Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Su Yuanjing knew that if this matter was not resolved quickly, the consequences would be unimaginable. He immediately summoned Wu Yong and Zhao Tianming to discuss countermeasures.

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, this matter is strange. Those commoners are so familiar with the layout of the mansion, it must have been arranged beforehand. We should start with these commoners and find out who is behind it all."

Zhao Tianming suggested, "Why don't we send someone to follow those people who left with the 'evidence' and see who they contacted?"

Su Yuanjing agreed and sent his trusted confidants to secretly follow them.

After leaving the city, the group of villagers who led the way stealthily headed towards a secluded village outside the city. Su Yuanjing's confidants followed cautiously behind, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Upon arriving at the village, the people went into a house. A trusted confidant quietly approached and peered through a crack in the window. Inside, they saw a mysterious figure dressed in a black robe, whose face was obscured.

"You've done a good job. Here's your reward. Take it and get out of here as far away as possible. Don't let anyone discover your tracks," the mysterious man said in a low voice.

The people were extremely grateful and took the money before leaving in a hurry.

Seeing the people leave, the confidant prepared to continue monitoring the mysterious man, but accidentally stepped on a dry branch. "Who's outside?" The mysterious man's men immediately became alert and rushed towards the confidant.

Knowing he had been exposed, the confidant turned and ran. The mysterious man's men gave chase, and a fierce pursuit and fight ensued in the woods.

His trusted aide, relying on his agile skills, dodged left and right, but with so many enemies, he gradually found himself in a predicament. At the critical moment, he fought with all his might, broke free of the enemy's encirclement, and escaped wounded back to Su Yuanjing's place.

"Grand Commandant, I am incompetent. I was discovered by the enemy, but I saw those civilians meeting with a mysterious person. The mysterious person gave them money and told them to leave," the confidant said, panting heavily.

Su Yuanjing frowned deeply: "It seems that someone is indeed manipulating this matter behind the scenes."

Meanwhile, upon hearing of this, some officials in the court who were at odds with Su Yuanjing seized the opportunity to kick him while he was down, slandering him to the emperor in an attempt to bring him down.

“Your Majesty, Su Yuanjing has always prided himself on being honest and upright, but now he has been found to have secretly possessed jade discs, grain carts, accounts, and murder weapons. I’m afraid his crimes go far beyond this,” an official said obsequiously.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened: "If Su Yuanjing cannot prove his innocence, I will not let him off lightly."

Meanwhile, Su Yuanjing, following the clues provided by his confidant, discovered that this mysterious person had a close connection with the Deputy Privy Councilor.

"It seems this Deputy Privy Councilor intends to take this opportunity to get rid of me," Su Yuanjing said through gritted teeth.

Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, the situation is critical. We must find evidence as soon as possible to prove your innocence."

Zhao Tianming chimed in, "Why don't we sneak into the Deputy Privy Councilor's residence at night? Perhaps we can find something there."

Su Yuanjing pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's the only way."

That night, under a dark and windy sky, Su Yuanjing, Wu Yong, and Zhao Tianming changed into their night clothes and quietly sneaked into the residence of the Deputy Privy Councilor.

The mansion was heavily guarded, but they managed to evade the patrolling guards thanks to their superb martial arts skills and cautious movements.

In a study, Su Yuanjing discovered some letters and accounts related to the buying and selling of military rations.

"Found it! This is the evidence," Su Yuanjing said excitedly.

However, just as they were about to leave, they were discovered by the deputy privy councilor's men.

"Assassin!" A shout shattered the silence.

Instantly, the mansion was brightly lit, and numerous guards surrounded them.

Su Yuanjing and his men fought back fiercely, retreating as they fought.

"Go through the back door!" Wu Yong shouted.

They finally managed to shake off their pursuers and return to their lodgings.

Just as they were preparing to present the evidence to the Emperor, they received news that the Deputy Privy Councilor already knew they had obtained the evidence and had sent men to intercept them on the road.

Su Yuanjing's expression turned grim: "It seems they've resorted to desperate measures."

Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, don't panic. We'll split our forces into several groups to confuse them."

So, Su Yuanjing and the others split into several teams and set off with the evidence.

The deputy privy councilor's men set up checkpoints at various intersections and carefully searched passersby.

Su Yuanjing, on the other hand, managed to evade the search several times thanks to his clever disguise and quick thinking.

Su Yuanjing and his group split into several teams, carrying evidence, and set off to present it to Emperor Huizong.

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing knew that once Su Yuanjing's evidence reached Emperor Huizong, their accomplice, the Deputy Privy Councilor, would be severely punished, and they themselves might also be implicated. Therefore, the two decided to join forces to prevent the evidence from reaching Emperor Huizong.

Gao Qiu first spread rumors in the court, saying that Su Yuanjing had fabricated evidence to frame the Deputy Privy Councilor in order to escape punishment. "Su Yuanjing has always been cunning; this so-called evidence might just be a scheme he set up to protect himself," Gao Qiu told other officials in court. This made some officials who were unaware of the truth doubt Su Yuanjing's evidence.

Cai Jing then used his connections in the palace to bribe a eunuch close to Emperor Huizong. This eunuch whispered in Huizong's ear, "Your Majesty, there may be more to the story of Su Yuanjing's affair than meets the eye. Do not readily believe the evidence he presents. Lord Gao Qiu and Lord Cai Jing also have their doubts about this matter."

