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

A gasp broke the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half the sky in red.

Lin Qin snapped back to her senses and shoved Zhu Ling away, shouting, "Fire!"

The fire spread rapidly, billowing thick smoke that made it difficult for people to breathe.

The fire started in the farm's granary, which stored the farm's winter food supplies.

The villagers were in a panic, desperately trying to put out the fire with buckets of water, but the fire was too big and it was all in vain.

Lin Qin was extremely anxious; this was the lifeblood of the farm!

She rushed into the crowd and directed everyone to put out the fire.

Zhu Ling also joined the firefighting team. He was agile and ran back and forth, and soon he was soaked in sweat.

The fire was finally brought under control, but the granary had been mostly destroyed.

The villagers looked at the burned grain with long faces.

Lin Qin suppressed her grief and comforted everyone, "Don't worry, we will get through this."

After the fire, Lin Qin began rebuilding the granary and planned to expand the planting scale to make up for the losses.

She considered the tasks assigned by the system; expanding the planting scale was imperative, but this would require a large amount of funds and manpower.

She took stock of her possessions and couldn't help but gasp.

This amount of money isn't even enough to buy seeds, let alone farm tools and hire workers.

Lin Qin sat on the edge of the field, looking at the vast land before her, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

Should we really give up?

"Give up? No way!" Lin Qin stood up abruptly, her eyes flashing with determination.

"It's just money! I refuse to believe I can't earn it!"

She remembered that Zhu Ling had once said he would help her.

Although we don't know his purpose, we have no choice but to try anything now.

Lin Qin took a deep breath and turned to walk towards Zhu Ling's residence.

As she reached the door, she hesitated.

She didn't know how to bring it up, nor did she know if Zhu Ling would really help her.

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Zhu Ling stood in the doorway, looking at her with deep eyes. "You've come."

Lin Qin paused for a moment, then said, "I..."

“I know what you’re going to say,” Zhu Ling interrupted her. “You need money, don’t you?”

Lin Qin nodded.

Zhu Ling's lips curled up slightly. "Come with me."

He led Lin Qin to the study, opened a box filled with gold and silver jewelry.

"These are all for you," Zhu Ling said calmly.

Lin Qin stared at the chest overflowing with treasure, her jaw nearly dropping. "This...this is way too much!"

Zhu Ling smiled and said, "Not much, these are just a drop in the ocean."

Lin Qin wanted to say something, but Zhu Ling suddenly moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, "As long as you behave, everything I have is yours."

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

She instinctively tried to back away, but he grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"You..." Lin Qin was about to speak when Zhu Ling suddenly kissed her.

Lin Qin's eyes widened, her mind going completely blank.

The next morning, when Lin Qin woke up, she found herself lying in Zhu Ling's bed.

She sat up abruptly, recalling what had happened last night, and her face flushed crimson.

She hurriedly dressed and fled Zhu Ling's room as if escaping.

Back in her room, Lin Qin's heart was still pounding.

She didn't know what to do, nor did she know what kind of relationship she had with Zhu Ling.

"System, are you there?" Lin Qin called out to the system in her mind.

"Ding! Host, I'm here." The system's childish voice rang out.

"What...what should I do?" Lin Qin asked.

The system was silent for a moment, then said, "Host, your mission is to become a pastoral queen, not a prince's queen."

Lin Qin was stunned for a moment, then understood what the system meant.

She took a deep breath, and a look of determination flashed in her eyes.

“I understand,” Lin Qin said. “I will complete my mission and become the true Queen of the Countryside!”

She walked to the window, looked at the vast fields in the distance, and felt a surge of fighting spirit.

"Just wait, I will definitely succeed!" Lin Qin clenched her fists, her eyes resolute.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

"Who?" Lin Qin asked.

"It's me." A familiar voice rang out.

Lin Qin opened the door and was stunned when she saw the person standing outside.

"Grandma Zhang?" Lin Qin said in surprise.

Granny Zhang looked at her with a gloomy face, "Lin Qin, you come out here!" Lin Qin was berated by Granny Zhang, who bombarded her with words like "unfaithful woman", "disgracing the family", and "vixen", leaving Lin Qin's head buzzing.

If it weren't for Granny Zhang's advanced age, Lin Qin would have at least retorted with a few sharp and classic quotes.

"Grandma Zhang, please speak calmly. Don't resort to personal attacks so easily!" Lin Qin rubbed her ears, trying her best to maintain a smile.

"Speak properly? You have the nerve to ask me to speak properly! You seduced the prince, corrupted the morals of our village, and now you want to expand the planting scale. You're going to ruin our entire village!" Granny Zhang became more and more agitated as she spoke, her spittle almost spraying onto Lin Qin's face.

Lin Qin finally understood that the old woman just didn't like her and was taking every opportunity to smear her.

She took a deep breath and decided not to argue with the old man.

"Grandma Zhang, you've misunderstood. The prince and I were just..."

"Just what? Just want to borrow the prince's money to develop your business? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking!" Granny Zhang didn't give Lin Qin a chance to explain and interrupted her directly.

"I..." Lin Qin opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

She couldn't very well tell Granny Zhang that she was a time traveler and that a system wanted her to become a pastoral queen, could she?

Seeing that Lin Qin remained silent, Granny Zhang assumed she had guessed what Lin Qin was thinking and became even more smug.

"Let me tell you, Lin Qin, you're not getting away with this! I've already told everyone in the village that no one is allowed to lend you money or help you with chores! Just wait and see if your plan falls apart!"

