Su Panyue, a stunningly beautiful orphan from the State of Lu, was trained in arts and martial skills by a foster father who intended to use her as a spy. She volunteered to infiltrate the Great Qi palace, aiming to seduce the new Emperor, Xie Lanzhou, in exchange for a substantial reward and a safe exit. However, because the Emperor was known for his aversion to women and kept his harem empty, Su Panyue was assigned to the Imperial Kitchen instead of the inner chambers. Six months into her service, while delivering a meal to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she inadvertently wandered into the Emperor's bedchamber. There, she was attacked and strangled by a masked assassin. Upon waking, she discovered she had been reborn to the past, specifically to the day of the Empress Dowager's enthronement banquet.
Determined to avoid the Emperor and live a long life this time, Su Panyue focused on surviving the political turmoil. During the banquet, she witnessed the Emperor execute her maternal uncle, the Duke of Anguo, for treason, an event that caused Su Panyue to faint from shock due to her fear of blood. After recovering, she learned that the Empress Dowager was punishing servants for the incident, heightening the danger for palace staff. Shortly after, Sun Shi, a guard who had facilitated her entry into the palace, confronted her. He forced her to administer a lethal Gu insect pill to the Emperor, threatening her life if she refused. Su Panyue agreed, hoping to gain her freedom, and managed to slip the poison into the Emperor's meal during a delivery.
Unbeknownst to her, the Emperor possessed the ability to hear her inner thoughts. He discovered her attempt to poison him but found her audacious and amusing inner monologue intriguing. Instead of executing her, he kept her close, ordering her to serve him personally. When Su Panyue fell ill with severe abdominal pain, which she mistakenly believed was the poison taking effect, the Emperor sent an imperial physician to treat her. The physician diagnosed her condition as a result of her menstrual cycle and qi deficiency, revealing that the Emperor was not poisoned. This revelation confused Su Panyue, who wondered why the Emperor would care for a lowly maid.
Her troubles were not over, as the Empress Dowager, aware of Su Panyue's proximity to the Emperor, attempted to coerce her into poisoning him again. Su Panyue refused and hid the poison, but the Empress Dowager's agents continued to surveil her. Eventually, the Empress Dowager sent a group of maids to serve the Emperor, intending for Su Panyue to be the one to carry out the assassination. The Emperor, however, saw through the plot. He publicly dismissed the other maids and kept Su Panyue, seemingly aware of her involvement with the Empress Dowager's faction. He ordered an investigation into her background, setting the stage for a complex power struggle between the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Su Panyue, who found herself trapped in the center of imperial intrigue despite her desire for a quiet life.
