Hao Mei looked at Zhao Ming with her confident expressions and was sure that Zhao Ming could not do anything to her.

  She raised her chin and said while looking at Zhao Ming arrogantly, " Consort Zhao Ming, as I said, my master is Consort Xiao Li and no one has the right to order me other than her. As I said earlier, I came with her here when she married into the palace."

  " I will only follow orders from her and His highness. I have no liability to follow your orders. I am just doing my duty here by preparing for tonight's feast but you came here and started roaming around here like a garden."

  " This place is not something where anyone can come here. It's the palace kitchen where everyone's meal was prepared. If something went wrong with the food then we will be the one who gets implicated not you. So don't disturb us and go your way."

  " And one more thing, Consort Xiao Li is the only Master that I will follow for my whole life. Even if you threaten me with my life I will not go against my Master. So please forget if you're thinking about getting something from me." she said exaggeratingly.

  " I am just a maid in the kitchen who cooks for everyone. Other than that I have no other duties to follow. And now, if you're done with your questions, then please excuse us. We have so much work to do." she ignored the shocked expressions from other maids and tried to pass by Zhao Ming.

  However, before she could pass by Zhao Ming, she heard a sharp and domineering voice that was firm as she said, " Empress."

  Hao Mei frowned her brows and turned to look at Zhao Ming who also turned around and faced her with coldness and disdain, " Hmm?" Hao Mei was confused as to what Zhao Ming was saying?

  " It's Empress Zhao Ming, not Consort. You came into this palace with Xiao Li but you don't even know the titles yet. According to the titles and status, I am the Empress of the Ji Dynasty and should be addressed by the same title. "

  " My position in the palace is higher than the Consort Xiao Li as I am the Empress and she is only the Consort. In that sense, you should follow my orders before hers because you're one of the kitchen staff, not Xiao Li's personal maid."

  " If you're her personal servant, then she has the right to teach you but as you're one of the kitchen staff and I am the Empress of the Ji Dynasty, so I have the right to punish you not consort Xiao Li. Do you understand that?" Zhao Ming said plainly as she looked into? Hao Mei's eyes with indifference.

  The look in Zhao Ming's eyes sent chills to Hao Mei's spine.

  " What……what do you mean? I was appointed to the kitchen by Consort Xiao Li, so she is my only Master. No one has the right to punish me other than her. I will not take injustice like this. I will complain to Empress Dowager, if you dared to touch me. Don't forget that you're nothing in front of Empress Dowager." Hao Mei tried to threaten Zhao Ming outright.

  Hearing her words, Lu shi's expressions darkened. She is just a mere maid but the way she was talking to Zhao Ming, it looks like that she does not care if Zhao Ming was an Empress or not.

  She thinks that she can do anything just because she has back up from Xiao Li and Empress Dowager.

  Zhao Ming raised her brows in amusement and just stared at Hao Mei's expressions who look like she was confident and arrogant but she can sense that she was getting scared from her now.

  She chuckled lightly and said, " Oh really? You want to complain to Empress Dowager if I did anything to you? Is that what you're saying, hmm?" Zhao Ming asked in a low dangerous voice.

  Hao Mei nodded her head in affirmation as she was getting confident that Zhao Ming will not do anything to her as she has Empress Dowager and Xiao Li as her backers.

  However, Zhao Ming snickered hearing her words and looked at Hao Mei in mocking. The maids standing there felt a sense of danger from Zhao Ming's gaze.

  They looked at each other in fear and confusion. The Zhao Ming does not seem like the one she used to be before.

  She is much more arrogant and cold than before. In the past, Zhao Ming never bothered with servants talking and just ignores them. Because she knows that there is nothing she could do to them.

  Everyone was protected by Wen Xu because they disregard Zhao Ming as the Empress and treats Xiao Li as the one.

  So they never cared about her, because Zhao Ming could never do anything to them.

  However, her expressions this time was different. She does not seem like to be hurt but it looks like she was mocking them for having such thoughts.

  ….

  " You think that just because you threaten me to complain to Empress Dowager I would leave you? Is That It?"

  " But what to do? It seems that your luck is very poor these days," she said with a slight smile on her face.

  Hoo Mei looked at Zhao Ming in confusion and asks with uncertainty, " What do you mean?"

  " I mean, that the Empress Dowager you're talking about, is not at the palace, for the next few days. If you think she can save you, then my dear, you're wrong," she said in a low voice as she moved closer to Hao Mei.

  " Because for the next few days, the higher authority in the harem is only me. After the Emperor, I am the next one to make decisions. Not even your precious Consort Xiao Li can save you." she smiled evilly as she blinked her eyes.

  When Hao Mei heard all this, her body froze on the spot. She has no idea that Empress Dowager is not at the palace.

  Empress Dowager always took her side whenever she gets into trouble with Zhao ming because Xiao Li has told her that she treats Hao Mei like her friend and that she was close to her.

  She was not available in the kitchen when this news was announced to everyone that Empress Dowager is not in the palace. At this time, Zhao Ming's expressions were scary.

  " Moreover, if I do something to you, no one can able to stop me. Because your precious consort Xiao Li does not have the power to do so and I don't think that his highness would like to handle this problem himself.

  After all, you're nothing but an ungrateful servant who disrespects and look down on your master. Even though I didn't do anything to you, but you gather other maids and talk about me like you have the right to talk about me."

  " Hao Mei, I am not so free to shift my focus on an unimportant person like you, but If I don't deal with you today, then everyone would think that I am weak and could be taken for granted." she glanced at other maids with her indifferent expressions.

  " Not only talked ill about me with other maids but you also dare to talk rudely with me." Zhao Ming said in a cold and stern voice.

  " So as an Empress and the one with direct authority over the kitchen matters, I am stripping you from your position as the kitchen staff. You will be assigned to work in the lotus pavilion as my servant. From now on, you will follow my orders only. And I will see who dares to disregard my decision." she declared sternly.

  Hao Mei was frightened when she heard Zhao Ming's words. Stripping from the kitchen staff means she was demoted and will be placed at the same level as the other servants.

  Not only that, Zhao Ming has assigned her to be her servant, which means she will be her master from now on. Now she has to treat Lu shi with respect as well because she will be on higher authority than her.

  When she was the kitchen staff, she used to get a special authority and her status was much better and higher than other servants. Because they don't have no master other than the royalty and the Emperor.

  But she always understands herself as Xiao Li's person and always does whatever she wants on her authority. That's why everyone in the kitchen respects her and tried to curry favor with her as she has Xiao Li and Wen Xu as backing.

  But now Zhao ming has stripped her of the position of kitchen staff and placed it under herself. She was afraid that Zhao Ming would abuse her authority and will treat her badly.

  Hao Mei's expression became dull as her hands tremble in shock. She can't face defeat like this. This Zhao Ming is nothing but an EMpress in name yet she dared to strip her from her position.