Lin Yue, a modern-day overworked employee, dies suddenly from working 996 hours and transmigrates into Chu Yueyao, a supposedly useless princess who has been secretly plotted against. Thinking she can finally enjoy the rewards of a carefree life, she instead finds herself trapped in a deadly struggle for the throne—the emperor secretly administers slow-acting poison, princes fight over fiefdoms, and court officials make things difficult at every turn. She turns workplace survival rules into weapons of political strategy, presents four policies for disaster relief at court, and assembles a team among the people to investigate corruption. From growing sweet potatoes in Bozhou to raiding a secret weapons factory, she fakes her death to escape, then uses the late emperor's edict to force her way into the palace and ultimately becomes an empress in her own right. After ascending the throne, she introduces imperial examinations for women, a conscription system, and mutual trade. Meanwhile, four very different men are pursuing her.