After returning to the capital to farm, the abandoned concubine made a comeback.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!" The little eunuch's shrill voice, filled with obvious fear, shattered the busy atmosphere in the imperial kitchen.

Lin Qin put down the radish she had just cut, her brows furrowing slightly. She thought to herself: This old eunuch is quick on his feet; he's already starting to cause trouble?

She wiped her hands and hurriedly followed the young eunuch to the site of the garden renovation.

The scene before her eyes ignited her anger. The newly crafted special shovel and hoe were lying crookedly on the ground, the shovel head broken and the wooden handle cracked, as if they had been forcibly broken by some brute force.

This is no ordinary damage; it's blatant retaliation!

"What...what's going on?" Lin Qin's voice carried a hint of anger, suppressed rage churning in her chest.

The little eunuch trembled with fear, not daring to lift his head. "This servant...this servant doesn't know either. It was like this when this servant came."

Lin Qin looked around. There were still some wood chips scattered on the ground, and a faint woody scent filled the air.

This is clearly sabotage; it must have been done by that old eunuch!

"What a brilliant tactic!" Lin Qin gritted her teeth and sneered, the flames in her heart burning brighter and brighter. Very well, this old eunuch had successfully provoked her fighting spirit!

Since he wants to play dirty tricks, then she'll play along!

She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and her mind raced.

Should we report this directly to higher authorities?

No, that's too boring. That old eunuch must have someone backing him up.

We need to change the game and make him shoot himself in the foot!

Lin Qin smiled knowingly and instructed the still-shaken palace maid beside her, "Go and invite Eunuch Wang over. Tell him I have something important to discuss with him!"

A moment later, Eunuch Wang swaggered over with his fat body, looking smug and looking like he was watching a good show.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, what's wrong? Look at this, it's really..." Eunuch Wang asked knowingly, deliberately drawing out his words with a mocking tone.

Lin Qin ignored his sarcastic remarks and instead said with a smile, "Eunuch Wang, look, all these tools have been destroyed. It seems that things are indeed not peaceful in this palace!"

Wang Gonggong's eyelids twitched, and his heart skipped a beat. What was this little vixen up to?

“However, I do have a solution.” Lin Qin paused, a sly smile playing on her lips. “To ensure the project proceeds smoothly, and to prove my innocence, I would like to ask Eunuch Wang to supervise its progress. What do you think?”

Eunuch Wang was taken aback, his smile freezing on his face. "Supervise? What do we need to supervise?"

"Of course, it's to supervise whether I've cut corners or embezzled public funds," Lin Qin smiled like a little fox. "If the project is completed smoothly, I'll also give Eunuch Wang an extra reward. What do you think?"

Wang Gonggong's eyes lit up instantly. Wasn't his purpose in coming here to skim some profits?

"Is this true?"

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!" Lin Qin said with a smile, already plotting how to make the old eunuch lose both his wife and his army.

Eunuch Wang's lips curled into a greedy smile, and he was about to agree when he heard Lin Qin's soft voice: "However, if any problems arise with the project, don't blame me..."

The words that were on the tip of Wang Gonggong's tongue caught in his throat, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. Lin Qin didn't say anything more, only giving him a half-smile.

Wang Gonggong stroked his greasy chin, pondering in his heart: could he still get a reward for supervising the project?

This is a great opportunity you can't miss!

But Lin Qin's last words...

Eunuch Wang's eyes darted around as he quickly calculated in his mind. Although this little princess had some tricks up her sleeve, he was a seasoned veteran in the palace. Could he really be fooled by her?

This supervisory job is very lucrative, and you can also take this opportunity to manipulate her. Why not?

"Alright! Since Her Highness the Princess trusts me so much, then I'll reluctantly agree!" Eunuch Wang's fat face was plastered with a fake smile, but he was secretly plotting his own scheme.

