Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After Lu Zhishen subdued Zhang San and his gang of ruffians, the ruffians were filled with admiration for Lu Zhishen's martial arts skills and willingly obeyed his discipline from then on, thus becoming friends with him. One day, Lu Zhishen and Zhang San's gang were drinking and making merry in the vegetable garden when Zhao Tianming happened to come and invite Lu Zhishen to join them for drinks.

So, Lu Zhishen, along with Zhang San and the others, arrived at the tavern with Zhao Tianming. Inside, Song Jiang, Wu Yong, Li Kui, and Shi Qian were already waiting. Upon meeting, they all bowed and greeted each other, then sat down at a table and began to drink heartily.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious as everyone chatted and laughed. Li Kui loudly recounted his heroic deeds, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Shi Qian, meanwhile, shared some amusing anecdotes from the martial arts world, which everyone listened to with great interest.

Just then, a servant rushed in and said to Zhao Tianming, "Master, something terrible has happened! Instructor Lin is in trouble again!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming frowned, put down his wine cup, and asked, "Tell me quickly, what happened to Brother Lin Chong?"

Upon hearing that Lin Chong was in trouble, Li Kui slammed his fist on the table, making the dishes on it jump. He shouted, "Was it that bastard Gao Qiu who sent people to cause trouble for Instructor Lin again? I, Tie Niu, will definitely chop him up!" His eyes widened, his face full of anger, as if he was about to rush out and fight someone at any moment.

Song Jiang frowned and pointed at Li Kui, saying, "You black bastard, shut up! Don't be so impulsive. Find out what happened first." Song Jiang's tone was stern. He knew Li Kui's impetuous nature and was afraid that his rash actions would ruin everything.

The messenger, standing to the side, was trembling slightly from Li Kui's imposing manner. Hearing Song Jiang's words, he calmed himself down a bit and said, "He's not one of Gao Qiu's men."

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang asked in confusion, "Who is it? Tell me quickly!" His eyes were fixed on the messenger, eager to know the answer.

The messenger swallowed hard and said, "It's...it's Prefect Cai Jiu."

Song Jiang's face darkened, and he said, "Why is Cai Jiu arresting Instructor Lin?"

The messenger said, "I don't know the details either. I only heard that Instructor Lin got into a conflict with Prefect Cai Jiu's men on the street, but I don't know the specific reason. They arrested Instructor Lin without saying a word."

Zhao Tianming paced anxiously to the side and said, "This Cai Jiu has always been in cahoots with Gao Qiu. This time, he has captured Brother Lin Chong. I'm afraid he is in grave danger."

Wu Yong gently shook his feather fan, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is quite strange. Why would Cai Jiu arrest Instructor Lin for no reason? There must be a hidden story behind it."

Lu Zhishen clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and said, "Forget about any hidden reasons, let's rescue Brother Lin Chong first!"

Song Jiang said, "Commander Lu, don't be hasty. We can't act rashly. Now that Cai Jiu dares to openly arrest people, he must have made preparations. We need to plan carefully and come up with a foolproof plan."

Shi Qian's eyes darted around, and he said, "Why don't I go to Cai Jiu's residence first to investigate and see what the situation is?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that the plan was feasible.

Li Kui stamped his feet anxiously and said, "By the time you come back from your investigation, Instructor Lin will have suffered a lot! I can't wait."

Song Jiang shouted, "Li Kui, don't act recklessly! Do as I say!"

Although Li Kui was unwilling, he dared not disobey Song Jiang's orders and could only stand aside angrily.

Zhao Tianming said, "Then we should not delay. Brother Shiqian, go and come back quickly. We will wait here for news."

Shi Qian responded, turned around, and used his lightness skill to quickly leave.

The atmosphere in the tavern was tense and oppressive. Everyone was anxiously waiting for Shi Qian to bring back news, and secretly praying that Lin Chong would be safe and sound.

After Shi Qian used his lightness skill to arrive at Cai Jiu's residence, he carefully hid in the shadows of the rooftop and spied on the movements in the back garden.

Cai Jiu was drinking in the pavilion with a thin, emaciated man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face. The man took out a box from his robes and handed it to Cai Jiu with utmost respect, saying, "Lord Cai, we really owe you a debt of gratitude this time!"

Cai Jiu opened the box and saw a crystal-clear jade bowl inside. His eyes lit up and his face beamed with joy. He said happily, "Lord Lu, you've really thought of me."

Lu Yuhou smiled obsequiously and quickly filled Cai Jiu's cup with wine, saying, "My lord, I am deeply grateful for your help. This small gift is just a token of my appreciation, and I hope you will accept it."

Cai Jiu picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, you certainly know how to get things done. So, what do you need from me this time?"

Lu Yuhou leaned closer to Cai Jiu and said in a low voice, "Sir, now that Lin Chong has fallen into your hands, I hope you can teach him a lesson and let him know what's what."

Cai Jiu raised an eyebrow, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes: "Hmph, that Lin Chong dares to oppose me. However, this is not a good matter. After all, he is the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards. If we don't have a suitable pretext..."

Lu Yuhou quickly replied, "My lord, I've already thought it through. We'll say he was causing trouble in the streets and disturbing public order. With your methods, my lord, we'll make sure he has no way to defend himself."

