Fake Princess Episode 19 Recap
> Fake Princess Recap
Chang Le asked Brother Qin about his relationship with her master, Duan Nianer. Brother Qin explained that over twenty years ago, when he was Chang Le's age, he was a moderately famous thief. One day, while stealing from the Duan mansion, he met Duan Nianer, her master. They started with a fight but quickly became friends and fell in love. Chang Le, realizing she had no parents, playfully wondered if she was their daughter, but Brother Qin quickly denied it.
He continued, recalling that their love blossomed during a time of national crisis, with Shi Hongbo in power, the treasury empty, and wars raging on the border with Li Kingdom, causing widespread suffering. Nianer, a deeply patriotic woman, insisted she would marry a hero who served the country, not an ordinary man.
She urged him to join the army on the border, promising to marry him upon his return if he survived, and to remain unmarried for life if he died. Brother Qin agreed, serving under Nianer's brother, Duan Jin, who was a general guarding the border. However, the Duan family was later implicated in Shi Hongbo's case, offending the emperor and leading to their entire clan's extermination.
Upon hearing this, Chang Le was shocked, realizing her master had never spoken of her family's tragic past. Brother Qin explained that after returning from the border and failing to find any trace of Nianer, he angrily resumed his thieving ways, robbing the corrupt officials responsible for the Duan family's downfall. He then became known as the Stolen Saint while living on Baiyi Mountain, often robbing the rich to help the poor.
He concluded by jokingly declaring Chang Le his "disciple's disciple," since he taught Nianer all her stealing techniques. Chang Le playfully bowed to him and vowed to find Nianer and confront her about faking her death. Later, Gongsun Mo entered his study to find Nong Ying engrossed in a book. He was surprised, asking why she sought books in his residence when the Crown Prince's palace had plenty.
Nong Ying ignored him, focusing on a passage he had once read to her: "There is a loquat in my yard, which is planted by me at my wife's death year, and now it is lush as a big umbrella." She expressed her fondness for the quote, reflecting on the brevity of human life compared to the enduring growth of a tree, yet questioning the meaning of a tree's lushness once its planter is gone.
Gongsun Mo, standing nearby, secretly yearned to hold her hand. However, he lamented his frail health, believing he had less than a year to live, and felt he shouldn't burden her life. Nong Ying then revealed that in two days, her mother would be rescued, and she would finally be free. She told Gongsun Mo that if no one tried to keep her, she would leave to roam the jianghu, the vast world of martial artists and adventurers.
He asked where she would go, and she simply replied, "Anywhere the world is big enough to go." The day of the emperor's wedding arrived, but the atmosphere was unusually quiet. The Third Princess, Arietty, noticed this and asked Li Che about it. Li Che explained that according to their customs in Pei Kingdom, grand wedding ceremonies were reserved only for marrying the first wife, while today's ceremony was for marrying a concubine, requiring only a family feast.
Disappointed by the lack of grandeur, the Third Princess suggested they use this opportunity to ask the emperor for their marriage. Li Che politely declined, stating that it was not the right time. Meanwhile, Zhu Yan, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, Zhu Yage, walked in her elaborate bridal attire towards the main hall. Li Heng watched his beloved Zhu Yan become the emperor's concubine, his heart churning with emotion but his face remaining impassive.
The Empress, however, reveled in her secret joy. At this moment, Miss Dong dramatically requested an audience with the emperor, much to the Empress's displeasure. Separately, Brother Qin managed to coerce a servant from Liu Xiangguo's mansion into revealing the patrol schedules, offering martial arts training in return, which the servant readily accepted and called Qin his "master." Back in the main hall, the Emperor introduced his sons to Miss Dong.
Observing Li Che, Miss Dong remarked on his striking resemblance to Shen Yujun, Li Che's deceased mother. She then inquired about his mastery of the Shen family swordsmanship. Li Che humbly admitted he hadn't inherited much of his mother's skill, but at the Emperor's urging, he performed a sword dance. As Li Che performed his flowing sword routine, Chang Le watched, captivated. Li Heng then stepped forward, requesting to spar with Li Che. His swordplay was fierce and aggressive.
The two princes were evenly matched, a sight that made Chang Le incredibly nervous. In the heat of the duel, Li Heng's broken dagger flew dangerously close to the Emperor's banquet table, startling the Emperor, who quickly recoiled. The Empress immediately intervened, apologizing on Li Heng's behalf and ordering him to withdraw, claiming he was merely distracted by academic frustrations. Miss Dong, ever the diplomat, praised the martial prowess of both princes.
The Emperor inquired about Li Che's well-being, to which Li Che calmly replied that he was unharmed. Internally, however, Li Che was deeply troubled, pondering why Li Heng had attacked him with such overwhelming force, clearly intending to kill him. Li Heng's aggressive behavior raised Li Che's suspicions, prompting him to discuss the matter with Gongsun Mo.
