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

The door to the thatched hut was kicked open, and Lin Qin's palms, which were gripping the kitchen knife, were sweaty.

Granny Zhang stood angrily at the door, followed by a group of villagers who came to watch the commotion.

"Lin! You jinx! You've ruined our village's harvest, and today I'm going to teach you a lesson!" Granny Zhang spat as she slammed her hoe on the ground, making Lin Qin's heart tremble.

Lin Qin forced herself to remain calm: "Grandma Zhang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. When did I ever cause the village to have no harvest?"

"Still trying to deny it! Strange things have been happening ever since you came to our village. First, the chickens stopped laying eggs, the pigs stopped gaining weight, and now even the crops in the fields have withered! If it wasn't you who did it, then who was it?" Li Ergou, standing behind Granny Zhang, said sarcastically.

Lin Qin's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong.

Two days ago, she noticed something was wrong with the rice in the field; the leaves were turning yellow, as if someone had tampered with them.

She thought it was due to the weather, but she never expected that someone had deliberately sabotaged it!

"I never did such a thing!" Lin Qin argued, but the villagers had already been incited and wouldn't listen to her explanation. They were all indignant and wished they could tear her apart.

"Still trying to deny it! Everyone, get her and drive her out of the village!" At Granny Zhang's command, the villagers swarmed forward.

Lin Qin was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly, brandishing the kitchen knife in her hand to barely fend off the villagers' attacks.

She knew in her heart that she, a weak woman, was no match for so many people.

At this critical moment, a cold voice came from outside the crowd: "Stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhu Ling dressed in black, descending like a god.

He was followed by several guards, each of them exuding an imposing aura.

The villagers immediately fell silent, and Granny Zhang was also stunned, unconsciously putting down the hoe in her hand.

Zhu Ling walked up to Lin Qin, shielding her behind him, and coldly swept his gaze over the crowd: "Who dares to touch her?"

Granny Zhang stammered, "Your Highness, this Lin..."

Zhu Ling interrupted her, "When did it become your place to interfere in my affairs?"

He turned to look at Lin Qin, his tone much gentler: "What happened?"

Lin Qin briefly recounted what had happened, and Zhu Ling's expression darkened even more after hearing it.

“Li Ergou.” Zhu Ling’s voice was icy cold.

Li Ergou trembled with fear and knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Highness, spare my life! I'm innocent!"

"Innocent? Then tell me, what happened in the Lin family's fields?" Zhu Ling pressed.

Li Ergou's eyes darted around, not daring to look Zhu Ling in the eye.

He stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a coherent explanation.

Zhu Ling sneered, "It seems you won't give up until you're completely cornered." He winked at the guards behind him, "Take them away and interrogate them thoroughly."

Two guards stepped forward and dragged Li Ergou away.

Zhu Ling then looked at Granny Zhang, her tone icy: "Granny Zhang, as an elder in the village, you incited the villagers to cause trouble without distinguishing right from wrong. What is your crime?"

Granny Zhang turned pale with fright and repeatedly kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, spare my life! This old woman knows she was wrong!"

Zhu Ling waved his hand, signaling the guards to take her away.

Seeing this, the villagers were so frightened that they dared not even breathe and dispersed.

Zhu Ling then looked at Lin Qin and, seeing her pale face, asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lin Qin shook her head, her heart filled with doubt. Why would Li Ergou want to harm her? Could it be...?

Lin Qin felt increasingly uneasy. How could Li Ergou, an honest and simple farmer, do something so harmful to others and himself?

Could it be that someone was instructing him?

She decided to investigate secretly.

Over the next few days, Lin Qin appeared calm on the surface, but secretly she was carefully observing Li Ergou's every move.

She discovered that Li Ergou would sneak out every night and not return until dawn.

Lin Qin became even more suspicious and decided to follow him.

That night, Lin Qin secretly followed Li Ergou out of the village. She saw him sneakily walk into a secluded grove of trees, take out a cloth bag from his pocket, and open it to find that it contained some black powder.

Lin Qin was startled. Could this be the thing he used to poison the crops?

Lin Qin quietly approached and, taking advantage of Li Ergou's inattention, snatched the cloth bag.

Li Ergou was terrified and turned to run away, but Lin Qin grabbed him.

"Li Ergou, what else do you have to say?" Lin Qin questioned sharply.

Li Ergou turned pale with fright and stammered, "I...I didn't do anything..."

"Still trying to deny it!" Lin Qin opened the cloth bag and showed Li Ergou the black powder inside. "What is this?"

Li Ergou dared not look Lin Qin in the eye, and stammered for a long time without being able to say anything coherent.

Lin Qin sneered, "Looks like you won't give up until you're completely cornered." She put away the cloth bag and turned to leave.

The next day, Lin Qin exposed Li Ergou's conspiracy in front of all the villagers.

The villagers all condemned Li Ergou, who tried to argue but had nothing to say and could only kneel down and beg for mercy.

"Miss Lin, I was wrong! Please forgive me!" Li Ergou said with a mournful face, "Someone instructed me to do this!"

"Who ordered you to do this?" Lin Qin pressed.

Li Ergou hesitated for a moment, but finally said a name: "It's...it's..." He was about to say the name when his face suddenly changed, he foamed at the mouth, and fell to the ground unconscious.

Lin Qin was startled and rushed forward to check, only to find that Li Ergou was already lifeless.

"What's going on?" the villagers discussed among themselves.

Lin Qin's face darkened; she realized that there was probably more to this story than met the eye.

She slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her tone icy: "Who? Who killed Li Ergou?"

Lin Qin's gaze was sharp as she swept over the faces that were filled with fear or confusion, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Li Ergou's sudden death made the already perplexing incident even more complicated.

"How...how could he die?" Granny Zhang asked in a trembling voice, pointing at Li Ergou's corpse on the ground, her face deathly pale.

"Suicide out of fear of punishment?" someone muttered quietly.

“I don’t think so,” Lin Qin squatted down and carefully examined Li Ergou’s body. “He was foaming at the mouth, as if he had died from poisoning.”

A commotion arose in the crowd, and people looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

Lin Qin stood up, looked around at everyone, and said firmly, "Li Ergou's death was definitely not an accident. I believe that the mastermind behind it is still observing us from the shadows."

She paused, her gaze falling on an inconspicuous weed by the edge of the field. The weed's leaves were slightly yellow, standing out starkly against the lush green crops around it.

Lin Qin's heart stirred, and she quickly walked over to observe carefully.

“This…” She reached out and gently touched the leaves of the wild grass, her fingertips tinged with a thin layer of black powder, “The same as the poison on Li Ergou’s body.”

Lin Qin raised her head, her gaze sweeping over everyone again, her tone tinged with coldness: "It seems someone doesn't want me to have an easy time."

In the following days, Lin Qin intensified her care for the crops and secretly investigated the cause of Li Ergou's death.

She discovered that Li Ergou had contact with a man from another village before his death, and that man was a subordinate of Wang, a landlord from a neighboring village.

“Master Wang…” Lin Qin murmured to herself, a guess forming in her mind.

Master Wang had long coveted her fertile land and had proposed to buy it many times before, but Lin Qin had refused each time.

Could it be that Master Wang is the mastermind behind this?

To verify her suspicions, Lin Qin decided to set a trap.

She deliberately spread the word that she was going to sell the land and offered an extremely high price.

Sure enough, as soon as the news came out, Master Wang immediately sent people to negotiate.

Lin Qin calmly dealt with Wang Yuanwai's men, secretly observing their actions.

Finally, during a conversation, Wang's subordinates gave themselves away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Qin arrested them all and found evidence of their collusion with Li Ergou.

When the truth came out, Master Wang was furious but helpless.

Lin Qin successfully resolved the crisis for her crops, which have now recovered and are poised for a bountiful harvest.

The villagers looked at her with even greater respect, and some even offered to help her with the harvest.

Looking at the lush green rice paddies, Lin Qin felt a surge of joy.

But she did not forget her goal; she still needed to save ten taels of silver to redeem her child.

"Ten taels of silver..." Lin Qin looked at the rice paddies that were about to be harvested and secretly calculated in her heart, "I wonder how much this rice can sell for?"

A slightly hoarse voice came from behind: "Perhaps I can help you."

Lin Qin turned around abruptly and saw a man dressed in black standing on the edge of the field, a mysterious smile on his face...

The golden rice stalks bent low, and the plump fruits exuded an enticing aroma; Lin Qin's fields were a scene of abundant harvest.

She rolled up her sleeves, sweating profusely, and carefully stacked the harvested grain neatly.

To prevent the grain from rotting, Lin Qin had a flash of inspiration and remembered the cellar storage method commonly used in modern times. So she dug a simple cellar by the field and properly stored the grain.

Lin Qin, laden with her bountiful harvest, arrived at the market.

She rented a stall and arranged the fresh fruits and vegetables neatly.

Passersby were drawn to the spectacle and stopped to watch.

"Hey lady, how much are these vegetables?" a plump woman asked, pointing to the fresh-looking cabbages.

"Not expensive at all, it's one penny cheaper per pound than what's available in the market!" Lin Qin replied with a smile.

"Oh, this is quite fresh! Give me two pounds!" The plump aunt readily pulled out a coin.

The word spread quickly, and soon Lin Qin's stall was surrounded by people.

Her crops were not only fresh and of excellent quality, but also reasonably priced, and they sold out quickly.

Lin Qin counted the heavy copper coins, a bright smile spreading across her face.

She finally saved up ten taels of silver!

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission! You are rewarded with a mystery gift pack!" A cute little system suddenly appeared.

Lin Qin was overjoyed and quickly opened the gift bag, only to find a note inside with the words: "High energy warning ahead!"

Lin Qin was completely confused. What kind of reward was this?

Just as she was wondering, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. Lin Qin looked up and saw a large group of people walking towards her.

The leader was Zhu Ling, who rode a tall horse with a cold expression.

Lin Qin's heart tightened, and she knew something was wrong.

If Zhu Ling knew about her current situation, he would definitely force her to return to the palace.

No, she has to get out of here right now!

Lin Qin turned and ran. Seeing this, Zhu Ling immediately ordered, "Chase her!"

The guards gave chase on horseback, and Lin Qin ran desperately, but Zhu Ling still managed to grab her.

"Lin Qin, why are you running?" Zhu Ling's voice was deep and powerful.

Lin Qin struggled, but could not break free from his grasp.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"Come back with me," Zhu Ling said without room for argument.

Lin Qin was filled with resentment. She had finally saved up ten taels of silver. Was she going to have to go back to that cold palace again?

Just then, a man in black suddenly appeared and blocked Lin Qin's way.

"Your Highness, please wait." The man in black spoke in an icy tone.

Zhu Ling narrowed his eyes, sizing up the man in black: "Who are you?"

The man in black did not answer, but slowly removed the veil from his face...

"It's you?!" Lin Qin exclaimed in surprise.