Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After Emperor Huizong of Song announced that he would reinvestigate the Lin Yue case, Gao Yanei and Yin Tianxi, seeing that their first plan had failed, devised another.

Gao Yanei said viciously, "This Lin Yue is really despicable. We can't let him turn things around so easily."

Yin Tianxi's eyes darted around, and he said, "Young master, why don't we seize Lin Yue and Lin Shan's properties first and cut off their foundation?"

Gao Yanei slapped his thigh and said, "Great idea! Go and do it right away."

Yin Tianxi accepted the order and led a group of wicked servants to Lin Yue and Lin Shan's residence. Seeing that the newcomers were hostile, Lin Shan asked in fear, "What do you want?"

Yin Tianxi sneered: "Lin Shan, you haven't paid off your debt to me yet, and now you're using this property to pay it off."

Lin Shan said angrily, "This property belongs to my brother, you can't take it for yourself!"

Ignoring all the consequences, Yin Tianxi ordered his men to forcibly drive Lin Shan out of his home. Left with no other option, Lin Shan was forced to live on the streets.

Lin Yue was furious when he learned of this. However, he was in a precarious situation himself and could not immediately stand up for his brother.

After seizing the property, Gao Yanei and Yin Tianxi were smug. Gao Yanei said, "Let's see how Lin Yue can turn things around."

Yin Tianxi chimed in, "That's right. Without their property, they're like stray dogs."

However, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong learned of this and decided to help Lin Yue.

Wu Yong said, "Gao Yanei and Yin Tianxi have gone too far. We must find a way to take back the property and preserve a foundation for General Lin."

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. But what should we do?"

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Let's first gather evidence to prove that they forcibly occupied the property, and then find an opportunity to report this matter to the Emperor."

After deciding to gather evidence to reclaim the Lin brothers' property, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong began to travel around investigating.

Meanwhile, in order to completely destroy Lin Yue, Gao Yanei not only seized Lin Yue's property, but also used his family's influence in the capital to nibble away at Lin Yue's other businesses through unfair business practices.

Gao Yanei instructed his men to secretly collude with Lin Yue's business partners to spread rumors that Lin Yue had committed a serious crime and was about to be executed and have his property confiscated, making cooperation with him extremely risky. Many business partners, fearing for their own safety, broke off their cooperation with Lin Yue.

Meanwhile, Gao Yanei sent people to deliberately cause trouble at Lin Yue's shops, damaging goods and disrupting business operations. Some shopkeepers and employees, fearing Gao Yanei's power, resigned and left, plunging Lin Yue's business into difficulties.

Gao Yanei was secretly gloating, calculating that as long as he completely ruined Lin Yue's source of income, even if Lin Yue could clear his name in the future, he would find it difficult to make a comeback.

Meanwhile, Gao Qiu was also busy in the imperial court. He secretly targeted the soldiers guarding the border, attempting to weaken Lin Yue's influence in the army.

Gao Qiu first used the excuse of tight military funds in the imperial court to cut the pay and supplies for the soldiers guarding the border. The soldiers were already living a hard life guarding the frontier in the harsh cold, and now with reduced pay and scarce supplies, their morale was low.

Then, Gao Qiu deliberately delayed the treatment and reward of the wounded soldiers, causing many brave soldiers to be unable to receive timely medical care, which chilled the hearts of the people.

Then, he arranged for his confidants to spread rumors in the army, saying that the court was dissatisfied with the soldiers guarding the border and intended to reduce the number of troops, making the soldiers feel confused and fearful about the future.

Some loyal generals were extremely dissatisfied with Gao Qiu's actions and petitioned the court. Gao Qiu, however, falsely accused these generals of abusing their power and plotting rebellion, and dismissed them from their posts and investigated them.

Gao Qiu's various schemes and tricks caused panic among the soldiers guarding the border, and the border defenses were also breached.

While investigating evidence of Gao Yanei's illegal occupation of property, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong unexpectedly discovered Gao Qiu's conspiracy against the border guards.

