I Rule as Emperor With a Gourmet System [Nation-Building]

Xiao Zigui transmigrated into the body of the third prince of the Great Jin Dynasty.

His father fought six brothers for the throne, killing his brothers to seize the crown. His mother had an abacus of solid gold, enough to scare corrupt officials into begging for mercy.

His eldest brother waged war like a gangster, making neighboring states cry for their fathers. His second brother was a miserly accountant who wouldn't let anyone cheat a single coin out of him. His little brother could recite elegant prose before he could speak clearly. And then there was him...

He never got out of bed before midmorning, never studied or practiced martial arts, and was hopeless at all the Six Arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. He was the only odd one out among the princes.

[Ding! Your Food System is now online. Host, let's promote food culture together and make the Great Jin Dynasty the tastiest place around!]

Xiao Zigui: "Not doing it. I'm not grinding. Get lost."

System: [Quest rewards include a body-strengthening salve and a longevity soup. They're just right for a short-lived Host like you.]

That's right. The reason a royal family this obsessed with competition let him do as he pleased was that he'd once been poisoned with a potent toxin. His health was ruined, and he wouldn't live past twelve.

It's just cooking, right? Fine, I'll do it!

Xiao Zigui looked at the quest list. "Fish with pickled cabbage, candied sweet potatoes, beef tallow hot pot? System, the Great Jin has no chilies or sweet potatoes, and you can't just slaughter cattle. Are you sure these quests make sense?"

System: [...Host, let's grow some chilies.]

To stay alive, Xiao Zigui took up farming.

He planted a few chili peppers in a flowerpot, and his eldest brother loved them.

Half a month later, a thick stack of letters arrived, thanking him for thinking of the soldiers stationed at the bitterly cold border.

He planted some sweet potatoes in the palace. His father was so moved after eating the roasted sweet potatoes he'd offered as a filial gesture that he seized the whole lot.

Half a year later, the Great Jin was full of people reciting "Ode to the Sweet Potato," praising him so extravagantly that he felt outdone.

He held his nose and improved the farm tools, freeing the old oxen from their labor.

The old ministers, who'd always complained that he was no good at letters or martial arts and tried to drag him into the rat race, all smiled like chrysanthemums, each more kindhearted than the last.

After he survived the deadly hurdle of turning twelve, he was ready to leave the palace and fly free beneath the open sky when...

"Zigui / Little Brother / Third Prince, you've been named Crown Prince!"

Xiao Zigui: !!!

System: !!!

How did this happen?!

1. Mostly food, infrastructure, and family affection, with the protagonist adored by everyone.

2. The heroine is just a plot device and appears very rarely. If that bothers you, please skip this.

3. The synopsis was posted on Weibo on 3/29 for registration. @Mango Glasses Girl.

Theme: People are iron, rice is steel.