Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Looking at the chaotic scene at the entrance of the restaurant, Zhao Tianming sighed helplessly and turned back inside. He decided to gather his friends to discuss a solution.

Before long, Song Jiang, Li Kui, Wu Yong, Shi Qian, and Lu Zhishen arrived at the restaurant.

The group sat together, their faces grave. Zhao Tianming spoke first, saying, "Brothers, the entrance to the restaurant is completely blocked by those vendors, severely impacting business. Let's all think of a way to resolve this predicament."

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan, pondered for a moment, and then said, "In my opinion, we should try diplomacy first, then force. Send someone to communicate with those vendors again, explain our difficulties, and offer some benefits. If they are willing to move, that would be the best outcome."

Song Jiang nodded slightly: "Brother Wu Yong is right, but what if they insist on refusing?"

Li Kui shouted, "I, Tie Niu, will drive them all away with Brother Lu!"

Zhao Tianming quickly said, "We must not be rash. Doing so will only escalate the conflict and make things worse."

Shi Qian's eyes darted around, and he said with a grin, "How about I go and investigate these vendors tonight to see if someone is behind this?"

Everyone thought the plan was feasible, so they decided to send Shi Qian to investigate first.

That night, Shi Qian secretly sneaked into the vendors' residence and, after some investigation, discovered that the vendors were acting on Wang Zhiqiang's orders to deliberately cause trouble.

When Shi Qian returned from his investigation, he told everyone, "It seems that these vendors were all acting on Wang Zhiqiang's orders to cause trouble at the restaurant." Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming frowned, feeling extremely angry.

Zhao Tianming decided to ask the government to intervene. He led the group to the vendors and said, "Gentlemen, I know that you are acting under the orders of Wang Zhiqiang. Now I have invited the government officials here. I hope you will stop causing trouble."

However, the vendors showed no fear. One of them shouted, "Zhao Tianming, you're too domineering! You run such a big restaurant, but you won't even allow us poor people to set up stalls on the roadside to make a living?"

Another vendor chimed in, "That's right, that's right! You're bullying people by abusing your power!"

Zhao Tianming's face turned red with anger: "When did I stop you from setting up your stalls? You shouldn't have blocked the entrance to my restaurant and affected my business!"

Neither side would back down, and the argument grew louder and louder. Hearing the commotion, the neighbors gathered around and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"Zhao Tianming usually seems quite kind, how could he be like this?" an older woman whispered.

"I think these vendors might be deliberately causing trouble," an old man commented.

"Stop arguing, let them explain themselves!" someone shouted.

But both sides were furious and wouldn't listen to anything. The vendors started arguing, accusing Zhao Tianming of being heartless. Zhao Tianming tried to explain his predicament, and the scene became chaotic.

Just then, the government officials finally arrived and shouted, "Stop arguing!" The crowd quieted down and waited for the government's decision.

A constable from the yamen sauntered over, holding a document in his hand. He glanced at Zhao Tianming and said in a sarcastic tone, "Manager Zhao, these vendors have all paid their fees to set up their stalls here. They have all the necessary documentation. Please bear with them."

After speaking, the constable glanced coldly at Zhao Tianming, snorted, and his face was full of disdain and arrogance. Then he casually waved the document in front of Zhao Tianming, and swaggered away.

Zhao Tianming's eyes widened in disbelief. He exclaimed, "How is this possible? They clearly blocked the entrance to my restaurant and affected my business. How could they do this?"

The constable ignored Zhao Tianming's words and continued walking forward without turning his head.

Li Kui, furious, jumped up and down, shouting, "They must have received some kind of favor to be so biased towards these vendors! It's outrageous!"

Song Jiang quickly pulled Li Kui back, fearing that he might cause even more trouble in his impulsiveness.

Zhao Tianming stared blankly at the departing figure of the constable, muttering to himself, "What kind of mess is this?" His face turned extremely ugly, filled with grievances and anger that he had nowhere to vent.

Wu Yong frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It seems that the waters behind this matter are deeper than we imagined. We need to plan this carefully."

Everyone remained silent, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive. The chaos at the restaurant entrance continued, and Zhao Tianming's mind was in complete turmoil.

The restaurant's business plummeted. The former bustling atmosphere was gone; the main hall was deserted, with only a few scattered customers. He Xiang, her face streaked with tears, rushed to Zhao Tianming's side, clutching his sleeve tightly. Her voice trembled with sobs as she cried, "Husband, you must think of something! This restaurant is in such a state, barely making ends meet every day. If you don't come up with a solution, it'll close down, and I'll be starving. How will our family survive?"

Looking at He Xiang's tearful appearance, Zhao Tianming felt even more annoyed. He sighed heavily and said, "My lady, please don't cry. I am also very worried about this matter and have been thinking of a solution."

He Xiang sobbed, "Have you come up with a solution yet? We can't live like this anymore. Are all our years of hard work going to be destroyed like this?"

Zhao Tianming shook his head helplessly, his face full of worry: "Madam, I have sought help from all sides, but this matter is far more troublesome than I imagined. Wang Zhiqiang is causing trouble behind the scenes and has colluded with people in the government. He is really difficult to deal with."

