Song Tian, heir to a family of imperial chefs, had just won an international gold medal when she died suddenly from overwork. When she opened her eyes again, she had become the daughter of a minor official exiled in the Qing dynasty. Her family was destitute, and they were buried in debt.
Song Tian: I’m tired. Let it all end. I worked myself to the bone in my last life. This time, I just want to lie flat, eat well, and be content.
To get a decent meal, she used her extraordinary cooking skills to make her way into the palace. She landed a job tending the kitchen fires in the Imperial Kitchen, perfectly fulfilling her ultimate dream of lying flat and eating her fill.
But then the entire palace’s style took a sudden turn.
The picky Crown Prince, whose demands had driven the whole palace crazy, started squatting outside the Imperial Kitchen with a bowl in hand every day. “Little Firestarter, is there any Dongpo pork left today?”
The scheming consorts stopped competing to outshine one another and instead tried every trick to bribe her. “Miss Song, make me a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and I’ll keep you safe for a month.”
Even the battle among the nine princes for the throne turned into a battle for the ladle!
Song Tian clutched her rice bowl and trembled. “I really just want to enjoy a quiet meal!”
