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

Young Master Sima, fanning himself with a folding fan, a playful smile playing on his lips, said, "I've heard that Your Highness's business is thriving; it's truly admirable. I also have some knowledge of business; may I discuss it with Your Highness?" Lin Qin replied with a forced smile, "Young Master Sima is too kind. I'm just a country bumpkin; what do I know about business? It's nothing more than small-scale dabbling." Young Master Sima wasn't annoyed and continued, "Your Highness is too modest. Everyone in the capital knows that Your Highness is a business prodigy; even the Empress speaks highly of you." He paused, his tone meaningful, "However, great success attracts great attention; Your Highness should be careful."

After Young Master Sima left, the shop assistant nervously leaned close to Lin Qin's ear and whispered, "Your Highness, there's a rumor going around that our goods are all substandard, yet our prices are higher than other shops, and many customers have been snatched away!" Lin Qin's heart sank. Young Master Sima's words were laced with malice; it seemed those merchants had already begun their operation.

She forced herself to remain calm and instructed the waiter, "Don't panic, keep the customers calm, I'll be right back."

Lin Qin quickly returned to the Prince's residence and told Zhu Ling the whole story.

Zhu Ling frowned: "It seems they're after you." Lin Qin nodded, a cold glint in her eyes: "If they want to play, I'll play along to the end!"

Back at the shop, Lin Qin found that there were very few customers and the shop assistants were all dejected.

Lin Qin took a deep breath and said loudly, "Don't panic, everyone! Our goods are absolutely fine. Someone is deliberately spreading rumors! Today, all goods will be sold at half price. I'll show them our strength even if it means losing money!" As soon as the news came out, the previously empty shop was instantly filled with people, and the enthusiasm for buying was even greater than ever before.

Seeing that Lin Qin's business was not only unaffected but was even more prosperous, those businessmen couldn't sit still.

They gathered again to discuss countermeasures.

"This woman is so difficult to deal with!" "Looks like we'll have to use some drastic measures!" "Hmph, I refuse to believe she can keep up this lucky streak!"

That night, Lin Qin's shop suddenly caught fire...

The towering flames illuminated half the sky, and Lin Qin stood before the sea of ​​fire, her face terribly grim.

"It seems they're truly determined to fight to the death." She muttered to herself, a resolute glint in her eyes. "Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite!" She abruptly turned to Zhu Ling behind her and said, "Your Highness, do me a favor..."

Lin Qin's lips curled into a cold smile. Since some people want to play with fire, then let them see what it really means to go all out with "fire"!

She immediately summoned the adorable little system in her mind: "System, come up with something new! I want them to know what a real business queen is!"

The little system responded in a childish voice: "Okay, host, here's the 'God-level Supply' and 'Bestseller Management' modes activated for you! Friendly reminder: these new modes require energy, so please consume as much as possible!"

Lin Qin ignored the "friendly reminder" from the small system and quickly found a new source of goods based on the system's prompts—a batch of exotic spices and rare fabrics from overseas, which were rare items that had never been seen in the capital.

She had a brilliant idea and decided to incorporate these spices into her cuisine, launching the "Exotic" series; she also cut rare fabrics into fashionable clothing, which caught the eye of the noble ladies in the capital.

Meanwhile, a "mystery stall" quietly appeared outside Lin Qin's shop, offering novel services such as massage and manicures, and also launched activities such as "collect likes to receive gifts" and "member discounts".

In an instant, all eyes in the capital were on Lin Qin's shop, with long queues forming outside, making it comparable to a modern internet celebrity hotspot.

Those businessmen who had originally wanted to see Lin Qin make a fool of herself were now completely dumbfounded, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

Their painstakingly united resistance was utterly shattered by Lin Qin's "divine intervention."

Meanwhile, the banquet in the palace was filled with exclamations of amazement.

When the elegant ladies dressed in the newest clothes from Linqin's shop appeared, everyone's attention was drawn to them.

The Emperor asked the Empress curiously, "Which merchant made these clothes?" Although the Empress was displeased, she still forced a smile and replied, "It was the shop owned by that Princess Consort." The Emperor stroked his beard and nodded thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ling watched Lin Qin's busy figure. He silently used his connections to provide Lin Qin with various conveniences and secretly protected her safety.

Lin Qin also felt Zhu Ling's deep affection, and her heart was filled with warmth.

Their relationship quietly blossomed amidst this business turmoil.

"Your Highness, I've just mixed some spices. Would you like to try them?" Lin Qin held a small bottle of spices that emitted a strange fragrance and walked up to Zhu Ling with a smile. Zhu Ling took the spices, took a deep breath, and smiled indulgently: "I like anything you mix."

Lin Qin looked at the gentle light in Zhu Ling's eyes and her heart stirred.

She put down the spices and said softly, "Your Highness, there's something else I'd like to ask for your help with..."

Lin Qin's shop was reborn from the ashes, and business was even more booming than before. She was like an "indestructible cockroach," leaving those businessmen who originally wanted to see her fail dumbfounded.