They couldn't reach a definitive conclusion, though Gongsun Mo suggested Li Heng might be feeling pressure due to Li Che gaining support from Ye Ming State through the Third Princess. Li Che also expressed his concern about the Third Princess but spoke evasively. Noticing his reluctance to elaborate, Gongsun Mo took his leave, advising Li Che to be cautious around Li Heng.
It was revealed that Li Che had received a letter from Ye Ming State, proposing a marriage alliance with the Third Princess, Arietty, to legitimize their support in the intense struggle for the throne. However, Li Che's heart belonged solely to Chang Le, placing him in a difficult predicament. Meanwhile, in Liu's mansion, Liu Xiangguo brutally interrogated an old man, attempting to extract a secret. Despite the torture, the old man remained defiant, taunting Liu Xiangguo and refusing to cooperate.
Liu Xiangguo, frustrated but insistent, ordered his men to continue the torture but ensure the old man stayed alive. Elsewhere, the Fifth Prince, Li Heng, visited Master Pang at his establishment to store a box. Master Pang, adhering to protocol, requested to open the box for registration. Li Heng initially refused, insisting it remain closed, but eventually conceded. Upon seeing the contents, Master Pang commented that the storage fee would far exceed the items' value.
Without hesitation, Li Heng paid with banknotes, instructing Master Pang to store the box in the best cabinet for a hundred years, ensuring it was regularly cleaned and never allowed to mold. He declined a receipt, stating that keeping one was as bad as not storing the items at all, and instead left a cryptic message as a code for retrieval: "Nicely incised rails and jade stages are still there, with my missing one getting old."
The Third Princess, Arietty, confronted Li Che again about their wedding. Li Che, still conflicted, tried to gently dissuade her, asking her to reconsider her decision, emphasizing the lifelong commitment of marriage. However, the Third Princess was resolute, reminding him of their childhood pact and revealing that she had arrived in Pei Kingdom with her dowry already in tow. Chang Le, who happened to overhear the mention of a "dowry," immediately stepped forward, demanding to know what was going on.
Li Che quickly explained that his seemingly impending marriage to the Third Princess was merely a ruse: a plan to host a martial arts competition for her hand, specifically designed to lure Li Heng out of the palace so they could rescue the hostages from Liu Xiangguo's mansion. Once Li Heng was outside, the rest of the plan would be much simpler.
As they discussed the details of the rescue, they emphasized the critical need for the Third Princess to persuade the Emperor to hold the competition outside the palace walls. This was crucial because the palace's strict security would hinder their operations. They also deliberated on how to manipulate Liu Sheng and his skilled son, Liu Sansi, who managed the mansion's security, to leave the premises without inciting Liu Sheng's wrath or escalating security.
Li Che suggested they would need to "bother" their adversaries to achieve their goals. Following this, Li Che and Chang Le returned to Taoyuan Village. There, they revealed their true identities: Li Che as the Crown Prince and Chang Le as the Crown Princess. The villagers were initially stunned, falling silent when they learned Li Che's mother was Shen Yujun, the former Empress.
Li Che, seeing their reaction, offered to let them leave if they blamed him for his mother's past actions and the pain her family had caused. However, to his surprise, the villagers, wielding their tools, unanimously stepped forward, expressing their unwavering support. They reminded Li Che that despite being abandoned by the state, his mother, Shen Yujun, had saved them, and Li Che himself had cared for the village's elders and children for years, making both of them their benefactors.
They explained that in times of war, there was no right or wrong, only the inherent wrongness of conflict itself. They playfully chided Li Che for deceiving them for so long, but welcomed him back as "Wanan" (the name he used in the village) and eagerly offered their assistance with his dangerous task. With renewed spirits and a shared purpose, everyone returned to the banquet table, raising their cups in celebration.
Later, the Third Princess sought an audience with the Emperor, formally requesting to hold her marriage competition outside the palace. She explained that with the Emperor's wedding complete, she had finished her first mission in Pei Kingdom and was ready for her second: finding a husband. She praised the abundance of talented young men in Pei, stating her desire to choose the very best. She proposed a competition at Yuntuo Villa, allowing all princes and aristocrats to compete fairly.
The Emperor, amused, questioned why it couldn't be held within the palace. The Third Princess ingeniously explained her own kingdom's custom of worshipping their true god before such events, and since the palace only had artificial mountains, holding it there would mean worshipping a "fake god." Understanding her reasoning, the Emperor granted her request. He instructed Eunuch Han to coordinate with the Third Princess and the Ministry of Rites to ensure the competition was grandly organized.
Meanwhile, in his residence, Li Heng was meticulously cleaning a dagger. A servant commented that despite Li Heng's fondness for the weapon, he never used it. Li Heng, lost in thought, mused that he once believed all problems could be solved through books, but now he realized that not everything could be understood or resolved by mere study. Just as he was contemplating this, the Empress arrived, prompting him to quickly conceal the dagger.