Wu Yong frowned and said to Zhao Tianming, "This matter is of utmost importance. The actions of Gao Qiu and his son have seriously endangered the safety of the country. We must not only reclaim the property for General Lin, but also expose the crimes of Gao Qiu and his son to save the soldiers guarding the border."

Zhao Tianming clenched his fists and said angrily, "These Gao Qiu and his son are utterly depraved! We must not let them succeed!"

After Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong resolved to expose the crimes of Gao Qiu and his son, they continued to intensify their efforts to collect evidence.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the border, under Gao Qiu's various forms of oppression, finally could not bear it any longer and rose up in rebellion.

The mutinous soldiers elected Li Meng, a brave and resourceful general, as their leader. Li Meng said indignantly, "That treacherous minister Gao Qiu doesn't care about our lives. If we don't resist, we will only face death!" The soldiers shouted in unison, determined to seek justice for themselves.

They quickly seized control of some important border outposts and prepared to march on the capital to appeal their grievances to the imperial court.

When Gao Qiu learned of the mutiny among the border soldiers, he panicked. He knew that if the matter escalated, he would be in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, in the capital, Emperor Huizong of Song was also shocked by this sudden news and was furious.

When Emperor Huizong learned of the mutiny of the border soldiers, he was very puzzled and urgently summoned Gao Qiu and Cai Jing to the palace to discuss countermeasures.

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing rushed over. On their way to the palace, they had already secretly discussed how to deal with the situation and planned to take the opportunity to pin the blame on Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and others.

Upon entering the palace, Emperor Huizong sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy expression and asked urgently, "Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, do you know the details of the mutiny among the border soldiers?"

Gao Qiu spoke first, his face full of flattery yet feigning anxiety, saying, "Your Majesty, the mutiny of the border soldiers this time was actually orchestrated by Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and others. These Liangshan bandits, though outwardly submitting, are in fact still harboring treacherous intentions and plotting to disrupt the court."

Emperor Huizong frowned, his eyes filled with doubt and shock, and said, "Is this really true? How can you be so sure?"

Cai Jing immediately chimed in, "Your Majesty, Lord Gao Qiu is absolutely right. Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong are nothing but roughnecks, wild and untamed. After they surrendered, they have been waiting for an opportunity to act. This border turmoil must have been instigated by them in secret, attempting to overthrow the court."

Emperor Huizong's face grew increasingly grim, and he said, "You must not speak recklessly; you must have solid evidence."

Gao Qiu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, think about it. Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong are good at strategizing. They gathered people to cause trouble when they were in Liangshan. Although they have now surrendered, how can they be willing to settle down? The matter of Lin Yue is suspicious. I suspect that they were planning behind the scenes, deliberately provoking trouble. Now they are taking the opportunity to incite the soldiers on the border to mutini."

Cai Jing quickly added, “Your Majesty, I have heard that Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong are secretly associating with some lawless individuals in the capital. These lawless individuals harbor resentment towards the court and are colluding with Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong to plot treason. Moreover, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong valued loyalty and righteousness when they were at Liangshan, and they may have old acquaintances among the soldiers on the border. They can easily incite the soldiers’ emotions through these connections.”

Gao Qiu continued, "Your Majesty, there is one more matter. Recently, some mysterious organizations have appeared in the capital, secretly spreading rumors detrimental to the court. I sent people to investigate and discovered that these organizations have intricate connections with Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and others. They are deliberately creating chaos and inciting unrest in order to undermine the stability of the court."

Emperor Huizong slammed his fist on the dragon throne in anger and said, "If that's really the case, they are incredibly audacious!"

Taking the opportunity, Cai Jing advised, "Your Majesty, I believe that Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and others should be arrested immediately and interrogated rigorously. We will surely be able to uncover the truth."

Gao Qiu echoed, "Your Majesty, I am willing to personally lead the Imperial Guards to arrest these treacherous officials and restore order to the court."

Emperor Huizong paused for a moment, then said, "Wait, this matter needs further consideration. Without solid evidence, rash action may cause even greater turmoil."

Gao Qiu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have evidence. During the investigation, my men discovered the correspondence between Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong and the soldiers on the border. The letters were full of strong words, expressing dissatisfaction with the court and inciting mutiny."

