Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Under the cover of night, Shi Qian quietly scaled the wall and entered Wang Zhiqiang's mansion.

This grand mansion occupies a vast area, surrounded by high walls. Its vermilion gates are tightly shut, studded with gleaming bronze nails that gleam coldly in the moonlight. A pair of imposing stone lions stand guard before the gates, their claws outstretched, as if protecting the secrets within.

As soon as Shi Qian landed, he was stunned by the scene before him. At the entrance was a carved screen wall, painted with auspicious patterns of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness, the brushstrokes delicate and the colors vibrant. Passing the screen wall, a bluestone-paved path led to the main hall. On both sides of the path, exotic flowers and rare herbs were planted, and a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.

The main hall was tall and magnificent, with flying eaves and bracket sets, its glazed tiles gleaming in the moonlight. The hall doors were open, revealing a brightly lit interior, its carved beams and painted rafters a breathtaking sight. Sandalwood tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and on the tables, blue-and-white porcelain vases held seasonal flowers. The walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous figures, their strokes powerful and vigorous.

Passing through the main hall, one enters an exquisite garden. Lotus leaves float on the pond, and lotus buds are about to bloom. A small stone bridge spans the pond, its railings carved with beautifully crafted auspicious beasts. Along the pond, pavilions and towers are scattered about in a pleasing arrangement; some are draped with light gauze curtains, while others display ancient zithers and chessboards.

Further on, there was a row of side rooms. The carved windows were tightly closed, but warm candlelight shone through the paper windows. The corridors between the side rooms were winding and meandering, with landscape paintings painted on the pillars, making one feel as if they were in a fairyland.

The entire mansion was meticulously laid out and exquisitely built, showcasing Wang Zhiqiang's distinguished status and luxurious lifestyle. Shi Qian couldn't help but marvel at how the wealthy families of the Song Dynasty truly displayed elegance and grandeur to the fullest. However, their visit was not to admire the mansion's beauty, but rather to fulfill a far more important mission.

Looking at Wang Zhiqiang's lavish house, Shi Qian cursed under his breath, "This kid is rolling in money. If I didn't have an important mission, I would have stolen everything from him, leaving him with nothing but his underwear!"

Just as Shi Qian was muttering to himself, he suddenly heard a shout: "Who's there!" Shi Qian was startled and quickly hid behind a big tree.

It turned out that the Wang family's guards had heard the commotion and came over with sticks. Shi Qian held his breath, thinking, "I hope they don't ruin my big plan."

The guard looked around but found nothing unusual. He muttered, "This is really strange. I clearly heard a sound." Then he turned and left.

Shi Qian breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the guards leave and stepped out from behind the tree. He continued to carefully make his way deeper into the house, avoiding several groups of patrolling servants along the way.

As he walked, Shi Qian came to a storeroom. He gently pushed the door and found it unlocked. "Hehe, this is truly a stroke of luck!" Shi Qian was overjoyed and quietly slipped inside.

The storeroom was filled with all sorts of treasures, and Shi Qian's eyes widened in amazement. "Good heavens, how much is this worth!" He couldn't help but reach out and touch a gold box studded with gemstones.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside. Shi Qian was so frightened that he quickly hid behind a large box.

Two servants entered, saying as they walked, "Master is really something, with so many treasures, he didn't even send someone to keep a proper watch over them."

"What do you know? This house is heavily guarded. Who could possibly break in and steal?"

"You can't say that. Better safe than sorry."

The two servants glanced at it casually and left. Shi Qian waited until they were far away, then crawled out from behind the box. "Hmph, you bunch of idiots, I'm coming in now."

He was about to pick out a few valuables to take with him when he suddenly remembered he had a mission, so he had to reluctantly give up. "Oh well, I'll come back to you after I finish my mission."

Shi Qian continued to venture deeper into the house, encountering numerous mishaps along the way. He was nearly discovered by the dogs or almost fell into traps. But thanks to his superb lightness skills and agile movements, he managed to escape unscathed.

Shi Qian went to Wang Zhiqiang's window, leaned down, and heard movement inside. It was Wang Zhiqiang and Gao Ke speaking.

Gao Ke and Wang Zhiqiang clinked glasses and drank merrily. Gao Ke praised Wang Zhiqiang, saying, "Brother Wang, you've really made a name for yourself this time by getting this piece of land in the west of the city."

Wang Zhiqiang ate a chicken leg, then haphazardly smeared oil on himself, grinning and saying, "That's right, don't you know who I am, Wang Zhiqiang! Who in this city can match my skills!"

Gao Ke quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Brother Wang, you are wise and capable! This land is in your hands, it's like a treasure meeting a discerning owner!"

Wang Zhiqiang let out a smug burp and said, "Once I've developed this land, the money will be flowing into my pockets like water!"

Gao Ke's eyes lit up: "Brother Wang, don't forget about me when the time comes!"

Wang Zhiqiang waved his hand: "Don't worry, as long as I, Wang Zhiqiang, am eating meat, you, Gao Ke, will be drinking soup!"

At this moment, Wang Zhiqiang felt itchy all over and reached out to scratch, but the more he scratched, the itchier it became. He muttered, "What kind of lousy clothes are these? Why are they so itchy!"

Seeing this, Gao Ke quickly said, "Brother Wang, you're just too ostentatious; even your clothes can't bear it!"

Wang Zhiqiang laughed heartily: "Get lost, you're all talk!"

Listening to their conversation from outside the window, Shi Qian cursed inwardly, "These two bastards are making money off this dirty business and they're still smug about it. I'll teach them a lesson!"

Just then, Shi Qian accidentally made a little noise.

Wang Zhiqiang, inside the house, became alert: "What's that noise? Could it be a thief?"

