The Cold Cauldron Returns to Court

Modern disaster archaeologist Lu Song is transported into the body of a disgraced imperial clansman from the Great Yong Dynasty, who shares his name, after a cave-in while excavating a shattered ancient cauldron. The original owner was a deposed prince exiled to the frontier, branded a traitor, and left with his entire family dead. He is under house arrest and could be executed at any moment.

Without a System or a golden finger, he has only his modern archaeological knowledge of physical evidence and his knack for managing supplies to help him survive. Trapped in a barren frontier town, surrounded by powerful enemies, pressed at every turn by treacherous courtiers, and facing aristocratic clans that hold the court in their grip, Lu Song follows clues from a bygone dynasty hidden in the broken old cauldron. As he gathers displaced civilians and trains the remnants of the army, he navigates the forces around him and tears away the layers of conspiracy behind the old treason case.

He has no desire to seize the empty prize of imperial power. He only wants to clear his clan's name and protect the people from the ravages of war. Along the way, he meets Yan Shu, a female general of the northern frontier who harbors a secret. The two test each other as they stand side by side against a monstrous conspiracy amid the chaos of a troubled age.