Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After receiving Chai Jin's message, Zhao Tianming hurriedly led Wu Yong, Li Kui, Lu Zhishen, and Shi Qian to the government office.

By this time, the yamen runners were already standing neatly on both sides of the hall, but the prefect was nowhere to be seen. Li Kui was already showing signs of impatience, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "That bastard, who knows where he went to have a good time last night, it's already time for him to be on duty, and he still hasn't arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang frowned and quickly scolded, "You black bastard, can you shut up? I'm a man of the government, how can I have a brother like you who has no manners?"

Li Kui, however, didn't take it seriously. He widened his eyes, stuck out his neck, and said to Song Jiang, "Brother Gongming, I think you should switch to making cooked food, deliver some shredded duck, and then sell it to various households."

Song Jiang stamped his feet in anger and pointed at Li Kui, saying, "You idiot, are you confused? Your brother Gongming is skilled in writing and proficient in officialdom. Although I don't hold a prestigious position in the government, I at least have a stable job. You want me to deliver takeout? That's no easy task!"

Li Kui scratched his head and chuckled, "Brother, I was just thinking that if you switch to a different business, you might make a fortune!"

Hearing this from the side, Lu Zhishen burst into laughter: "Brother Li Kui, your idea is truly amusing! Sending Clerk Song to deliver takeout is a real waste of his talents!"

Shi Qian also laughed and said, "That's right, Brother Li Kui, you always come up with crooked ideas."

Li Kui snorted defiantly, "What? I'm just thinking of Brother Gongming. Delivering food is so much more comfortable; I can deliver whenever I want."

Wu Yong waved his feather fan and smiled, saying, "Brother Li Kui, delivering food is not as simple as you think. Not to mention the hard work of braving wind and rain, the endless demands of customers are enough to give you a headache."

Li Kui pursed his lips: "Brother Wu Yong, you've read too many books and you're overthinking things. I think this is very simple. Brother Gongming just needs to deliver the shredded duck and collect the money."

Song Jiang sighed helplessly: "You, Tie Niu, are really a blockhead. Although I am not a high-ranking official in this government office, I am still doing my part to serve the people. How can I just quit and go to work as a food deliveryman?"

Li Kui blinked: "Brother, I think you won't amount to much in this government office. You might as well go out and try your luck elsewhere."

Lu Zhishen patted Li Kui on the shoulder: "Brother Li Kui, stop talking nonsense. Clerk Song has his own plans in the yamen."

Li Kui muttered, "Hmph, anyway, I think delivering food is pretty good. If Brother Gongming won't do it, I'll do it myself."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter again.

Just then, the Prefect finally strolled in. Everyone quickly suppressed their smiles and took their positions.

The prefect glanced at the crowd and said with displeasure, "Stand still, what kind of order is this!"

Song Jiang stepped forward and said respectfully, "My lord, we have been waiting for you for a long time."

The prefect snorted, "We've waited so long, isn't it all because you're incompetent!"

Li Kui muttered under his breath, "It's clearly your own fault for being late, yet you're blaming us."

The prefect, with his sharp ears, overheard Li Kui's words and roared, "Li Kui, what are you muttering about?"

Li Kui shrank back, his neck stiff: "No, it's nothing, sir."

The prefect glared at Li Kui: "You black rascal, all you do is cause trouble."

Song Jiang quickly smiled apologetically and said, "My lord, please calm down. Li Kui is just being ignorant. I will definitely discipline him properly when I get back."

The prefect then gave up and began to arrange affairs.

As everyone listened to the prefect's instructions, they each had their own thoughts. Li Kui was absent-minded, still thinking about delivering takeout; Lu Zhishen looked serious, carefully considering how to complete the task; Wu Yong's eyes flickered, as if he was plotting something.

After a long wait, the magistrate finished speaking, and everyone dispersed.

Li Kui then approached Song Jiang and said, "Brother Gongming, I still think delivering food is better. Why don't we do it together?"

Song Jiang was both amused and exasperated: "You, you, don't bring this up again. Just follow me and do your job properly."

Li Kui muttered, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to my brother."

This time, thanks to the help of Master Chai, Zhao Tianming gave Wu Yong a wink. Wu Yong understood and immediately stepped forward, saying to the prefect, "Sir, this humble subject has something to report."

The prefect yawned, wiped his nose with a handkerchief, and said, "You have more to say? Go back and write it. What are you muttering about here?"

Wu Yong, speaking in a literary style, thought to himself: Is this guy still half asleep or an idiot? How come he doesn't even understand the questions asked in the yamen? But he still said politely, "Sir, what I mean is, there is a miscarriage of justice in Instructor Lin's case. Please allow me to continue."

The prefect slammed his hand on the table impatiently and said, "What injustice? He forcibly occupied Lu Yuhou's land. Lu Yuhou brought me documents and a complaint, and I judged the case fairly and impartially according to the law. The facts are clear and the evidence is irrefutable. Stop rambling on."

After he finished speaking, he slammed the gavel onto the dusty table, immediately kicking up a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, Li Kui shouted at the top of his lungs, "You damn bastard, how long has it been since you handled a case? Look at this case, it's covered in a thick layer of dust!"

The prefect was startled by Li Kui's shout and glared at him angrily: "Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to make such a fuss here!"

