Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

After the imperial guards left, Consort Shu sat on the couch with a gloomy expression. Seeing this, Eunuch Guo hurriedly went to fetch Tong Guan.

Soon, Tong Guan arrived before Consort Shu. He bowed and said, "I wonder what Your Majesty has summoned me for?"

Consort Shu looked up at Tong Guan, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes, and said, "Lord Tong is quite the rising star these days. I heard that the Emperor bestowed upon you a copy of the Thousand Character Classic in the Slender Gold style in the Imperial Study just a couple of days ago."

Tong Guan's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is joking. That was just a reward from His Majesty on a whim. I dare not take credit for it."

Consort Shu sneered: "Hmph, you certainly know how to talk. But you'd better give me some advice on what to do today."

Tong Guan asked in confusion, "What is Your Majesty referring to? I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me."

Consort Shu stood up and paced back and forth, saying, "The Imperial Guards couldn't resolve the matter of the restaurant; instead, they made me lose face. What should we do now?"

Tong Guan's eyes darted around, and he said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, there might still be a chance. In my opinion, we can start with the restaurant's customers. We can send people to other restaurants to spread rumors that Manager Zhao's restaurant is unclean and has made people sick, so that customers will be afraid to go there."

After hearing Tong Guan's plan, Consort Shu frowned, waved her hand impatiently, and said, "Tong Guan, I have already tried all the tricks you mentioned, and they have no effect whatsoever! Not only have they failed to bring down Zhao Tianming, but they have also made his business even more prosperous. I am very disappointed in you now!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan panicked and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was my oversight. Please give me another chance."

Consort Shu glared at Tong Guan and said sternly, "I have given you enough chances. This time you must do a good job for me, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Tong Guan kowtowed repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will rack my brains this time to come up with a foolproof plan and will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty again."

Consort Shu snorted coldly: "Then you had better keep your word. I warn you, if you mess this up again, I will not only punish you, but your family will also suffer!"

Tong Guan was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, rest assured, even if it costs me my old life, I will get things done."

Consort Shu waved her hand and said, "Get out of here and come up with a solution for me as soon as possible."

Tong Guan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the palace. Once outside, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow, inwardly groaning. If he failed this time, his fate would be utterly miserable. But he also understood that there was no turning back now; he could only grit his teeth and try to find a way to deal with Zhao Tianming.

In order to completely ruin Zhao Tianming's restaurant, Tong Guan resorted to increasingly despicable and shameless methods.

He first bribed several key staff members in the restaurant, instructing them to dilute the drinks with water and use spoiled ingredients in the food, causing many customers to vomit and have diarrhea after eating. Subsequently, Tong Guan instructed these staff members to deliberately provoke trouble in the restaurant, causing fierce conflicts and even physical fights with other staff members, leaving the restaurant in a mess.

Next, Tong Guan ordered his men to spread terrifying rumors around the restaurant, claiming it was haunted, with strange noises at night, and that customers had mysteriously disappeared from the restaurant. This turned the once bustling restaurant into a deserted place at night, with everyone trembling with fear at the mere mention of it.

He also colluded with some local thugs, who would gather at the restaurant entrance every day to gamble, make loud noise, and drive away customers. For those customers who insisted on entering the restaurant, the thugs would deliberately provoke them, even resorting to violence, which frightened everyone away.

The restaurant's business plummeted, plunging it into a severe crisis. The manager, Zhao Tianming, was frantic with worry, yet utterly helpless.

Tong Guan, leading a pack of ruthless henchmen, marched arrogantly toward Zhao Tianming's restaurant. Their swaggering manner drew the attention of passersby.

Inside the restaurant, everyone was filled with righteous indignation upon learning of Tong Guan's attack. Li Kui was especially enraged, his eyes bulging like copper bells, his hand gripping the axe tightly.

"I can't stand this jerk! I'm going to go out and teach them a lesson!" Li Kui roared.

"Brother Tie Niu, don't be impulsive!" Wu Yong quickly dissuaded him.

But Li Kui wouldn't listen. He kicked open the door and rushed out.

Tong Guan was walking along triumphantly when he suddenly saw a burly man with a dark face rush out. His fierce appearance startled him.

"You bastard, how dare you cause trouble here!" Li Kui shouted.

Tong Guan steadied himself, and after recognizing Li Kui, he sneered, "Who do we have here? It's just a black-faced charcoal clod! How dare you act so arrogantly in front of me!"

Li Kui could not bear such humiliation, so he raised his axe and swung it at Tong Guan.

Upon seeing this, Tong Guan's men drew their swords and attacked.

At this critical moment, Wu Yong rushed out of the restaurant and shouted to everyone, "Stop! Don't be impulsive!"

Li Kui's axe stopped in mid-air as he glared at Tong Guan.

When Tong Guan saw Wu Yong come out, he sneered, "Hmph, who do we have here? It's just a poor, pedantic scholar. What, you want to plead for this charcoal-headed fellow?"

Wu Yong said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Lord Tong, there must be some misunderstanding about today's matter. I hope Lord Tong will be lenient and let Manager Zhao go."

Tong Guan laughed loudly, "Let him go? He's offended me, so he can forget about having a good life!"

At this moment, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, and others also came out and surrounded Tong Guan and the others.

Seeing this, Tong Guan felt a little intimidated, but he still stubbornly asked, "What do you want to do? Are you trying to rebel?"

Wu Yong said, "Lord Tong, we have no intention of being your enemy. But Manager Zhao has always run his business honestly and has never done anything illegal. It is really unreasonable for you to force him like this."

