Different Princess Episode 8 Recap
> Different Princess Recap
Hua Qingge reflected on her efforts to change Ji Chu, but he showed no signs of becoming a good person. Unbeknownst to Ji Yun, Hua Qingge was intentionally creating opportunities for him and Lin Xiyao, hoping to advance their main love story without Ji Chu's interference. Meanwhile, Ji Yun heard reports that "Qing" (Hua Qingge) had grown close to Prince Lv, wrongly assuming she had always fancied Ji Chu and was now getting her wish.
Ji Chu, however, noticed Hua Qingge's intentions and questioned her about "devising plots" whenever she tried to facilitate an interaction between Ji Yun and Lin Xiyao. Elsewhere, Imperial Consort Wei was frustrated with her son, Ji Feng, who spent his days in frivolous pursuits and showed no ambition. She fumed over Ji Chu seizing control of the East Office, which she believed rightfully belonged to Ji Feng.
Ji Feng, however, was indifferent, stating he had no desire to manage such affairs and preferred to be a wealthy and idle individual, much to his mother's annoyance. Imperial Consort Wei then declared she would host a grand banquet in two days to announce Ji Feng's engagement to Liu Xiang, threatening anyone who failed to attend. She made a point to specifically invite Prince Lv (Ji Chu) and his consort, hinting at her malicious intentions.
Ji Feng confronted his mother, questioning why she would invite Ji Chu and his consort, knowing Ji Chu had reportedly killed his own wife. Imperial Consort Wei openly admitted it was intentional, explaining that Ji Chu's interference with the East Office had angered her. She also accused the Empress of purposefully provoking her by recommending Ji Chu for the post.
Ji Feng tried to defend the Empress, suggesting she might genuinely believe he was unsuitable and that the Emperor also favored Ji Chu. He once again expressed his contentment with being "rich and free," further infuriating his mother, who lamented his lack of ambition. Ji Feng eventually left, saying he had other matters to attend to. Ji Chu's attendant, witnessing the court's indifference to the rumors about Hua Qingge, suspected Imperial Consort Wei's invitation had a hidden agenda.
Ji Chu, however, saw the banquet, which he deduced was for Ji Feng and Liu Xiang's engagement, as an opportunity. He confirmed his intention to take action publicly. Ji Wan'er arrived, surprised by the banquet invitation and Hua Qingge's presence as Ji Chu's servant. Hua Qingge, realizing Ji Chu's nefarious plans for the event, boldly suggested that Ji Chu bring her along.
When Ji Chu inquired about her "great idea" to resolve his lack of a consort, Hua Qingge proposed finding someone to impersonate the Princess Consort. She pointed out that only the Empress had ever seen the real princess from Fuyu, implying a plausible deception. Ji Wan'er initially opposed this, fearing it would be deceiving the Emperor, as her own mother, the Empress, had seen the true consort.
Hua Qingge countered that the Empress likely wouldn't expose the lie publicly due to the diplomatic implications between the two kingdoms. Ji Chu liked the idea. Hua Qingge realized she had to stop Ji Chu and declared, "This time, I must stop him." Ji Chu then surprisingly proposed that Hua Qingge herself should impersonate his consort. She protested, mentioning her public recognition from the Wu Xueji case, but Ji Chu insisted it was the only way she would attend.
Ji Wan'er, despite her earlier reservations, agreed to the plan, offering to ask the Empress to verify Hua Qingge's identity, thereby legitimizing her as Prince Lv's consort and protecting Ji Chu from accusations of deceiving the emperor. Ji Chu accepted the terms, stating he would bear the consequences. Hua Qingge inwardly despaired, realizing she was once again becoming the "devil's consort" to prevent him from causing trouble. Ji Chu then had his servant, Mo Yu, prepare Hua Qingge.
As Mo Yu assisted, Hua Qingge noticed her martial arts prowess and grew suspicious. She worried that Ji Chu intended to verify her identity at the banquet and then have Mo Yu assassinate her, thereby killing two birds with one stone. She recalled the novel's plot where Ji Chu aimed to frame Liu Xiang to reopen his mother, Imperial Consort Xian's, case.
Her primary goal was to prevent Liu Xiang from being harmed, but now she feared for her own life as well, especially given the "gold bangle from Fuyu" that she wore.
On their way to the palace, in the carriage, Hua Qingge asked Ji Chu to make space for her, but he rudely instructed her to sit on a mat on the floor, reminding her that her true identity was merely a servant and she was not worthy to sit beside him. Hua Qingge silently fumed but complied, understanding her precarious position as her real identity remained unexposed.
