Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Gao Qiu arrived at the imperial study in a hurry. Before he even entered, the undisguised dejection on his face was already noticed by Emperor Huizong of Song.

Emperor Huizong was reviewing memorials at his desk when he saw Gao Qiu's expression. He quickly put down his vermilion brush and asked, "Gao Qiu, what's wrong with you looking so distressed?"

Gao Qiu hurriedly knelt down and bowed, his voice filled with urgency and anger: "Your Majesty, I have come to report to you a matter that has made me both angry and annoyed."

Emperor Huizong frowned slightly and gestured for Gao Qiu to stand up and speak: "Tell me in detail."

Gao Qiu straightened up, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, recently Ruan Xiaoqi has committed a heinous crime."

Emperor Huizong was startled and pressed for an answer: "Ruan Xiaoqi? What crime has he committed?"

Gao Qiu gritted his teeth and continued, "Your Majesty, I was ordered to handle local affairs, but I did not expect to encounter Ruan Xiaoqi in Shijie Village. This man is unreasonable and refuses to pay taxes. The officials I sent tried to persuade him with kind words, but he not only refused to listen, but also incited the fishermen to cause trouble and even injured several officials."

Emperor Huizong's face darkened: "How could such an arrogant thing happen?"

Gao Qiu nodded hurriedly and continued, "Your Majesty, this Ruan Xiaoqi has been spouting nonsense, saying that the court's taxes are too heavy, making it impossible for the people to live. His remarks have been echoed by many villagers, which is simply disregarding the dignity of the court and disrupting the order of the state."

Emperor Huizong stood up and paced around the study, his expression grave: "So how did you handle it back then?"

Gao Qiu bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, I originally intended to capture him on the spot, but Ruan Xiaoqi was highly skilled in martial arts and had the protection of many villagers, so I was unable to subdue him for the time being, which is why I returned to report to Your Majesty."

Emperor Huizong stopped and looked at Gao Qiu: "This matter should not be underestimated. If he is not severely punished, it may cause more trouble."

Gao Qiu quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty is wise. Ruan Xiaoqi is so arrogant. If he is not severely punished, it will be difficult to uphold the law and appease public anger."

Emperor Huizong sat back down in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "I entrust this matter to you. You must give me a satisfactory result."

Gao Qiu was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Gao Qiu had suffered a great loss, and his anger was like a volcano about to erupt. He paced back and forth in his mansion, racking his brains for a way to retaliate. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Gao Qiu summoned He Tao, who rushed over and bowed, asking, "Grand Commandant, what are your orders?" Gao Qiu's eyes were cold, and he said through gritted teeth, "He Tao, take the men from the yamen to Zhao Tianming's shop and arrest Ruan Xiaoqi. Make sure you capture him." He Tao was startled. He knew how formidable Ruan Xiaoqi was, but he dared not disobey Gao Qiu's order and could only grit his teeth and reply, "Yes, Grand Commandant."

He Tao quickly gathered a group of constables from the yamen. Some of these constables were burly, while others were lean and capable, but at this moment, each of them wore a look of unease and hesitation. He Tao, mounted on his horse, forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "Brothers, today we are ordered by Grand Commandant Gao to capture Ruan Xiaoqi at Zhao Tianming's shop. There will be a great reward after the mission is accomplished!" However, there was a clear tremor in his voice.

The group marched in a grand procession toward Zhao Tianming's shop. The people on the street, seeing this spectacle, quickly made way for them, whispering and gossiping amongst themselves.

At this moment, Gao Qiu changed into plain clothes and quietly followed behind the group, observing from the shadows. His eyes were filled with anticipation and malice as he thought to himself, "Ruan Xiaoqi, let's see where you can escape to this time."

He Tao and his men arrived in front of Zhao Tianming's shop. He Tao shouted, "Surround it! Don't let Ruan Xiaoqi escape!" The constables acted quickly and surrounded the shop completely.

Zhao Tianming, who was inside the shop, was startled by the sudden scene and shouted, "Sirs, what is the meaning of this?" He Tao sneered, "Enough nonsense. Someone reported that Ruan Xiaoqi is here. Hand him over immediately!" Zhao Tianming looked innocent and said, "Sirs, there is no Ruan Xiaoqi in my shop."

He Tao refused to believe it and waved for the constables to enter the shop and search it. The constables cautiously entered the shop and searched everywhere, leaving the shop in a complete mess in no time.

He Tao, accompanied by officials, swaggered around in front of Zhao Tianming's shop, his arrogant demeanor drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Just then, Li Kui, Wu Song, and Shi Xiu, who were passing by, witnessed this scene. Li Kui's eyes widened in anger, his grip on his axe tightened, and he was about to rush forward, shouting, "This corrupt official is bullying the people again! I, Tie Niu, will definitely teach them a lesson!"

Wu Song grabbed Li Kui and said in a deep voice, "Brother, don't be impulsive!" But his own eyes were also filled with anger, and his clenched fists cracked.

Shi Xiu also frowned, veins bulging on his forehead, and said, "He Tao usually acts arrogantly and domineeringly, but today he is so presumptuous!"

Just as the three men were burning with anger and about to lose their temper, Song Jiang and Wu Yong rushed over. Song Jiang looked anxious and hurriedly said, "Brothers, don't be impulsive. We must not act rashly at this time."

