Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong paced back and forth in the room, racking their brains for a solution. The atmosphere inside was heavy, and both men had their brows furrowed.

Zhao Tianming stopped and sighed heavily, saying, "Master Wu, after much thought, we still feel that this matter can only be resolved by Master Chai himself."

Wu Yong nodded slightly, looking worried, and said, "That's right. Master Chai is quite prestigious in the martial arts world, and he has a grudge against Yin Tianxi. Perhaps he can lend us a hand. However, I don't know if Master Chai is willing to get involved in this matter."

Zhao Tianming clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "There's no other way now, we can only try. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, we can't give up."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Then we need to prepare a generous gift to show our sincerity."

Zhao Tianming nodded and replied, "Okay, I'll go arrange it right away."

So Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong began to carefully prepare gifts. They selected precious jewels, rare medicinal herbs, and several bolts of fine silk. After everything was ready, the two, carrying the gifts, set off for the residence of Master Chai.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Tianming was filled with anxiety, constantly asking Wu Yong, "Sir, do you think Master Chai will agree to help us?"

Wu Yong comforted him, "Manager Zhao, there's no need to worry too much. Master Chai has always been righteous. If he knew the ins and outs of this matter, he would surely not stand idly by."

Finally, they arrived at the mansion of Master Chai. The mansion was magnificent, with vermilion gates and high walls, displaying the owner's noble status. Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong presented their visiting cards, and a gatekeeper went in to announce their arrival.

After a while, a servant came out and led them into the mansion. They passed through winding corridors and arrived at the main hall, where they saw Master Chai sitting upright.

Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master Chai, we apologize for our intrusion."

Master Chai smiled slightly and said, "No need for formalities, please have a seat. May I ask what brings you two here today?"

Zhao Tianming then recounted in detail the evil deeds of Wang Zhiqiang and Yin Tianxi, as well as the predicament they had encountered.

Upon hearing this, Chai Da Guanren's face gradually darkened, and he said, "This Yin Tianxi is truly despicable. He bullies others by relying on his power, and I have long disliked him."

Taking the opportunity, Zhao Tianming said, "Master Chai, we have come here to earnestly request your help. We are truly desperate."

As he spoke, Zhao Tianming had the prepared gifts presented.

Lord Chai glanced at the gift, waved his hand, and said, "I absolutely cannot accept this gift. If I were to help you only for these valuables, wouldn't people laugh at me, Chai Jin, for being greedy for personal gain? However, the forces behind Yin Tianxi are complex and intertwined, and dealing with him will not be easy."

Zhao Tianming hurriedly said, "As long as Master Chai is willing to help, we are willing to follow your orders."

After pondering for a moment, Lord Chai said, "Very well, considering your sincerity, I will give it a try. But this matter needs to be considered carefully and should not be rushed."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong were overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

In the days that followed, Chai began to secretly investigate Yin Tianxi's whereabouts and weaknesses, while also contacting his friends in the martial arts world to prepare a fatal blow to Yin Tianxi.

However, their actions did not escape Yin Tianxi's notice. Yin Tianxi was somewhat wary when he learned that Master Chai had intervened in the matter, but he was unwilling to give up so easily and decided to strike first.

Therefore, Yin Tianxi sent his men to spread rumors that Master Chai was colluding with outsiders and plotting a rebellion. Immediately, public opinion was in an uproar, putting considerable pressure on Master Chai.

When Zhao Tianming and Wu Yong learned of this, they were extremely anxious. They worried that Master Chai might back down because of this.

Zhao Tianming said, "Master Wu, what should we do? If Master Chai no longer helps us, we will really have no hope."

Wu Yong calmly analyzed, "Don't panic. Master Chai is by no means a coward. We must stand firmly on his side and work together to deal with this crisis."

Yin Tianxi, legs crossed, sat in his armchair and launched into a tirade against his men: "Lord Chai is a relative of the Later Zhou imperial family, granted an iron certificate by the founding emperor himself. Even if he commits any wrongdoing, he will not be executed. Hmph, Chai Jin is relying on this iron certificate. As long as we get our hands on this treasure, or even destroy it, Chai Jin and his family can expect to be thrown into death row. Zhao Tianming and his ilk will have no chance of escaping!"

Wang Zhiqiang, who was eating with his mouth full of oil and holding a chicken leg in his hand, mumbled, "No way, how could such an important thing as the Iron Certificate be shown to others so easily? Lord Yin, are you kidding me if you think you can steal it?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Tianxi jumped up from his chair in anger, rushed to Wang Zhiqiang, snatched the chicken leg from his hand, and threw it on the ground: "You glutton, all you know is eating! If we can get our hands on this imperial edict, it will be a great achievement, and we will enjoy endless wealth and glory!"

Wang Zhiqiang looked at the chicken leg on the ground and winced in distress: "Oh dear, my chicken leg! Lord Yin, please don't be angry. I just find this matter difficult to handle."

Yin Tianxi stared wide-eyed and said, "Difficult? What's so difficult about it? With so many of us, can't we come up with a solution?"

At this moment, one of his men came over and said with a grin, "Sir, why don't we send someone skilled in agility to sneak into the Chai residence tonight and steal that imperial edict?"

Yin Tianxi raised his hand and slapped him: "Are you stupid? The Chai residence is heavily guarded. Do you think it's so easy to steal something?"

