While roaming around Zhao Ming was keeping a side-eye at the maids who were making a circle and were whispering to each other like meddlesome aunties.

  Zhao Ming pretended to notice nothing and just looked around curiously. She wanted to see what everyone here thinks of her?

  Because she does not have original Zhao Ming's memories and other than a few things that she found out from Lu shi, she does not know anything about her.

  She needs to figure out her status in the palace herself and need to create her place in this palace. Because she doesn't know how long she has to stay in this palace.

  After Lu shi asked her to do the work first and check the preparations for the feast, she felt that she can't let this continue.

  Because those girls were giving her revolting and strange looks and hadn't greeted her yet. She was the Empress yet no one greeted her.

  So she couldn't hold herself and walked towards them with a plain smile on her face, with her hands folded around her chest.

  She stood straight with her head held high and stood in front of them in her perfect posture which gave her a domineering look.

  She looked at the maids who were standing there who became alert when she arrived.

  Everyone straightened themselves when she approached them however the girl in the middle was still wearing the same arrogant look on her face.

  It was Hao Mei.

  Hao Mei is a girl with an average face and short height but her overall look is cute type. She was not outstanding and beautiful but her facial features were unique.

  Hao Mei looked at Zhao Ming with her brows raised and was amused when she heard Zhao Ming's words.

  She could sense the tone of ridicule in her words and understood that Zhao Ming was not asking them to share their secrets but simply challenging them to speak up if they have guts.

  Hao Mei came with Xiao Li when she got married to Ji Cheng. In L country, she used to work in the kitchen and takes care of everyone's meals.

  However, she was sent here after Xiao Li married to the Emperor. She has good relations with Xiao Li and treated her as her elder sister.

  Xiao Li also loved Hao Mei's cooking so she arranged her to work in the kitchen as she is much experienced in this field.

  In return to this, Hao Mei used to give all the information to Xiao Li about the things going on in the palace or anything related to Zhao Ming.

  Because before, Zhao Ming used to come to the kitchen daily.

  This way she is working for Xiao Li while working in the kitchen palace. She is like a spy of Xiao Li who kept her gaze onto Zhao Ming and inform Xiao li of any useful news.

  As Xiao Li was her master, she never liked Zhao Ming because if not for Zhao Ming, Xiao Li would have been the Empress and then Empress Dowager.

  This way, she will also get a higher position and a certain status among the servants. Because if her master is Empress or Empress Dowager then she could make others follow her.

  On Xiao Li's words,? Hao Mei has influenced the other maids in the kitchen as well and has made them against Zhao Ming.

  The kitchen staff is the most important in the palace because they are connected to everyone. And the rumors spread fastest from the kitchen.

  The kitchen staff has a different level of authority among the servants in the palace. They were given more priority and importance.

  Of course, they cannot be compared to the personal guards to the royals. But they held an important hierarchy among the servants.

  Being closer to Xiao Li and Empress Dowager, Hao Mei thinks herself very highly of herself and thinks that Zhao Ming is nothing but an Empress only in name.

  She was just a mere military doctor's daughter who was enthroned to Ji Cheng by the old Emperor.

  In her view, she does not deserve to be an Empress. ONLY Xiao Li could be the Empress.

  ….

  As Hao Mei was not scared of Zhao Ming, she raised her brows in a proud manner and said, " Consort Zhao Ming, we were just talking among ourselves. There is no need for you to know about our affairs."

  " If you don't have anything to do here, then please leave. Because we have so much work to do. We have to prepare for tonight's feast."

  " If you can't help then please leave. Don't disturb our work. If something went wrong then we will be the one who will be held responsible." the young girl said with an arrogant face.

  Zhao Ming raised her brows in amusement when she saw the young girl's arrogant attitude.

  Since she came here, no servant has talked to her in this manner. Not even in Jin villa, where everyone dislikes her due to her behavior, but nobody behaved with her in this way.

  She hated those people who forgot the difference between employee and employer or here we can say, master and servant.

  It's not that she wanted to do everything she wants to do to them but she believes that there should be a certain sense of respect between each other.

  But the girl in front of her does not seem to know the meaning of respect at all. She was not looking down on her but also speaking disrespectfully to her.

  She was the Empress of the Ji Dynasty and yet she dared to speak in this way. She never says anything to Lu shi whenever she becomes too casual with her or scold her.

  Because she knows that she cares for her and was not disrespecting her. But this girl was looking down at her and speaking like she was the owner of this kitchen.

  Before Zhao Ming could say anything, Lu shi came in front of her and placed her hands on her waist and asked angrily, " What kind of behavior is this? Is this the way you talk to Her Highness? How dare you ask her to leave? Don't forget that you're a mere servant."

  " Is this how you treat your Master?" she scowled at her.

  The young girl scoffed at Lu shi and said, " Now who are you? Don't forget that you have no right to lecture me. You're a mere servant as well. "

  "Moreover, my master is Consort Xiao Li. I came with her in marriage to this palace. So only she has the right to order me and no one else." the girl said sternly.

  Lu shi's expressions fell when she heard Xiao Li's words.

  She wanted to say something but before she could speak, a cold and stern voice could be heard," Oh really? Now even the Empress of Ji Dynasty does not have the right to order you?"

  Lu shi turned around to see Zhao Ming whose expressions have turned darker as she looked at Hao mei with a piercing gaze.

  Seeing Zhao Ming's gaze, the girl's expressions faltered a bit but she remembered what Xiao Li has told her last time.

  She has told her that she is the future Empress Dowager and Zhao Ming is nothing but a showpiece who is adorned by the Empress Crown.

  She has no power whatsoever. So she could not punish anyone if she wants to because there is Wen Xu who will not look down on Xiao Li and her people.

  Wen Xu trusts Xiao Li blindly and thinks that her servants are all well mannered like her. So they can never disrespect anyone.

  And even if they did and that person is Zhao Ming, then she would consider that something does not happen at all.

  Moreover, previous Zhao Ming never let anyone know if something happens between them. Whatever, Hao Mei says, will be an argument between Zhao Ming and her only.

  Even if Zhao Ming tried to punish her, but Wen Xu and Xiao Li always stopped her saying that it's Xiao Li's servant and she has no right to punish her.

  In the end, Zhao Ming only becomes a joke among the servants and Xiao Li's servants always look down at her. So Zhao Ming stopped arguing with her after some time.

  And of course, everything happened whenever Ji Cheng was not in the palace. No one dared to do anything in his presence.

  In front of him, everyone becomes genuine and polite that no one can imagine that these servants and their masters could be so rude and arrogant.

  They only dared to do something like this in his absence and will behave their best when he was in the palace.

  Now since Zhao Ming was accusingly in an immoral relationship with a bodyguard and committed suicide because of it, her image among the servants has reduced so much and they don't consider her as the Empress anymore.