Zhou Qingqing, a PhD candidate in food engineering, accidentally travels through time to the northern frontier. The small restaurant run by her and her father is being pressured by the wealthy businessman Qian Fugui to repay its debts. She discovers that the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, considered poisonous weeds by everyone, can be transformed into a delicious spicy hot pot. Her creation unexpectedly saves Prince Xiao Lie, the Ninth Prince, who suffers from anorexia and a severe cold ailment, earning her his protection. Her rivals resort to one dirty trick after another, cutting off the meat supply, hoarding grain to drive up prices, and monopolizing ice at exorbitant prices. But Zhou Qingqing cleverly counters every scheme with innovative ideas, using discarded sewage channels, konjac, saltpeter to make ice, and greenhouse cultivation. She also introduces a prepaid membership system, using cash flow to completely crush Tianxiang Pavilion. With her distinctive dishes, she even helps provide disaster relief and save the people.