Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After everyone had left, Wu Yong sat alone in the room, the candlelight flickering gently in the breeze. His brow was furrowed as he pondered a strategy to deal with Huang Wenbing. "This Huang Wenbing is treacherous and cunning. To break this deadlock, I must proceed cautiously step by step," Wu Yong muttered to himself.

The next morning, before the sun had fully pierced through the clouds, Wu Yong summoned everyone to gather again at Zhao Tianming's shop. With a piercing gaze and a serious expression, he said, "Brothers, to help Manager Zhao out of this crisis, we need to use some extraordinary means."

Everyone held their breath and listened.

Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan and slowly said, "First, we need to send people to infiltrate places Huang Wenbing frequents, such as teahouses and taverns, and deliberately talk about the benefits of Manager Zhao's restaurant, as well as the loopholes and inaccuracies in Huang Wenbing's articles. At the same time, we need to arrange for a few brothers to pretend to inadvertently reveal Manager Zhao's close relationship with a certain powerful figure, making Huang Wenbing wary. This is psychological pressure, making him doubt and feel uneasy about his actions."

Song Jiang nodded and said, "This plan is excellent. We can first confuse their minds."

Wu Yong continued, "Then, we need to spread some negative rumors about Huang Wenbing in the city, such as that he has a dishonorable past or is involved with certain evil forces. But remember, these rumors should be ambiguous, making it difficult for people to discern the truth, thereby affecting his reputation."

Wu Song frowned slightly and said, "Isn't this a bit too insidious?"

Wu Yong explained, "Brother Wu Song, there's no need to stick to conventional methods when dealing with a villain like Huang Wenbing. We didn't fabricate this out of thin air; we're just using public opinion to keep him preoccupied with his own problems."

Everyone agreed.

“Furthermore,” Wu Yong continued, “we should send someone eloquent to confront Huang Wenbing. Their words need not be harsh, but every sentence must be reasonable, pointing out the flaws in his writing so that he cannot justify himself in front of others. At the same time, we should observe his expressions and reactions to find his psychological weaknesses.”

Lu Zhishen said loudly, "I think this is a good idea. I don't believe that Huang Wenbing can keep up his stubbornness to the end!"

Wu Yong added, "At the same time, we will hold a special event at Manager Zhao's restaurant. We will invite celebrities from all walks of life in the city to taste the newly launched specialty dishes, and invite several renowned literati to compose poems and paint on the spot, praising the restaurant's food and atmosphere. We will also arrange for some ordinary people to share their wonderful experiences at the restaurant, creating the impression that the restaurant is thriving and very popular."

Song Jiang added, "This will allow the people in the city to see the restaurant's strength and charm, and restore their confidence in it."

Wu Yong nodded in agreement, and then said, "Finally, and most importantly, we need to find the key witnesses mentioned in Huang Wenbing's article, or evidence that can prove the article is false. This requires you brothers to investigate carefully and not overlook any clues. Once we have solid evidence, we can confront Huang Wenbing directly and leave him with no way to deny it."

After hearing this, everyone admired Wu Yong's plan.

Subsequently, everyone split up to carry out their tasks according to Wu Yong's instructions.

The brothers responsible for creating public opinion around Huang Wenbing skillfully steered the conversation, causing Huang Wenbing's face to gradually darken and his heart to become uneasy as he heard those words.

The work of spreading negative rumors also went very smoothly. Soon, all sorts of rumors about Huang Wenbing spread throughout the city, making him feel the strange looks from others whenever he went out.

The brother who confronted Huang Wenbing was sharp-tongued, making Huang Wenbing want to refute him several times but not knowing how to start, and he became increasingly flustered.

The event at the restaurant was a great success, attracting a lot of attention and spreading the restaurant's reputation throughout the city once again.

After a difficult investigation, the brother in charge of finding evidence finally found the key witness.

Just as the heroes exposed Huang Wenbing's conspiracy, Li Kui glared angrily, brandished his axe, and roared at Huang Wenbing, "You filthy scoundrel, write a letter of repentance today and that will be the end of it, otherwise my Iron Ox's axe will not discriminate!"

Huang Wenbing, however, showed no fear and shouted, "Your restaurant has poor hygiene, causing so many people to get sick from the food, and you're even threatening me! I'm not writing it, let's see what you can do to me!"

Li Kui was furious and flew into a rage: "You bastard, don't you dare spout such nonsense! Our restaurant has always been clean, it must be you spouting this rubbish!"

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, someone suddenly shouted from behind: "Stop it!"

Everyone turned around and saw a group of soldiers approaching, all swaggering about. The leader, dressed in the uniform of the imperial guards, looked arrogant and shouted, "Who dares to cause trouble here?"

Li Kui glared and said, "We are doing the right thing. Huang Wenbing is framing an innocent person. We want him to write a letter of repentance!"

The Imperial Guard leader sneered, "How dare you! No matter what the matter is, it's not your place to handle it privately. Seize them all!"

