In 261 BC, during the Warring States period, Zhao Xuwan, a modern woman who transmigrated into the body of a poor commoner girl in the State of Zhao, faces extreme poverty and starvation. To save her family from being sold into slavery, she allows herself to be sold by her parents to a merchant. The merchant, intending to present her as a gift to a noble, raises her until she is married off to Gongzi Yiren, a frail and sickly hostage from the State of Qin living in Handan. Yiren is reclusive and avoids crowds due to his poor health, leading to a quiet and initially distant marriage. Zhao Xuwan, adapting to her new life, finds comfort in small improvements to their daily routine, such as cooking better meals and interacting with the household's mute servant.
Shortly after marriage, Zhao Xuwan discovers she is pregnant. At this critical moment, a system named 001 activates, revealing itself as a farming system designed to help her through agricultural tasks. The system provides her with modern crops, starting with sweet potatoes, which she introduces to Yiren. The discovery of this new, high-yield crop brings them closer, and Yiren, who had previously been cold and reserved, begins to show genuine care and affection toward her. He supports her efforts to improve their living conditions, including her attempt to create paper, a technology centuries ahead of its time in this era.
As Zhao Xuwan navigates her pregnancy and her new role as a wife, she learns more about Yiren's background. He is not merely a sickly noble but a strategic figure with connections to the powerful merchant Lu Buwei. Yiren reveals his intention to use the invention of paper as a political tool to gain favor with the King of Qin and potentially return to his homeland. Meanwhile, Zhao Xuwan's family in the countryside begins to benefit from her new status, and her brother expresses a desire to join the military to improve their family's standing. The story highlights the harsh realities of life for commoners in the Warring States period, contrasting their struggles with the political maneuvering of the nobility. Zhao Xuwan balances her modern sensibilities with the constraints of ancient society, focusing on survival, family welfare, and the gradual development of a relationship with Yiren that evolves from duty to mutual respect and affection.
