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

Lin Qin looked at the eunuch in front of her who was smiling like a trumpet flower, and sneered inwardly. Did this old emperor want to treat her like a soft persimmon?

Lin Qin is not someone to be trifled with!

This so-called "return to Beijing for recuperation" is more like a trap than a real banquet!

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and Lin Qin could feel the air around her solidify. These people from the imperial court were really bored out of their minds; they just liked to stir up trouble.

She slightly raised her chin, her eyes sweeping over the eunuch with icy gaze. The eunuch's smile froze under her gaze, like a duck being choked, clucking twice, and he dared not laugh out loud again.

"Your Highness, look at this..." the eunuch stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He felt as if he were being stared at by a tiger, a chill running down his spine. He wanted to run but dared not.

Before Lin Qin could speak, Zhu Ling appeared in front of her like a gust of wind, grabbed her hand, and the warmth of his palm instantly spread throughout her body.

She looked up at Zhu Ling, and the worry in his eyes warmed her heart. With him there, she had nothing to fear.

"Someone wants to harm you." Zhu Ling's deep voice rang in her ear, like a reassuring pill, calming her previously agitated heart.

Before Lin Qin could react, she heard the eunuch say in a shrill voice, "Your Highness, this is His Majesty's decree. The Princess Consort must return to the capital!" He was trying to intimidate them by invoking the Emperor, and his tone was full of threat.

"Ha, imperial decree? Bah!" Lin Qin sneered, rolling her eyes inwardly. Did these people think she was easy to bully or what?

"I thought it was something big, but it turns out you just wanted to lure me back to the capital and then trap me like a turtle in a jar, right?" Lin Qin's tone was contemptuous, her beautiful eyes filled with disdain. She hated being schemed against the most.

The eunuch turned green with anger at Lin Qin's retort. He never expected that this demoted princess would be so difficult to deal with. He hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, you have misunderstood, His Majesty..."

"Misunderstanding? I think you're just pretending to be confused!" Lin Qin interrupted him directly, not giving him a chance to explain. "Stop talking nonsense. If you want to take me away, you'll have to see if I agree!"

Lin Qin's words made the atmosphere even more tense, as if the air itself was about to explode.

General Wu watched in horror, silently wiping away a cold sweat, thinking to himself: This princess is truly a ruthless character!

"Since Her Highness the Princess is unwilling to return to the capital, then this old servant will report the truth to His Majesty." Seeing that the soft approach was ineffective, the eunuch began to adopt a tough stance.

He snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "I hope Your Highness won't regret it later."

"Regret? Heh, I really don't know how to spell the word 'regret'!" Lin Qin scoffed. She slowly walked up to the eunuch, her eyes sharp as knives. "Don't forget to tell that old emperor that some people are not people he can just touch as he pleases."

After Lin Qin finished speaking, she gave the eunuch a meaningful look, then turned to Zhu Ling and said, "Let's go to the study."

Zhu Ling nodded, held Lin Qin's hand tightly, and the two left the living room together, leaving the eunuch standing there in a daze.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and could only stomp his foot in frustration.

"Your Majesty, you..." General Wu looked at Lin Qin's departing figure, hesitant to speak.

Lin Qin stopped and turned to look at General Wu, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "General Wu, do you think I can escape unscathed this time?"

General Wu was taken aback for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's strategic planning is truly admirable."

Lin Qin chuckled softly, turned and went into the study, with Zhu Ling following closely behind.

Inside the study, Lin Qin spread out a huge map, which was densely covered with various information.

She pointed to several circled areas on the map and said in a calm tone, "These are the disaster relief points I set up. Each point has detailed records of material distribution and epidemic prevention and control measures." She picked up a thick ledger and handed it to General Wu. "This is a detailed list of all the materials that came in and out. Every single entry is clear. General Wu can take a closer look."

General Wu took the account book and flipped through it page by page, becoming more and more alarmed with each page he read.

He had thought Lin Qin was just a sheltered housewife, but he never expected her to be so shrewd and capable, managing all the affairs in the disaster area in an orderly manner.

The ledgers clearly recorded the source, destination, and quantity of every item, and even the purpose of every grain of food was clearly marked.

"Your Majesty, you are truly a heroine among women!" General Wu exclaimed after reviewing the account books.

He had never seen such detailed accounts, nor had he ever seen a woman with such courage and ability.

Lin Qin smiled and pointed to another mark on the map, saying, "This was originally the area most severely affected by the epidemic. I personally led the team to isolate patients and prepare medicines. Now the epidemic has been effectively controlled." Her tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable confidence.

General Wu looked at the area marked "under control" on the map, and a feeling of admiration for Lin Qin welled up in his heart.

He had personally witnessed the devastation in the disaster area and also saw how Lin Qin turned the tide and rescued the area from dire straits.

At this moment, Zhu Ling walked to Lin Qin's side, gently took her hand, and said softly, "Qin'er, you've worked hard."

Lin Qin turned to look at Zhu Ling,

General Wu looked at the two men's hands clasped tightly together and was deeply moved.

He understood that Lin Qin was able to do all this not only because of her own talent, but also because of Zhu Ling's support and companionship.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, I believe your efforts will be rewarded," General Wu said firmly.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling exchanged a smile, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Suddenly, the study door was pushed open, and a guard rushed in. "Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived..."