As he spoke, Gao Qiu took out several forged letters from his pocket and presented them to Emperor Huizong of Song.

Emperor Huizong of Song took the letter, examined it carefully, and his face grew increasingly gloomy.

Cai Jing, standing to the side, fanned the flames, saying, "Your Majesty, the evidence is conclusive and sufficient to prove Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong's crimes. If they are not severely punished, I fear more people will follow suit, and the court will be in grave danger."

Emperor Huizong pondered for a long time, and his mind began to waver, his suspicions about Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong gradually deepening.

Seeing that Emperor Huizong's attitude had changed, Gao Qiu said again, "Your Majesty, I am loyal to the court and would never dare to utter a single lie. If this border mutiny is not dealt with in time, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Emperor Huizong finally made up his mind and said, "Gao Qiu, I order you to arrest Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong and others immediately, and to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were overjoyed and said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise; we will certainly not fail in our mission."

Upon leaving the palace, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing exchanged a knowing smile, secretly pleased with themselves.

Meanwhile, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong were completely unaware of Emperor Huizong's misunderstanding and were still working hard to collect evidence to expose the crimes of Gao Qiu and his son.

Upon returning to his residence, Gao Qiu immediately summoned his trusted confidants and deployed an arrest operation.

He told his subordinates, "This time we must capture Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and the others in one fell swoop. There must be no mistakes."

The trusted followers readily accepted the order and prepared to take action.

Meanwhile, Cai Jing was also secretly maneuvering, using his influence to suppress those who supported Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong.

A tense atmosphere immediately filled the capital, as a huge crisis was about to befall Zhao Tianming, Wu Yong, and their companions.

After leaving the palace, Gao Qiu secretly plotted. Knowing that Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong were not easy to deal with, he decided to start with the Lin brothers, Lin Yue and Lin Shan.

Gao Qiu summoned his confidants and said, "This time we need to change our strategy and capture Lin Yue and Lin Shan first. Lin Yue is skilled in warfare, and if he can be used by us, that would be good; if not, he can still keep Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong in check."

The confidants nodded in agreement, awaiting Gao Qiu's further instructions.

Gao Qiu narrowed his eyes and said in a sinister tone, "Send a few clever men to secretly monitor Lin Yue and Lin Shan's movements. Once they are discovered, do not act rashly, but come back and report first."

Soon, Gao Qiu's men discovered Lin Shan's whereabouts. It turned out that after being destitute, Lin Shan had taken temporary shelter in a dilapidated temple.

Upon learning the news, Gao Qiu personally led a team of elite soldiers to surround the temple under the cover of night.

Lin Shan was startled awake from his sleep and saw Gao Qiu leading his men in, which terrified him.

Gao Qiu sneered, "Lin Shan, you can't escape today."

Lin Shan glared angrily: "Gao Qiu, you traitor, you shall die a horrible death!"

Gao Qiu ignored him and ordered his men to tie Lin Shan up and take him away.

After capturing Lin Shan, Gao Qiu began searching for Lin Yue's whereabouts. He learned that Lin Yue was secretly contacting some of his former subordinates in order to clear his name.

Gao Qiu devised a plan. He sent someone to impersonate Lin Yue's former subordinates and deliver a false message to Lin Yue, inviting him to meet in a secluded valley.

Lin Yue had no suspicions and went to the appointment on time.

As soon as they arrived at the valley, they were surrounded by Gao Qiu's men who had been lying in ambush.

Lin Yue realized he had fallen into a trap and fought back fiercely, but he was ultimately outnumbered and captured by Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu looked at Lin Yue smugly and said, "Lin Yue, you've finally met your match. If you behave and serve me, perhaps I can spare your life."

Lin Yue spat and cursed, "Gao Qiu, don't even think about it! I, Lin Yue, would rather die than submit!"

Gao Qiu paid no attention and imprisoned Lin Yue and Lin Shan in a secret place, keeping them under strict guard.

Subsequently, Gao Qiu spread the word, threatening Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong that if they did not give up exposing his crimes, it would be detrimental to the Lin Yue brothers.