Tang Ning was a 25-year-old deliveryman. On his birthday, a meteor hit him. Now, whenever his life is in danger, he travels to another world. He landed in the Great Xia Dynasty, where the emperor is weak and the noble clans rule everything. He barely arrived before he saw Empress Qi Liuli kill four top assassins with her bare hands—and was sentenced to death for trespassing. He saved himself with instant noodles and spicy snacks. The cold, violent empress turned out to be a secret foodie. Her trusted nurse chose him as a fake fiancé to fend off the clans' forced marriage plots. The Wangs and the Cuis had monopolized salt, iron, grain, education, and government for centuries. They wanted the empress to marry one of their own, then steal the throne. The empress was the greatest warrior alive—but she couldn't read. The clans used her illiteracy to control her. She needed an outsider. Tang Ning brought modern knowledge. In literary contests, he crushed the scholars with ancient poems they had never seen. In martial tournaments, he pulled out an AK-47, a Barrett sniper rifle, and a rocket launcher—shattering the myth of invincible martial arts. He refined salt with chemistry to break their monopoly. He solved famines with modern economics. He introduced anonymous exams and movable-type printing, giving poor students access to books and breaking the clans' grip on officialdom. As they fought side by side, the empress stopped using him and started protecting him. She faced down assassins and rebel ministers for his sake. He, once only trying to survive, began to guard her throne with his life. When two top killers attacked, he blew them up with a rocket launcher. The blast triggered the travel power. They landed in the modern world. The empress saw cars, TVs, and elevators for the first time. Her cold mask fell away. She became a curious, food-crazed girl. Their love deepened fast. Back in Great Xia, the clans allied with half a million barbarian troops. Generals betrayed the empire. Tang Ning's modern weapons turned the tide. The empress led the army herself, crushed the invasion in half a month, and annexed the barbarian lands. She returned to the capital, punished the traitorous clans, and abolished aristocratic rule forever. In the end, Qi Liuli became a legendary emperor. She married Tang Ning in a grand ceremony and named him Prince Hua. Right after the wedding, they traveled through time again—and settled together in the modern world. The boy who delivered food became the man who saved an empire. And the empress who trusted no one found a love that crossed two worlds.
