In the following days, the palace remained calm, but beneath this tranquility lurked a turbulent undercurrent, as if it were merely the prelude to an impending storm.
The Grand Secretary and several ministers, for reasons unknown, angered His Majesty and knelt outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a long time, eventually ending with the elderly Grand Secretary fainting in the freezing snow.
However, what followed was that students of the Imperial College took the lead in submitting a joint petition to express their dissatisfaction, and it is said that several students were arrested and imprisoned.
The Third Prince was probably quite angry about this, and he punished several palace maids who had done wrong.
The atmosphere in the palace became more stagnant than ever before. The palace servants, apart from performing their duties, did not even dare to slack off or gossip.
"What a bunch of opportunistic bastards! With so little charcoal, who are they trying to freeze to death?" Consort Rou complained, nestled in her soft couch, her brows furrowed and her expression dark with displeasure.
In the past, when Consort Rou was favored, all sorts of rare and precious things were sent to her palace like a flowing stream.
She has just suffered a miscarriage and has not only not received any compensation, but her share of the palace allowance has also been withheld. It goes without saying who instructed her to do this.
"That petty, two-faced woman, Consort Li, is it really worth holding a grudge about just because we stole things from her a few times?"
Shen Tangning's lips twitched slightly, thinking that the fact that she could still live peacefully until now was already a testament to Consort Li's forbearance.
If killing her now wouldn't cause gossip, given Consort Li's personality, she would probably have already secretly killed her.
Seeing that Shen Tangning didn't respond, she pouted, feeling rather bored: "By the way, I've found a way to send you out of the palace, but you might have to make do with something..."
Consort Rou's solution was to hide her in a swill bucket in the imperial kitchen and have her transported out of the palace.
The imperial kitchen handles the day's swill every night, and the guards at the palace gates are used to it. They don't usually check too strictly, and if you give them a bribe, they'll turn a blind eye.
However, this method is indeed quite torturous, after all, the taste is not something that ordinary people can endure.
Shen Tangning agreed without much hesitation.
Consort Rou was surprised by her quick agreement and nodded: "Alright, I'll have someone make the arrangements."
On the day of her departure, Shen Tangning went to bid farewell to the Empress.
The Empress was very supportive of her leaving the palace: "The palace is not safe right now, and I am not at ease with you staying here. Is everything prepared?"
Shen Tangning nodded and then began to speak of other things:
"Doesn't your aunt find it too strange that the Fourth Prince hates her?"
The Empress understood the implied meaning from the zither's tone, and her expression hardened slightly: "What do you mean?"
Shen Tangning shook her head: "I'm not sure yet, but the answer will be revealed soon."
She looked up at her with a serious expression. "Before the truth is revealed, Tang Ning hopes that what happened last time will not happen again."
The Empress's expression stiffened slightly, and she sighed before slowly nodding: "Good child, your aunt acted impulsively before."
Having received her assurance, Shen Tangning was finally relieved, and only then could she leave the palace without any worries.
As she left Kunning Palace, she overheard a few hushed whispers among the palace maids she passed:
"Eunuch Fu is a veteran of the palace, how could he make such a mistake?"
"After dozens of lashes, I don't know if she can survive..."
Shen Tangning's heart sank. Had something happened to Eunuch Fu?
Could it be because the incident last time exposed it?
Her eyes darkened slightly, and she subconsciously turned to head towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After taking a few steps, she suddenly calmed down and slowly turned around.
No, she can't go there now, regardless of whether Grandpa Fu is alright or not!
If the Third Prince had truly discovered her, he would have already come to Consort Rou's place to take her away. Isn't she just walking into a trap by rushing over there now?
Suspicion grew in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. With the palace in such a tense atmosphere, how could these two have the leisure to chat, and of all places, they chose to do so right where she was about to pass by…
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