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

The woman in black was none other than Cui'er, Lin Qin's personal maid.

Cui'er's eyes were firm as she stood in front of Lin Qin, saying, "Your Highness, my young lady is no longer the Princess Consort. You have no right to take her back." Zhu Ling snorted coldly, "My affairs are none of your business, you mere maid!" Cui'er remained neither humble nor arrogant, "Your Highness, you have already issued the letter of divorce. My young lady is now a free woman. If you insist on taking her away, it is tantamount to abducting a commoner!" Zhu Ling was speechless, choked by Cui'er's words.

He never expected that Cui'er, who was always timid and fearful, would dare to talk back to him to his face.

Lin Qin was secretly delighted; Cui'er's move was absolutely brilliant!

Taking advantage of Zhu Ling's momentary daze, Lin Qin grabbed Cui'er's hand and ran.

"Stop!" Zhu Ling realized what was happening and immediately ordered a chase.

The guards caught up again and were about to catch up with Lin Qin and Cui'er.

Suddenly, a barking sound came from afar, and then a pack of wild dogs rushed out of the woods and pounced on the guards.

The guards were caught off guard and entangled by wild dogs, making it impossible for them to continue the pursuit.

Lin Qin and Cui'er seized the opportunity to escape and hid in a dense forest.

After getting rid of Zhu Ling, Lin Qin breathed a sigh of relief.

She finally saved up ten taels of silver, and the dilapidated thatched hut was renovated. She could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, this amount of money is far from enough to completely escape poverty.

Lin Qin's gaze fell on the vast fields of the farm, and a bold idea sprouted in her mind: to expand the scale of planting!

The next morning, Lin Qin took the "super nutrient solution" she had redeemed from the system and went to find Granny Zhang, the most respected person in the village, and explained her purpose.

"Grandma Zhang, I'd like to rent some land to grow medicinal herbs. Is that alright?" Grandma Zhang squinted her cloudy eyes, looked Lin Qin up and down, and said in an unfriendly tone, "Outsider, our farm's land cannot be rented to outsiders at will."

Lin Qin had anticipated the villagers' concerns, so she patiently explained, "Grandma, I'm renting this land to improve my life, and I'll even pay you rent." Grandma Zhang sneered, "Rent? How much rent can you offer? Our farm's land is incredibly valuable!" The surrounding villagers echoed, "Yes, outsider, you should go back to your own place!" "Our farm doesn't welcome you!"

Lin Qin felt extremely frustrated looking at these stubborn villagers.

She felt like an outsider at the farm, like a clown performing a one-woman show.

"This is so hard!" Lin Qin cried out in her heart, it was harder than climbing to heaven!

Just as Lin Qin was worrying, the cute little system suddenly appeared and said in a coquettish voice, "Master, a new mission is here! Please double the crop yield of the farm within a month! The reward for completing the mission is a mysterious gift pack, and if you fail..." It deliberately dragged out the words, which startled Lin Qin.

"What will happen if we fail?" Lin Qin asked nervously.

The little system replied in a childish voice, "It will... bankrupt you!"

Lin Qin's vision went black, and she almost fainted.

Go bankrupt?

She's already destitute; if she loses everything else, she'll be sleeping on the streets.

Seeing Lin Qin's unpleasant expression, Li Ergou assumed she was about to give up on renting the land. His eyes darted around, and he leaned closer, his tone even more obsequious: "Madam, I also have a small plot of land in the village. How about I rent it to you? The price is negotiable!"

Lin Qin rolled her eyes at Li Ergou; this guy was clearly no good.

Just as she was about to refuse, a sudden idea struck her.

“Renting land is not out of the question,” Lin Qin said, feigning deep thought, “but I have a condition.”

Upon hearing that there was hope, Li Ergou immediately nodded and bowed, saying, "Please give your orders, Madam, and I promise to do it!"

Lin Qin smiled slightly: "I want all of you to rent your land to me."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

The villagers started discussing it, some thinking Lin Qin was being unrealistic, others thinking she was crazy.

Grandma Zhang snorted coldly, "Outsider, you've got quite the nerve! How could we possibly rent all our farmland to you?"

Lin Qin calmly pulled out a bottle of "super nutrient solution" from her pocket and showed it to everyone: "As long as you rent your land to me, I will use this to double the yield of your land!"

The villagers were skeptical, their faces showing suspicion.

Lin Qin didn't explain further and simply poured the nutrient solution onto a crop that was about to wither.

A miraculous scene unfolded: the crop visibly revived and became lush and verdant.

The villagers were stunned, as if they had witnessed a miracle.

Li Ergou's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he stared greedily at the bottle of nutrient solution, his mouth practically watering.

"Madam, what... what kind of magic water is this?" Li Ergou stammered.

Lin Qin smiled slightly, but did not answer. Instead, she looked at Granny Zhang and asked, "Granny, what do you think of my suggestion now?"

