Ximen the Magnate in the Late Northern Song

[My new serial, I Handed Myself Over to Qin Shi Huang, is now online. New story blurb: Zhou Miao unexpectedly transmigrates to 221 BC, the year Qin conquered the Six Kingdoms and Ying Zheng declared himself the First Emperor. He has the standard golden finger that transmigrators get, called the [Myriad Worlds Infrastructure System]. Except... [Recruit 3,000 laborers and complete the construction of Xianyang. Time limit: three months. Failure will result in death.] Excuse me, you call this a beginner quest from the start??? At this time, with Qin having just conquered the Six Kingdoms, in the Qin capital of Xianyang, right under Qin Shi Huang's nose, I'm supposed to recruit 3,000 laborers?! And carry out major urban construction in Xianyang?! System, are you serious??? I hope you are. This System wants me dead!!! If I'm going to die anyway, I choose to hand myself over to Qin Shi Huang! Qin Shi Huang: How can you prove you come from a later age? Zhou Miao: Um... How about I recite On the Faults of Qin for Your Majesty? After hearing the recitation, the First Emperor was completely shaken! Qin Shi Huang: Why did you reveal that you are a transmigrator? Zhou Miao: Because I need Your Majesty's help. After discovering the opportunities offered by the System, the First Emperor decided this was a very promising venture.] [Story blurb] When Ximen Qing opened his eyes again, there was a pole on the ground and a beautiful woman beneath the curtain. She said, "This servant lost her grip when the wind blew, and accidentally struck you. Please don't blame me." It was obvious: he had transmigrated. He had become Ximen Qing, the infamous Ximen Daguangren from literary history. Just before Pan Jinlian knocked him out with a pole and gave him a concussion, a voice rang in his mind: [Classic Fiction Derivative World Experience System 1.0, restart complete.] To give audiences in the future a better experience, he proposed a number of "reasonable and sensible" updates. The System updated as needed, releasing version after version: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and more. And so, Wu Song, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, Wu Yong... Pig offal, soap, glass, salt-making, sugar refining... Potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, high-yield rice... Coking coal, iron smelting, forging, hot and cold weapons... People, money, food, weapons: he gradually had them all. Question: When the Jingkang Disaster arrives, what will it take to hold on to the northern half of the realm and protect the people from the Jurchen army's iron hooves? Answer: Enough people, money, food, and weapons. Ximen Qing: What a coincidence, I have all of those. So can I smash the heads of the Two Sages of Xuexiang and Wanyan Gou now? Trillions of future viewers shout with unthinking enthusiasm: Yes! Yes!! Smash them! Smash them!! The little System: Does anyone still remember that we're a peaceful travel experience project? A few things to know before reading: 1. This is fanfiction based on Water Margin, which is itself fanfiction based on The Plum in the Golden Vase, and characters from Water Margin will make surprise appearances. 2. The male lead transmigrates as Ximen Qing, but has no romantic entanglements with Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, Pang Chunmei, or the others. 3. Ximen Qing is a villain, and Ximen Qing is no ordinary good person either. 4. The story is plot-focused and should count as no-couple, but since Ximen Qing already has a wife and concubines, I've categorized it as romance. Theme: Your fate is in your own hands.