Xiao Mingzhao, a modern-day barbecue stall owner in Chengdu, is electrocuted and transported to the ancient Great Jing Dynasty, where she becomes a puppet empress with little real power. The moment she opens her eyes, Empress Dowager Cui publicly humiliates her. Refusing to swallow the insult, Xiao Mingzhao immediately talks back and fights back, while Cen Wujiu, an elderly eunuch secretly skilled in martial arts, steps in to protect his sovereign. At court, officials look to the Cui family for direction and withhold disaster relief funds, leaving millions of victims in Jiangnan homeless and displaced. Drawing on her street-smart survival skills, Xiao Mingzhao forcefully demands donations and raises relief funds. She also rescues Lin Qinghe, a fellow time-traveler and modern doctor, from the Cold Palace, and the two join forces to reform the court. Meanwhile, her imperial consort, Cui Yuan'an, repeatedly challenges her by exploiting palace rules and public opinion. Can the barbecue stall queen establish herself in the imperial palace and protect both the realm and the people she holds dear?