Chapter 278 Stop Struggling

The coldness silently crept into the small room in the backyard of Huichun Hall, condensed into a thin layer of frost, and quietly covered the window frames.

Chen Yu subconsciously wrapped himself tightly in the half-worn thin quilt, but the coldness penetrated through the gaps in the corners of the quilt like fine needles.

The room was dark, with only a faint light from the sky filtering through the window paper, barely outlining the contours of the table, chairs and bamboo bed.

At three o'clock in the morning, the drums were beaten first at the gate tower of the imperial city, and then the street drums on the main roads were beaten one after another.

The sound of drums penetrated the entire city and reached all directions, breaking the silence before dawn and announcing the arrival of a new day.

There are no roosters crowing in Fengjing, and Chen Yu has gradually become accustomed to getting up at the sound of drums.

But this morning my eyelids felt as heavy as cotton wool soaked in water, and my eyeballs rolled back and forth under the thin eyelids.

When the three drum beats were over, he struggled to bounce away.

The air was filled with a complex medicinal aroma, including aged angelica, slightly bitter bupleurum, and spicy cinnamon...

My vision was hazy, but the chaotic sleepiness did not last long.

An extremely sharp chill suddenly pierced through the fragile barrier, went straight to the top of her head, and pulled her out of her deep coma!

His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an ice-cold hand, causing Chen Yu to freeze completely.

Right beside her bed, there was a thick shadow, a human silhouette...

Silent and motionless!

"woke up?"

The voice was a little hoarse, and in the dim light of the sky, Chen Yu finally recognized it.

"Wang... Shopkeeper Wang, what are you going to do?!"

Listening to her trembling voice, Wang Chong pulled up the thin blanket to cover his chest tightly, glanced in the direction of the door, and grinned.

"I've run out of the herbs I brought with me, and I'm leaving for Xianyun County this morning. I was worried about Sister Yu, so I came to see her."

Chen Yu was stunned. She had thought Wang Chong would keep an eye on her all the time and would never leave before the provincial examination.

Unable to understand why, she jumped up, knelt on the bed and kowtowed to him.

"Uncle Wang, please give me a few more days. I can pass the imperial examination. I will definitely pass it!"

Wang Chong shook his head and laughed, "If it was previous years, it would be fine, but this year, the Second Princess Shufeng insisted on joining in the fun.

Not only that, all the talented women in Beijing had to take the additional places in the provincial examinations, and it was extremely difficult to pass the examinations in Zhongchendao.

Sister Yu, don't be naive."

Bending down, he leaned close to Chen Yu's ear.

"Just do as I say and I'll clear your loan debt. Think of your father and younger brother and stop struggling."

He patted her shoulder gently, without any other inappropriate behavior, and turned around to walk out.

Chen Yu lying on the bed clenched her fists tightly, and her petite body trembled constantly.

The mother drowned, the father broke his leg, and there was a younger brother.

The funeral expenses almost drained the family's savings. His father had to pay for his leg treatment and take medicine, and he also had to raise his younger brother. The burden of life fell on Chen Yu.

I am thin and weak, so I can't do any physical work, let alone odd jobs.

What kind of stable job can you find in Xianyun County that can earn you money every day?

They were so poor that they could barely make ends meet, and the kind-hearted owner of the drug store, Mr. Wang, extended a helping hand.

They were all neighbors and interacted with each other frequently. Chen Yu never imagined that Wang Chong was a loan shark.

Not only can he not pay back the principal, but the interest has already reached hundreds of taels.

Even if he sold his house and his family of three, he still couldn't pay back such a huge sum of money.

At this time, Wang Chong made a request. As long as he did what he said, the debt could be forgiven, including the principal and interest.

For the sake of his family, he could endure any hardship or fatigue, but Chen Yu was extremely unwilling to gamble with the imperial examination. But what was the point of being unwilling?

She had heard about the methods used by loan sharks, and how it was common for families to be ruined and even killed.

With a disabled father and a young brother, how could Chen Yu dare to gamble!

As if all his strength had been drained away, he lay reclining on the bamboo bed, staring blankly at the sunlight streaming into the room.

In the front hall, the young shopkeeper yawned, "Uncle Wang, are you going back so early?"

"Silly boy, the imperial examination is coming soon, and this time Princess Shufeng and other talented women from the capital will be participating. It will definitely be a grand event.

When the results are announced, there will be many frustrated scholars who have failed. If you don't take this opportunity to stock up on pills, what else can you think of?"

The young shopkeeper touched the back of his head and said with a wry smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Second Uncle."

Wang Chong glanced behind him and said, "I'm going back to my hometown to collect medicinal herbs. I may not be back for a few days. Please take care of Sister Yu.

Fengjing will be bustling with activity soon, so don't let her wander around, lest she accidentally offend some important person."

The young shopkeeper almost rolled his eyes. What he said...

Not to mention wandering around, Miss Chen Yu rarely even leaves her room. She studies all day long and has no time for that.

I laughed and sent my second uncle to the door, watching the donkey cart go away.

The drums sounded and the city gates opened. Wang Chong didn't catch the first wave of people entering and leaving the city, but the city gate was still bustling.

When he came, the donkey cart was full of medicinal herbs. He had walked all the way here, but now he is sitting leisurely on the cart, feeling quite comfortable.

While waiting in line to leave the city, Wang Chong put his hands in his pockets and glanced at the scene in front of him.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that there were only gatekeepers and no other personnel were added.

The inspection for leaving the city was looser than for entering, and it was soon their turn.

After respectfully submitting the certificate, the clerk took a look and said, "Is your name Wang Chong? From the Xianyun County Herbal Medicine Shop?"

Wang Chong's heart skipped a beat. Normally, no one would ask before leaving the city.

He quickly stood up and saluted, "That's right..."

Before he could bend down completely, there was a crisp sound and the gatekeeper suddenly closed the door and called out to his attendants.

“What are you doing!”

In the blink of an eye, Wang Chong's arms were locked tightly.

The coachman was stunned, "No...why did you lock up my shopkeeper?"

Wang Chong didn't dare to struggle, but he raised his head and shouted, "Sir, why are you locking me up?"

The people around who were queuing to leave the city quickly made way, but they all tilted their heads to look inside.

"Stop talking nonsense!" the gatekeeper shouted. "Don't you know what you've done wrong? Take him away and send him to Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Your Excellency, I am innocent. I am just an honest and upright doctor."

While shouting, he was calculating rapidly in his mind.

No! No matter how you think about it, it's not right.

On the surface, he was the owner of a drug store, but underneath he was a loan shark.

Guiya had taken over the Nine Gates and was busy integrating them, so how could he possibly target him, a moneylender in Xianyun County, in just one night?

He was clearly a very marginal figure, yet he had to go through the Jingzhao Prefecture and be notified at the city gate early in the morning.

When did the Fengjing government become so efficient? How could he, a small moneylender from a county near Fengjing, have the qualifications to do so?

Could it be that his true identity has been exposed?

not good!

Just as Wang Chong was about to shout, a huge force suddenly hit his chest and abdomen.

Hmm... He groaned and immediately bent over. Any words he wanted to say were blocked out and he was dragged away by the city gate officer.