Gao Ke turned pale with fright: "Brother Wang, can we really be that unlucky?"

Wang Zhiqiang grabbed a stick: "Let's go, let's go out and take a look!"

When Shi Qian saw Wang Zhiqiang about to come out, he imitated a dog's bark a few times. Wang Zhiqiang snorted and said, "That dog is probably hungry again. It's become so obsessed with itself. As soon as it gets hungry, it starts barking incoherently."

Gao Ke flattered from the side, "Brother Wang, forget about that dog, let's keep drinking and having fun."

Wang Zhiqiang glanced out the window, turned around and sat back down, saying, "Yeah, a damn dog, ruining our mood."

Shi Qian hid in the shadows, secretly chuckling to himself: "Hmph, these two idiots really think it's a dog barking."

He waited a while, and seeing that there was no more movement inside, he quietly approached the window. He saw Wang Zhiqiang and Gao Ke starting to eat and drink heartily again, making a complete mess of the food and wine on the table.

Wang Zhiqiang's face was flushed from drinking, and he started to slur his words: "Gao Ke, this time... this time it's all thanks to your idea, otherwise this land in the west of the city... wouldn't have been so easy to get."

Gao Ke quickly raised his glass: "Brother Wang, you are a blessed person and have nothing to worry about. I am just here to give you some encouragement."

Wang Zhiqiang put his arm around Gao Ke's shoulder and said, "Good brother, whatever Wang Zhiqiang has in the future, you'll have too."

Listening to their drunken ramblings, Shi Qian felt nothing but contempt: "These two scoundrels, just wait and see how I deal with you."

Just then, Wang Zhiqiang suddenly stood up and swayed toward the door. Shi Qian was startled and quickly hid again.

Wang Zhiqiang walked to the door and shouted outside, "Hey, someone bring me another pot of wine!"

After waiting a while, no one responded. Wang Zhiqiang cursed, "Where have all these lackeys gone?!"

Gao Ke called out from inside the house, "Brother Wang, forget about them, let's find it ourselves."

Wang Zhiqiang staggered back.

Shi Qian thought to himself, "My chance has come." He quietly crept to the door, preparing to enter the house...

Wang Zhiqiang and Gao Ke were so drunk they were staggering and unconscious. Shi Qian started rummaging through the house.

He quietly opened each drawer, searching for anything of value. As he rummaged through them, Shi Qian muttered to himself, "Let me see where these two have hidden all the good stuff?"

After searching for a long time without success, Shi Qian became increasingly anxious: "This is troublesome. If I can't find that important thing, won't this trip have been a waste?"

Just then, he noticed a large, ornately carved cabinet in the corner. Shi Qian's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over and carefully opened the cabinet door. Inside, the cabinet was piled high with various documents and account books.

Shi Qian carefully examined the documents and finally found the land deed agreement among a pile of papers. He was so excited he almost shouted, "I finally found it!"

Shi Qian tucked the land deed into his pocket and was about to leave when he noticed some gold and silver jewelry in the cabinet. He hesitated for a moment, thinking, "Why not take it? It's ill-gotten wealth of those two bastards anyway."

So Shi Qian casually took some jewelry and stuffed it into his pocket.

Just as he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. Shi Qian's heart tightened, and he quickly hid under the bed.

It turned out that a maid had come to deliver hot water. When she saw Wang Zhiqiang and Gao Ke drunk and passed out on the table, she shook her head, put down the hot water, and left.

Once the footsteps had faded away, Shi Qian crawled out from under the bed, wiping the sweat from his brow: "That was close, that was close, we almost got discovered."

He tiptoed out of the room and climbed over the wall to leave Wang Zhiqiang's mansion.

Back at his residence, Shi Qian proudly took out the land deed and jewelry: "Hehe, I've made a fortune this time."

When Wang Zhiqiang woke up, he felt a splitting headache. He rubbed his eyes and suddenly realized something was wrong in the room. Turning his head, he saw that the cabinets had been ransacked and he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly woke Gao Ke and said, "Brother, wake up! A thief has broken into this house!"

Gao Ke mumbled sleepily, "Brother Wang, stop messing around, let me sleep a little longer."

Wang Zhiqiang slapped Gao Ke hard and yelled, "Sleep, sleep, sleep! What are you sleeping for! We've been robbed! Everything's been stolen!"

Gao Ke sat up abruptly, his eyes wide, and exclaimed in panic, "What? We've been robbed? What do we do?"

Wang Zhiqiang jumped out of bed and looked around, his face growing increasingly grim: "That damned thief, I wonder how many important things he stole!"

Gao Ke panicked and stammered, "Brother Wang, could it be that our enemies sent someone to do this?"

Wang Zhiqiang frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "It's possible, but it could also just be a petty thief. In any case, let's find out what's missing first."

The two began frantically taking inventory of the items, becoming increasingly alarmed with each count.

Gao Ke said with a mournful face, "Brother Wang, the land deed agreement is missing. What should we do?"

Wang Zhiqiang stomped his feet in anger: "If I catch that thief, I'll skin him alive!"

Just then, a servant ran in and said, "Master, we've searched everywhere outside, but we haven't found any trace of the thief."

Wang Zhiqiang cursed, "A bunch of useless trash! What's the use of keeping you around! Keep searching! Even if you have to turn this city upside down, find that thief!"

The servants meekly retreated.

Wang Zhiqiang paced back and forth in the room, cursing incessantly. Gao Ke, on the other hand, was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously running around in circles.

After a while, another servant came to report: "Master, there are also signs of disturbance in the other rooms, but it seems that nothing valuable has been stolen."

Wang Zhiqiang roared, "I don't care about the other rooms, I just want to find my land deed!"

The entire house was thrown into chaos by the theft, while Shi Qian had already fled with the stolen goods.