With Eunuch Wang's "personal supervision," the previously lazy and slacking craftsmen instantly became like wound-up machines, all of them energetic and afraid of offending this "supervisor."

Lin Qin looked at the originally scattered group, which suddenly became orderly, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. This old eunuch really is a "good helper"!

The tools that were originally damaged were quickly rebuilt, and were even more robust and durable than before.

Looking at the brand-new tools, Lin Qin felt a sense of relief and was full of energy.

She rolled up her sleeves, picked up a hoe, and personally led the craftsmen to cultivate the land and plan the gardens.

A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of earth, and the crowd worked with great enthusiasm and energy, their shouts rising and falling, creating a vibrant scene.

Seeing the garden renovation work in full swing, Eunuch Wang's smile became even brighter, and he was overjoyed. This little princess was really a "sucker"!

But at that moment, Consort Li could no longer sit still.

Seeing Lin Qin thriving in the palace, she felt a burning jealousy.

She racked her brains and finally came up with a wicked plan.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Princess Lin is squandering the national treasury's silver during the garden renovation, using extravagant materials. She is clearly trying to empty the national treasury!" Consort Li stirred up trouble in the emperor's ear, her tone full of anxiety and worry, as if she were the good consort who was wholeheartedly devoted to the country and its people.

Upon hearing Consort Li's words, the Emperor frowned. His impression of Lin Qin had always been that of a country bumpkin. Now, hearing Consort Li's complaint, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious: Could it be that she was really taking this opportunity to make money?

So the emperor sent someone to summon Eunuch Wang for questioning. Eunuch Wang had already been terrified by Lin Qin's words, "If there are any more problems with the project, you can't blame me." How could he dare to tell the truth?

They could only offer vague excuses and shirk responsibility.

This further fueled the emperor's suspicions.

Seeing that the emperor had begun to suspect Lin Qin, Consort Li smiled smugly. She waved her hand, signaling her trusted maid, Li, to continue monitoring Lin Qin's every move.

Lin Qin had just finished piling up the freshly dug soil and was preparing to start the next round of work when a figure blocked her way.

"Princess Lin, Consort Li requests your presence," said the palace maid Li arrogantly, a malicious smile playing on her lips.

Lin Qin put down her tools, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that the power struggle within the palace had only just begun.

"Let's go," Lin Qin said calmly, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in her voice.

Lin Qin followed the palace maid Li to Consort Li's palace. As soon as she stepped across the threshold, she felt a strong smell of gunpowder.

Consort Li leaned against the chaise longue, holding a cup of tea in her hand.

"Princess Lin, I heard you spent a lot of money on the garden renovation?" Consort Li's tone was sarcastic, with a hint of mockery on her lips, like a cat waiting to see a good show.

Lin Qin remained calm and smiled slightly. She took out a thick ledger from her sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Your Majesty, this book records the destination of every penny and the expected results. Please take a look."

Consort Li was taken aback, not expecting that Lin Qin had been prepared all along.

She took the ledger, flipped through a few pages, and found that the entries were clear and concise, even down to the single-digit price of each material, making it even more detailed than the accountant's ledger.

Consort Li's face instantly turned ugly. She had thought she could find something to use against Lin Qin, but unexpectedly, Lin Qin turned the tables on her.

The emperor also took the account book and examined it carefully. He found that Lin Qin had not only not wasted money, but had created the greatest value with the least cost. His doubts about her disappeared.

"Princess Lin, you've done well." The Emperor put down the account book, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation. "I misunderstood you."

Consort Li's face instantly turned ashen, as if she had swallowed a fly. She had originally intended to take this opportunity to suppress Lin Qin, but instead, she had only made a fool of herself.

She gave an awkward laugh and quickly made an excuse to slip away.

Lin Qin watched Consort Li's retreating figure, a victorious smile curling at the corner of her lips. Palace intrigue was child's play in front of her, a modern working woman.

