Other transmigrators become a prince's son or a princess's husband, or receive a System from the heavens and are blessed with unbelievable luck. Li Yi transmigrates? Congratulations, the moment he opens his eyes, he's a kitchen hand so obscure even the dogs don't know him. He even falls into the kitchen stove pit and nearly dies in a pot of fish soup.
In the final years of the early Tang, an unsettled era teeming with heroes, he has the misfortune of becoming one of the lowest-ranking nobodies. His status is humble, he has no connections, and even his name came with him from his original life. No golden finger, no secret manuals, just a quick tongue, a sharp mind, and a mountain of historical knowledge he can't make sense of. The key problem is that history here seems to be not quite right.
Behind the seemingly peaceful manor lurk political intrigue and deadly danger. An old letter of unknown origin, a burned family genealogy, an audience with a seemingly ordinary noble: each link pushes Li Yi further onto the board. He only wanted to be a quiet little cook, but when he looks up, everyone around him is a major player! Each heroine has her own secrets, and there's more behind every pretty face. His opponents are ruthless, leaving no mercy for those who fall beneath their blades. Worst of all, even his own identity and the reason he was sent to the manor have become mysteries.
On the eve of a stormy Chang'an, with fate bearing down on him, Li Yi can only play dumb while quietly winning hearts, setting up hidden pieces, and playing the game of power. A blade concealed in a smile, a life hidden beneath the blade, and heaven itself hidden in fate.
Who says a nobody can't become emperor? Watch Li Yi claw his way up from the woodshed, smiling as he carves a bloody path to the heavens, until at last he sits upon the imperial throne and looks back upon all living beings
