Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After much effort, Su Yuanjing collected various pieces of evidence related to Gao Qiu and Cai Jing's crimes, and confidently prepared to impeach them in the Golden Palace.

On this day, Emperor Huizong of Song held court. Su Yuanjing, holding evidence of the crimes, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report. Gao Qiu and Cai Jing have formed a clique for personal gain, falsely accusing loyal officials. The evidence against them is irrefutable!" As he spoke, he presented the evidence in his hand.

Emperor Huizong took the evidence, his face gradually darkening. He looked at Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, and roared, "Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, is Su Yuanjing's report true?"

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were startled, but quickly regained their composure. Gao Qiu stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, these are slanderous words from Su Yuanjing. Those so-called evidences are nothing but fabrications."

Cai Jing echoed, "Your Majesty is wise. We are loyal and devoted to the court, and we have never committed such an evil deed."

Emperor Huizong was skeptical, so he threw the evidence at Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, saying, "Take a look for yourselves!"

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing took the evidence and exchanged a glance. Gao Qiu said, "Your Majesty, this evidence is just some ordinary records of dealings. It is inevitable for us to interact with others when we are in court. This is indeed a normal transaction."

Cai Jing continued, "Your Majesty, Su Yuanjing has a long-standing relationship with Zhao Tianming and others. This time, he must have fabricated evidence to frame us in order to save them."

Emperor Huizong frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Su Yuanjing, is there any truth to what they said?"

Su Yuanjing loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I have not uttered a single falsehood. The manager of this money exchange can testify for me."

Emperor Huizong said, "Summon the manager of the money shop!"

Before long, the money shop manager was brought to the hall. He knelt on the ground trembling, not daring to raise his head.

Gao Qiu glared at the shopkeeper, who felt a chill run down his spine.

Emperor Huizong asked, "Manager, tell me the truth, what exactly is going on with these accounts?"

The shopkeeper glanced at Gao Qiu, then at Su Yuanjing, hesitated for a long time, and said, "Your Majesty, what Grand Commandant Gao and Grand Tutor Cai said is true. This was a normal transaction. Grand Commandant Su coerced and bribed me, and I had no choice but to..."

Su Yuanjing roared, "You cunning scoundrel, how dare you spout such nonsense!"

The shopkeeper trembled with fear and said, "Grand Commandant Su, spare my life! I dare not lie."

Emperor Huizong was furious: "Su Yuanjing, what else do you have to say?"

Su Yuanjing said, "Your Majesty, it must be Gao Qiu and Cai Jing who secretly threatened the shopkeeper. Your Majesty, I have other evidence."

As he spoke, Su Yuanjing presented some witness testimonies and related physical evidence.

Emperor Huizong examined it closely, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Gao Qiu and Cai Jing were also somewhat flustered at this point.

Su Yuanjing said, "Your Majesty, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are attempting to control the entire court and deceive Your Majesty. If they are not severely punished, where will the discipline of the court be?"

After pondering for a long time, Emperor Huizong finally said, "I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. If Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are indeed guilty, I will not tolerate them!"

Su Yuanjing said, "Your Majesty is wise. I hope Your Majesty will clear Zhao Tianming and the others of their names as soon as possible."

Although Gao Qiu and Cai Jing have not yet been convicted, they are beginning to feel uneasy and are secretly plotting how to deal with the upcoming investigation.

After leaving the Golden Palace, Gao Qiu and Cai Jing quickly gathered together to discuss their plans.

Gao Qiu looked worried and said to Cai Jing, "Grand Tutor, although His Majesty did not punish us immediately for what happened today, he is clearly very dissatisfied with us. What should we do?"

Cai Jing stroked his beard, his expression grim, and said, "Grand Commandant, don't be anxious. I have come up with a plan."

Gao Qiu hurriedly asked, "Grand Tutor, what good plan do you have?"

Cai Jing narrowed his eyes and said, "Currently, Su Yuanjing has not yet discovered our relationship with the Liao people. We can have General Yelü Hong infiltrate Song territory and create the illusion that he is being chased by the Liao army. If we can gain Su Yuanjing's trust, we can then turn around and accuse Su Yuanjing of being the real traitor colluding with the Liao people."

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiu frowned, paced back and forth for a moment in thought, and said, "Grand Tutor's plan is ingenious, but will Yelü Hong obediently follow it? Moreover, that old man Su Yuanjing is exceptionally shrewd and I'm afraid he won't be easily fooled."

Cai Jing snorted and said, "Grand Commandant, don't worry. Yelü Hong is already one of our men. As long as we offer him some benefits, he will cooperate fully. Su Yuanjing is currently only focused on finding fault with us, so he may make mistakes. As long as we make thorough arrangements, we are not afraid that he will fall into our trap."

Gao Qiu still had reservations and said, "Grand Tutor, this matter is extremely risky. If it is exposed, we will both lose our heads."

Cai Jing smiled sinisterly, "Grand Commandant, there is no way out now. If we don't take a gamble, Su Yuanjing will kill us sooner or later. Only by taking this risky move can we have a glimmer of hope."

Gao Qiu gritted his teeth and said, "Very well, we will follow the Grand Tutor's plan. But we must be careful and make no mistakes whatsoever."

Cai Jing cupped his hands and said, "Grand Commandant, rest assured, I will handle this matter properly."

After saying this, Cai Jing immediately sent someone to secretly contact Yelü Hong.

Yelü Hong received Cai Jing's order and, with a group of trusted men, pretended to be pursued by the Liao army, fleeing into Song territory in a sorry state.

On this day, Su Yuanjing was patrolling the border with his entourage. Suddenly, he heard shouts of battle coming from afar. He saw a man covered in blood running towards him, followed closely by a group of Liao soldiers.

Su Yuanjing shouted, "Who goes there?"

