Fake Princess Episode 12 Recap
> Fake Princess Recap
Nong Ying informed Li Che that Prime Minister Liu had summoned her to discuss the arrangements for their upcoming trip to the Grand Buddhist Temple. She warned Li Che that the trip might be dangerous for him and urged him to proceed with caution. Worried about Li Che, Chang Le found herself unable to sleep. Just then, Li Che, concerned about being away for several days supervising work and missing his Crown Princess, came to check on her.
Chang Le immediately suggested that she wanted to accompany him to the construction site, and after some hesitation, Li Che agreed, despite his concerns about the arduous journey. At the Grand Buddhist Temple, Chang Le remained extremely vigilant, staying close to Li Che due to her unease about Prime Minister Liu's potential assassination plot. Upon arrival, Li Che requested Inspector Liu to provide them with casual clothes for an undercover inspection.
Li Che was captivated by Chang Le's appearance in her simple attire, remarking on how beautiful she looked. During their clandestine visit, they discovered workers illicitly replacing granite with cheaper basalt. Li Che sternly reprimanded the culprits for their fraudulent practices, a display of integrity that deeply impressed Chang Le. Later, during their meal, Chang Le discreetly used a poison-testing needle to ensure their food was safe, an act that further dispelled Li Che's earlier suspicions about her.
After lunch, while inspecting the site, Chang Le offered a surprising explanation for a broken cart, attributing its damage to a flawed wheel axle and suggesting a practical solution. Her unexpected insight into mechanical arts astonished Inspector Liu and left Gongsun Mo perplexed. As everyone listened to her detailed explanation, a suspicious individual cunningly lured Li Che to a secluded area. There, Li Che was ambushed by a group of assassins.
Despite fighting fiercely, he eventually became exhausted and gravely injured. In this critical moment, Chang Le revealed her martial arts skills and, in a desperate move to save the severely wounded Li Che, activated a hidden mechanism to fend off the attackers. As Li Che tried to press her for answers about her true identity and abilities, Lord Xie intervened, holding a blade to Chang Le's neck.
Gongsun Mo, observing the unfolding events, sensed foul play and moved to apprehend Brother Qin, who promptly leaped away, escaping the scene but not before vowing to rescue Chang Le. Meanwhile, Lord Zhu and his daughter Zhu Yan attended a royal banquet at the palace. Prince Li Heng and Zhu Yan exchanged affectionate glances across the hall. Just as Li Heng was about to request his Father Emperor to grant their marriage, the Empress intervened.
She abruptly suggested that Zhu Yan should marry the Emperor himself. Despite Zhu Yan's initial reluctance and desire to stay with her father, the Emperor declared his deep affection for her. With the Empress's subtle persuasion, Zhu Yan felt compelled to accept the proposal. Li Heng was utterly devastated to see the woman he loved forced to marry his own father, watching Zhu Yan weep helplessly, unable to do anything.
Prime Minister Liu, in a clandestine move, replaced all the guards and personnel at the mountain stronghold's prison. Li Che, heartbroken to see Chang Le bound and weakened, tenderly woke her. Chang Le, with tears in her eyes, pleaded with him to believe her, assuring him she never intended him any harm. Li Che, in turn, told her he believed her. Later, General Shen interrogated Chang Le about her martial arts and knowledge of the Duan family's mechanism techniques.
Chang Le explained that her real name was Chang Le, a brigand, and that she merely resembled Liu Yuyao, which led Prime Minister Liu to abduct her and force her to act as a substitute. She stated that she learned her mechanical skills from her nameless master. General Shen, however, refused to believe her story. When Li Che attempted to defend Chang Le, General Shen severely reprimanded him, ordering him confined for reflection, accusing him of being blinded by infatuation.
Li Che desperately pleaded with his grandfather, General Shen, but his appeals were repeatedly rejected. Lord Xie, secretly an agent of Prime Minister Liu, then presented a letter to General Shen. The letter claimed that Chang Le possessed a crucial secret about the Crown Prince that could completely ruin the Shen family. This revelation immediately changed General Shen's stance, and he ordered Lord Xie to thoroughly interrogate Chang Le, aiming to extract the secret.
Chang Le was subjected to brutal torture, resulting in her being severely injured and falling unconscious. Meanwhile, Gongsun Mo, having heard Nong Ying's account of Chang Le's striking resemblance to Liu Yuyao and her training from a nameless master, found her story credible. He attempted once more to speak with General Shen but was blocked by the prison guards. Confined in the prison, he engaged in conversation with Nong Ying.
She asked him to explain the meaning of a story he had once told, about a loquat tree planted for a deceased wife, and then, with a hint of melancholy, asked if he would plant a loquat tree for her if General Shen killed her, leaving Gongsun Mo speechless. Brother Qin, determined to fulfill his promise, actively sought an opportunity to rescue Chang Le.
Unable to persuade his grandfather, Li Che, armed with a dagger, forcibly entered the dungeon where Chang Le was held. Separately, the Empress discovered that Li Heng had secretly hired five skilled assassins from the black market to aid Zhu Yan in escaping her impending forced marriage.