Wu Yong nodded repeatedly and advised, "We need to plan this carefully and not let momentary anger ruin our important plans."

Li Kui shouted, "Brother, are we just going to stand by and watch them run wild?"

Song Jiang patted Li Kui on the shoulder and said, "Brother, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. Trust me, I will definitely find a proper solution."

Seeing this, Zhao Tianming, who was inside the shop, was also furious, but he knew he couldn't act rashly. He suppressed his anger and shouted to Li Kui and the others, "Heroes, don't act rashly, lest you fall into their trap."

Wu Song took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said, "I'll listen to my brothers for now."

Although Shi Xiu was unwilling, he knew that Song Jiang and Wu Yong were right, so he could only glare at He Tao fiercely.

He Tao continued shouting loudly outside the shop, completely unaware that the anger of the people inside was about to explode. This scene outside left the surrounding people angry but unable to speak out, all feeling indignant on behalf of Li Kui and his gang, while also worrying that things would escalate out of control.

He Tao searched the shop thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked, but couldn't find Ruan Xiaoqi. Frustrated and with nowhere to vent his anger, he led his soldiers in a swaggering display before Zhao Tianming.

He Tao glared at Zhao Tianming with his triangular eyes, his face trembling with rage, and roared, "Zhao Tianming, hand over the criminal Ruan Xiaoqi right now, or I'll make sure you face legal trouble!" His voice was sharp and piercing, as if it could blow the roof off.

Seeing He Tao's arrogant demeanor, Zhao Tianming was furious, but he suppressed his anger and calmly said, "Lord He, I really don't have Ruan Xiaoqi in my shop. You must have come to the wrong place."

He Tao refused to believe it. He stepped forward, almost touching Zhao Tianming's face, and said fiercely, "Hmph, stop trying to deny it! Someone saw Ruan Xiaoqi enter your shop with their own eyes, and you still dare to deny it?"

Zhao Tianming took a step back and said, "Lord He, you can't wrong an innocent person without any evidence."

He Tao sneered, "Injustice? In this territory, my words are proof! If you don't hand over Ruan Xiaoqi today, you can go to jail!" As he spoke, he brandished the whip in his hand, which made a "crackling" sound as it cut through the air, making people's hearts tremble.

Zhao Tianming gritted his teeth and said, "Lord He, this is unreasonable of you."

He Tao glared at her. "Reasonable? In my shop, whatever I say goes! Men, smash this shop! I don't believe Ruan Xiaoqi won't come out!"

At his command, the soldiers began ransacking the shop, throwing things everywhere. He Tao stood by, arms crossed, watching the chaos with smug satisfaction.

Zhao Tianming tried to stop them, but was roughly pushed aside by the soldiers. At this moment, He Tao's face was full of arrogance and domineering, as if the whole world was under his control.

The onlookers dared not speak out, and could only silently sympathize with Zhao Tianming. He Tao, however, paid no heed to the gazes of the crowd, and continued his reckless behavior, determined to force Ruan Xiaoqi out.

Just as He Tao ordered his men to escort Zhao Tianming to the government office, a soldier rushed in to report. He Tao, still furious about failing to capture Ruan Xiaoqi, impatiently shouted at the soldier's haste, "What kind of behavior is this! Speak quickly!"

The soldier, panting heavily, saluted and said, "Sir, I saw a man dressed as a fisherman singing as he walked towards the lake outside the city gate."

He Tao's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "Did you get a good look at the person?"

The soldier thought for a moment and replied, "That person was wearing a bamboo hat, so I couldn't see his face, but his figure was somewhat similar to that of Ruan Xiaoqi."

Upon hearing this, He Tao was overjoyed, thinking that he finally had a clue. He immediately shouted to his soldiers, "Stop dawdling and come with me to the city gate!"

Hearing this news, Zhao Tianming was secretly worried. He wondered if the fisherman was really Ruan Xiaoqi. If so, he was afraid that he would be in danger again.

He Tao led his soldiers, hurrying towards the city gate. Along the way, He Tao kept urging everyone to quicken their pace, afraid that the fisherman would escape.

Upon reaching the city gate, He Tao looked around and saw a figure strolling leisurely in the distance, humming an unknown tune. He Tao carefully observed the person's figure and gait, and increasingly felt that it resembled Ruan Xiaoqi.

He waved his hand, and the soldiers quietly surrounded him. He Tao shouted, "Hey you, stop right there!"

The fisherman seemed not to hear him and continued walking at his leisurely pace. He Tao grew angry and shouted again, "If you don't stop, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The fisherman stopped and slowly turned around. He Tao looked closely and saw that the man had raised his head, but the face revealed was not Ruan Xiaoqi's. He Tao's face instantly turned extremely ugly. His hopes were dashed once again, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Surrounded by this group of fierce-looking soldiers, the fisherman turned pale with fright and stammered, "My lords, I am just an ordinary fisherman. I don't know what I have done wrong?"

Enraged, He Tao yelled, "Get out! Don't get in my way!"

The fisherman, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly ran away. Watching the fisherman's departing figure, He Tao angrily kicked a nearby stone, wincing in pain.