Tong Guan snorted: "I don't need you to teach me how to do things!"

Wu Song stepped forward and said, "Tong Guan, don't push your luck!"

Tong Guan took a few steps back and said, "How dare you threaten me? I am an official appointed by the imperial court!"

Li Kui couldn't resist making another move, but Wu Yong stopped him once again.

Wu Yong said, "Lord Tong, why don't we sit down and have a good talk? Perhaps we can find a solution."

Tong Guan glared at Wu Yong and said, "Talk my ass!" Then, with a ferocious expression, he ordered his soldiers, "Take all these people away!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kui's temper flared instantly. He charged forward and roared, "You damned official, how dare you be so arrogant!" Seeing Tong Guan's aggressive attitude, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song also gripped their weapons, ready to fight him.

Seeing the three men's ferocity, Tong Guan couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, but remembering his status and the Thousand Character Classic in his hand, he forced himself to remain calm. He took a few steps back, quickly pulled out the Thousand Character Classic from his robes, held it high, and shouted, "You band of bandits, how dare you defy your superiors! This is the Thousand Character Classic bestowed by His Majesty! Your disrespect for me is disrespect for His Majesty!"

Li Kui completely ignored his words and cursed, "What kind of lousy Thousand Character Classic can save your life, you dog official?" With that, he charged forward again.

Wu Yong quickly stopped Li Kui, saying, "Brother Tie Niu, don't be reckless."

Wu Song also said, "Let's see what other tricks Tong Guan has up his sleeve."

Seeing their hesitation, Tong Guan became even more smug and said, "Hmph, you're scared now, aren't you? If you know what's good for you, just surrender obediently, and perhaps I can spare your lives."

Lu Zhishen sneered: "You despicable man, you use the Thousand Character Classic to bully others, do you really think we are afraid?"

Tong Guan's face darkened, and he said, "Don't be so stubborn! With just one order, my soldiers can raze this restaurant to the ground!"

At this moment, the atmosphere in the restaurant was extremely tense. Zhao Tianming was extremely anxious, knowing full well that if a fight broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Lord Tong, aren't you afraid that things will escalate and become unmanageable with your aggressive approach?"

Tong Guan laughed heartily: "Closing things up? I have plenty of ways to clean things up. As for you, none of you will escape today!"

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Lord Tong, aren't you afraid of the Emperor's wrath for doing this?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a scholar in white robes walking slowly towards them.

Tong Guan frowned and asked, "Who are you? How dare you meddle in other people's business!"

The scholar in white stepped forward and said, "I am Xiao Rang, the Master Calligrapher."

Tong Guan glanced at him sideways and said disdainfully, "A master scholar? Never heard of him! You pedantic scholars, get out of my way!"

Xiao Rang remained calm and composed, still smiling, and said, "Lord Tong, it doesn't matter if you haven't heard of me, but you must listen to this advice. Look at you, bringing so many people to cause trouble in this restaurant, how embarrassing will that sound! People will say that you, a dignified official, are picking a fight with a bunch of small business owners, isn't that beneath your dignity!"

Tong Guan snorted: "Stop with your glib tongue! I don't need you to tell me what to do!"

Xiao Rang shook the fan in his hand and said, "Lord Tong, please don't be angry. Think about it, if you arrest everyone in this restaurant, what will the people say? They will definitely say that you are unreasonable and abusing your power. At that time, your image in the eyes of the people will plummet!"

Tong Guan frowned and said, "You scholar, you're just spouting nonsense! I'm acting under orders, and there's a reason for arresting them!"

Xiao Rang then said, "Lord Tong, you say you are acting under orders, then you should produce evidence! If you can't produce evidence, you're wrongly accusing an innocent person!"

Tong Guan was momentarily speechless, stammering, "This...this evidence..."

Xiao Rang seized the opportunity and said, "Lord Tong, you see you can't produce any evidence, so why not be lenient and let them go? That way, everyone will praise your magnanimity, and your reputation will be even better!"

Tong Guan stomped his feet in anger: "You scholar, you're really going to drive me crazy!"

At this moment, Li Kui couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Haha, this damn official has been rendered speechless by Brother Xiao Rang!"

Tong Guan glared fiercely at Li Kui: "Hey, you charcoal head, what are you laughing at!"

Li Kui replied, "I laugh at you for being speechless after Brother Xiao Rang's words, yet you're still stubbornly holding on!"

Tong Guan, enraged and humiliated, shouted: "You bunch of bastards, none of you know what's good for you!"

Lu Zhishen also came over and said, "Tong Guan, just listen to Brother Xiao Rang and get out of here. Don't embarrass yourself!"

Tong Guan was so angry his face turned green: "You...you just wait!"

Xiao Rang continued, "Lord Tong, stop with the threats! Make a decision! Are you going to continue this stalemate, or let us off the hook?"

Tong Guan hesitated for a moment, then flicked his sleeve and said, "Hmph, you're lucky today! Let's go!"

Seeing Tong Guan and his men slink away, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Wu Song laughed and said, "This Tong Guan is usually arrogant, but today he has been completely subdued by Brother Xiao Rang."

Xiao Rang said modestly, "Not at all, it's just that Tong Guan is too arrogant. I was just trying to reason with him."

Zhao Tianming stepped forward and said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Brother Xiao Rang and all the heroes, for your help. If it weren't for you, my restaurant would have been in trouble today."

Everyone said there was no need to be so polite.