chaos.

Meanwhile, a group of people suddenly gathered outside Su Yuanjing's temporary residence in Jiangnan.

At this moment, one of Su Yuanjing's men rushed over and said anxiously, "My lord, something bad has happened! A group of people have gathered in front of the mansion gate. They are all indignant and are demanding to see you."

Su Yuanjing frowned, wondering what had happened. Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, we will accompany you to investigate."

Zhao Tianming echoed, "We must find out the reason behind this."

So, Su Yuanjing led Wu Yong, Zhao Tianming, and the others quickly toward the gate of the mansion. Even before they got close, they could hear a cacophony of voices.

Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, they found a crowd of people, all looking excited, waving their arms and shouting, "Lord Su, you must stand up for us!"

Su Yuanjing said loudly, "Fellow villagers, please don't get agitated. Let's talk things out slowly."

An elderly man stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Lord Su, I've heard you're investigating matters in Jiangnan. You can't let those corrupt officials get away with this!"

Su Yuanjing reassured him, "Old man, don't worry. As long as the evidence is conclusive, we will not let any evildoer go unpunished."

However, Wu Yong noticed something unusual in the crowd. Although the people seemed angry, there was a hint of evasion and unease in their eyes.

Wu Yong thought to himself, "This matter is probably not that simple."

Just then, a man wearing a straw hat in the crowd snorted coldly at Su Yuanjing and raised his voice, saying, "From ancient times to the present, officials have always protected each other. You keep saying that you will handle cases impartially, sir. I want to see how you will judge cases impartially!" His voice was particularly jarring in the noisy crowd. The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then began to whisper and discuss among themselves again.

Someone chimed in, "Exactly, who knows if it's just for show?"

Another person said, "Sir, you have always been honest and upright, and we are willing to believe you."

The man in the straw hat who was leading the group then shouted loudly, "Very well, since you say you want to enforce the law impartially, then let us enter your residence and search it to see if there is any evidence of corruption or any shady dealings!"

Upon hearing this, one of Su Yuanjing's men immediately shouted angrily, "How dare you! This is the Imperial Envoy! How can you be so disrespectful!"

The crowd immediately erupted in uproar. Those who had been slightly hesitant just moments before were now further inflamed by the shout.

"See? What did I say? He's already trying to scare us common folk. He's using the title of imperial envoy to intimidate us. We can't afford to offend him!" the man in the straw hat said sarcastically.

"That's right, they won't let us search, is there something fishy going on?" someone in the crowd shouted again.

Su Yuanjing's expression was solemn. Looking at the indignant crowd before him, he knew that this matter was far from a simple case of public resentment. He said loudly, "Fellow villagers, since I have been ordered by the Emperor to investigate the affairs of Jiangnan, I shall be impartial and selfless. If you have any doubts about me and wish to search my residence, that is not impossible, but you must act in accordance with the law."

The man in the straw hat persisted, "What do you mean by acting in accordance with the law? Are you perhaps stalling for time to destroy evidence, sir?"

Wu Yong carefully observed the crowd's reaction and had already made some guesses in his mind. He leaned close to Su Yuanjing's ear and whispered, "Grand Commandant, this matter is probably being instigated by someone behind the scenes. These people may have been manipulated."

Su Yuanjing nodded slightly and said, "I have also noticed something, but we should not act rashly before the truth is clear."

Zhao Tianming clenched his fists and glared angrily: "These people are so arrogant, they must be taught a lesson."

Su Yuanjing quickly stopped him: "Don't be rash. If you handle it improperly, it will only make the situation more serious."

At this point, the noise from the crowd grew louder and louder, and the situation became increasingly difficult to control.

Su Yuanjing took a deep breath and said again, "Fellow villagers, I guarantee with my personal integrity that I will give you an explanation. If there is any illegal activity, I will not tolerate it. However, the search needs to be carefully planned and should not be done on a whim."

However, the man in the straw hat refused to give up: "Sir, don't try to sweet-talk us. If you don't let us search you today, we won't leave!"

The crowd joined in the commotion, and the scene descended into chaos.

