After surviving an earthquake with nothing but half a bottle of mineral water and holding out for three days without rescue—only to be met with an aftershock—modern mixed-herb cultivator Li Xiaohan finds herself transmigrated into a book. 

In this life, things are rough: born into a poor, remote village as a farm girl; biased and heartless grandparents; naive, easily bullied parents. And what awaits her family in the original plot is complete annihilation. 

As if the difficult starting point weren’t enough, the author made things worse by giving the male lead an imperial exam journey that spans three reigns: 

First, the founding emperor. 

Then, the crown prince dies young, and the emperor names his grandson as successor. 

Finally, the prince’s uncle overthrows the new emperor and stages a successful rebellion. 

What point in the story is it now? Li Xiaohan counts on her fingers. 

Ah, the crown prince is about to die, the emperor is about to name the imperial grandson as heir, and in three years, the rebellious uncle is going to rise! 

Li Xiaohan sighs: In chaotic times, a person’s life is worth less than a dog’s. Why is it so hard to just survive?

To stay alive—and to live well—Li Xiaohan, who has neither money nor connections, decides to unite all the forces she can: 

Biased grandparents and a scheming, fake cousin? Kick them all out. 

Poor and sly clansmen? Don’t waste them—they’re battle-ready in troubled times. Come, let’s grow eucommia and spicy peppers to make money, stockpile food and medicine. 

And as for the future victor, Prince Ding, who is currently short on both grain and medicine? How about some new industries: Panax notoginseng for bleeding, allicin from garlic for inflammation, and white wax as a base—perfect for campaigns on all fronts. Can she get in on some early-stage investment? 

… 

Years later, a traveler visits Ding City: 

“I keep hearing you all mention Miss Li. Who exactly is she?” 

Locals of Ding City: 

“There is only one person in this entire city worthy of being called Miss Li by us all—and that is the Miss Li.” 

… 

The first time Zhang Fu saw Li Xiaohan was in his family’s herbal medicine shop. At the time, he only thought she looked like a skinny bean sprout with a pair of lively, intelligent eyes. But those eyes were too sharp—not like those of an ordinary village girl who gathered herbs. 

Zhang Fu had someone investigate her, suspecting she might be a spy trying to approach his family with ulterior motives. 

Later, as the son of a surrendered general, Zhang Fu could only suppress his feelings and convince himself that what he felt was nothing more than camaraderie. 

“Rather than chasing an illusory love, I’d rather see you live well.” 

Reading Note: The female lead focuses on building her career in the early chapters; the male lead appears later.