Fake Princess Episode 16 Recap
> Fake Princess Recap
The Third Princess was captivated by Chang Le's exceptional grilling skills and directly asked Li Che if he had taught her. To maintain the charade, Li Che readily confirmed that he had, praising Chang Le's quick learning ability. The Third Princess then requested Chang Le to teach her the technique.
After watching the Third Princess char a chicken, Chang Le playfully asked Li Che if she was superior at grilling, to which Li Che simply remarked how pitiful the chicken was. Meanwhile, Gongsun Mo's stomach rumbled with hunger. Nong Ying, having roasted a chicken, personally fed it to him, having earlier expressed concern about his health and suggesting a visit to a miracle doctor in Rong City since imperial physicians had no solutions.
The following morning, Gongsun Mo approached Li Che, observing that Nong Ying had been acting strangely towards him. Admitting his lack of understanding regarding women, he pressed Li Che for an explanation. On Auntie Zheng's seventieth birthday, Uncle Zheng presented her with new clothes, which she joyfully accepted, expressing gratitude that he still remembered her name after so many years.
As she went to fetch the birthday noodles, both Li Heng and Zhu Yan noticed the dishes on the table were quite salty. Uncle Zheng then confided in them that Auntie Zheng's sense of taste had deteriorated with age, and he had been accustomed to eating her salty cooking for years. Deeply touched by this revelation, Li Heng and Zhu Yan expressed admiration for their enduring love.
During the meal, Li Heng proposed that Uncle Zheng and Auntie Zheng serve as their marriage witnesses, a request they enthusiastically granted. Auntie Zheng even retrieved her cherished wedding dress from decades past for Zhu Yan. As Li Heng and Zhu Yan performed the traditional kneeling rites before the elders, their pursuers suddenly stormed the scene. Despite a blade being held to his throat, Li Heng steadfastly completed the ceremony.
Afterwards, he lifted Zhu Yan's red veil, declaring their marriage complete and stating that any subsequent marriage for her would be invalid, to which Zhu Yan silently assented. The assassins then mercilessly took the lives of Uncle Zheng and Auntie Zheng before their eyes, deeply traumatizing Li Heng. Upon hearing Li Che's voice from a passing palanquin, Li Heng, heartbroken and enraged, vowed eternal enmity against him.
In response, Li Che, from his palanquin, taunted Li Heng, claiming responsibility for his capture and vowing to make him watch his beloved woman be taken away before defeating him, all to avenge his past humiliation and expulsion from the palace. Li Heng challenged Li Che to kill him then, but Li Che refused, wanting him to suffer. Li Heng declared that if Li Che didn't kill him today, they would be irreconcilable foes.
Li Che's group arrived in Rong City and settled into an inn. The Third Princess naturally gravitated towards Li Che, sitting beside him, which instantly sparked jealousy in Chang Le. Chang Le firmly pulled Li Che's arm, asserting her position as Crown Princess. To defuse the brewing argument, the others rallied around Chang Le, subtly encouraging the Third Princess to retire for the night.
Li Che later discussed with a guide how to manage the Third Princess during their upcoming trip to see the Stolen Saint on Qingmeng Mountain, as the guide had personal reasons not to show himself there. Meanwhile, Li Heng awoke at Prime Minister Liu's residence to find Zhu Yan beside him and immediately embraced her, expressing his joy. Zhu Yan, however, responded that she was already content, causing Li Heng to realize their precarious situation.
Prime Minister Liu angrily chastised Li Heng for his behavior, deeming his relationship with Zhu Yan a grave crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of both the Zhu and Liu families. The Empress, however, urged her husband to be more lenient, reminding him that Li Heng was a sensible child and that their safe return was a blessing, suggesting they pretend nothing had happened.
Prime Minister Liu then offered to send Zhu Yan back to her residence with his guards. Li Heng insisted on escorting her himself, a request the Empress granted, but with a strict instruction: he must deliver Consort Hui (referring to Zhu Yan by this new, significant title) to the back door of the Zhu residence. Li Heng thanked his mother. As they prepared to leave, Prime Minister Liu, still uneasy, questioned the Empress about the plan's feasibility.
