Gao Yang, a ruthless modern capitalist known for swindling foreigners and living without moral constraints, awakens in the body of a disgraced noble heir in the Great Qian Empire. Instead of cowering before his furious father for tearing down an imperial edict, he doubles down with audacious insults, claiming he is the father of his own parent. In a world where the newly crowned Empress Wu Zhao seeks to consolidate power against treacherous princes and external barbarians, Gao Yang introduces himself as a 'Poisonous Strategist'—one who schemes for the world through ruthless, unconventional means.

Immediately facing a fiancée who breaks their engagement to chase rising political stars, Gao Yang laughs off the humiliation, seeing it as shedding dead weight. Dragged before the imperial court to face execution for his crimes, he turns the trial into a stage, shocking the hundred officials and the Empress herself with his cold-blooded logic and terrifying proposals. As factions circle the declining Gao family, Gao Yang prepares to reshape the empire through fear, earning the moniker 'Living King of Hell' from the very throne.