Meanwhile, Gao Qiu dispatched his trusted men to set up numerous checkpoints along the roads Su Yuanjing might take. These men, disguised as ordinary soldiers, rigorously searched passersby. Their orders were to seize evidence at all costs if they found any of Su Yuanjing's men.

Cai Jing secretly mobilized his forces to create chaos in the capital. Fires broke out in some areas, and fights erupted in some streets, causing widespread disorder in the capital. This made it even more difficult for Su Yuanjing and his group to pass through the capital smoothly.

As Su Yuanjing's entourage approached the capital, Gao Qiu's confidants discovered their movements. "Halt! Inspection!" the soldiers shouted. Su Yuanjing's men disguised themselves as ordinary civilians, attempting to slip through. However, the soldiers searched meticulously, and they were on the verge of being exposed. At the critical moment, Su Yuanjing's men escaped in the chaos, but this only intensified the pursuit by Gao Qiu's men.

Another group of Su Yuanjing's men, while passing through a market, encountered a fight deliberately instigated by thugs arranged by Cai Jing. In the ensuing chaos, Su Yuanjing's men were caught in the crossfire, and the evidence was nearly lost.

After learning of these circumstances, Su Yuanjing understood the insidious and ruthless methods of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing. He discussed countermeasures with Wu Yong and Zhao Tianming.

Wu Yong said, "Grand Commandant, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are so unscrupulous, we need to be even more careful. Why don't we send someone to infiltrate the palace first and find out Emperor Huizong's attitude?"

Su Yuanjing nodded and said, "This plan is feasible, but we need to find a reliable person."

Zhao Tianming said, "I have a trusted confidant who is quite familiar with palace affairs; I can send him there."

So, Zhao Tianming's confidant disguised himself and infiltrated the palace. However, Cai Jing was already on guard; his men discovered the suspicious man and arrested him. The confidant remained defiant, refusing to reveal Su Yuanjing's plan.

Seeing that Su Yuanjing's men had failed to deliver the evidence to Emperor Huizong, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing became even more brazen. They continued to speak in court, accusing Su Yuanjing of harboring treacherous intentions and attempting to deceive the emperor.

After many hardships, Su Yuanjing and his men finally made their way to the palace. But just as they were about to enter the palace gates, Gao Qiu personally led a group of men to stop them.

"Su Yuanjing, how dare you fabricate evidence and deceive the Emperor! Surrender at once!" Gao Qiu shouted.

Su Yuanjing glared angrily: "Gao Qiu, you traitor, don't even think about stopping me from presenting evidence and clearing my name!"

The two sides were deadlocked, and the situation became very tense at one point.

Just then, an imperial edict came from the palace: "Bring Su Yuanjing and the others into the palace. I will interrogate them personally."

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were startled, wondering what Emperor Huizong meant.

Su Yuanjing and his entourage finally met with Emperor Huizong. They hurriedly presented the evidence and gave a detailed account of the events. Upon hearing this, Emperor Huizong's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing tried to deceive Emperor Huizong again with their flattering words. But after a moment of contemplation, Emperor Huizong said, "I will investigate this matter myself. If what Su Yuanjing said is true, I will not let those treacherous officials off lightly; if Su Yuanjing is lying, he will be punished just as severely."

Su Yuanjing secretly prayed that Emperor Huizong would see the truth and give him justice. Meanwhile, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were plotting their next scheme.

Su Yuanjing suddenly received an urgent order from the imperial court, forcing him to leave Jiangnan and return to the capital. This unexpected turn of events caused Zhao Tianming's investigation in Jiangnan to instantly lose an important patron.

As Zhao Tianming watched Su Yuanjing's departing figure, a sense of loss and unease welled up within him. He knew that without Su Yuanjing's support, the investigation would face numerous difficulties.

At this moment, Wu Yong was also filled with worry. He thought to himself, "With Grand Commandant Su gone, the situation has become more complicated. We must be more careful and cautious. If we are not careful, all our previous efforts will be in vain." But he remained calm and comforted Zhao Tianming, saying, "Brother Zhao, don't worry too much. Although Grand Commandant Su is not here, as long as we work together, we may still be able to find out the truth."

Meanwhile, the Deputy Privy Councilor, seeing Su Yuanjing leave, secretly rejoiced and became even more brazen in covering up his crimes. He dispatched more of his men to secretly sabotage the investigation in Jiangnan, threaten witnesses, and attempt to bury the truth forever.

As Zhao Tianming's investigation repeatedly failed, his anxiety grew stronger. "Is the conspiracy behind this really impossible to uncover?" he muttered to himself as he drank alone at night.

Each time Wu Yong encountered obstacles, he calmly analyzed the situation and sought new breakthroughs. He recalled his conversation with Su Yuanjing, whose unwavering commitment to justice and loyalty to the country became a guiding light in his heart. "I must not let Grand Commandant Su down, nor can I let this villain succeed," Wu Yong secretly vowed.

In a perilous encounter, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong narrowly escaped capture by the Deputy Privy Councilor's men. After their escape, Zhao Tianming was filled with fear and rage. "I have never been so afraid, but for justice, I cannot back down," he said, his eyes revealing unwavering resolve.

Wu Yong sensed the change in Zhao Tianming and knew that they needed to unite even more closely now. "Brother Zhao, fear is not terrible; what is terrible is losing courage. We will surely overcome this darkness."