Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Huang Qi punished Zhang San and the others, but made no move against Yin Tianxi, the mastermind behind it all, something Song Jiang was fully aware of. That day, he told Zhao Tianming the result.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming was furious. His eyes widened, and he waved his arms, exclaiming, "What kind of ridiculous judgment is this? Zhang San and the others are being sent to the Great Xiangguo Temple? This isn't punishment; it's practically giving them a perfect vacation spot!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kui also became excited. He slapped his thigh, spitting everywhere: "That's right, that damn official! Let me tell you, that old monk in the vegetable garden of the Great Xiangguo Temple is so honest, you can't even prick him with a needle! Zhang San and his men didn't get punished there; they went there to have a good time!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang's face darkened immediately. He pointed at Li Kui and said, "You black bastard, shut up! If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"

Li Kui, however, hadn't reacted yet, and continued to shout at the top of his lungs, "Brother Song, I'm telling the truth! That place is practically paradise for Zhang San and the others!"

Song Jiang was furious with him. He stepped forward, raised his hand as if to hit him, and said, "I told you to shut up, didn't you hear me?"

Li Kui then realized that Song Jiang was truly angry. He quickly covered his mouth, but his eyes were still darting around, and he was making "woo-woo" sounds, as if he still had a lot to say.

Looking at the two men, Zhao Tianming was both amused and annoyed. He said, "Brother Song Jiang, don't take it to heart. Li Kui is just a straightforward guy; he says what he thinks."

Song Jiang snorted and said, "This fool, all he does is shout nonsense, doesn't he know what kind of occasion this is?"

Seeing that Song Jiang's anger had subsided, Li Kui released his grip and muttered, "I was just standing up for us. We know perfectly well that it was that guy Yin Tianxi who did it, but we can't do anything about it."

Song Jiang shook his head helplessly and said, "This matter is not so simple. We need to plan it carefully."

Zhao Tianming nodded and said, "Yes, we can't act impulsively; we need to come up with a more comprehensive plan."

Li Kui scratched his head and said, "Oh dear, I'm not very bright and can't think of any good ideas. Anyway, we can't let Zhang San and the others get away with this."

The three of them looked at each other, at a loss for what to do, and a silence fell over the room.

While everyone was discussing how to deal with Zhang San and his group, a servant rushed in in a panic, almost tripping over himself. He panted and said to Zhao Tianming, "Manager Zhao, there's a monk outside begging for alms!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kui said irritably, "He's just a monk begging for alms. You can just give him some money and send him on his way. Why bother reporting such a small matter? It's really troublesome!"

The servant said with a bitter face, "That monk said he absolutely had to see Manager Zhao."

Li Kui's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Where did this wild monk come from? So ungrateful! I'll go see him!" With that, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to walk out.

At this moment, Song Jiang quickly grabbed Li Kui and scolded him, "You black rascal, you've caused trouble! Stay here and behave yourself!"

Li Kui muttered reluctantly, "Brother Song, I just wanted to scare him and make him leave quickly."

Song Jiang rolled his eyes at him, ignored him, and led the others out.

Upon reaching the door, they saw a large, fat monk standing there, his robe tattered and tattered, holding a staff in his hand.

Song Jiang stepped forward, put his hands together, and said, "Master, why do you insist on seeing us?"

The monk laughed heartily, his voice booming like a bell: "Brother Song Jiang, don't you recognize me?"

Song Jiang looked closely, was taken aback at first, and then couldn't help but laugh: "Oh dear, it's Brother Lu Zhishen! What happened to you?"

Lu Zhishen scratched his head and laughed, "Brother, don't mention it. I ran into some trouble on the road and ended up in such a sorry state."

The crowd ushered Lu Zhishen into the house, and everyone inside burst into laughter.

Li Kui pointed at Lu Zhishen and said, "Hey monk, are you going to beg for alms or to fight?"

Lu Zhishen glared at Li Kui: "You black-faced clod, all you do is make fun of me!"

Zhao Tianming said with a smile, "Master, please have a seat. May I ask what brings you here?"

Lu Zhishen plopped down and said, "I heard you're in trouble here, so I came to see if I could help."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Song Jiang said, "Brother, you have a kind heart, but this is not an easy matter to handle."

Lu Zhishen waved his hand and said, "Brother, don't be afraid. With me here, everything can be solved!"

Everyone burst into laughter at his appearance, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably with Lu Zhishen's arrival.

Lu Zhishen sat down with an air of authority, picked up a bowl of tea and drank it all in one gulp. Then he wiped his mouth and began to recount his journey.

"That day, I was drinking in a tavern when I heard about the plight of Jin Cuilian and her father. That bully Zhen Guanxi was taking advantage of his power and forcibly taking a woman. How could I tolerate that? I immediately went to settle the score with him and beat him to death with just a few punches and kicks." Lu Zhishen said excitedly, waving his arms as if he had returned to that scene.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming was filled with admiration for Lu Zhishen's chivalrous act and quickly said to Lu Zhishen, "So you are the famous Commander Lu! I have been disrespectful."

Lu Zhishen looked puzzled and said, "We've never met before, how do you know my name?"

Zhao Tianming was startled, thinking to himself, "I'm from another time, and I've read *Water Margin*, how could I not know this?" But of course he couldn't say that, so he just smiled and said, "The Commander's reputation is renowned far and wide, and your deeds have long been known. Everyone is eager to praise your righteous acts of helping those in need! Who doesn't know a hero like you?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen burst into laughter: "So that's how it is! I thought not many people knew about this little thing about me!"

