Xiao Ling finally realized how serious the situation was. Anxious, her face paled as well.
"L-Lady, this servant... this servant really doesn't know. I only saw that Second Miss liked it, so I... I took it upon myself..."
After trembling for quite some time, Xiao Ling remembered Madam Su's instructions before she left. She steadied her racing heart and said, "Lady, you never attend banquets anyway. Why don't you... pretend to be ill?"
Only if she pretended to be ill and stayed away would there be no trouble.
Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister asked about it then, she could make excuses.
Su Qiao sneered. "Heh. Why should I pretend to be ill?"
"You're merely a servant who knows no rules and has sticky fingers. Do you think you're worthy of making me do this for you?"
Did they really think I was some spineless clay Bodhisattva they could knead and mold however they pleased?
When Xiao Ling heard her say that she had sticky fingers and knew no rules, a trace of anger flashed through her eyes. "Lady, I belong to Madam Su. When I return, if I say a few words in front of Madam Su..."
Xiao Ling wore a threatening expression. After a pause, she continued arrogantly, "Besides, Madam Su gave me explicit instructions before I came. She told me to keep an eye on you and not let you run around and offend any honored guests. So you'd better pretend to be ill and stay peacefully inside the tent!"
Slap!
Upon hearing this, Su Qiao rose and swung her hand, landing a slap across Xiao Ling's face.
"You reckless fool. I merely didn't want to dirty my hands. Did you really think someone as insignificant as you could manipulate me?"