Xia Ruqing, a passionate foodie from the modern world, awakens in the imperial palace as a lowly servant with no status or standing. Resigned to obscurity, she finds solace in the palace's surprisingly excellent cuisine—until she realizes that the endless scheming and backstabbing of court women demands a different strategy altogether. Why compete for imperial favor when she could perfect her culinary craft? Her first year proves brutal: overlooked, bullied, and invisible to power. But by her Nth year, Xia Ruqing has transformed into the undisputed force commanding the Six Palaces, earning both reverence and resentment in equal measure. A consort who merely cooks is no true chef—and if the Emperor needs an Empress, who better than one who has already conquered the palace? The Emperor's heart, she discovers, is far from the cold, distant legend she expected. Determined to become his most treasured companion, Xia Ruqing navigates treacherous court politics, outwits rival consorts, and builds a family of her own. Her journey through the imperial palace becomes one of relentless ambition, cunning survival, and unexpected romance. [Reader group: 362627942, join us~]