The Empress enigmatically replied that the one truly responsible for the situation knew it in their heart. The next morning, Li Che, still needing a way to prevent the Third Princess from joining his secret mission, instructed Chang Le to feign a stomachache. However, the astute Third Princess saw right through their ruse, openly questioning their true intentions in Rong City.
On the sorrowful journey back to the Zhu residence, Li Heng was overwhelmed with guilt, blaming himself for not destroying their correspondence sooner. He desperately pleaded with Zhu Yan to elope with him once more, to hide in the mountains where no one could find them. But Zhu Yan gently refused, explaining that her previous escape with him had exhausted all her courage.
She could no longer selfishly abandon her family, as it would inevitably lead to severe repercussions for the entire Zhu household from the Emperor. Li Heng, consumed by desperation, insisted there must be a way, begging her not to cry and promising to find a solution. With immense sadness, they shared a final, tight embrace.
As Zhu Yan prepared to leave, she asked Li Heng to close his eyes and recite a poem until she was gone, a request he initially resisted but ultimately conceded to. While Li Heng recited the verses of "Jin Se," Zhu Yan walked away, her heart heavy. When he opened his eyes, she was gone, taken by the guards. Li Heng was left to watch, heartbroken and helpless, as Zhu Yan vanished from his sight, returning to the Zhu residence.
Li Heng, unable to comprehend why fate had so cruelly separated him from his beloved, directed all his simmering hatred and resentment towards Li Che the moment Zhu Yan re-entered the Zhu residence. He remained unaware that the true orchestrators behind his suffering were Prime Minister Liu and the Empress. Meanwhile, Chang Le and the Third Princess continued their competitive antics, now vying for Li Che's attention on their journey to the Stolen Saint's dwelling on Qingmeng Mountain.
Upon arrival, the doorkeeper informed them that to meet the master, only one person could undertake the challenge: retrieving two jars of the master's favorite Liangjia wine from town. Chang Le, finding the task seemingly simple, eagerly volunteered. Not wanting to miss out on the excitement, the Third Princess also insisted on competing, prompting both of them to rush off to fulfill the task. In a separate development, Nong Ying and Gongsun Mo found Dr. Xue.
Upon checking Gongsun Mo's pulse, Dr. Xue immediately diagnosed him with a severe cold illness, which he had suffered from since childhood, compounded by recent poisoning and exposure to cold water. Known for his insatiable greed, Dr. Xue demanded a hefty fee of one hundred taels for a prescription, explaining that while the written prescription was cheap, the genius behind it was priceless. Inside the inner room, Gongsun Mo took the prescribed medicine but soon collapsed in agony.
Nong Ying, alarmed, confronted Dr. Xue, who calmly explained it was a normal reaction due to the clash of coldness and medicine, and that Gongsun Mo would awaken shortly. Nong Ying, however, fiercely warned Dr. Xue not to leave until Gongsun Mo was fully conscious. Chang Le and the Third Princess, determined to prove themselves, began a spirited drinking contest to secure the wine from Swordsman Liang, the first challenge-giver.
Despite Li Che's attempts to mediate their increasingly inebriated state, both women drank excessively, eventually becoming drunk and accidentally smashing the wine jars. Swordsman Liang declared they both passed since they both "got" the wine. The second challenge, presented by an old woman (Granny) and her assistant Xiaoqing, required them to collect a few bird eggs from a tree outside the city. The two still-drunk women rushed off to complete this new task. After some time, Gongsun Mo regained consciousness.
Nong Ying, observing his improved condition, thanked Dr. Xue. The doctor, after re-examining Gongsun Mo's pulse, revealed that his current medicine would only extend his life by three years. A complete cure, he explained, required boiling and consuming the root of a rare Huoyu lilac. Dr. Xue admitted he possessed the only known specimen but refused to sell it.
He offered a deal: if Gongsun Mo could retrieve a treasure map belonging to the notoriously wealthy and corrupt official Shi Hongbo, currently held by a man named Leng Yongnian in Rong City, he would give him the Huoyu lilac root.
Later, when Nong Ying inquired about Gongsun Mo's condition, he pretended to be fully recovered, and Dr. Xue, subtly cooperating with Gongsun Mo's request to keep his true condition from Nong Ying, gave a non-committal health tip about washing feet, allowing Nong Ying to believe he was fine.