Cai Jiu pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm, this plan is feasible. However, it must be done flawlessly so that no one can find any fault with it."

Lu Yuhou nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, sir, I understand."

Shi Qian, who was on the rooftop, heard everything clearly and cursed the two men in his heart for colluding to frame a loyal official. He quietly withdrew, intending to return and report to the others.

Shi Qian used his lightness skill to travel back and forth, his heart burning with anxiety. Upon returning to where everyone was, he didn't even have time to catch his breath before recounting everything he had seen and heard.

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with righteous indignation. Lu Zhishen was so angry that he roared, "These two scoundrels have framed Instructor Lin like this! I will tear them to pieces!"

Song Jiang quickly reassured him, "Officer Lu, don't be hasty. Acting rashly will only ruin things. We need to think of a careful plan to rescue Brother Lin Chong."

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yong said, "In my opinion, we should first send people outside the mansion to scout out the situation, and then act when the opportunity arises."

Everyone nodded in agreement and decided to follow Wu Yong's plan.

Shi Qian's men quickly learned of the news and rushed back to report to everyone. One of them, panting heavily and looking anxious, said, "It's terrible, my heroes! I've heard that Cai Jiu is going to torture Instructor Lin, trying to force a confession out of him!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was both shocked and furious. Zhao Tianming slammed his fist on the table and roared, "This Cai Jiu is utterly lawless! How dare he so blatantly frame Instructor Lin!"

Song Jiang also had a solemn expression, his brows furrowed, and he paced back and forth in the room.

Zhao Tianming pondered for a moment, then turned and walked to the cabinet, opened the door, and took out a heavy money bag. He placed the money bag heavily on the table and said, "There's no time to lose, we need to find a way to rescue him quickly. I have some silver here, take it and use it to bribe the brothers in prison, hoping they'll take care of Instructor Lin and not let him suffer."

Seeing this, Song Jiang did not hesitate to take out his money pouch from his pocket and empty it, saying, "Brother Zhao is absolutely right. As long as we spend money, the guards in the prison may not make things difficult for Instructor Lin. But this is only a temporary measure. We still need to find out what really happened as soon as possible and come up with a foolproof way to rescue Instructor Lin."

Li Kui, who had been unable to contain himself any longer, brandished his double axes and shouted, "What's the point of thinking of any other way? I'll just storm into that prison and rescue Instructor Lin!"

Song Jiang glared at Li Kui and scolded, "Tie Niu, don't be reckless! Such impulsive actions will not only fail to rescue Instructor Lin, but will also implicate everyone."

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan and slowly said, "In my opinion, we can first send someone to contact the people in Cai Jiu's residence to sound out his intentions and see if we can find any flaws in his story. At the same time, we can send someone to the place where Lin Chong had his accident to find eyewitnesses and find out the truth of the matter."

Lu Zhishen nodded in agreement, saying, "Wu Xuejiu's plan is brilliant. I am willing to lead men to find witnesses."

Shi Qian also volunteered, saying, "Then I'll go to Cai Jiu's residence to find out what's going on."

Song Jiang said, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble you two brothers. Brother Zhao, please go to the prison with me again and make some arrangements to delay things as much as possible, so that Cai Jiu's conspiracy doesn't succeed."

Everyone sprang into action. Zhao Tianming and Song Jiang took the silver to the prison. Along the way, Zhao Tianming was filled with anxiety, worried about Lin Chong's safety.

Once in prison, Zhao Tianming and Song Jiang found the head jailer and secretly slipped some silver into his hand, saying, "Brother, Lin Chong is our good brother. We hope you will take good care of him in prison and not let him suffer."

The head jailer, seeing the money, put on a smile and said, "Don't worry, gentlemen, with me here, I will make sure Instructor Lin doesn't suffer too much injustice."

Meanwhile, Lu Zhishen and several brothers inquired around the market where Lin Chong had gotten into trouble. After some questioning, they finally found an old man who had witnessed the whole thing. The old man said tremblingly, "Instructor Lin Chong was walking normally on the street when Cai Jiu's men suddenly rushed out, insisting that Instructor Lin Chong had offended them, and then arrested him without saying a word."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen gritted his teeth and said, "This is clearly a frame-up!"

Meanwhile, Shi Qian, relying on his light-footed skills and quick wit, sneaked into Cai Jiu's residence. He hid on the roof beam, eavesdropping on Cai Jiu's conversation with Lu Yu Hou.

Cai Jiu said, "This time we must make sure Lin Chong never has a chance to recover, so he doesn't ruin our plans."

Lu Yuhou chimed in, "Don't worry, sir. The document for the tortured confession is ready and just waiting for your signature."

Shi Qian cursed inwardly, then quietly withdrew and rushed back to rejoin the others.

The group gathered together and summarized the information they had gathered. Zhao Tianming said, "It seems that Cai Jiu is determined to kill Instructor Lin."

After a moment of contemplation, Song Jiang said, "Since that's the case, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I have a plan. We can first spread the truth about Lin Chong being framed, which will arouse public anger. Then we can join forces with some righteous people to put pressure on Cai Jiu."

Wu Yong nodded and said, "This plan is feasible, but we still need to proceed with caution and avoid alerting the enemy."

After discussing the matter, everyone decided to proceed with the plan and vowed to rescue Lin Chong from danger.