Another subordinate cautiously suggested, "How about we send someone to infiltrate the Chai residence and find out the location of the imperial edict?"

Yin Tianxi kicked him again: "By the time you figure it out, it'll be too late!"

Everyone offered suggestions, but Yin Tianxi was not satisfied with any of them, and he paced around the room anxiously.

Wang Zhiqiang wiped the grease from his lips and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Lord Yin, I have an idea."

Yin Tianxi said impatiently, "What good ideas do you have? Speak up!"

Wang Zhiqiang chuckled: "We can dress up as an opera troupe, sneak into the Chai residence to perform, and take the opportunity to search for the imperial edict."

Yin Tianxi rolled his eyes: "Do you think Chai Jin is stupid? That he'd let us search the mansion randomly?"

Wang Zhiqiang scratched his head: "How about we pretend to be beggars and cry poverty at the entrance of the Chai mansion? Maybe Chai Jin will soften his heart and take us in, and then we can look for another opportunity."

Yin Tianxi was so angry he almost fainted: "What kind of terrible ideas are these!"

Just then, a shifty-eyed subordinate said, "Sir, I heard that Chai Jin has recently taken a liking to collecting antiques and calligraphy. Why don't we get a fake piece of valuable calligraphy and send it to him, saying it's a priceless treasure? When he's happily taking it out to admire it, we can take the opportunity to steal the imperial edict and replace it with the real one."

Yin Tianxi's eyes lit up: "This idea is interesting, but the fake calligraphy and painting have to be made to look very realistic."

Everyone immediately began preparations, finding a so-called "painter" to paint a crooked "masterpiece".

Looking at the painting, Wang Zhiqiang couldn't help but laugh: "This can be called a famous painting? No wonder Chai Jin wouldn't be fooled."

Yin Tianxi glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense and get on with it!"

So, the group of people, carrying this "famous painting," marched in a grand procession toward the Chai residence. Upon arriving at the gate, the gatekeeper, seeing their furtive behavior, immediately stopped them.

The leader put on a fawning smile: "Young man, we're here to deliver a treasure to Master Chai."

The gatekeeper looked at them with suspicion: "What kind of treasure could you possibly have?"

The leader quickly took out the painting and unfolded it for the gatekeeper to see: "Young man, take a look, this is a masterpiece."

The gatekeeper glanced at it and almost burst out laughing: "You call this a famous painting? You'd better leave now and stop causing trouble."

The leader grew anxious: "Young man, please do me a favor and inform him. If Master Chai is pleased, you'll be well rewarded."

Helpless, the gatekeeper had no choice but to go in and announce his arrival. After a while, the gatekeeper came out and said, "Master Chai said he has no interest in this lousy painting and that you should leave immediately."

Yin Tianxi's men were dumbfounded, standing at the door, at a loss for what to do.

Wang Zhiqiang muttered from afar, "I told you this method wouldn't work."

Yin Tianxi stomped his feet in anger: "These useless bastards can't even come up with a good idea!"

Just as they were arguing, a steward suddenly came out of the Chai residence and said, "Our master said that he saw you were pitiful and invited you in for a cup of tea."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed, thinking that their opportunity had arrived.

Little did they know, Chai Jin had already seen through their intentions and was waiting for them to walk right into his trap...

Chai Jin, true to his nickname "Little Whirlwind," was a generous and forthright man. Even though he knew that Yin Tianxi's men had ill intentions, he still invited them to his residence and treated them with courtesy.

"Gentlemen, please follow me and let us see the scenery of my mansion," Chai Jin said with a smile.

Yin Tianxi's men followed Chai Jin, looking around as they walked, their eyes almost unable to take it all in. The scenery of Chai Jin's mansion was indeed extraordinary, with pavilions and towers arranged in a harmonious manner, artificial hills and ponds complementing each other, and exotic flowers and rare plants vying for attention.

Everyone stared with their mouths agape, muttering, "This is so luxurious, I wish it were mine."

Suddenly, one of the henchmen was attracted by a beautiful stone carving and couldn't help but run over to touch it. However, he tripped over a stone and fell flat on his face, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Chai Jin maintained his smile and continued leading them forward.

As we passed a small lake, the water was crystal clear, and fish were swimming happily in it. A guy, his eyes glued to the lake, completely forgot he was walking and muttered, "These fish are really fat." As he spoke, he slipped and fell into the lake with a "plop."

He struggled in the water, shouting for help: "Help! I can't swim!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. The leader, laughing and cursing, said, "You idiot, you can fall into the water just to see the scenery! Aren't you ashamed!"

Chai Jin quickly ordered his men to pull him out of the water. The unfortunate fellow was soaking wet, looking like a drowned rat, and was sneezing incessantly.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, everyone, I've made a fool of myself," Chai Jin said.

The others were laughing so hard they almost cried, and they didn't even bother to answer Chai Jin's question.

After finally stopping laughing, the group continued on their way. Then, someone, looking up too far to see a beautiful bird flying overhead, lost their footing and bumped into a tree, instantly getting a big bump on their forehead.

"Ouch, that hurts so much!" he cried, clutching his forehead.

This made everyone laugh even harder, and even Chai Jin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The guy who fell into the lake, his clothes still dripping wet, walked away complaining, "It's all because this lake was too tempting, it made me look foolish."

The group followed Chai Jin around the mansion, laughing and joking. Their original desire to find the imperial edict was greatly diminished by the series of farces.