Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Tong Guan led Zhao Tianming to the courtroom, where the bailiffs stood in two rows, each with a solemn expression. Tong Guan sat high on the throne, his face sinister.

"Zhao Tianming, do you know your crime?" Tong Guan shouted.

Zhao Tianming straightened his back, looked directly at Tong Guan, and said loudly, "Lord Tong, I, Zhao Tianming, have acted uprightly and sat honestly. I do not know what crime I have committed!"

Tong Guan sneered, "Hmph, you still dare to be stubborn even in this courtroom! Guards, bring the torture on!"

Several burly yamen runners immediately stepped forward with instruments of torture, which gleamed sinisterly in the candlelight.

Zhao Tianming showed no fear, and instead shouted, "Lord Tong, have you thought about what the consequences will be if you torture me?"

Tong Guan glared angrily: "Don't try to scare me! I want to see what the consequences will be if I mess with you!"

Zhao Tianming's lips curled up slightly, and he said with a mysterious smile, "Lord Tong, you don't know this, but I had a dream last night. I dreamt that an old man with a white beard told me that anyone who dares to torture me will have their face covered in sores and become an ugly monster!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan was first taken aback, then cursed, "Nonsense! Do you think you can scare me with such lies?"

Zhao Tianming continued calmly, "Lord Tong, don't be so skeptical. My dream is incredibly accurate! Maybe your face will start itching soon, then one bump, two bumps, three bumps..."

Tong Guan felt a little uneasy at what he said, but he still tried to remain calm: "Stop talking nonsense and do it!"

Just then, a mouse suddenly darted out from the corner and jumped directly onto Tong Guan's lap. Tong Guan screamed in fright and frantically tried to shoo the mouse away, looking extremely disheveled.

Everyone in the courtroom wanted to laugh but dared not, forcing themselves to hold it in. Zhao Tianming seized the opportunity and said, "Lord Tong, this is a harbinger of misfortune! If you continue to be so stubborn, you'll be in real trouble!"

Tong Guan was both angry and annoyed, but also a little guilty, and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Just as Tong Guan was hesitating because of Zhao Tianming's words, his advisor came up. The advisor was pale, hunched over, and looked weak and listless.

Before the advisor could speak, an unpleasant odor wafted over, and Tong Guan couldn't help but cover his nose, saying with disgust, "What's wrong with you?"

The clerk said with a pained expression and a weak voice, "Sir, I've had an upset stomach since this morning, and I really can't take it anymore."

Tong Guan looked disgusted, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about your mess. What should we do with Zhao Tianming?"

Despite his stomach pain, the clerk leaned close to Tong Guan's ear and whispered, "Sir, in my opinion, although Zhao Tianming's words are absurd, if there is something fishy going on, we shouldn't rashly resort to torture. It would be better to put him in jail first and then discuss the matter further."

Tong Guan frowned and thought for a moment, realizing that his advisor's words made some sense. He glanced at Zhao Tianming again, then covered his nose and said, "Then let's put him in jail for now!"

Having said that, Tong Guan didn't want to stay a moment longer and hurriedly left the courtroom. The clerk, not caring about anything else, clutched his stomach and dashed to the outhouse, leaving everyone in the courtroom looking at each other in bewilderment.

Wu Yong knew that Zhao Tianming's imprisonment was no accident and that someone had deliberately framed him. On one hand, he went to find Chai Jin, the wealthy and powerful official, and on the other hand, he continued to devise a rescue plan with the other heroes at the restaurant.

Wu Yong rushed to Chai Jin's residence, and Chai Jin, upon hearing of the matter, was also filled with righteous indignation.

“Wu Xuejiu, this matter must be thoroughly investigated to get to the bottom of it and get Manager Zhao out of prison,” Chai Jin said.

Wu Yong cupped his hands and said, "Master Chai, Manager Zhao is currently imprisoned and urgently needs your help. Tong Guan, instigated by Consort Shu, conspired with Wang Zhiqiang to frame Manager Zhao. I hope you can use your connections in the capital to gather evidence and find out the truth."

Chai Jin nodded and replied, "Don't worry, scholar, I will do my best."

Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Wu Yong gathered his heroes.

“Brothers, Manager Zhao has been wronged; he was framed by a villain. I have already asked Master Chai to investigate in the capital. We can’t just sit idly by,” Wu Yong said.

With the iron certificate in his hand, Chai Jin walked solemnly toward the palace. He knew that this audience with the Emperor concerned the life and death of Zhao Tianming, and was also a difficult act of upholding justice.

Throughout the journey, Chai Jin's heart was as taut as a bowstring. The palace gates stood imposingly, and the guards' sharp eyes scrutinized everyone who approached. Chai Jin took a deep breath, presented his token, and announced his request to see the Emperor.

However, things did not go smoothly. A chief eunuch in the palace, who was on good terms with Tong Guan, heard of Chai Jin's purpose and secretly hatched a scheme. He deliberately delayed, trying to prevent Chai Jin from meeting the emperor.

"Master Chai, His Majesty is currently busy with state affairs and has no time to receive you. Please leave," the chief eunuch said sarcastically.

Despite his anxiety, Chai Jin remained calm and dignified: "Your Excellency, this matter concerns a grave injustice. I hope you will be lenient and allow me to present it to the Emperor."

The chief eunuch sneered, "Hmph, Master Chai, this palace is not a place you can just walk into whenever you want."