Helpless, Su Yuanjing could only try to calm everyone down: "Alright, then I will have a few respected villagers accompany me into the mansion to investigate, but the rest of you must wait outside and not cause any trouble."

The man in the straw hat wanted to say something more, but was pulled back by the person next to him.

Su Yuanjing led several selected citizens into the mansion, with Wu Yong and Zhao Tianming following closely behind. Inside the mansion, Su Yuanjing said as he walked, "Please feel free to search. If you find anything, I will not shirk my responsibility."

These commoners, chosen to follow Su Yuanjing into the mansion, appeared somewhat unusual upon entering. Without the slightest hesitation or confusion, they seemed intimately familiar with the layout of the mansion, quickly heading towards important areas such as the treasury, warehouses, and study.

Su Yuanjing, Wu Yong, and Zhao Tianming followed behind, their doubts growing stronger. Su Yuanjing frowned, pondering the strangeness of the situation.

When the group arrived at the study, they saw several commoners quickly and skillfully rummaging through the chests and cabinets. A moment later, someone shouted, "Found it!" The others immediately gathered around. Su Yuanjing and the others went forward to examine it, and saw that it was a pair of priceless jade discs, gleaming warmly in the candlelight.

Su Yuanjing's face instantly darkened. He knew he had never seen the jade discs before, much less hidden them in his study. Before he could even explain, the people were already whispering amongst themselves, their expressions filled with the excitement and smugness of having "discovered evidence."

Next, the group arrived at the warehouse. As soon as they entered, someone with sharp eyes spotted a grain cart loaded with government supplies. The markings on the cart were clearly visible, undoubtedly indicating it was supplies for the exclusive use of the imperial court.

"How... how could this be here?" Zhao Tianming couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Su Yuanjing's expression grew increasingly astonished; he knew full well that someone was deliberately framing him.

Meanwhile, the shouts of the people grew louder and louder, as if they had already confirmed Su Yuanjing's crimes.

"This is the evidence. What else does Lord Su have to say?" a commoner shouted.

Suppressing his anger, Su Yuanjing said, "This must be a frame-up. I have never seen such things before."

However, the people simply wouldn't listen to his explanation.

Then, in a corner of the warehouse, some more ledgers were found. The records on the ledgers were blurry, but they seemed to involve some shady transactions.

"This must be evidence of Lord Su's corruption and abuse of power!" The people's voices grew increasingly agitated.

At this moment, Su Yuanjing's face was extremely pale.

Wu Yong calmly observed everything from the side, and his guess became clearer and clearer: "This is obviously a conspiracy that someone has carefully planned."

Before everyone could recover, someone discovered a bloodstained knife in a side room of the mansion. The blood on the knife had dried, but it exuded a chilling aura.

The people were in an uproar when they saw the knife.

"Lord Su has been secretly possessing murder weapons, and who knows how many lives he has taken!"

Their voices echoed throughout the mansion, as if they wanted everyone to hear this so-called "evidence of guilt."

Su Yuanjing glared angrily and shouted, "This is all a frame-up! I have always served the court wholeheartedly and have never done anything illegal!"

However, the people completely ignored his anger and explanations. Holding these so-called pieces of evidence, they shouted loudly in the mansion, as if they were afraid that Su Yuanjing would suddenly harm them.

"Hurry, hurry! Present this evidence to the Emperor and let him make a decision!" a commoner shouted.

So they crowded around this "evidence" and hurriedly walked out.

Su Yuanjing wanted to stop him, but he was worried that it would cause a bigger misunderstanding and conflict.

Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, there must be a hidden hand manipulating this matter. We need to remain calm and deal with it."

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "This is clearly someone trying to kill the Grand Commandant!"

Su Yuanjing took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down: "I, Su Yuanjing, have done nothing wrong and will definitely find the mastermind behind this and clear my name!"

At this moment, the people outside the mansion heard the commotion and began to make a fuss. The people who had the "evidence" rushed out and showed their "discovery" to everyone.

"Look everyone, Su Yuanjing is indeed a corrupt official!"

There was an uproar among the crowd.

Standing in the mansion, Su Yuanjing looked at the chaotic situation and secretly vowed to find out the truth and clear his name.