Qinggefang, Huichuntang Pharmacy.
At this hour, the shop was deserted.
The main customers were the singing girls who partied every night and their patrons; the night was the busiest time.
The shop was closed a few days ago due to Wang Chong's arrest and imprisonment for lending money at exorbitant interest rates, and it has only reopened today.
Unexpectedly, not long after the door panels were removed, a commotion approached like rolling thunder.
"Give me back my hard-earned money!"
"You unscrupulous pharmacy, get out here!"
"Get your manager out here! You need an explanation today!"
...
An angry roar accompanied by chaotic footsteps, and a dozen people burst into the store.
Most of them were ordinary people struggling to survive, and they were plundered into poverty by Wang Chong's usurious loans with exorbitant interest rates.
The shop assistants were so frightened that they backed away repeatedly, but the young manager forced himself to remain calm and quickly went to greet them.
"Fellow villagers, please calm down, please calm down!"
We had no idea that Wang Chong had committed such a heinous crime.
Huichuntang was only legitimately purchasing his medicinal herbs and refining his pills; they knew nothing about his other shady dealings!
"Bah! I think you're all in cahoots, a den of snakes and rats!" a man cursed, his eyes bloodshot and spittle flying.
"How can you slander me like this?" the young manager exclaimed anxiously, pointing hurriedly towards the door.
"The neighbors are all here, you can ask them."
Huichuntang has been operating in this area for many years, treating everyone honestly and fairly. When has it ever cheated its neighbors out of the slightest penny?
The victims wouldn't listen. Despair and anger had already breached the dam of reason.
They were convinced of one thing: Wang Chong was a member of Huichuntang, and the shop had to pay off his debts.
Some people started pushing the shelves, and others picked up porcelain jars from the counter.
There was nothing of value in front of them, so they rushed straight ahead.
"Why bother arguing with him? If he won't pay us back, we'll just rob him of his possessions to settle the debt!"
The chaos escalated instantly, with pushing, shouting, and the ear-piercing sounds of breaking objects all mixed together.
The victim rushed into the backyard, knocking over the drying herbs and trampling them into a mess.
The noise startled the neighbors, and more and more people gathered around.
Because of their long-standing friendship, an old man who couldn't stand it any longer stamped his foot and shouted, "Go and call the neighborhood head! Go now!"
In the backyard, Chen Yu was sitting by the window, a book half-closed in his hand.
After meeting the Sixth Princess Qin Zhaoyue and receiving news that she had been secretly protected by the commander of the Xuanji Guard, and that her father and younger brother had been properly taken care of, the tension in her heart finally eased.
Now all that remains is for the provincial examination to begin. As for whether we can uncover any behind-the-scenes figures, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.
The pharmacy owner had tentatively asked her the day before if she knew about Wang Chong's loan sharking, to which she naturally denied it outright.
After that, everything calmed down. The innkeeper simply said it had nothing to do with her and told her to stay and prepare for the exam.
At that moment, the noise from outside the window rushed in, instantly shattering the tranquility.
Chen Yu's heart jumped. He put down his book and listened intently.
An angry outburst swept from the front hall all the way to the backyard, with footsteps, cries, and curses growing ever closer.
Immediately afterwards, a group of people rushed into the backyard, and the bamboo racks used for drying medicinal herbs were pushed over and trampled by the angry crowd.
The carefully prepared herbs were scattered all over the ground, mixed with the dirt and filth.
Just then, the warden arrived, panting, with several warden soldiers armed with short sticks.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
The magistrate's hair and beard bristled, and he let out a thunderous shout.
The Wuhoufang guards quickly intervened in the chaotic crowd, using sticks and their bodies to forcefully separate the two groups that were tearing each other apart, temporarily halting the conflict.
"In broad daylight, under the clear sky!" The neighborhood watch leader's face was ashen, his gaze sweeping over the group of aggrieved victims like lightning.
"Gathering crowds to cause trouble, forcibly breaking into private homes, and destroying people's property—do you still have any respect for the law?"
If they cause any more trouble, they'll all be locked up and taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture prison for questioning!
The name of the Prefect of Jingzhao, known as "Upright Official," had been widely known these days. Upon hearing this, the aggrieved party's momentum immediately faltered, and the noise subsided.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper snorted coldly and pointed at the young manager.
"What are you all arguing about? If Huichuntang really had something to do with Wang Chong's case, would the Jingzhao Prefecture have released them that very day?"
Lord Deng is extremely discerning. How many major cases has he concluded in the past few days? How many people involved in these convoluted cases have been arrested?
If they were truly guilty, would they still be standing here unharmed, running their business? They'd be in jail with Wang Chong long ago!
The victims were left speechless by the questions.
They might not be unaware of this, but the officials have not yet made compensation.
Wang Chong was given a hundred lashes and locked up; who knows whether he's dead or alive.
Even thinking about their hard-earned money, some people still grumbled resentfully:
“Wang Chong does make money from this shop, so he has to pay us back some of the money he owes.”
"Nonsense! The Jingzhao Prefecture has its own rules and laws."
Those who should be punished will be punished, those who should be compensated will be compensated, and those who should be recovered will be recovered.
What? According to your twisted logic, just because Wang Chong's ancestral home is a certain place, does that mean everyone from that place has to pay compensation for him?
Go back now and wait obediently for the authorities to deal with you.
With so many cases, we have to handle them one by one.
Today you rushed in recklessly, smashing, looting, and damaging other people's shops and medicinal herbs.
"If someone were to file a lawsuit with the Jingzhao Prefecture, do you think you would still be in the right?"
Fang Zheng waved his hand at Wu Hou, "Come on, keep making trouble! You guys go to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office right now and ask the constables to come and arrest them!"
The victims looked at each other, completely deflated. If they were to actually face the authorities, their actions would clearly demonstrate their wrongdoing.
At this moment, the young manager took a deep breath, straightened his back, and stood up, saying loudly:
I understand the urgency of my fellow villagers.
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