The atmosphere in the study instantly turned icy. Lin Qin frowned slightly, as an invisible sense of oppression enveloped her.

She knew that these government officials were like persistent flies, buzzing incessantly in her ears, which was truly annoying.

"What kind of trouble is this now?" Lin Qin cursed inwardly. These people really have nothing better to do than to cause her some trouble every day.

She could feel Zhu Ling's hand tighten slightly in her palm, bringing a sense of comfort.

This worry, like a boulder weighing on one's heart, made the air seem thin.

"Let them in." Lin Qin took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

The door creaked open, and a group of people dressed in official robes walked in. The leader was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat greasy, followed by several eunuchs, each of them arrogant and looking down on everyone.

"Your Highness, you have quite the airs, keeping me waiting for so long." The middle-aged man glanced at Lin Qin with disdain, his tone full of contempt. He looked like he deserved a beating, making one want to kick him and send him spinning into the sky.

Lin Qin coldly observed the group of people, inwardly sneering. These people really knew how to act; they were clearly there to cause trouble, yet they pretended to be wronged. Enough already.

She didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "Speak your mind, or shut up. I'm busy and don't have time to play games with you."

The middle-aged man was speechless at Lin Qin's words, and his face instantly turned ugly. He hadn't expected that this demoted princess would be so disrespectful, making him feel like he had punched cotton.

He cleared his throat and said, feigning composure, "Your Highness, the imperial court is concerned that you may misuse supplies in the disaster area, so they have sent us here to supervise you."

"Supervision?" Lin Qin raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Fine, then you can supervise me properly. I guarantee you'll see everything clearly." She paused, then added, "However, supervision is fine, but I hope you can genuinely care about the people, instead of putting on airs and engaging in formalism."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned. They had expected Lin Qin to make all sorts of excuses, but they did not expect her to be so frank. This rendered their prepared arguments useless, and the scene became extremely awkward.

The middle-aged man's expression was even more fascinating. He hadn't expected that this demoted princess would act so unpredictably, catching him off guard.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless, and could only stand there awkwardly, like a plucked rooster.

Seeing their astonished expressions, Lin Qin secretly felt smug. Hmph, they're still too green to compete with her!

She turned to look at Zhu Ling, her eyes resolute, and said, "Let's go see how they supervise."

Zhu Ling nodded, held Lin Qin's hand tightly, and the two walked out of the study together.

At the study door, the greasy middle-aged man watched Lin Qin and Zhu Ling's departing figures.

"My lord, what should we do next?" a young eunuch asked cautiously.

"Hmph, just you wait!" The middle-aged man snorted coldly, his eyes dark. He felt that Lin Qin must have some kind of conspiracy behind her actions, and he was determined to investigate thoroughly and expose her true colors!

Lin Qin led a large entourage, dubbed the "Imperial Envoy," to inspect the disaster area. Wherever they went, the disaster victims lined the streets to welcome them, creating a scene comparable to a large-scale celebrity fan meeting.

Lin Qin has become a top influencer in the disaster area. Wherever she goes, she is greeted with cheers such as "Sister Qin is amazing" and "Sister Qin is forever a goddess." People who don't know her might think she is some kind of idol star.

The imperial envoy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; this spectacle was even more grand than the emperor's imperial procession!

He originally came to cause trouble, but he was completely bewildered by the enthusiastic atmosphere and could only laugh along foolishly.

Wherever Lin Qin went, she would explain the disaster relief measures in detail, from the allocation of supplies to epidemic prevention and control, leaving no stone unturned, and she spoke with great expertise.

She also took out a thick ledger, with every account clearly and plainly recorded, leaving the imperial envoy stunned.

He had intended to nitpick, but he couldn't find a single fault with it, which made him feel as if he had been slapped hard across the face.

After the inspection, the imperial envoy returned to the capital in disgrace and truthfully reported the situation in the disaster area to the emperor.

The emperor was delighted upon hearing this and immediately issued an edict to commend Lin Qin, bestowing upon her the title of "Queen of the Countryside".

When the news reached the disaster area, the people were overjoyed and celebrated Lin Qin's triumphant return with songs and dances.

Standing on the high platform, Lin Qin looked at the cheering crowd, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She traveled through time, from a discarded concubine to the current queen of the countryside. Her journey has been full of hardships and challenges, but she has never given up and has always adhered to her beliefs.

Now, she has finally gained recognition and won the hearts of the people, which makes her feel extremely gratified and proud.

As night fell, Lin Qin and Zhu Ling stood side by side on the city wall, gazing into the distance.

Having weathered these storms, their relationship deepened, and their trust in each other became even stronger.

"Qin'er, what are your plans for the future?" Zhu Ling asked gently.

Lin Qin smiled slightly, "Of course, I'm going back to the capital." She paused, a sly glint in her eyes, "However, I'm afraid the capital is about to become turbulent again..."

Zhu Ling held Lin Qin's hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, I'll always be by your side."

Lin Qin nodded, and the two smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, growing clearer and clearer as they approached...

"Your Highness, Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived!" A guard rushed up the city wall, panting as he spoke.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling exchanged a glance.

"Let them come up," Zhu Ling said in a deep voice.

The atmosphere on the city wall instantly became tense, and a sense of impending doom enveloped everyone. Lin Qin suddenly felt a sense of foreboding...