Li Kui ignored all of that and continued shouting, "Am I wrong? You're such an incompetent official, making judgments without even understanding the case!"

Song Jiang quickly reprimanded Li Kui: "Tie Niu, don't be rude!"

Li Kui snorted: "Brother, I just can't stand this incompetent official!"

Wu Yong quickly tried to smooth things over: "My lord, please don't take offense. My brother is straightforward and speaks without thinking. But there are indeed some strange things about Instructor Lin's case."

The prefect rolled his eyes at Wu Yong: "What's the strange thing? The evidence is conclusive, and you can't just make things up!"

Wu Yong said unhurriedly, "My lord, can Lu Qianhou's documents and complaint stand up to scrutiny? Perhaps he forged them."

The prefect frowned: "Nonsense! Lord Lu is a law-abiding citizen, how could he do such a thing?"

Lu Zhishen couldn't help but say, "Sir, you can't just believe one side of the story. Instructor Lin is an upright man; how could he possibly seize someone else's land?"

The prefect waved his hand impatiently: "What do you people know! I have my reasons for judging cases."

Li Kui jumped out again: "What logic is that? I think you just took bribes from Lu Qianhou!"

"Insolence!" The prefect's face turned red with anger. "Guards! Drag this scoundrel away and give him twenty lashes!"

Several constables stepped forward to arrest Li Kui, but Song Jiang quickly pleaded, "My lord, please calm down. Tie Niu is ignorant. I hope you will spare him this time."

The prefect snorted coldly: "I'll spare him this time for the sake of Clerk Song. But if you dare to spout nonsense again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Wu Yong said, "My lord, we did not mean to offend you, but this case is indeed full of doubts. For example, is the boundary that Lu Qianhou mentioned really clear and distinct? And are the witness testimonies reliable?"

The prefect, growing impatient with the questions, replied, "I will investigate these matters myself; you need not worry about them!"

Lu Zhishen said, "Sir, if you don't investigate properly and wrong an innocent person, it will damage your official prestige."

The prefect glared at Lu Zhishen: "I don't need you to lecture me!"

At this moment, Shi Qian'er, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Sir, you should listen to them. It would be bad if they were wrong."

The prefect hesitated for a moment: "Alright, then tell me, what exactly is the injustice in this case?"

Wu Yong cleared his throat: "My lord, as far as I know, Instructor Lin and Lu Qianhou have a long-standing feud. This complaint is probably a deliberate frame-up by Lu Qianhou. Moreover, the so-called documents and complaint may also be forged."

The prefect was skeptical: "Is this really true?"

Song Jiang continued, "My lord, everyone knows what kind of person Instructor Lin is. He is by no means the kind of villain who would seize other people's land."

The prefect stroked his chin and pondered for a moment: "Hmm... what you said makes sense. I will send someone to investigate this more thoroughly in a few days."

Li Kui muttered from the side, "It should have been done a long time ago. We've wasted so much of our time."

The prefect glared at Li Kui fiercely: "You black bastard, if you dare to say another word, you'll be given a beating!"

"I think we should investigate again in a few days," someone outside the door said. "Hmph! A few days? How long do you expect? Do you want Instructor Lin to stay in this dark and gloomy cell any longer?"

The prefect demanded, "Who dares to cause trouble in the courtroom?"

The constables said tremblingly, "Sir, it is Master Chai Jin."

The prefect didn't hear clearly at first and said, "What did you say? The stove is out of fire. Shouldn't we add some firewood? What's going on? I have to worry about the kitchen."

The constables said with bitter faces, "Sir, it's not about the kitchen, it's about Master Chai. Where did this old man go to have a good time last night? He's not asleep and is still daydreaming."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chai Jin strode into the courtroom, glaring angrily: "You muddle-headed official! You've been dragging this out on Lin Jiaotou's case for so long, what exactly do you want?"

The prefect then came to his senses and, upon seeing Chai Jin, was startled, but forced a calm expression: "Master Chai, you cannot be so presumptuous in this courtroom."

Chai Jin sneered: "I'm being presumptuous? You're an unfair and unjust official. I think you don't want to stay in this position anymore."

The prefect broke out in a cold sweat: "Lord Chai, you can't say that. I'm just acting in accordance with the law."

"Act according to the law?" Chai Jin stepped forward. "Then tell me, how did Instructor Lin forcibly seize that land? Where is the evidence?"

The prefect stammered, "This...this Lord Lu has documents and a complaint."

Chai Jin angrily shouted, "Couldn't those documents and indictments be forged? You muddle-headed official, you didn't investigate carefully before hastily concluding the case."

The prefect wiped his sweat: "Lord Chai, there might be some misunderstanding here."

Chai Jin glared at him: "Misunderstanding? If I hadn't come today, would this misunderstanding have continued like this, causing Instructor Lin to suffer unjustly?"

The prefect hurriedly replied, "No, no, I will investigate again immediately."

Chai Jin pointed at the prefect's nose: "You had better give me a fair result, or I'll make sure you regret it."

The prefect nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, definitely, definitely."

Chai Jin snorted and turned to look at the crowd: "With me, Chai Jin, here, I will definitely not let Instructor Lin be wronged."

After saying this, Chai Jin ordered some stools to be brought over, and he and the others sat in the courtroom, watching the prefect preside over the trial.

The prefect slumped in his chair, unable to recover for a long time, while the constables looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.