Ziyu, a top-tier bodyguard from the twenty-third century, dies in the line of duty and reincarnates into the body of a thirteen-year-old girl named Mei Ziyu in the Baiyun Kingdom. The original owner is an orphan living in a dilapidated haunted house near the North Gate of Yun Capital with her two-year-old brother, Mei Ziluo. Their father, a physician, was wrongfully executed after uncovering the secret of the Marquis of Anguo's second wife, leading to the confiscation of the family's pharmacy and assets. Upon waking to this miserable reality, Ziyu resolves to survive and protect her young brother, utilizing her combat skills and a dimensional space inherited from her previous life, which contains villas, a basement, and agricultural machines, though currently stripped of most valuables due to her past hoarding habits.
Realizing the immediate danger and poverty, Ziyu steals food and clothing from a local tavern and then targets the former Mei family pharmacy, retrieving the signboard and essential medicinal herbs. Her plan escalates when she discovers the Marquis of Anguo's Mansion is not merely a corrupt noble residence but a hub of rebellion, containing vast stocks of weapons, armor, gold, silver, and imperial robes hidden in underground chambers. Ziyu executes a meticulous heist, looting the mansion's treasury and study, including account books and maps that implicate the Marquis in treason. She leaves evidence of the rebellion at the mansion to ensure its downfall, then escapes Yun Capital with her brother, burying their parents along the way and assuming a new identity as siblings surnamed Zi.
The imperial guards raid the Marquis's mansion shortly after, arresting the entire Gongxi clan. The Emperor, seeking to consolidate power and recover stolen wealth, orders the execution of the rebels. Ziyu, now wealthy beyond measure with millions in silver and gold, leaves the capital behind, indifferent to the political turmoil. She travels south with a merchant caravan, using her knowledge of cooking and trade to gain favor with the caravan leader, Steward Wang, and his men. Along the journey, she encounters exiled convicts and sells warm leg wrappings to them, observing the harsh realities of the kingdom without intervening.
As the caravan moves through the snowy northern regions into Baili Prefecture, Ziyu continues to build her resources, selling northern goods in southern markets for significant profit. She maintains a low profile, avoiding deep entanglements while planning to settle in a secure location where she can raise her brother freely. Her ultimate goal is to establish a safe fortress in a prosperous region, leveraging her dimensional space and accumulated wealth to live independently, far from the dangers that claimed her previous life and the political machinations of the current dynasty.
