Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Turns Out It’s a Servant
As Xiaosuisui spoke, she pouted, a stubborn little expression on her face.
"Xiaobai, hurry, eat the meat!"
Tears finally streamed from the corners of Xiaobai’s eyes.
Meanwhile, the meat in the dish before it disappeared into its mouth, piece by piece.
"Aiya, it’s really eating! Good! That’s very good! Some other day, I should also raise a few rabbits like this in Cining Palace to play with."
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, absolutely beside herself with delight.
Xiaosuisui let Xiaobai finish the meat, then thoughtfully poured some tea into the dish before it. "Xiaobai, drink some tea to rinse your mouth."
Xiaobai drank the tea in a well-behaved manner, then obediently hopped into Xie Pan’Er’s arms.
Lately, Xiaobai had taken to running off and would always be caught by Xiaosuisui, who would then lecture it.
Eventually, being quite intelligent, it figured out that its Master was very fond of this pretty big sister. So, whenever it had nowhere else to hide, it would hop into Xie Pan’Er’s arms.
"Oh! Why did Xiaobai run off? Has it eaten its fill? Should we give it a carrot?"
The Empress Dowager was still quite intrigued, her interest not yet sated.
Hearing this, Xie Pan’Er, holding Xiaobai, was about to step forward when she heard a palace attendant report from outside, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the wife of Duke Zhenguo requests an audience."
Without a second thought, the Empress Dowager said, "If she has come, she has come. It’s not as if she’s an outsider. Let her in."
Before long, the wife of Duke Zhenguo entered with her youngest daughter, Xiao Ning’Er. As soon as they came in, they immediately performed a full kowtow, their posture and movements impeccably standard!
The Empress Dowager, still delighted about Xiaobai eating meat, paid no mind to the deliberately formal postures of the wife of Duke Zhenguo and Xiao Ning’Er.
She directly picked up Xiaosuisui, removed the Phoenix Hairpin from her own hair, and tried to place it on Xiaosuisui’s head.
However, Xiaosuisui didn’t have much hair, so the Phoenix Hairpin just wouldn’t stay on. The young Emperor beside them reached out to help. Both mother and son had all their attention focused on Xiaosuisui’s hair, and neither told the visitors to rise.
For a moment, cold sweat began to bead profusely on the foreheads of the wife of Duke Zhenguo and her daughter.
They couldn’t understand for a moment if their Duke Zhenguo’s Mansion had done something to incur Long Yan’s wrath, and that was why they were being deliberately treated this way.
The young Emperor and his mother finally managed, with some difficulty, to secure the Phoenix Hairpin on Xiaosuisui. Only then did they notice that the wife of Duke Zhenguo and her daughter were still kneeling on the ground.
"You may rise."
The Empress Dowager’s face showed no surprise, much less any hint of distress on their behalf.
Because the time for the banquet had already arrived, the Empress Dowager personally held Xiaosuisui in her arms and said, "It’s getting late. It’s time to go to the Imperial Garden for the banquet."
With the Empress Dowager taking the lead, a large group of people bustled along behind her.
At the head, naturally, was the young Emperor, followed by Old Madam Ji and the wife of Duke Zhenguo.
Behind them were Zhu Xiuxiu, Huo Xing’Er, Xiao Ning’Er, and Xie Pan’Er, who was holding Xiaobai.
"Hey! Which household’s young lady are you? Why are you carrying a rabbit? What were you all talking about in my aunt’s palace just now?"
Xiao Ning’Er pondered to herself. She knew most of the young ladies from the noble and influential families in the capital, so how could she not recognize this bewitchingly beautiful person before her?
Xie Pan’Er had long expected that someone would ask about her identity after entering the Palace, so she had already prepared her words.
"My status is not worth mentioning. I was able to enter the Palace today thanks to Old Madam Ji and the Eldest Princess. The Eldest Princess is young and needs someone to accompany and look after her. I came to the Palace to care for her."
As soon as she said this, the disdain and disgust on Xiao Ning’Er’s face were plain to see.
"So, you’re just a servant. A servant is a servant. And you dare speak of accompanying the Eldest Princess? You’re really trying to flatter yourself!"