Her face turned pale and she cursed inwardly.

Gu Yunni walked out of the door and walked forward with a calm expression.

As the two of them walked towards the Chaos stall, Sheng Mingyu finally spoke up, "Did you really believe what that woman said? What if she lied to you?"

"It's about half and half. Half of what he said is right, and half is wrong. As long as we can get the information we need, it's fine."

"Don't think about these useless things. Send someone to the restaurant first to see what the Imperial Master has learned. It would be even better if we can find the person who spread the rumors. I always feel that the butcher doesn't get enough information."

The two of them split up into two groups, and Gu Yunni still sat at the wonton stall waiting for people.

Sheng Mingyu turned and went to the restaurant. Fortunately, it was not too far away, otherwise he would have been worried.

"Why is His Royal Highness here? Did you guys get any results? That's great! We've been sitting in the restaurant all morning and haven't even tried to find out who spread the rumors. This restaurant is much quieter than usual."

"Yeah, although I never came to this kind of small place before, I would pass by it occasionally. Today the restaurant is so quiet that it's strange."

When they saw Sheng Mingyu coming, their eyes lit up. They didn't listen to what he said, but kept complaining.

"Today's restaurant is different from the previous ones? Then why didn't you call the owner to ask? It's impossible that business was always good in the past and only bad today, unless something unexpected happened."

Sheng Mingyu wanted to explain, but when he heard a few people talking, his attention was drawn to it.

"How could we dare to act without you coming here? Since you want to ask, call the shopkeeper."

"Yes! Whether they will answer our questions or not is uncertain. Only if you come forward can you intimidate them."

The Imperial Master laughed, but Sheng Mingyu felt like he had fallen into a trap.

But it was too late to regret now, so he could only look up at the shopkeeper.

"What happened in the restaurant today? Why are there so few customers? I like the hustle and bustle, so I thought of coming here to take a look. It's really surprising."

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just happened to choose your restaurant, but this happened. What happened? But where are the new things? We can go and take a look." The Imperial Master echoed from the side, his tone very dissatisfied.

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "Your Highness, spare me. I don't know what's going on in the restaurant today. In the past, there were always many customers, not as deserted as today. I'm just curious."

He looked so sad that he almost cried.

If we were to ask who is the saddest about the lack of customers, it would naturally be him, as he makes money from the restaurant.

"It's impossible that no one suddenly disappeared. You must be hiding something. Don't worry, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the most considerate of the people and will not let you confess in vain."

The Imperial Master advised earnestly, and Sheng Mingyu nodded to everything he said.

It’s a pity that the shopkeeper looked sad and shook his head.

"I really don't know what's going on. If there really is some other activity going on out there, how could I not know about it? Not to mention other places, just this street, my restaurant is the biggest. They can't possibly hide their activities from me. I really don't know."

The Imperial Master and Sheng Mingyu exchanged a glance, and instead of making things difficult for him, they turned around and asked about other matters.

"Then tell me, have there been any problems at the restaurant recently? The people must have their reasons for not coming. Just assume that His Royal Highness is here to investigate the people's sentiments today and tell the truth."

"Yes, your restaurant was making so much money before, you wouldn't want to stop making money suddenly, right? It just so happens that His Royal Highness is free today, so he doesn't mind meddling in your affairs."

This hit the nail on the head, and the Minister of Revenue also offered some advice. He was the most experienced in business and could spot problems at a glance.

"If you gentlemen insist that something strange happened in the restaurant, it must be related to yesterday's rumors. I don't know who was blind enough to say that the west side of the city was haunted because of its poor location, and that burning a fire and offering sacrifices would solve the problem. But today, the west side of the city was about to catch fire, and everyone in the restaurant ran away."

The shopkeeper trembled as he explained what had happened.

Sheng Mingyu's face darkened. "The fire in the west of the city just happened not long ago, and it has nothing to do with your restaurant. Why didn't they come after hearing about it? The diners were just chatting, they weren't the masterminds behind it, so why would they implicate the restaurant?"

The Imperial Master asked in a deep voice, it was obvious that he couldn't figure out this question.

The shopkeeper wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Actually, they shouldn't be so timid. But everyone spread the rumor. They either talked to their family members or their friends. Naturally, they're all worried about the trouble that happened in the west of the city today."

His voice became lower and lower, and seeing that the people in front of him were silent, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and confess everything.

"The court does care about the people, but whenever something happens, they become paranoid and push problems onto the people even when they are not. A lot has happened in recent years, and it is natural for them to be afraid. I hope you gentlemen will not blame them."

After he finished speaking, he knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

It's easy to tell what Sheng Mingyu's expression was. The scene was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was observing his expression and didn't dare to speak.

"Don't be afraid, boss. I just want to ask, who spread the rumor?" Sheng Mingyu sighed helplessly and asked about serious matters.

What they said was true. When this happened, the people were all in danger and of course they fled in panic.

"Your Highness, please don't embarrass me. I really don't know who this person is. If I knew, I would have already handed him over to the authorities. How could the restaurant business have become so bleak? They are destroying my interests, and I also want to catch them."

The shopkeeper took a deep breath and then started to act pitifully again.

Sheng Mingyu suddenly felt weak and had a terrible headache.

"Since you don't know who's behind this, I won't embarrass you any more. This little ounce of silver is your payment for today's questioning. Take it."

After Sheng Mingyu finished speaking, he brought a few people out.

The Imperial Master stood outside, looking confused.

"We've been struggling for so long, and we still don't have any clues. We have to start from scratch. What should we do? I don't have any ideas, so why don't you give us some advice? I'll do whatever you say."

He looked at Sheng Mingyu and chose to give up.

The Minister of Revenue was also sweating profusely. He had always lived a life of luxury, and this was the first time he had been running around in the capital for such a long time. He was already exhausted.

"You guys should go back and rest first. Imperial Master, go walk ahead with me. Yun Ni will wait over there. If I find anything, I will let you know in time."