Hearing this, He Xiang cried even louder: "Are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die? No, husband, you have to think of another way, even if it's just to ask for favors, we can't let the restaurant go bankrupt like this."

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, my wife. Even if it costs me my life, I will definitely save our restaurant."

Jiang, who was watching from the side, suddenly had a flash of inspiration when he saw He Xiang. He quickly moved closer to Zhao Tianming and said, "Brother Zhao, how could you forget about this! Wasn't your father-in-law the prime minister before? He's a very important figure! With his influence, do you think this small government office would dare to make things difficult for you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianming felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he slapped his thigh: "That's right! In my haste and anxiety, I completely forgot about this!"

He turned to look at He Xiang and said excitedly, "Madam, I'll go ask my father-in-law for help right away. With his help, this thorny problem can definitely be solved."

Upon hearing this, He Xiang stopped crying abruptly, glared at Zhao Tianming, and said irritably, "Don't bother looking! My father already knows about this. He tried, but those people didn't take him seriously at all. Think about it, my father is retired now. People forget about him when he's gone. Those snobbish people won't give him any face anymore!"

Zhao Tianming's excitement froze instantly. His expression was like a firecracker that had just been lit being doused with a bucket of cold water. He stood there blankly, muttering, "What... what should we do?"

Song Jiang was dumbfounded as well. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "Oh dear, how come I didn't think of that! I thought it was a brilliant idea, but it turned out to be a complete waste of time."

Li Kui then came over and said in a gruff voice, "Hmph! These corrupt officials don't even give the prime minister any face. They're really audacious!"

A moment of silence fell over everyone, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

Suddenly, Lu Zhishen burst into laughter, leaving everyone bewildered.

Zhao Tianming asked, puzzled, "Brother Lu, things are really at our most critical point, how can you still be laughing?"

Lu Zhishen laughed and said, "I'm laughing at us, a bunch of grown men, for getting so troubled by this little thing. It's just a few street vendors and a few clueless officials. Let's just pick them up and throw them far away, and see if they dare to cause trouble again!"

Everyone was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "Brother Lu, we must not act rashly. Doing so will only make things worse."

Li Kui chimed in, "That's right, Brother Lu, all you know is how to use force. We need to use our brains!"

Lu Zhishen scratched his head: "I'm just in a hurry!"

Just as everyone was struggling with their problems, Shi Qian's eyes lit up, and he said with a grin, "How about we try a 'substitution'?"

Everyone hurriedly asked, "What does 'stealing the beams and replacing the pillars' mean?"

Shi Qian said mysteriously, "Let's secretly change the payment documents for those vendors, making the government think they are operating illegally. Wouldn't that give us a reason to drive them away?"

Shi Qian patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, with my skills, I won't be discovered!"

Although no one was sure what to do, in this desperate situation, they had no choice but to try anything.

To cooperate with Shi Qian's plan, Wu Yong hurriedly set off to find the renowned scholar Xiao Rang and the jade-armed craftsman Jin Dajian. He rode at breakneck speed, his heart filled with anxiety, hoping to find the two as soon as possible to help resolve the current crisis.

After making some inquiries, Wu Yong finally found Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian engrossed in studying calligraphy and carving in a secluded courtyard.

Wu Yong, without bothering with pleasantries, went straight to the point: "Brothers, I have come here with an important request. Zhao Tianming's restaurant has been maliciously sabotaged by that scoundrel Wang Zhiqiang, and now business has plummeted. We intend to retaliate in kind, and we need your help to forge a document."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian exchanged glances, their expressions showing difficulty.

Jin Dajian frowned and said, "Wu Xuejiu, forging documents is not a legitimate business. If it is discovered, you will face legal trouble."

Xiao Rang chimed in, "Yes, we've always acted uprightly and honestly, this matter..."

Wu Yong sighed and said, “Brothers, I know this is wrong. But Wang Zhiqiang is really despicable. He bribed the government and vendors to deal with Zhao Tianming. If we don’t do this, the restaurant will have to close down completely, and Zhao Tianming’s family will be in trouble.”

Upon hearing Wu Yong's words, Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian were also moved.

Jin Dajian gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, fine, since that's the case, let's help Brother Zhao this time."

Xiao Rang nodded and said, "Then we must be careful and try to make it as seamless as possible."

So the three of them began to discuss the specific details. Xiao Rang carefully studied the original document style, pondering the characteristics of the font and handwriting. Jin Dajian prepared the tools, selected suitable materials, and prepared to carve the seal.

Meanwhile, Zhao Tianming was also restless in the restaurant. The thought of Wang Zhiqiang's despicable methods filled him with rage.

He Xiang comforted him, "Husband, don't worry too much. Mr. Wu and the others will definitely come up with a solution."

Zhao Tianming clenched his fist and said, "That Wang Zhiqiang is so treacherous and cunning. To protect the restaurant, I can't care about anything else. This time, I'll give him a taste of his own medicine!"

After a long while, Wu Yong hurriedly returned to the restaurant with the forged documents.

Zhao Tianming took the document and examined it carefully, feeling both nervous and expectant: "Will this work?"

Wu Yong said, "Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to take a gamble."

Zhao Tianming steeled his resolve and said, "Alright! Let's do it this way!"

Everyone knew it was an adventure, but they had no choice but to risk the restaurant's survival.