Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, I Work Myself to the Bone in the Imperial Court

A modern office drone unexpectedly lands in the history books of an alternate dynasty, as a cannon-fodder supporting character who won’t survive three chapters. The original owner was the legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, but she was not very bright. After following the crowd and impeaching a loyal minister, she was sentenced to death by the emperor, earning her a place in history as the most forgettable stepping stone of all.

When Su Qingyan woke up, the original owner was just about to submit her impeachment memorial. She looked at the “death warrant” on the desk that would send her to her doom and promptly tore it to shreds. Only a fool would repeat the same mistake! She had planned to cling to the loyal minister’s coattails, lie flat, and stay alive. But this dynasty was simply too absurd: corruption was rampant among officials, the people were displaced, and even the emperor was so thoroughly misled by powerful ministers that he had no idea what was going on.

As someone who had experienced the modern rat race firsthand, Su Qingyan could take no more. She picked up her modern knowledge and got to work. At the imperial examination, an “astonishingly unconventional” policy essay left the whole hall in awe and the chief examiner dumbfounded. When disaster struck the provinces, she used basic hydraulic engineering to control the flooding. The old ministers called it “sorcery,” but had no choice but to admit it worked. In court debates, she took on the assembled scholars, leaving the stuffy old classicists who knew nothing but quoting the classics speechless.

From an insignificant nobody in court to a powerbroker who dominated the government, Su Qingyan used modern methods to carve out a path through a troubled age that blended echoes of real historical events such as the An Lushan Rebellion and Wang Anshi’s reforms. A powerful minister tried to manipulate her? She turned around and seized his entire stronghold. A prince tried to use her? She made him her pawn instead. Even the emperor tried to bind her to him with a marriage decree, only for her to hand him a copy of The Emperor’s Guide to Management in return.

This is the story of a hilarious, strong-willed woman caught in a relentless rat race in an ancient court. She complains about historical plot holes while casually changing the fate of a dynasty. It’s silly and satisfying from start to finish. Watch a cannon-fodder supporting character rise to become a legend for the ages.