She even attempted to charm him by asking about his preference for "pure and cute" or "charming and seductive" ladies, but he dismissed her, leading her to conclude he was an "idiot with no sense of beauty." Meanwhile, at the palace, Imperial Consort Wei was informed of Prince Lv and his "consort's" arrival, muttering about Ji Chu's audacity in bringing a fake consort.
She continued to scold Ji Feng for his sullen mood on his engagement day, but he curtly stated he felt like a mere "accessory" and left for the banquet. Outside the palace gate, Hua Qingge attempted to disembark from the carriage first, but Ji Chu stopped her, making her wait until he had exited, further asserting his dominance. Hua Qingge's immediate objective at the banquet was to save Liu Xiang.
Imperial Physician Liu's daughter, Liu Xiang, was in the kitchen, preparing herbal porridge. Her father urged her to get ready for her engagement, but she insisted her herbal porridge was not yet ready. The attending ministers gossiped about Imperial Consort Wei's choice of an imperial physician's daughter for Ji Feng, attributing it to the Wei family's growing power under Glorious General Wei Zhao, Imperial Consort Wei's nephew, who arrived to congratulate Ji Feng.
Ji Feng eagerly asked Wei Zhao to take him to the military camp, a request Wei Zhao promised to relay to Imperial Consort Wei after the banquet. The ministers continued to discuss the rumors surrounding Prince Lv's consort, Hua Qingge, questioning if she was truly dead or merely ill, and how Fuyu would react. Just then, Prince Lv and Princess Consort Lv (Hua Qingge) were announced.
As Hua Qingge entered the grand palace hall alongside Ji Chu, she was excited to see all the influential figures, yet worried about Ji Chu's potential mischief. She wondered how he planned to "turn Liu Xiang into a monster" in public. Liu Xiang was then seated beside Hua Qingge. Hua Qingge greeted her, and Liu Xiang recognized her as the Princess Consort Lv, noting the rumors of her being bedridden due to illness.
Hua Qingge offered to make her medicinal meals, which Liu Xiang kindly accepted. Hua Qingge then asked Liu Xiang about her greatest wish. Liu Xiang confessed her desire to marry Prince Qi (Ji Feng), not for love, but to gain access to the Prince Qi residence's head chef, renowned as the best in Shengjing, to learn from him and achieve her dream of becoming the city's top cook.
Hua Qingge was impressed by her ambition but questioned if sacrificing marriage was worth it. Liu Xiang, however, saw Ji Feng as not as useless as rumors suggested and considered the marriage a "great thing," especially for the culinary opportunities it presented. Suddenly, Hua Qingge recalled a crucial plot point from the novel: Ji Chu would use a "fish dish" at the banquet to poison Liu Xiang.
Determined to prevent this, Hua Qingge excused herself, feigning numb legs, and slipped away from the main hall with Mo Yu following close behind. They waited for a lull in activity at the Imperial Food Service, and Hua Qingge instructed Mo Yu to knock out the two guards inside.
When Mo Yu questioned her motives, Hua Qingge, unable to explain fully, asserted her status as Princess Consort and threatened to create a scandal by revealing she was caught "stealing dishes," which would severely embarrass Ji Chu. Mo Yu quickly incapacitated the guards. Inside, Hua Qingge discovered the "fish dish" was the last one remaining.
Unable to identify which specific portion was meant for Liu Xiang, Hua Qingge declared, "Since I don't know which dish is which, I'll pour all of them away," successfully thwarting Ji Chu's plan to poison Liu Xiang. Meanwhile, Ji Wan'er encountered Gongye Qi, a musician, in the palace. She remembered asking Hua Qingge about him earlier. She noted he wasn't an imperial musician and that he hadn't been to Prince Lv's residence to play chess with Ji Chu recently.
Ji Wan'er expressed her own love for chess and wished to spar with him, claiming her skills were on par with Ji Chu's. Gongye Qi, however, claimed to be busy and not a resident of the palace, explaining that he was merely filling in for a sick musician friend. Ji Wan'er, persistent, asked for his residence. After some hesitation, Gongye Qi revealed his name, "Gongye Qi," and that he lived in the Mystic Medicine House.
Ji Wan'er was surprised to realize he was the renowned "Nangong Physician," whom she had imagined to be an "eccentric old man." She expressed her surprise at his youth and promised to visit the Mystic Medicine House another day before returning to the banquet.
