Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Zhao Tianming called out a few times, but the young man did not respond; instead, he ran even faster.

"Damn it! You stop right there!" Zhao Tianming took off after him. He was burning with anger, recalling what had happened at the residence of the Prefect of Jingzhao a few days ago.

He knew nothing of what was happening inside the Prefect of the Capital's residence. But he knew that it held the secrets he longed to uncover.

Zhao Tianming followed the young man for a long time. Finally, he saw the young man stop in front of a dilapidated house. Upon seeing this, Zhao Tianming immediately quickened his pace to catch up with him and questioned, "Hey, why are you running?"

"Run my ass!" The young man turned around and slapped Zhao Tianming. Zhao Tianming didn't expect him to suddenly attack and was knocked to the ground.

"Damn it, you dare hit me?" Zhao Tianming got up from the ground and pointed at the young man.

"Why wouldn't I dare hit you? Do you want to get hit?"

"I want to take this beating!" Zhao Tianming roared, punching the young man in the stomach. The young man groaned, bent over, clutching his stomach, and knelt on the ground in pain.

Zhao Tianming kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into a corner.

"Cough cough!" The young man spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his chest, and said, "Zhao Tianming, you dare to hurt me! My master will never forgive you!"

"Heh, your master? Who does he think he is? He dares to threaten me, Zhao Tianming. He's got a death wish!" Zhao Tianming sneered repeatedly.

“You…” The young man stared at Zhao Tianming through gritted teeth.

"Alright, stop pretending. Tell me, what do you want?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to tell you that my master wants to see you!" the young man said, forcing himself to speak.

"See me? What do you want to see me for? Do I know him that well?" Zhao Tianming said, pursing his lips.

"Well... that's hard to say," the young man said hesitantly.

Zhao Tianming saw through his lie at a glance. "Alright, enough nonsense, just get to the point."

The young man gritted his teeth and said, "My master wants you to do something for him. If you succeed, he will promote you to an official position."

"Become an official? Hahahaha, I spit on you! Even being your father would be beneath me! What kind of ability does your master have to become an official!" Zhao Tianming mocked.

The young man said, "Brother Zhao, everything I said is true. To tell you the truth, my master is none other than Gao Ke, the Prefect of the Capital!"

Zhao Tianming exclaimed in astonishment, "Gao Ke, the Prefect of the Capital? What's going on? What happened to Gao Ke, the Prefect of the Capital?"

"You do not know?"

Zhao Tianming shook his head. "I don't know."

The young man said, "The Prefect of Jingzhao is the most important government office in the capital, and its status is no less than that of the Minister of War. The task that my master asked you to do is definitely not an ordinary task."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, tell me, what can I do to help?"

"Even the Prefect of the Capital can't handle this matter. If you want to help my master, you'll have to go to the Emperor."

"Damn it! Is your master stupid?" Zhao Tianming couldn't help but curse. "Shouldn't you have a eunuch for this kind of thing?!"

"you!"

"What are you?"

"Humph!"

Zhao Tianming ignored the young man and turned to leave.

"Zhao Tianming, if you dare to leave, our master will not let you off!" the young man said angrily.

Zhao Tianming sneered, "You won't let me go? Do you think I'm afraid of your Gao family? Let me tell you, I'm now Prime Minister Zhang's son-in-law. No matter how powerful your master is, he won't dare to do anything to me!"

"You...you...!" The young man almost fainted from anger upon hearing Zhao Tianming's words.

Zhao Tianming ignored him and turned to continue running forward.

The young man stomped his feet in anger as he watched Zhao Tianming's retreating figure.

Zhao Tianming ran a long way and finally shook off the young man. He saw a large courtyard ahead, where Gao Ke lived.

Gao Ke's house was a three-story attic, and it looked very luxurious. As soon as Zhao Tianming entered the courtyard, a maid came to greet him.

"Greetings, sir. My name is Cuihua. May I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Zhao. Is your master home?" Zhao Tianming asked.

"Master is resting in the living room. Please come with me." Cuihua led Zhao Tianming to Gao Ke's living room.

Gao Ke's living room was spacious, with two mahogany tables. At this moment, Gao Ke was sitting at one of the mahogany tables, resting with his eyes closed. Zhao Tianming entered the living room, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Gao Ke slowly opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Tianming, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“Minister Zhao, there’s no need for such formalities. It’s truly fate that we’ve met here today, having known each other for so long,” Gao Ke said with a smile.

"Hehe, what you say makes sense, sir. However, what are your instructions for summoning me here today?" Zhao Tianming said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"I would like to discuss cooperation with Vice Minister Zhao," Gao Ke said with a smile.

"Cooperation?" Zhao Tianming was taken aback.

"Yes, I would like to ask Vice Minister Zhao to help me find a group of craftsmen to manufacture bows and arrows for transporting supplies," Gao Ke said.

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "That's a small matter. May I ask how many craftsmen you wish to hire, sir?"

"One hundred thousand craftsmen, one million strings of cash per month!" Gao Ke said with a smile.

"One hundred thousand craftsmen, one million strings of cash per month?" Zhao Tianming's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

"What? Does Vice Minister Zhao think it's too little?" Gao Ke smiled and said, "Vice Minister Zhao doesn't need to worry about the money. I will provide you with a subsidy."

