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

A series of urgent knocks broke the silence of the night.

Lin Qin felt a chill run down her spine, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

The door opened, and there stood Foreman Lin, sweating profusely and pale-faced: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The price of materials has gone up!"

Du the merchant, as expected, has finally shown his true colors!

Lin Qin cursed inwardly, but her face remained expressionless: "How much has it increased?"

"The price has tripled!" Foreman Lin's voice trembled slightly. "He said that materials are scarce now, and it's hard to buy them even if you have money."

"Heh, he's trying to get something for nothing, making a fool of us!" Lin Qin sneered. "Let's go, let's go meet him!"

The Du merchant's mansion was brightly lit, displaying an air of wealth and luxury.

Lin Qin led Foreman Lin in a menacing manner as they barged in. Merchant Du was embracing a beautiful woman, drinking and making merry, looking completely at ease.

"Boss Du, business is doing quite well!" Lin Qin said with a forced smile.

Merchant Du put down his wine cup and feigned surprise: "Oh dear, Your Highness the Princess is honored with your presence! I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly!"

"Enough with the nonsense!" Lin Qin cut to the chase. "What's going on with the rising material prices?"

"Your Highness, as you know, the market is not doing well right now..." Merchant Du began to evade the question.

Lin Qin interrupted him before he could finish, saying, "Boss Du, let's not beat around the bush. You're trying to raise the price and take advantage of my misfortune!"

Merchant Du's expression changed, but he quickly regained his smile: "Your Highness, you flatter me. This is just the law of the market, there's nothing I can do about it!"

"Market rules?" Lin Qin sneered. "I think you're obsessed with money! Don't forget, you were the one who vowed to supply materials at cost price!"

"Things change!" Merchant Du said with a grin. "Your Highness, if you feel the price is not right, you can find someone else!"

"Find someone else?" A cold glint flashed in Lin Qin's eyes. "Do you think I can't find someone else? I only gave you a chance because of our past relationship. Since you don't cherish it, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Lin Qin turned and left, and Foreman Lin quickly followed.

As Lin Qin reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Mr. Du: "Mr. Du, you'd better pray my plan doesn't succeed, otherwise..."

Lin Qin didn't continue, but the threat in her tone was self-evident.

As Du watched Lin Qin's departing figure, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a sinister look...

Meanwhile, beneath the seemingly calm atmosphere of the streets and alleys of the capital, turbulent undercurrents were actually brewing.

Lin Qin stood on the street, promoting rural culture to passersby, but only received puzzled and dismissive looks.

"These are jobs only country folk do. What does it have to do with us city folks?" A well-dressed woman curled her lip.

“Exactly, we don’t farm, what’s the use of learning this?” another man chimed in.

Looking at the indifferent faces around her, Lin Qin felt utterly dejected.

Is it really true that rural culture doesn't work in Beijing?

Back at the Prince's residence, Lin Qin locked herself in her room, racking her brains for a solution.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and a bold idea popped into her mind...

"Zhu Ling," Lin Qin's eyes gleamed with excitement, "I've got it!"

Lin Qin excitedly pulled Zhu Ling along, enthusiastically describing her plan: "Let's hold a rural culture festival! We'll bring the delicious food, beautiful scenery, and unique lifestyle of the countryside to the capital! Let them see it with their own eyes and experience it firsthand. I don't believe they won't be tempted!"

Looking at Lin Qin's radiant appearance, Zhu Ling's eyes were full of doting: "Okay, whatever you say."

Just do it!

Lin Qin immediately began preparing for the Rural Culture Festival.

She contacted Tian Laonong and asked him to help design the rural landscape; she also mobilized the chefs of the Prince's Mansion to research various rural delicacies; and she organized a group of embroiderers to make rural-style clothing and handicrafts.

On the day of the cultural festival, people from Beijing gathered there with the expectation of seeing a spectacle.

At first, they just watched from afar, with disdain on their faces.

However, when they saw the dazzling array of rural delicacies, smelled the enticing aroma of roasted chicken and duck, and heard the melodious pastoral tunes, their initially indifferent expressions gradually turned into curiosity.

"Wow, this roast chicken smells so good!" A child pointed at the golden and crispy roast chicken, his mouth practically watering.