The heroes were unwilling to surrender. Lu Zhishen stepped forward and shouted, "You officials, without distinguishing right from wrong, do not aid and abet the wicked!"

The Imperial Guard leader waved his hand: "Silence! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, Song Jiang quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, please calm down. There is indeed a hidden story behind this matter. I hope you will investigate thoroughly."

The Imperial Guard leader remained unmoved: "Enough talk, take them all away!"

Just then, Wu Yong's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward and said, "Sir, the evidence against Huang Wenbing for framing is conclusive. If you can handle this matter impartially, you will surely restore justice to the people and enhance the prestige of the court. If you insist on favoring this wicked man, it may not be good for your reputation."

The leader of the Imperial Guards was slightly taken aback and began to ponder.

Just then, the onlookers also said, "The heroes are right, Huang Wenbing is a bad person!" "We can't let good people be wronged!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards, seeing Wu Yong dressed as a Confucian scholar, holding a feather fan, and speaking eloquently, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

Wu Yong remained calm, bowed slightly, and said, "I am Wu Yong, the financial manager of this restaurant."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Imperial Guards sneered, "Well, no wonder you're speaking up for him. So you're Wu Yong from the restaurant. Wu Yong is useless!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding heroes couldn't help but glare at the Imperial Guard leader, but Wu Yong wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said, "Sir, you're joking. Although my name is Wu Yong, I'm not really useless. You see, I can keep the accounts of this restaurant clear and make the business boom. How could I be useless?"

The Imperial Guard leader snorted, "Stop with the glib talk. You say you have evidence? Where is it? Are you just making this up?"

Wu Yong shook his feather fan and said, "Sir, don't be impatient, the evidence is coming soon." As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and a shop assistant came running over with a stack of account books.

Wu Yong took the ledger and waved it in front of the Imperial Guard leader: "Sir, this ledger clearly records the ingredients that the restaurant purchases every day. They are all fresh and clean, without the slightest problem. And this is the daily cleaning record. The place is spotless inside and out."

The commander of the Imperial Guards flipped through the ledgers, looking completely bewildered; he couldn't possibly understand any of this.

Seeing this, Wu Yong smiled and said, "Sir, it's alright if you don't understand, I'll explain it to you. Look at the purchase of these ingredients, they were all purchased from well-known merchants, and there are receipts to prove it. And these cleaning records, it's clear which day the table was wiped and which day the floor was washed."

The commander of the Imperial Guards said impatiently, "Alright, alright, stop arguing."

Wu Yong continued, "Sir, think about it again. If our restaurant were truly unhygienic, would we have so many customers coming every day? Are we all stupid enough to come here just to get sick?"

At this moment, Li Kui couldn't help but interject, "That's right, that's right, this damn official doesn't know anything!"

The Imperial Guard leader glared at Li Kui: "You black bastard, if you keep talking nonsense, watch out for my whip!"

Li Kui stiffened his neck and said, "Come on, I, Tie Niu, am not afraid of you!"

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

Wu Yong continued, "Sir, you are wise and capable, and you are sure to be able to distinguish right from wrong. If you wrongly accuse us, and word gets out, your reputation will be ruined..."

The Imperial Guard leader frowned: "Hmph, don't try to intimidate me with your reputation!"

Wu Yong quickly smiled obsequiously and said, "No, no, Your Excellency is fair and honest, as everyone knows. But the facts are right before our eyes, and we hope Your Excellency will investigate thoroughly."

The commander of the Imperial Guards was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to do.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was furious when Wu Yong flattered him, wishing he could smash Wu Yong half to death on the spot. He cursed inwardly, "Wu Yong, you cunning fellow!" But since they were in public, he dared not openly defend Huang Wenbing, for everyone had their own judgment on right and wrong.

The Imperial Guard leader's face darkened. He glared fiercely at everyone, then waved his hand and led his men away. As he left, he threw down the words, "You all just wait!" His voice was so menacing, as if he wanted to devour everyone present alive.

Upon returning to the palace, the commander of the Imperial Guards went straight to Consort Shu's bedchamber. Upon seeing her, he immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant failed in his duty and encountered a setback at the restaurant."

Consort Shu sat on the couch, her brows furrowed slightly, and asked with displeasure, "What's wrong? Can't you even handle such a small matter?"

The Imperial Guard leader hurriedly recounted the events in detail, adding embellishments at the end: "The people at that restaurant were extremely arrogant, showing no respect for Your Majesty whatsoever. And that Wu Yong, with his silver tongue, incited the people; this servant found it truly difficult to deal with him."

Consort Shu snorted lightly: "A bunch of ignorant fools! I'd like to see what trouble they can cause. Get up first, I'll find a way to deal with them."

The Imperial Guard leader, Xie En, stood up and cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

Consort Shu pondered for a moment, a ruthless glint in her eyes, and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on that restaurant. Report back immediately if there's any sign of trouble. I refuse to believe I can't deal with them!"

The Imperial Guard leader quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will make the arrangements immediately." With that, he bowed and withdrew.