Zhang Tiezhu, a northeastern Chinese barbecue stall owner, loses consciousness after a drunk customer kicks over his grill and he suffers an electric shock. When he wakes up, he has become the puppet emperor of the Great Yue. Empress Dowager Xiao controls the inner court, the Jiang family abuses its power as the imperial in-laws, and the entire court follows the chancellor's lead. When the empress dowager humiliates his birth mother, Zhang Tiezhu openly turns against her. Cao Wugou, an elderly eunuch left behind by the late emperor, is ordered to execute a palace maid who draws her sword and attempts to force her way into the palace, then protects the emperor at court, becoming Zhang Tiezhu's ally in reclaiming imperial power. Using the blunt, streetwise manner of speaking he learned in Northeast China and tactics that defy convention, Zhang Tiezhu forces powerful ministers and imperial relatives to contribute money for disaster relief. He sends soldiers to escort the supplies and appoints independent auditors to prevent the life-saving funds from being embezzled again.