Granny Zhang's expression kept changing, clearly indicating that she was having a fierce internal struggle.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar...

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as a group of people came into view.

The man at the head was dressed in brocade robes, had a handsome face, and exuded an imposing aura.

It was none other than Zhu Ling.

He dismounted and walked up to Lin Qin, his deep gaze falling on her: "What are you doing here?"

Lin Qin's inner monologue: It's you again!

Can't you just give me a break?

!

But she remained calm and smiled slightly: "Your Highness, I am discussing the land lease with the villagers."

Zhu Ling frowned slightly and turned to look at the villagers around him.

The villagers were so frightened by his piercing gaze that they dared not even breathe.

Taking the opportunity, Lin Qin explained the benefits of expanding the planting scale to the villagers: "Think about it, if we plant more herbs, we can not only increase our income, but also attract more merchants to come and trade. At that time, the whole farm will become more prosperous!"

Some of the younger villagers began to waver, feeling that Lin Qin's words made sense.

After all, who wouldn't want to make more money?

Seeing that some villagers had been persuaded by Lin Qin, Li Ergou was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

He didn't want Lin Qin's plan to succeed, otherwise he wouldn't have the chance to profit from it.

"Don't listen to her nonsense!" Li Ergou jumped out and shouted, "She's an outsider, what does she know about farming? She just wants to cheat everyone out of their money!"

“Exactly! She’s definitely trying to fool us!” several villagers chimed in.

Li Ergou fabricated some lies, exaggerating the truth, and slandered Lin Qin as a liar.

Some villagers who had been wavering began to hesitate again.

Lin Qin sneered inwardly, knowing that Li Ergou wouldn't behave himself.

She was about to retort when Zhu Ling suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Li Ergou by the collar, and said coldly, "Say that again?"

Li Ergou was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he trembled so much that he couldn't speak.

Lin Qin secretly rejoiced: Let's see if you dare to be so cocky again!

She cleared her throat and said, "Whether I'm lying or not, everyone will soon find out."

She took a cloth bag from her bosom and slowly opened it...

The cloth bag contained a thick stack of banknotes, as well as some documents signed and sealed by the villagers.

Lin Qin took out one of the documents and read aloud: "This is to certify that Lin Qin used a miraculous potion to double Xiao Wang's crop yield! This is to certify!"

The document was stamped with the seals of several respected elders in the village.

"Is this...is this real?" The villagers discussed among themselves, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity as they looked at Lin Qin.

Villagers who had previously received help from Lin Qin also came forward to testify, recounting how Lin Qin helped them increase crop yields.

Li Ergou's lie was exposed on the spot, and his face turned pale and then red, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

He glared at Lin Qin fiercely, then slunk away.

Now the villagers completely believed Lin Qin and expressed their willingness to rent their land to her.

Granny Zhang also walked up to Lin Qin, her tone much gentler: "Miss Lin, I was wrong about you before. You are truly a capable person!"

Lin Qin smiled slightly: "Grandma, you're too kind. I just want to do my part to help everyone improve their lives."

The villagers surrounded Lin Qin enthusiastically, discussing the land rental matter with great enthusiasm.

Looking at the lively scene before her, Lin Qin was filled with joy.

She knew she had finally taken the first step toward success.

However, she was not blinded by victory.

She knew that there would certainly be many difficulties and challenges on the road to expanding the scale of planting.

Moreover, there is an even bigger hidden danger, namely Zhu Ling.

If Zhu Ling knew her current situation, would he interfere with her plans?

Thinking of this, a shadow fell over Lin Qin's heart.

Just then, Zhu Ling suddenly spoke up: "What are you planning to plant?"

Lin Qin was taken aback, not expecting him to suddenly ask this question.

She thought for a moment and replied, "I want to grow some herbs."

"Herbal medicines?" Zhu Ling frowned slightly. "Why grow herbal medicines?"

Lin Qin explained, "Herbal medicines can not only cure diseases and save lives, but also be sold for money. I want to use the money I earn to improve life on the farm."

Zhu Ling was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I can help you."

Lin Qin was startled and looked up at him: "You...you're going to help me?"

Zhu Ling nodded, her tone firm: "I can provide funding and manpower to help you expand your planting scale."

Lin Qin could hardly believe her ears.

This aloof prince actually offered to help her?

She looked at him suspiciously: "Why...why are you helping me?"

Zhu Ling looked at her deeply and said slowly, "Because..." He paused, his voice low, "I want you to live a good life."

Lin Qin's heart skipped a beat, and a strange feeling welled up inside her.

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Zhu Ling suddenly reached out and gently stroked her cheek: "Don't be afraid, I will always be with you."

His eyes were gentle and affectionate, as if they could melt her heart.

Lin Qin's heart was beating faster and faster, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.

She felt her cheeks burning and her breathing becoming rapid.

Just then, a cry of alarm suddenly came from afar: "Fire!"