Chapter 289 - Is this how you treat your Master? (1/2)

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.

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