Led by neatly dressed staff, interested diners are taken into the kitchen to watch the chefs demonstrate their culinary skills.

Inspecting the kitchen is also about seeing how the ingredients are handled cleanly and efficiently.

Therefore, those one-sided rumors are no match for absolute transparency and facts.

Those who were initially hesitant saw the transparent kitchen with their own eyes and observed up close the bustling yet orderly scene inside, and their doubts immediately vanished.

The message wall outside the Bazhenlou restaurant is filled with praise.

"Clean! Brighter than my stove!"

"I watched the chef carve the duck with my own eyes, his knife skills were amazing! I feel safe eating it!"

"Rumors stop with the wise! Bazhenlou is a restaurant of conscience!"

Those guests who were misled by the rumors and didn't come heard about the special activities that Bazhenlou was holding, which aroused their strong curiosity, and they flocked to find out.

As a result, the number of customers at Bazhenlou did not decrease; on the contrary, it experienced another surge due to this marketing campaign that proved its innocence.

The lobby was bustling with noise, and the queue for appointments stretched all the way outside the door.

When Pei Ziqing heard this news in the teahouse, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

He spent his last remaining silver spreading rumors, only to end up giving Bazhenlou free publicity?!

He was so angry that he was trembling and almost threw the teacup in his hand.

Seeing that the troublemakers and rumors were all disappearing without a trace, Bazhenlou's business was booming, while the rumors about him not paying back his debts continued to circulate everywhere.

Pei Ziqing felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, with nowhere to vent it, and his eyes turned completely red.

If such rumors continue to spread, he may not be able to explain himself clearly to the princess!

So he used the last bit of his pitiful connections and found Wang, the registrar in charge of registering commercial taxes in the Ministry of Revenue.

A low-ranking official who is stuck in a key position and makes a lot of money.

"Registrar Wang, you have such keen insight..."

"Look at how incredibly popular the Bazhenlou restaurant is, but its financial records... I'm afraid they can't withstand close scrutiny."

"And all those flashy but impractical things they put up, like the food ingredient disclosure wall and the large glass windows... You're an impartial enforcer of the law, shouldn't you... investigate them thoroughly?"

Pei Ziqing stuffed a heavy purse into his hand, a fawning smile plastered on his face. He deliberately emphasized the words "check it out carefully."

Wang, the registrar, calmly weighed the purse in his hand, then glanced at Pei Ziqing's distorted face, and understood what was going on.

He was adept at this kind of shady business of using official duties as a pretext to extort money from merchants and gain personal benefits.

Besides, Pei Ziqing still holds the title of a scholar, although he seems to be having some bad luck lately, but he is said to have a connection with the princess.

Who knows when it might get up again?

Besides, he was just doing his job impartially.

This deal is a great one!

So Wang, the registrar, led two lackeys who were usually arrogant and opportunistic, and with his hands behind his back, strode into the main hall of the Bazhenlou restaurant with the swagger of an official.

"Where is the shopkeeper?! The government is checking the commercial tax accounts! All unauthorized personnel must leave!"

"Bring me all your financial records for the past three months! Immediately!"

When Wang, the registrar, stood in the hall, his loud voice exuding official authority, he deliberately made sure all the diners could hear him.

The diners' conversation and laughter abruptly ceased, and they all turned to look at each other, whispering among themselves.