At this moment, Zhu Ling rushed over. Looking at the beads of sweat on Lin Qin's forehead, he said with heartache, "Why do you have to work so hard? I can handle these things."

Lin Qin smiled.

Looking at the light in Lin Qin's eyes, Zhu Ling was deeply moved. He finally understood that Lin Qin was not a little woman who depended on a man, but an independent woman with her own ideas.

He stepped forward and hugged Lin Qin tightly: "I understand. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stopped you."

Lin Qin leaned against Zhu Ling's chest, feeling his warm embrace, and all her fatigue vanished. The two smiled at each other, and all the misunderstandings were resolved. A sweet atmosphere filled the entire courtyard.

At the banquet, Lin Qin specially had several new dishes prepared so that the emperor could try them and celebrate her hard work over the past few days.

Chef Zhang watched with a gloomy face as Lin Qin directed the palace maids to arrange the dishes, his heart filled with resentment.

He snorted coldly, secretly determined to make Lin Qin's new dish look bad!

Lin Qin had just picked up her chopsticks, ready to taste the new dish, when she heard the emperor say with a livid face, "This... what's wrong with this dish? Why does it taste so strange?"

The emperor's question was like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the imperial kitchen. Everyone's expression changed, and no one dared to breathe.

Lin Qin's heart skipped a beat. She took a bite of the dish placed in front of the emperor, and a strange, fishy smell hit her head. This taste was definitely not right!

She instantly realized that someone must be up to no good behind the scenes!

"Your Majesty, this..." Lin Qin was about to explain when Chef Zhang knelt down first, crying and shouting, "Your Majesty, this old servant is innocent! The ingredients for this dish were all personally selected by this old servant, there is absolutely no problem! Someone must be sabotaging this, trying to frame this old servant!" As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Lin Qin, his eyes filled with provocation and smugness, as if to say: Little brat, you're still too green to mess with me!

Lin Qin coldly watched Chef Zhang's clumsy performance and sneered inwardly, "This old man is really a drama queen!"

She walked discreetly to the dishes and examined them closely. She discovered that the originally fresh ingredients had been replaced with rotten scraps, which emitted a nauseating, fishy stench.

"Wow, this old man is quite the player!" Lin Qin thought to herself. It seemed that the power struggles in the palace were even more exciting than she had imagined.

She looked around and found that the palace maids and eunuchs around her all had their heads down and dared not look her in the eye, which was obviously premeditated.

"Princess Lin, what else do you have to say?" Consort Li looked at Lin Qin triumphantly, as if she were watching a good show. This little vixen, let's see how she turns the tables this time!

Faced with the doubts and ridicule of the crowd, Lin Qin did not panic. Instead, a meaningful smile appeared on her lips. She slowly spoke, her voice clear and strong: "Your Majesty, the taste of this dish is indeed wrong, but the problem is not with the ingredients themselves, but..." She deliberately paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Chef Zhang, her eyes filled with a hint of amusement and coldness.

Chef Zhang felt uneasy under Lin Qin's gaze, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart. He tried to refute her, but found that he couldn't find any reason at all.

He could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that this old servant deliberately harmed you?"

Lin Qin ignored Chef Zhang's explanation and instead looked at the Emperor, saying slowly, "Your Majesty, in order to prove my innocence, I need to prepare the ingredients again and cook it on the spot so that everyone can taste the true flavor of this dish!"

Looking at the determined light in Lin Qin's eyes, the emperor felt a surge of curiosity. He wanted to see what tricks this Princess Lin was up to.

"Very well! I'll give you that chance!" The emperor waved his hand, granting Lin Qin's request.

Lin Qin smiled slightly, turned around and walked towards the imperial kitchen. Her figure appeared firm and confident under the light.

She knew that the real battle had just begun.

She won't admit defeat easily, and she won't let anyone cause trouble under her nose!

She needed to prepare the ingredients again, and just as she opened the ingredient cabinet, a voice came from behind her, "This dish... let's try a different way of cooking it."