Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Dai Zong used his divine speed technique and arrived in Daming Prefecture, Beijing, as quickly as the wind. He found Daming Prefecture to be bustling and prosperous, with people coming and going and carriages flowing like a river.

Dai Zong stood on the street, anxiously asking the crowd about Yan Qing's whereabouts. An old man dressed in coarse linen stroked his beard, shook his head, and walked away; several children ran past laughing and ignoring his inquiries. Finally, a passerby carrying a load on a shoulder pole stopped.

"Brother, do you know where Yan Qing is?" Dai Zong asked anxiously.

The passerby looked Dai Zong up and down and said, "Yan Qing? Are you talking about Yan Qing, the young master under Lu Junyi?"

Dai Zong nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right!"

A passerby gave him a strange look and replied, "Yan Qing is performing in the market."

Upon hearing this, Dai Zong frowned, puzzled, and muttered to himself, "How could such a fierce general under Master Lu be performing on the streets?"

The passerby smiled and said, "You don't know this. This Yan Qing Xiao Yi is talented in many ways, especially his flute playing skills, which are unparalleled. When he has nothing to do, he goes to the street, partly for entertainment and partly to make friends through art."

Dai Zong's doubts deepened, so he hurried towards the market. Along the way, the image of Yan Qing's dashing figure at the Lu residence kept flashing through his mind, making it hard for him to imagine him performing for money.

Upon arriving at the market, they indeed heard the melodious sound of a flute. A crowd gathered in circles, and Dai Zong squeezed through with difficulty. There he saw Yan Qing, dressed in a green robe, with a graceful figure, holding a long flute and playing with great passion.

The sound of the flute was sometimes melodious and low, like weeping and lamenting; at other times it was high-pitched and passionate, piercing through the clouds and splitting rocks. The onlookers were all captivated by it, some listening with their eyes closed, and others unable to help but cheer softly.

Dai Zong looked at Yan Qing, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He did not immediately step forward to disturb him, but stood quietly in the crowd, waiting for Yan Qing to finish playing his tune.

Dai Zong greatly admired Yan Qing's skill and was about to step forward to talk to him when a shout came from behind the crowd: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Hearing the harsh shout, passersby looked frightened and hurriedly made way for him. A scholar-looking man swaggered towards them, leading a group of soldiers.

Although dressed as a scholar and wearing a square cap, this man possessed not a trace of refinement. He was thin and weak, with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks. His triangular eyes were narrowed to slits, revealing a repulsive cunning and sinister glint in them. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, as if he were always scheming. His skin was sallow, with a few freckles scattered across his face, further emphasizing his wretched appearance.

He held his head high, chin slightly raised, nostrils flared as he looked down on the crowd, as if no one in the world was worthy of his attention. He waved his folding fan wildly, shouting, "A bunch of ignorant commoners, get out of my way when you see me!" His arrogant demeanor made it seem as if the entire market was his territory, and everyone had to bow down to him.

The soldiers following behind him were also acting arrogantly, shoving and pushing the onlookers, causing a commotion in the crowd.

A scholar-like man walked up to Yan Qing and kicked over the silver tray containing coins beside him, scattering copper coins all over the floor with a clatter. Yan Qing glared at the man, who then shouted at him, "Li Gu, what are you doing?"

Li Gu glanced at Yan Qing and sneered, "Yan Qing, as a member of the Lu family, how dare you perform on the street! You've disgraced the Lu family!"

Yan Qing gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and said, "What does my performing arts have to do with you? I neither steal nor rob, I earn a few coins through my skills, what's it to you?"

Li Gu snorted: "You ungrateful wretch! Master Lu is not in the capital now, so I'm the one who calls the shots here! Your performance here is disturbing my enjoyment, and that's unacceptable!"

Having said that, he pointed with his folding fan at the copper coins on the ground: "I'm confiscating these coins!"

Yan Qing clenched his fists in anger, veins bulging on his forehead: "Li Gu, don't push your luck!"

The surrounding people, seeing this, dared not speak out in anger, but could only feel sorry for Yan Qing in their hearts.

At this moment, Dai Zong, who had been standing to the side, could no longer stand it. He stepped forward, pointed at Li Gu, and shouted angrily, "You unreasonable person, how can you be so domineering and tyrannical!"

Li Gu sized up Dai Zong and said disdainfully, "Where did this ignorant fool come from, daring to meddle in my business!"

Dai Zong sneered: "In broad daylight, you bully people like this, aren't you afraid of the law?"

Li Gu burst into laughter: "The law? In Daming Prefecture, I am the law! Guards, seize these two arrogant fools!"

The soldiers immediately charged towards Dai Zong and Yan Qing, brandishing their clubs. Yan Qing's eyes narrowed, and he said to Dai Zong, "Brother, be careful!"

Having said that, he dodged the attack in a flash and kicked down a soldier in the process.

Dai Zong, not to be outdone, displayed his martial arts skills and began to contend with the soldiers. For a time, chaos reigned on the scene.

Li Gu, furious and enraged, yelled, "All of you, get them! If you don't catch them, none of you will get away with this!"

