Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Li Kui, undaunted, widened his eyes and shouted, "You old man Gao Qiu, this Yin Tianxi has committed numerous evils and oppressed the people. What's wrong with me judging the case and arresting him? I'm acting on behalf of Heaven!"

Gao Qiu snorted, crossed his arms, and said disdainfully, "Stop talking nonsense! Release them at once! You black bastard, what do you know about solving cases? Don't cause trouble here!"

Li Kui gripped his axe tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and said through gritted teeth, "I won't let him go! No one can plead for him today! The crimes Yin Tianxi committed are unforgivable, and I will never let him go!"

Gao Qiu sat leisurely in his chair, legs crossed, glancing at Li Kui out of the corner of his eye. He said to Li Kui in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, Li Kui, you black bastard, listen up! Young Master Yin is a member of the imperial family, with a powerful backer. What can you do to him? Do you think you can turn the world upside down?" After saying that, Gao Qiu even shook his leg smugly, looking as arrogant as could be.

Upon hearing this, Li Kui's eyes widened like copper bells. He charged at Gao Qiu in a flash, slamming his axe down on the table with both hands. A deafening crash followed, and the table shattered in two, its contents flying everywhere. Li Kui shouted at the top of his lungs, "Even a prince is subject to the law! Who does Yin Tianxi think he is! He just abuses his power because of his connections! I, Li Kui, won't stand for that!"

The sudden smash and roar startled Gao Qiu so much that he trembled all over, his crossed legs fell off, and he almost rolled off the chair and onto the ground.

He finally managed to steady himself, his face turning deathly pale. Trembling, he pointed at Li Kui and cursed, "You, you lawless, uncouth brute, how dare you be so insolent! You have absolutely no respect for the law!"

Li Kui put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and burst into loud laughter, which shook the dust off the roof.

"Hahaha, me being presumptuous? Gao Qiu, you old bastard, stop putting on airs! You and Yin Tianxi are two scoundrels, conspiring together! Today I will act on behalf of Heaven to uphold justice!"

Gao Qiu was so frightened by Li Kui's imposing manner that he broke out in a cold sweat, but he still forced himself to maintain his composure and said, "You, you ignorant fool, if you have the guts, try touching Young Master Yin with a single finger!"

Li Kui shouted, "Fine, you tell me to move, so I will! Guards! Three shifts of yamen runners, two shifts of constables!"

As soon as he shouted, a group of constables and yamen runners rushed up and said in unison, "Lord Li Kui, what are your orders?"

Li Kui waved his hand and pointed at Yin Tianxi, saying, "Press all of this kid's hands onto the table, and I'm going to chop them off one by one!"

The constables and yamen runners looked at each other, hesitant to step forward.

Gao Qiu, standing to the side, was so anxious he jumped up and down, pointing at Li Kui and saying, "Li Kui, how dare you!"

Li Kui grinned, revealing a set of uneven teeth, and said, "You want me to chop him up? How can I not give you face? You old man Gao Qiu, just you wait and see!"

Yin Tianxi was already terrified, his face ashen, and his whole body trembling uncontrollably. He stammered, "Master Li, please spare me! I'll never do it again, I'll never do it again!"

Li Kui ignored his pleas for mercy, strode over, grabbed Yin Tianxi by the collar, and lifted him to the table like a chick.

Yin Tianxi tried to struggle, but Li Kui kicked him in the back of the knee, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

Seeing this, the constables and yamen runners had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to press Yin Tianxi's hand onto the table.

Yin Tianxi cried out in anguish, his voice filled with pitiful lament: "Oh dear mother, help me! Lord Gao Qiu, save me!"

Gao Qiu stomped his feet in anger and cursed, "You bunch of good-for-nothings, release Young Master Yin right now!"

Li Kui laughed loudly and said, "Gao Qiu, you old fool, don't waste your energy! No one can save him today!"

Having said that, Li Kui raised his axe, as if to chop it down.

Just as the axe was about to fall, someone suddenly shouted, "Spare his life!"

Everyone was taken aback and turned around to see an old man rushing over.

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Eunuch Guo, who served Consort Shu. Eunuch Guo hurried over with small, quick steps, his fat face jiggling with each step.

When Yin Tianxi saw this, it was as if he had seen a lifeline. He quickly stood up again, a smug look on his face.

Seeing this, Li Kui shouted, "Kneel down properly!" This shout was like a bolt from the blue, frightening Yin Tianxi so much that his legs went weak and he knelt down again with a "thump".

Guo Gonggong glared at Li Kui and said arrogantly, "Who dares to touch the Empress's family? They must have a death wish!" His shrill voice sounded particularly grating.

Li Kui crossed his arms, tilted his head, and said, "I moved it, so what?"

Guo Gonggong was so angry that his face turned green. He pointed at Li Kui and said, "How dare you disrespect the Empress?"

Li Kui glared and retorted, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, so why can't I touch him?"

Guo Gonggong was speechless for a moment, not expecting Li Kui to say that. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he scolded, "You black scoundrel, this is utter nonsense! You don't know what's good for you!"

Li Kui burst into laughter and said, "You think you're Zhang Rang? This isn't the Eastern Han Dynasty anymore!"

