Jian Xing was an outstanding HR professional of the year. She had just received a million-yuan bonus when she opened her eyes and found herself transmigrated into a new kitchen maid tending the fires in the imperial kitchens. The good news: she hadn’t become a cannon-fodder in the harem, and the consorts and princes were miles away, so her life was safe. The bad news: her monthly pay was two taels, she worked year-round without a day off, her boss was a greasy eunuch supervisor nobody could stand, and retirement was nowhere in sight. Was she supposed to put up with that? The hardworking spirit etched into her bones kicked in!
When a coworker bullied her, she hit back with the “broken windows theory,” making sure they paid for it. Faced with her greasy boss, she introduced “KPI assessments,” quantifying everyone’s work and leaving him nowhere to hide his workplace manipulation. When the team got caught up in unhealthy competition, she organized “team-building icebreakers,” turning the imperial kitchens into one big, harmonious, loving family (where everyone slacked off and took it easy).
Her days were going swimmingly, and Jian Xing had one goal: save money, buy her freedom, and leave the palace to open a hot pot restaurant!
But before she knew it, the head female official of the Food Bureau had become her “career mentor”; the commander of the imperial guard had become her “unofficial security detail”; and even the emperor, rumored to be cold and sinister, had started showing up at her little kitchen every day, demanding the staff meal.
Jian Xing: ? Boss, you’re in the wrong place. Isn’t the imperial banquet over there more appealing?
The emperor (expressionless as he takes the last piece of sweet-and-sour pork): I’m here to see how the people live.
Everyone: ...Yeah, right! You just want her cooking!
Looking at her ever-growing purse and her increasingly off-track career, Jian Xing fell into deep thought. She’d planned to leave the palace and enjoy retirement, so how had she nearly ended up as empress? Help! This KPI is way beyond my job description!
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