Chai Jin understood that this person was deliberately making things difficult, but he did not back down: "Sir, I possess the iron certificate and imperial edict bestowed by the late Emperor. If you insist on obstructing me, I will definitely demand an explanation from the Emperor."

The chief eunuch's expression changed slightly upon hearing the iron certificate, but he was still unwilling to let them go.

Just then, a trusted aide of the emperor passed by, and Chai Jin quickly sought his help. After understanding the situation, the aide knew that the matter was urgent, so he led Chai Jin straight to the emperor's study.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong was busy at Liangshan, arranging for Shi Qian and others to collect evidence of Tong Guan's corruption and abuse of power.

Shi Qian moved with agility, like a ghost in the night, sneaking into Tong Guan's mansion. However, Tong Guan's mansion was heavily guarded, and Shi Qian was nearly discovered several times.

"Oh dear, what should I do?" Shi Qian thought anxiously to himself.

Just as he was fretting, he spotted a secluded window and quietly climbed inside. There was an account book inside, and just as Shi Qian was about to reach for it, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

He hurriedly hid behind the curtain. Tong Guan's confidants entered and were discussing some important matters.

"The master instructed that the evidence must be hidden well and must not be discovered under any circumstances."

"Don't worry, they're all in a secret room; no one can find them."

Shi Qian was overjoyed. After they left, he began to search for the entrance to the secret room.

After some twists and turns, Shi Qian finally found the secret room and successfully obtained some key evidence.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong was anxiously awaiting the return of Shi Qian and the others.

"Why aren't they back yet? Could something have gone wrong?" Wu Yong paced back and forth in the room.

Just when he was extremely anxious, Shi Qian and the others finally returned with the evidence.

"Great! With this evidence, Brother Zhao Tianming is saved!" Wu Yong said excitedly.

At this moment, Chai Jin in the palace finally met the Emperor. He knelt down and bowed, reporting Zhao Tianming's injustice to the Emperor in detail, and presented him with the iron certificate and red edict.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious: "Is this true? If so, he must be severely punished!"

When Tong Guan learned that Chai Jin had entered the palace to meet the emperor with the iron certificate and that Wu Yong had arranged for people to collect evidence of his corruption, he was both shocked and furious, and decided to launch a counterattack.

He first summoned his trusted advisors to a secret chamber to devise a countermeasure.

"The situation is critical, and we must find a way to resolve the crisis as soon as possible," Tong Guan said with a grim expression.

One of the advisors suggested: "My lord, we can first send people to spread rumors among the people, saying that Zhao Tianming is a bandit who is trying to overthrow the court. This will confuse the public and make them resent Zhao Tianming."

Tong Guan nodded slightly: "This plan is feasible, but it's not enough."

Another advisor continued, "My lord, we can also bribe some court officials to speak on your behalf in court, accusing Chai Jin and Wu Yong of having ulterior motives and deliberately framing you."

A ruthless glint flashed in Tong Guan's eyes: "Very well, let's do it that way."

Subsequently, Tong Guan sent people to spread rumors about Zhao Tianming in the streets and alleys. For a time, public opinion was in an uproar, and many people who did not know the truth began to misunderstand Zhao Tianming.

At the same time, he bribed some greedy officials with large sums of money. In the imperial court, these officials stood up one after another, accusing Chai Jin, Wu Yong and others of having ulterior motives and trying to disrupt the order of the court.

Tong Guan also used his power to suppress and hunt down Shi Qian and others who were collecting evidence. He dispatched a large number of his men to search throughout the city, greatly hindering the actions of Shi Qian and his group.

Shi Qian and his men had to be even more careful to hide their whereabouts in order to avoid being discovered by Tong Guan's men.

However, Tong Guan's counterattack did not deter Chai Jin, Wu Yong, and the others. Knowing Tong Guan's treacherous methods, they became even more determined to bring him to justice and clear Zhao Tianming's name.

Tong Guan bribed many high-ranking officials in the court and colluded with them, making it even more difficult for Zhao Tianming to escape imprisonment. But Wu Yong did not back down; instead, he calmly considered how to deal with the situation.

Wu Yong knew that a direct confrontation would be difficult to win, so he decided to start from within Tong Guan and his cronies. He sent Yan Qing, a man skilled at reading people and eloquent, to infiltrate a gathering of Tong Guan's followers. With his excellent interpersonal skills and extraordinary wisdom, Yan Qing quickly gained the trust of some people.

Meanwhile, Wu Yong arranged for Dai Zong, the Swift Traveler, to closely monitor Tong Guan and his cronies, keeping track of their movements and secret plans. Through Dai Zong's intelligence, Wu Yong discovered a conflict between Tong Guan and one of his key advisors over the unequal distribution of benefits.

Therefore, Wu Yong personally went to the strategist and secretly arranged a meeting. In a quiet teahouse, Wu Yong reasoned with him and appealed to his emotions.

After gaining the support of his advisors, Wu Yong began to sow discord within Tong Guan's camp. He deliberately spread false information, causing Tong Guan's followers to become suspicious and wary of each other.

On the other hand, Wu Yong sent Shi Qian to infiltrate Tong Guan's residence again, this time not to find evidence, but to cleverly leave letters and items in Tong Guan's study that hinted at the disloyalty of his followers. Upon discovering this, Tong Guan became increasingly distrustful of those around him, and internal conflicts grew increasingly strained.