"These flower-shaped pastries are so exquisite! I almost don't want to eat them!" A girl held a delicate flower cake, admiring it with obvious delight.

"This pastoral scenery is so beautiful! It feels like I've stepped into a paradise!" an old man exclaimed as he looked at the meticulously arranged rural landscape.

The atmosphere at the scene shifted from indifference to curiosity, with gasps of amazement rising and falling.

Looking at the smiles on the faces of the people, Lin Qin felt a great sense of accomplishment.

While busy greeting guests, she explained the charm of rural culture to them.

Zhu Ling silently stayed by Lin Qin's side, watching her busy figure with tenderness in his eyes.

He quietly wiped the sweat from Lin Qin's forehead, and Lin Qin's heart suddenly raced. An ambiguous atmosphere filled the air between the two of them, and the surroundings seemed to be filled with a sweet scent.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd...

Among the crowd, a few people dressed plainly but with shifty eyes began to whisper among themselves.

“This rural culture, isn’t it just something for country folk? What’s there to learn?” “Exactly, we’re city people, how can we be like country folk?” Their voices weren’t loud, but they were loud enough for those around them to hear.

People around them started to chime in, and the originally lively atmosphere gradually became tense.

Lin Qin recognized these people at a glance as having been sent by Grand Tutor Chen. She suppressed her anger and maintained a smile on her face.

She walked to the center of the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone, I know that some of you misunderstand rural culture, thinking it is vulgar and low-class. But I want to say that rural culture is not what you imagine."

A sharp voice rang out from the crowd: "Your Highness, what you say sounds nice, but what's the use of this rural culture? Can it be eaten?" Lin Qin didn't directly refute her, but smiled and said, "Brother, you're right. Rural culture can't be eaten directly, but it can make us eat more delicious and healthier food. Today, I invite you to come up on stage and experience rural life firsthand."

The man was stunned; he hadn't expected Lin Qin to invite him onto the stage.

He stammered, "I...I don't know how..." Lin Qin encouraged him, "It's okay, I'll teach you. Today, let's experience the joys of rural life together."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the man walked nervously onto the stage.

Lin Qin handed him a hoe and said with a smile, "Here, give it a try." The man awkwardly swung the hoe, which drew laughter from the crowd below.

Lin Qin patiently guided him and corrected his posture.

Gradually, the person stopped being nervous and began to study seriously.

"Perhaps, I really can give it a try..." he murmured to himself.

The man clumsily swung his hoe, and under Lin Qin's guidance, he actually managed to dig out a small patch of land.

Looking at the soil he had turned over with his own hands, he said, "So, farming isn't so hard after all!" He scratched his head sheepishly, which drew good-natured laughter from the audience.

With the first "demonstration" in place, others were eager to try it out and took turns going up on stage to experience it.

Lin Qin introduced various rural games at the right time, such as rice planting competitions and harvesting competitions, which made the atmosphere on site even more lively.

Even those who previously scoffed at rural culture couldn't resist joining in and having a great time.

"This watermelon is so sweet!" A woman who had initially objected to the harvest ate a freshly picked watermelon with a satisfied smile on her face.

She turned to the people around her and said, "I didn't expect these country things to be so interesting!"

Seeing this, Lin Qin felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Standing in the center of the cultural festival, looking at the bustling crowd, she seemed to see the hope that rural culture could take root and sprout in the capital.

People around her looked at her with admiration, and their praises were endless.

"Your Highness is truly amazing!"

"Yes, I never thought she could actually make rural culture popular in Beijing!"

"The Princess Consort is simply our idol!"

However, Lin Qin was not blinded by her success.

She knew that there was still a long way to go before rural culture could truly become popular in Beijing.

The success of the cultural festival is just the beginning; she will face many more challenges ahead.

As night fell, the bustling cultural festival gradually quieted down.

Lin Qin stood in the garden of the Prince's mansion, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

Zhu Ling walked to her side and gently put his arm around her shoulder: "What are you thinking about?"

Lin Qin turned to look at him, a determined glint in her eyes: "I'm thinking about how to renovate the palace gardens next..."

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by, and a cold voice rang out in the night sky: "Your Highness, you should worry about your own safety first!"