Just as the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, a loud shout came from afar: "Stop it, all of you!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an official-looking man leading a group of men rushing over.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Gu immediately stepped forward with a fawning smile, bowing as low as a boiled shrimp, and said obsequiously, "Lord Cai, what brings you here?"

The man who arrived was burly and imposing. A beautiful flower was tucked behind his ear. This man was Cai Qing, known as "One Flower," a famous clerk in Daming Prefecture, the capital.

Cai Qing looked at Li Gu expressionlessly and asked coldly, "What's going on?"

Li Gu's eyes darted around, and he quickly moved closer to Cai Qing, adding fuel to the fire, "Lord Cai, you must do me justice! This Yan Qing, I don't know where he came from, not only performs in this bustling market, but he also encourages people to occupy the road for business. He's collected so much money in tips, yet he hasn't paid a single penny in taxes. I kindly took some people to question him, but instead of showing any remorse, he suddenly started cursing at me! Look at this, is there no law anymore? Daming Prefecture is under Lord Liang's jurisdiction; we can't let such lawless people break the rules! Lord Cai, you must do something about this!"

Cai Qing frowned upon hearing Li Gu's words, turned to look at Yan Qing with a fierce glint in his eyes, and shouted, "Yan Qing, you are a member of Master Lu's household, how can you be so ignorant of etiquette?"

Yan Qing glared at Li Gu, his chest heaving with anger, and retorted loudly, "Lord Cai, don't listen to Li Gu's nonsense! I, Yan Qing, am upright and honest. I perform here only to earn a living, and I have never encouraged people to block the road. The tips I receive are all given voluntarily by the people, so how can it be considered tax? This Li Gu has always been at odds with me, and today he is clearly deliberately picking a fight to frame me!"

Cai Qing snorted coldly and said, "Yan Qing, words alone are not enough! Whether Li Gu's words are true or not still needs to be investigated. But your conflict with the soldiers in the street is still wrong!"

Dai Zong, who had been standing to the side, could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Cai, this matter is absolutely not as Li Gu said. Brother Yan Qing is exceptionally talented, and his performances have never bothered anyone. This Li Gu, relying on his power, has wantonly bullied the good and kind; he is truly despicable!"

Cai Qing stared at Dai Zong with sharp eyes and shouted, "And who are you? How dare you speak out of turn!"

Dai Zong straightened his posture and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I am Dai Zong. When I see injustice, I naturally have to speak out! Lord Cai is discerning and will surely be able to clear Brother Yan Qing's name."

Seeing the hesitation on Cai Qing's face, Li Gu knew he feared Lu Junyi's reputation. He then walked over to Cai Qing's ear, whispered a few words, and said, "Lord Liang has long wanted to deal with Lu Junyi, and this is your chance to prove yourself. If you do a good job, it will be a great achievement in Lord Liang's eyes, bringing you endless wealth and honor." He then secretly slipped a few silver notes into Cai Qing's pocket.

The moment Cai Qing touched the silver notes, the hesitation on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a dramatic change in expression. He shouted, "Guards! Seize Yan Qing!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers pounced on Yan Qing like wolves. Yan Qing's eyes widened in anger, and he shouted, "Cai Qing, you corrupt official, you can't tell right from wrong, you've helped the wicked, you'll surely be punished!" But he was no match for the soldiers and was quickly subdued.

Enraged, Dai Zong unleashed his martial arts skills, causing his aura to surge. In just a few moves, he had beaten several soldiers black and blue, leaving them staggering and bruised.

Cai Qing, both shocked and furious, pointed at Dai Zong and Yan Qing on horseback and said, "Rebellion! These two traitors dare to attack the imperial soldiers! What are you all standing there for? Arrest them both and throw them into the death row!"

Seeing Cai Qing's anger, the soldiers mustered their courage and swarmed towards Dai Zong and Yan Qing again. However, Dai Zong was agile, and Yan Qing was also highly skilled in martial arts, so the soldiers couldn't get close to them at all.

But as more officers and soldiers arrived as reinforcements, gradually forming an encirclement, Dai Zong and Yan Qing began to feel overwhelmed.

Just as Cai Qing was about to take Dai Zong and Yan Qing away, another beggar emerged from the crowd. Despite his ragged clothes and unkempt appearance, he was highly skilled in martial arts.

Upon seeing this man, Cai Qing said disdainfully, "Shi Xiu, get out of my way! You stinking beggar! This section chief doesn't bother arresting you. If we did, we'd have to feed and care for you. Get out of my sight!"

However, the beggar was none other than Shi Xiu. Although his clothes were shabby, he had a heroic air about him. He whispered to Dai Zong, "Brother, do me a favor. Go to the capital and find a man named Zhao Tianming; he will come to rescue me."

Dai Zong nodded slightly, signaling to Shi Xiu with his eyes that she could rest assured.

Cai Qing impatiently urged the officers and soldiers, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and take them away!"

Dai Zong and Yan Qing were pushed and shoved by the soldiers, gradually disappearing into the distance. Shi Xiu watched their retreating figures, silently praying that they would be safe and sound.

Cai Qing and his men left arrogantly, and the onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving only Shi Xiu standing there with a determined look in his eyes.