Guo Gonggong was so angry at Li Kui's words that he trembled all over and said, "You, you rude man, how dare you speak such arrogant words!"

Li Kui stepped forward and approached Eunuch Guo, saying, "How did I spout nonsense? You lackey of the Empress, stop showing off in front of me!"

Eunuch Guo took a few steps back and said, "You, how dare you! I'm going back to tell the Empress and she'll punish you!"

Li Kui scoffed dismissively, "Go away, go ahead, I'm not afraid!"

Guo Gonggong was so angry that he stomped his feet and turned to Gao Qiu, saying, "Lord Gao Qiu, look at this! What kind of behavior is this!"

Gao Qiu looked embarrassed and said, "Father-in-law, Li Kui is a boorish man, please don't take him seriously."

Eunuch Guo rolled his eyes at Gao Qiu and said, "Hmph, none of you are any good!"

At this moment, Yin Tianxi cried out again, "Father-in-law, please save me!"

Guo Gonggong said irritably, "Look at you, so useless!"

Li Kui said from the side, "You lot, stop putting on this sob story. No one can save Yin Tianxi from his crimes today!"

Guo Gonggong pointed at Li Kui and said, "You, you just wait!"

Li Kui put his hands on his hips and replied, "I'm waiting. Bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve!"

Guo Gonggong was so angry with Li Kui that he couldn't speak and just stood there panting.

The constables and yamen runners standing nearby couldn't help but chuckle. Hearing the laughter, Eunuch Guo became even more furious and roared, "What are you laughing at? Shut up!"

The laughter stopped abruptly, and the courtroom fell into a tense atmosphere once again.

Eunuch Guo rolled his eyes and said, "Li Kui, don't think that just because you have some strength you can act lawlessly. The laws of the court are not just for show!"

Li Kui said, "The law? Yin Tianxi is abusing his status as a member of the royal family, which is surely a violation of the law?"

For a moment, Eunuch Guo was speechless, stammering, "This, this..."

Li Kui continued, "Stop making trouble here. Today I'm going to act on behalf of Heaven and cut off this kid's hand to teach him a lesson!"

Eunuch Guo said, "No, absolutely not!"

Li Kui said impatiently, "You think you can just say no? Who do you think you are?"

Guo Gonggong was so embarrassed by Li Kui's retort that he didn't know how to refute him.

Just then, Gao Qiu said, "Father-in-law, perhaps we should reconsider this further..."

Guo Gonggong interrupted Gao Qiu, saying, "Deliberately consider this? How long will that take?"

Gao Qiu said helplessly, "Father-in-law, Li Kui is stubborn, and forcing our way through won't work."

After thinking for a moment, Eunuch Guo said, "Well, we can't just let him go like this!"

Li Kui said, "Have you two made up your minds yet? I don't have the patience to waste time with you!"

Upon hearing Gao Qiu's words, Eunuch Guo's eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline. He composed himself and said in a shrill voice, "Hmph, Li Kui, don't be so smug! I'll go back and have Consort Shu file a complaint against you with the Emperor, obtain an imperial decree, and see how arrogant you can be then!"

Li Kui remained unmoved and laughed loudly, saying, "Haha, go quickly!"

Enraged, Eunuch Guo flung his sleeves and said, "Just you wait and see!" With that, he hurriedly left the courtroom with a face full of resentment.

At this moment, Yin Tianxi seemed to see hope again, and a look of relief appeared on his face.

Gao Qiu stood to the side, his brows furrowed, seemingly plotting something.

Guo Gonggong was humiliated in court. He angrily ran back to the palace, not even bothering to catch his breath, and went straight to Consort Shu's palace.

Upon reaching the palace gate, he disregarded etiquette and rushed in with a "bang," startling Consort Shu, who was drinking tea, and splashing tea onto her clothes.

"Oh dear, Eunuch Guo, what's gotten into you?" Consort Shu asked, frowning.

Guo Gonggong knelt down with a thud, and said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty, this servant has suffered a great injustice today!"

Consort Shu looked puzzled: "Tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

Eunuch Guo wiped the sweat from his face and said, "Your Majesty, that Li Kui is simply a lawless and unruly devil! This servant was ordered by you to rescue Young Master Yin, but I was thoroughly humiliated by Li Kui and returned with a humiliating defeat!"

Consort Shu's eyes widened: "What? How dare he be so presumptuous?"

Guo Gonggong added fuel to the fire, saying, "Your Majesty, that Li Kui doesn't respect you at all, and even said that it's none of your business! I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen to reason, and he even yelled at me. My heart was terrified!"

Consort Shu was so angry that she smashed her teacup on the ground: "That Li Kui is truly audacious!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Eunuch Guo said, "Your Majesty, we can't just let this go. We have to go to the Emperor and file a complaint against him, so that he can help us!"

Consort Shu gritted her teeth and said, "Hmph, I'm going to see His Majesty right now, and I'll definitely teach that Li Kui a lesson!"

Eunuch Guo hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Your Majesty is wise! Li Kui is definitely in deep trouble this time!"

So, at the urging of Eunuch Guo, Consort Shu angrily prepared to go to the Emperor to complain.