Shen Tangning felt a sudden tightness in her chest and quickened her pace back to the palace.

"What's wrong? You look so pale?" Consort Rou asked, noticing her troubled expression.

Shen Tangning's tone was slightly somber: "Eunuch Fu has been punished."

Consort Rou was taken aback, somewhat surprised: "I didn't know that."

She sent someone out to find out what was going on, and soon got the results.

"I heard that he made a mistake while serving His Majesty and was punished with twenty strokes of the cane. It's not a big deal, but look how scared you are."

Twenty strokes of the cane would be quite a blow for someone of Grandpa Fu's age.

Seeing her frown, Consort Rou guessed what she was thinking: "Don't worry, they still need Eunuch Fu, so they'll definitely be careful. They wouldn't really hurt anyone."

Shen Tangning was slightly relieved, but she still felt guilty about Eunuch Fu being punished. Fortunately, no bad news about Eunuch Fu came out afterward.

No one was allowed to move around at night, so Shen Tangning went to the imperial kitchen in the evening and stayed there until it was time to leave the palace.

The slop bucket was almost half a person's height, and she could easily fit two of them inside. She crouched down and hid inside, and an indescribable stench enveloped her.

Although she had prepared herself mentally, the reality was far more shocking than she had imagined. Shen Tangning covered her mouth and nose, mentally encouraging herself:

It was only a little over half an hour; she was able to hold on.

The palace maid had been instructed by Consort Rou to leave a gap when she closed the lid, in case she couldn't breathe.

"No matter what happens later, young lady, do not utter a sound. If this matter is discovered, this servant will also be punished."

A pile of rotten vegetable leaves was placed on her head. Shen Tangning sat there with a stiff face and a bit of a loss. She responded in a muffled voice and then remained quiet without making a sound.

She was carried out of the palace gate in a wooden cart carrying several buckets of swill, swaying and staggering.

There weren't many people around at this hour, so everything went smoothly until she reached the palace gate. There, she heard voices outside and carefully held her breath.

The guards at the gate saw the young eunuch pushing the cart and greeted him familiarly, "Little Li, you've arrived?"

Little Li wiped his sweat and forced a smile: "Is it Guard Wang's turn to be on night duty tonight?"

"Isn't that right? It's freezing cold, it's really unbearable!" The two chatted casually for a few minutes, and Guard Wang raised his chin, "The usual procedure, routine inspection."

Shen Tangning unconsciously bit her lower lip, but she remained calm. Her head was covered with rotten vegetable leaves, and as long as she didn't uncover them to check, she should be able to fool everyone.

Little Li stopped the car and let him inspect it, making small talk to distract him.

A stench filled the air, and Guard Wang frowned: "This smell is really pungent. It almost made me throw up my dinner from last night. How could you stand it?"

Little Li smiled shyly: "You'll get used to it."

Just as he expected, after inspecting only two buckets, Guard Wang lost his patience: "Alright, get out."

The smell was truly unpleasant, and generally people wouldn't check it carefully, so Shen Tangning's bucket was conveniently overlooked.

"Thank you for your hard work, Guard Wang." Little Li's voice came indistinctly, and the ground beneath him began to sway again, causing Shen Tangning to lower her guard.

After waiting for a while, her hands and feet became stiff from not moving for so long, and the car finally stopped.

The wooden board was knocked twice, and Shen Tangning slowly crawled out, taking a deep breath: "Father-in-law, you've worked hard."

She handed him a purse.

Having received the reward, Little Li was very pleased: "You're too kind, young lady. I'll be going now."

Watching him leave, Shen Tangning stretched her arms and legs, intending to find an inn to take a bath first. After walking a distance, she suddenly saw a carriage parked at the entrance of the alley.

She instinctively took a step back.

...