The Empress felt incredibly jealous watching Lin Qin steal the spotlight at the banquet; her jealousy was even stronger than that of eating an unripe lemon.

She gritted her teeth secretly. This Lin Qin was a troublesome hedgehog; she had to be removed!

She summoned her trusted nanny and whispered a few instructions. The nanny obeyed and left, and the palace was immediately filled with an atmosphere of conspiracy, more suffocating than the culinary disasters of the imperial kitchen.

Just when everyone thought Lin Qin would press her advantage and completely crush those businessmen, she did something that surprised everyone.

At the banquet in the palace, Lin Qin raised her glass and extended an invitation to the businessmen who had previously joined forces to boycott her: "Gentlemen, the previous competition was just normal business maneuvering. Now, I have a win-win cooperation plan. Why don't we all sit down and talk about it?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

The merchants looked at each other, as if they had heard a fairy tale.

They originally thought Lin Qin would take advantage of their misfortune and drive them to their doom, but they didn't expect her to take the initiative to propose cooperation.

The people in the palace also whispered among themselves, expressing their bewilderment at Lin Qin's actions.

Even the emperor stroked his beard with interest, looking at Lin Qin as if he wanted to see what she was up to.

Lin Qin smiled slightly and continued, "I know you all still have doubts about me, but I want to say that I, Lin Qin, never do unprofitable business, much less betray those who help me. My plan guarantees that everyone will make a fortune, and we can grow and expand together, building a brand new business empire!" She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone, her tone firm, "Everyone, the choice is in your hands: win-win cooperation or mutual destruction."

The atmosphere froze, and the air was thick with tension.

The businessmen looked at each other, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Suddenly, a merchant stood up, raised his wine glass, and said to Lin Qin, "Your Highness, I am willing to cooperate with you!"

Another businessman followed suit, raising his glass in agreement: "Me too!"

More and more businessmen stepped forward, expressing their willingness to cooperate with Lin Qin.

Lin Qin smiled confidently, raised her glass, and clinked glasses with each of them.

The Empress looked at this scene with a livid face, and almost crushed the wine cup in her hand.

She never expected that Lin Qin would use this method to resolve the crisis and win the support of the businessmen.

With a grim face, she whispered to the old woman beside her, "Go, find out Lin Qin's cooperation plan. I need to know what she's really up to!"

The old woman took her orders and left, and the atmosphere of intrigue in the palace grew even stronger.

Lin Qin looked at the businessmen who had agreed to cooperate, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "Ladies and gentlemen, now comes the moment to witness a miracle..." she lowered her voice and added, "However, before that..."

Lin Qin's business empire has grown exponentially, like a rocket.

Those businessmen who originally wanted to see her fail have now become her "workers," all smiling like Maitreya Buddhas.

Lin Qin stood in front of the shop, hands on her hips, feeling like she was Niu Hulu Qin, and who would dare to disobey her?

She felt she had reached the pinnacle of her life, and all she was missing was an Oscar!

In the palace, everyone looked at her with awe, almost as if they were worshipping her as a god of wealth.

But the Empress's face was as sour as if she had eaten ten pounds of lemons, almost deformed from the sourness.

The villain in her heart had already turned Lin Qin into a sieve.

She was unwilling to accept it. How could she, the mother of the nation, lose to a country bumpkin?

So, she secretly contacted a mysterious organization, preparing to give Lin Qin a "surprise".

The waters of this palace are truly unfathomable, teeming with undercurrents, more captivating than any palace intrigue drama.

Lin Qin was busy discussing new projects with the newly joined "workers," such as "royal custom-made items," "court afternoon tea," and "VIP exclusive services," making it sound like a modern company meeting. She felt like she was about to become a powerful businesswoman.

As a result, when I turned around, I saw Zhu Ling appear out of nowhere, holding a string of candied hawthorns in her hand.

"Here, see how busy you are, have some energy." Zhu Ling handed her the candied hawthorn, his tone still cold, but his eyes were full of tenderness.

Lin Qin took the candied hawthorn, took a bite, and found it sweet and sour, instantly lifting her spirits.

She looked at Zhu Ling, smiling like a fox who had stolen a chicken, "Your Highness, have things been going a little too smoothly for me lately?"

Zhu Ling raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, a man in black suddenly appeared in front of them, kneeling on one knee. "Your Highness, I have important matters to report."

Zhu Ling's face darkened, and he gestured for the man in black to stand up and speak.

The man in black lowered his voice and said, "Her Majesty the Empress... has been in frequent contact with a mysterious force recently..."

Lin Qin's smile froze on her face, and the candied hawthorn in her hand instantly lost its flavor.

She sensed an unusual atmosphere; it seemed a greater crisis awaited her in the palace.

She looked at Zhu Ling, her gaze gradually hardening.

"Your Highness, it seems... we're in for some fun." Lin Qin's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light.

She uttered a few words softly, "Let's go, let's go and meet the Empress."