Su Nuonuo, a Jiangnan cook, is forced to enter the palace and compete to become an imperial chef in order to save her father, who has been wrongfully imprisoned. Inside the palace, she repeatedly faces harassment from Minister Liu's faction. However, her exquisite culinary skills earn the admiration of Emperor Gu Xingci, while she secretly gathers evidence of their corruption and false accusations, repeatedly foiling schemes involving poisoned food and fabricated charges. Once the evidence is complete, she helps the court eliminate corrupt officials and clear her father's name. With the people's welfare at heart, Su Nuonuo improves the imperial dietary system to benefit the masses. In the end, she is crowned empress and joins the emperor in ruling over a prosperous age.