On this day, Su Yuanjing was patrolling the border with his entourage. Suddenly, he heard shouts of battle coming from afar. He saw a man covered in blood, looking panicked, running wildly, followed closely by a group of Liao soldiers.

Su Yuanjing shouted, "Who goes there?"

The man, panting heavily, shouted, "Sir, I am a hunter from the mountains. While hunting here, I overheard the Liao soldiers plotting to attack the Song territory. I tried to escape to report this, but they chased me here."

Seeing that he was covered in blood and looked miserable, Su Yuanjing quickly said, "Get behind me!" He then waved to his followers, "All soldiers, listen to my command, block the Liao soldiers!"

The attendants responded in unison, brandishing their spears and swords, and charged towards the Liao soldiers. In an instant, the shouts of battle were deafening.

The Liao soldiers, wielding curved swords, charged forward like wolves, their momentum fierce. Su Yuanjing's followers, undaunted, engaged the Liao soldiers in a fierce battle.

A follower swiftly brought his sword down, felling a Liao soldier. Another follower, his spear flashing like a dragon, pierced the Liao soldier's chest. But the Liao soldiers outnumbered them and were fearless, and the two sides became locked in a stalemate.

Su Yuanjing frowned and shouted, "Don't panic, hold your ground!"

At this moment, a Liao soldier took advantage of the chaos to rush towards Su Yuanjing, and was about to get close. At the critical moment, a brave follower stepped forward and cut the Liao soldier down from his horse with a single stroke.

After a fierce battle, Su Yuanjing's side gradually gained the upper hand. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the Liao soldiers began to retreat.

"Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!" Su Yuanjing ordered.

The followers pressed their advantage and the Liao army suffered a crushing defeat.

After the fighting subsided, Su Yuanjing looked at the hunter and asked, "Is what you said true?"

The hunter knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "My lord, everything I have said is true, and I dare not utter a single falsehood. If there is even half a lie, I am willing to accept punishment."

Su Yuanjing nodded slightly and said, "Come back to the camp with me and I will tell you the details."

Back in the tent, Su Yuanjing asked the hunters to sit down and ordered someone to bring them tea and food.

The hunter wolfed down his food, took a breath, and said, "Sir, today I was hunting in the mountains, intending to catch a few rabbits. Unexpectedly, I ran into a group of Liao soldiers, acting suspiciously. I quietly approached to find out what they were up to. What I overheard terrified me; they were discussing a plan to attack Song territory, saying they would annihilate them in one fell swoop. I was so frightened I almost screamed, and accidentally made a noise, which alerted the Liao soldiers, who chased me all the way here. Fortunately, you saved me, sir; otherwise, my life would have been in danger."

After hearing this, Su Yuanjing fell into deep thought.

At this moment, a trusted confidant advised, "My lord, this matter should not be trusted lightly. The hunter's appearance is too suspicious. Could he be a spy for the Liao people?"

Su Yuanjing said, "We should not jump to conclusions; let's observe further."

The hunter hurriedly replied, "Sir, I am truly an honest citizen, not a spy."

Su Yuanjing said, "If what you say is true, you will be rewarded. But if it is false, I will not let you off lightly."

The hunter nodded repeatedly, swearing an oath.

Su Yuanjing instructed his trusted confidant: "Send someone to investigate and see if there are any signs that Liao troops are attacking Song territory."

The trusted confidant accepted the order and left.

Several days later, the trusted confidant reported that there were indeed signs of troop movements in Liaodong, which matched what the hunter had said.

Su Yuanjing then believed the hunter's words, thinking to himself, "Gao Qiu and Cai Jing are only concerned with fighting for power and have no interest in border affairs. If the Liao army really attacks the Song territory, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Therefore, Su Yuanjing decided to immediately report the matter to the imperial court and at the same time strengthen border defenses.

However, what he didn't know was that it was all a conspiracy by Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. The hunter was someone they had arranged beforehand, with the aim of luring Su Yuanjing into their trap.

Cai Jing and Gao Qiu were secretly pleased to learn that Su Yuanjing had believed the hunter's words.

Gao Qiu said, "Grand Tutor's plan is brilliant. Su Yuanjing will surely not escape this calamity this time."

Cai Jing sneered, "Hmph, once he falls into our trap, let's see how arrogant he can still be."

Meanwhile, Su Yuanjing was making tense preparations to defend against the Liao army's attack, completely unaware that a much larger conspiracy was about to strike him.

Su Yuanjing knew that this matter was of great importance, so he immediately summoned his generals to discuss strategies to resist the Liao army.

Inside the tent, Su Yuanjing, his face grave, addressed his generals: "A hunter has reported that the Liao army intends to attack the border. Although this news has yet to be confirmed, we must not let our guard down."

One of the generals said, "Sir, I believe we should first strengthen the city's defenses and increase the number of patrolling soldiers to prevent a surprise attack by the Liao troops."

Su Yuanjing nodded slightly: "This is a necessary measure. But relying solely on defense may not be enough to repel the enemy."

He looked at the hunter and asked, "Do you still remember the attack route and time mentioned by the Liao soldiers?"

The hunter pondered for a moment and said, "I vaguely heard that they were planning to advance from the eastern valley, around the time of the full moon."

Su Yuanjing's eyes gleamed as he said, "If this news is true, we can set up an ambush on both sides of the valley."

Another general said, "Sir, what if this is a trap set by the Liao soldiers to lure us in?"

Su Yuanjing pondered for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. But whether it's true or not, we need to be fully prepared."

Subsequently, Su Yuanjing ordered: "Dispatch elite troops to ambush on both sides of the eastern valley. Send another team to closely monitor from the city tower. Once the Liao troops are spotted, immediately signal with beacon fires."

The generals accepted the order and quickly began making deployments.