Song Jiang said from the side, "Commander Lu is a man of great righteousness and has done something that pleases the people. Naturally, his reputation will spread far and wide."

Lu Zhishen waved his hand and said, "I just couldn't stand seeing such wicked people bullying the common people, so I did what I should do. I just didn't expect that this would lead to a lawsuit and that I would have to flee everywhere."

Zhao Tianming said, "Commander, there's no need to worry. Your actions are righteous, and I believe Heaven will bless you."

Li Kui leaned closer and said, "Monk, your fist is hard enough, I admire it! From now on, let's roam the world together and see who dares to do evil!"

Lu Zhishen laughed and punched Li Kui lightly: "You dark-skinned fellow, you're just like me!"

Everyone chimed in, praising Lu Zhishen's heroic deeds. Although Lu Zhishen spoke modestly, his face beamed with pride.

The atmosphere in the room became lively, and everyone seemed to have forgotten the troubles they had discussed earlier, immersing themselves in the story of Lu Zhishen.

Since Lu Zhishen rarely came here, Zhao Tianming naturally hosted a banquet with baijiu (Chinese liquor) to entertain him. At the table, Lu Zhishen drank heartily, one bowl after another, showing great generosity. Zhao Tianming, however, couldn't hold his liquor, and after a few cups, his face turned red, so he had Li Kui, Song Jiang, and others keep him company.

Everyone was toasting and drinking, creating quite a lively atmosphere. Lu Zhishen drank and ate meat with such gusto that everyone else was stunned.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhao Tianming found a place for Lu Zhishen to rest. Lu Zhishen said, "Any place will do."

Lu Zhishen was to set off in two days. Zhao Tianming gave Lu Zhishen some travel money, and Lu Zhishen said, "Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm on my way to the Great Xiangguo Temple."

Upon hearing this, everyone said, "Why don't you stay here, Commander?"

Lu Zhishen shook his head and said, "I will naturally meet with my brothers when I have the opportunity in the future. I cannot refuse to give face to the elders now."

Curious, everyone asked him what he was doing at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Lu Zhishen replied, "To tend the vegetable garden."

Upon hearing this, Li Kui shook his head and said, "This is truly a case of 'when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you've reached the end of the road.'"

Lu Zhishen glared at him and said, "Speak your mind. Don't use such flowery language. I don't understand."

Song Jiang, standing to the side, explained with a smile, "What Brother Li Kui means is that you, Commander, have finally found a good place to go."

Lu Zhishen waved his hand and said, "Who cares about a good place or a bad place, as long as we have a place to settle down, that's fine."

Song Jiang then told Lu Zhishen about Zhao Tianming's troubles. Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen slammed his fist on the table and said, "So it's just a few rascals. Don't worry, brother, when these rascals get to the Great Xiangguo Temple, I'll take good care of them."

Zhao Tianming said gratefully, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Commander."

Lu Zhishen said, "This is nothing. I can't stand these bullies. When they come to my territory, I'll make them behave."

After chatting for a while, Lu Zhishen went to rest. Early the next morning, Lu Zhishen, carrying the travel money and dry rations given to him by the group, set off for the Xiangguo Temple. The group watched his retreating figure, their hearts filled with anticipation, hoping that he would teach those ruffians a lesson and vent their anger.

Lu Zhishen soon arrived at the Great Xiangguo Temple, handed over the duties to the old monk in charge of the vegetable garden, and then swaggered over to inspect the garden. The vegetables in the garden were lush and green, full of vitality, and very pleasing to the eye.

A few days later, Zhang San and his friends also strolled over here. The abbot pointed to the vegetable garden and said to them, "I've punished you by sending you here to do hard labor. You'll be doing heavy work in this vegetable garden. You'll need to reform yourselves!" Zhang San and his friends didn't take it seriously at all and continued to laugh and joke.

Li Er looked at the fresh-looking vegetables, his eyes darting around, and said, "These vegetables are good, I'll pick one and try it." With that, he was about to start eating.

Lu Zhishen suddenly appeared out of nowhere and roared, "You dare! I'll chop off your claws!"

This shout startled Li Er, causing him to tremble and freeze in mid-air.

Zhang San turned his head and saw a fat monk. He felt a little scared, but he still said toughly, "Oh, where did this monk come from? Who are you trying to scare!"

Lu Zhishen stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes wide like copper bells: "I'm in charge of this vegetable garden. If you bunch of rascals dare to touch these vegetables, watch out, my fists won't discriminate!"

Wang Wu leaned closer and said with a grin, "Monk, don't be so fierce, we're just taking a look."

Lu Zhishen snorted: "You can't even look! You all better behave yourselves!"

Zhao Liu muttered to himself from behind, "This monk is not someone to mess with."

Ma Zi nodded in agreement: "Yeah, yeah, let's not cause any trouble."

Zhang San, however, was unwilling to give up and stubbornly said, "It's just a few vegetables, why are you being so fierce?"

Lu Zhishen stepped forward, his tall figure looming over him like a wall: "How many vegetables? These are what I need to look after, don't touch a single one!"

Li Er quickly pulled Zhang San away, saying, "Forget it, a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle."

Zhang San was still muttering to himself, but he didn't dare to move again.