"subsidy?"

“Yes, this money is enough for Minister Zhao to live out his old age in comfort,” Gao Ke said with a smile.

"Hehehe, I don't even have to worry about retirement insurance anymore," Zhao Tianming thought to himself. He continued.

"You flatter me, sir. I am unworthy of such praise! I am merely a little surprised."

"Surprised?" Gao Ke smiled and shook his head. "In that case, let's get down to business! Would Vice Minister Zhao be willing to cooperate with me?"

Zhao Tianming remained silent.

"So, what do you think, Minister Zhao? Please consider it?" Gao Ke asked.

“Okay. I agree!” Zhao Tianming nodded in agreement.

"Minister Zhao is indeed straightforward. In that case, please have a seat!" Gao Ke said with a smile.

Zhao Tianming walked up to the mahogany chair and sat down opposite Gao Ke.

"I hope Vice Minister Zhao can find craftsmen for me as soon as possible. I need a large amount of gunpowder, ironware, and crossbows," Gao Ke said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming frowned and asked, "What does the master need these things for?"

"Of course, it's to protect the capital!" Gao Ke said solemnly.

"Defend the capital? Why would you do that?" Zhao Tianming asked.

"Because the emperor wants to kill the Prefect of the Capital!"

Zhao Tianming's heart skipped a beat, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. The emperor wanted to kill the Prefect of the Capital? When did this happen? How come he had never heard of it before?

"Don't worry, Minister Zhao, this is a secret, no outsiders will know," Gao Ke said with a slight smile, reassuring him.

"I understand, please rest assured, sir, I will do my best." Zhao Tianming took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and remain composed.

"Then I'll leave it to Vice Minister Zhao," Gao Ke said with a smile.

"My lord, I shall take my leave now!" Zhao Tianming stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and hurriedly departed.

Gao Ke watched Zhao Tianming leave, a strange smile on his face.

.....................

........................

After leaving the Gao family, Zhao Tianming did not rush on his way, but went to Zhao Family Village instead.

Zhao Family Village isn't particularly far from Beijing; it's only a day's walk away. However, Zhao Tianming didn't want to walk at night. He decided to rest at home that day.

Back home, he locked himself inside.

Zhao Tianming took out a brocade pouch from his pocket, opened it, and inside was a stack of silver notes. Zhao Tianming counted them and found that it amounted to two hundred thousand strings of cash, much higher than his salary.

"My goodness! This is a huge sum of money! If I sold it all, I could be sold a thousand times over!" Zhao Tianming exclaimed.

"No!" Zhao Tianming shook his head. "Now is not the time to touch it! I'd better keep it safe!"

Zhao Tianming put away the silver notes and then lay down on his bed. He had been extremely busy these past few days and hadn't had a proper rest in a long time. Tonight, he wanted to get a good night's sleep, recharge his energy, and await Gao Ke's orders.

Zhao Tianming quickly drifted off to sleep and fell asleep without realizing it.

When he woke up the next morning, it was already completely dark.

Zhao Tianming stretched and loosened his limbs.

"Ah~"

"Is the master awake?" Just then, a servant came in carrying washing utensils.

"Didn't I tell you to keep watch outside at night? Who let you barge in?" Zhao Tianming frowned and said unhappily.

"Please calm down, my lord! My lord, this is the porridge I cooked. Please drink it while it's hot!" the servant said humbly.

"Mm!" Zhao Tianming nodded. He reached for the bowl and slowly began to drink.

The servant glanced at Zhao Tianming furtively, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhao Tianming hadn't noticed him.

After finishing his porridge, Zhao Tianming put on his clothes and prepared to go to court. He had only taken a few steps when he stopped, turned around, and asked his servant, "By the way! I remember you said last night you would write me a letter, right? Did you write it?"

"Sir, I forgot last night!" the servant said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming's expression changed, and he angrily retorted, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, the servant was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy, "I have not uttered a single lie!"

Zhao Tianming snorted coldly, said nothing, and walked straight towards the door.

Upon seeing this, the servant quickly scrambled to his feet, ran over, and grabbed Zhao Tianming's leg, pleading, "My lord, I would never dare to deceive you! Please forgive me!"

"Get out of my way!" Zhao Tianming roared and slapped him hard across the face.

The servant was knocked to the ground, clutching his head, sweating profusely from the pain.

"My lord, my lord, please spare me! I promise I will never do it again!" The servant scrambled to his feet and pleaded desperately.

Zhao Tianming didn't say anything, but walked straight out.

The servant breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhao Tianming leave the room, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

As Zhao Tianming walked forward, he took out paper and pen.

......

In a manor house on the outskirts of Beijing, Gao Ke sat in the main seat.

"Sir, are you really going to do this?" Chen Wenchang asked solemnly.

"This is the only way to save the people of the capital!" Gao Ke said earnestly.

"But Zhao Tianming..."

"Uncle Chen, you don't need to try to persuade me." Gao Ke waved his hand.

"Sir, aren't you afraid of angering Zhao Tianming?" Chen Wenchang asked, frowning.

"Hehe..." Gao Ke chuckled twice. "Afraid? Afraid of what? Zhao Tianming won't spread this around, and I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Can......"

"Uncle Chen, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."