After finishing her sentence, Granny Zhang strode away, leaving Lin Qin standing alone at the door, looking completely bewildered.

As expected, the villagers all avoided Lin Qin like the plague, and those who had originally promised to lend her money all went back on their word.

Lin Qin encountered setbacks everywhere, and her mood plummeted.

"System, was I too naive?" Lin Qin sighed and asked the system in her mind.

"Host, please don't be discouraged, the difficulties are only temporary," the system comforted her in a childlike voice.

"But I really don't know what to do now." Lin Qin felt like a headless fly, bumping around aimlessly.

She sat on the edge of the field, looking at the vast land before her, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

The problems of insufficient funds and labor were like two mountains weighing her down, making it hard for her to breathe.

Should we really give up?

No, she couldn't give up! She had promised the system she would become the Queen of the Countryside, and she couldn't break her promise!

Lin Qin suddenly stood up, her eyes flashing with determination.

"It's just money and manpower, right? I refuse to believe I can't handle it!"

She turned around and went back home, rummaging through drawers and cabinets to search.

"Found it!" Lin Qin pulled a dusty box out of a corner.

She opened the box, which contained a bunch of oddly shaped tools.

"It's time to show your true skills!" Lin Qin's lips curled up slightly, a sly glint in her eyes.

"Dong dong dong..."

There was a knock on the door.

"Who?" Lin Qin asked warily.

"It's me, Manager Sun." A familiar voice came from outside the door.

Lin Qin opened the door and saw that it was Manager Sun from the market standing outside, carrying a large package in his hand.

"Manager Sun, what brings you here?" Lin Qin asked in surprise.

Shopkeeper Sun smiled and handed the package to Lin Qin, "Here's what you wanted."

Lin Qin opened the package; inside was a pile of...

Lin Qin opened the package, inside was a pile of well-made small farm tools.

Although these agricultural tools cannot compare to modern mechanized equipment, they were considered advanced technology in ancient times.

"Manager Sun, these..." Lin Qin was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Manager Sun to actually be able to find these things.

Shopkeeper Sun stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Don't worry, young lady, these are all things I asked someone to find from other places. I guarantee they'll work well."

Holding these small farm tools, Lin Qin felt as if she had obtained magical artifacts.

With these farming tools, she can greatly improve planting efficiency and save a lot of manpower and resources.

Without hesitation, Lin Qin immediately started tinkering with it.

She first made a simple planter using some simple wood and metal parts.

Although this seeder looks simple, it is very easy to use and the seeding speed is several times faster than manual seeding.

Next, Lin Qin made a simple irrigation device.

This irrigation device uses the pressure of the water flow to spray water evenly onto the fields, eliminating the hassle of manual watering.

Looking at the farm tools she made herself, Lin Qin felt a great sense of accomplishment.

She seemed to see golden ears of wheat, and the joy of a bountiful harvest.

With the issue of farm tools resolved, the next problem was manpower.

Granny Zhang interfered, making the villagers afraid to help Lin Qin with her work.

Lin Qin had no choice but to think of another way.

She took the vegetables and fruits she grew to the market to sell, and the prices were much cheaper than those in the market, which quickly attracted a group of customers.

While selling her goods, Lin Qin chatted with her customers and inquired about the village.

She learned that many people in the village were struggling to find work and were having a very difficult time due to poverty.

Lin Qin had a sudden inspiration and came up with a solution.

She approached several impoverished villagers and offered to exchange her crops for their labor.

"You help me with the work, and I'll give you food and vegetables, how about that?" Lin Qin looked at them sincerely.

After some hesitation, the villagers finally agreed to Lin Qin's request.

They were all honest people who knew that Lin Qin's vegetables and fruits were of good quality and inexpensive, and could also solve their food and clothing problems, so they were naturally happy to help.

With manpower available, Lin Qin's planting plan was able to proceed smoothly.

She led the villagers to reclaim wasteland, sow seeds, and fertilize, keeping them very busy.

When Granny Zhang saw this, she was so angry that her nose twisted.

"This Lin Qin, she actually dares to go against me! Let's see how long she can hold out!" She glared fiercely at Lin Qin's back, secretly plotting in her mind...

"Grandma Zhang, what's wrong?" A voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Grandma Zhang was startled by the sudden sound. She turned around and saw Li Ergou from the village.

"Li Ergou, what are you doing sneaking around like that?" Granny Zhang asked irritably.

Li Ergou rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously, "Grandma Zhang, I just wanted to come over and say hello when I saw you here."

Grandma Zhang glanced at him sideways, "Don't give me that! You're definitely up to no good!"

Li Ergou chuckled, "Grandma Zhang, you have such keen insight! I do have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"What is it? Speak quickly!" Granny Zhang said impatiently.

Li Ergou leaned close to Granny Zhang's ear and whispered a few words.

After listening, Granny Zhang's expression shifted between light and dark. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, we'll do it your way!"

That night, under the cover of darkness, Li Ergou secretly slipped into Lin Qin's field and pulled out some of the newly planted seeds.

The next morning, Lin Qin went to the field and found that the seeds had been pulled up, which made her furious.

She knew it must have been Grandma Zhang who did it, but she had no proof and could only accept her bad luck.

"Grandma Zhang, you just wait!" Lin Qin secretly vowed in her heart that she would make Grandma Zhang pay the price.

She returned home and sat sullenly in a chair, pondering how to deal with the situation.

"System, what should I do?" Lin Qin asked the system in her mind.

"But I really don't know what to do now." Lin Qin felt like a trapped animal, bumping into walls everywhere.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Zhu Ling?"