Fake Princess Episode 6 Recap
> Fake Princess Recap
General Shen secretly met with Li Che, informing him that General Wang's autopsy report revealed a more complex death than anticipated. General Wang was fatally stabbed in the chest with a dagger while entirely unprepared, suggesting an assassination rather than a battlefield casualty. General Shen believed this implicated Prime Minister Liu and stated he had already initiated a thorough investigation, hoping to find leverage to remove Prime Minister Liu from power.
General Shen also mentioned that Lord Zhu and others found Chang Le (Liu Yuyao) to be a difficult opponent, handing Li Che a letter with instructions on how to proceed. Li Che initially defended Chang Le, citing her kindness and her assistance against the Empress, but General Shen warned him not to be swayed and simply follow the plan outlined in the letter. General Shen then urged Li Che to return to the Prince's mansion quickly to avoid suspicion.
Li Che remained sullen and refused breakfast brought by his maid, dismissing her to privately read his grandfather's letter, which outlined the plan. Meanwhile, Chang Le, upon waking, reflected on her past injuries, noting the unusual comfort of being cared for and having someone apply medicine for her. Hearing from a cook that Li Che was in a bad mood and refusing food, Chang Le decided to try to cheer him up herself.
Chang Le approached Li Che with his breakfast, initially hesitant, but Li Che, his somber demeanor instantly disappeared, replaced with warmth and concern, took her hand and gently brought her to sit. He asked if she had slept well and suggested they eat together, even though she claimed to have already eaten. Li Che then promised to take her to a "fantastic place" that night – the Lantern Show.
Chang Le, though still a bit wary of his sudden change in mood, agreed to go with him. Later, Gongsun Mo spotted Nong Ying entering Prime Minister Liu's mansion and stealthily followed her. Inside, Nong Ying presented Prime Minister Liu with a map of the Prince's mansion, complete with guard shift timings.
When Prime Minister Liu revealed that Gongsun Mo had been following her, he ordered Nong Ying to lead Gongsun Mo to a secluded spot and kill him to eliminate any threat. Nong Ying, however, refused the order, explaining that a further detour would cause her to return to the Prince's mansion too late and raise Li Che's suspicions. Prime Minister Liu accepted her reasoning and instead dispatched an assassin disguised as Nong Ying to lure Gongsun Mo.
The real Nong Ying, anticipating the trap, quickly incapacitated a passerby, exchanged clothes, and rushed to intercept. She arrived as Gongsun Mo was being overpowered by the assassin, who had already severely injured him. Nong Ying saved Gongsun Mo's life by killing the assassin, but not before sustaining a cut on her right arm. She then carefully bandaged the unconscious Gongsun Mo's wounds before departing the scene.
Chang Le noticed Nong Ying's pale complexion and tried to inquire about it, but Nong Ying brushed off her concern. As Nong Ying helped Chang Le get ready, Chang Le mentioned her desire to wear a specific beautiful pink and white dress.
Nong Ying playfully asked why Chang Le was putting so much effort into her appearance, deducing her excitement was for the upcoming Lantern Show, despite Chang Le's attempts to downplay her anticipation and claim disinterest in the festival itself. Li Che and Chang Le arrived at the Lantern Show, a bustling ten-mile street illuminated with beautiful lights.
Li Che explained that everyone must wear a mask at the festival to encourage interaction without regard for social status, a tradition initiated by Empress Shen to help young people find love. Nearby, Fifth Prince Li Heng sought out Zhu Yan. He had prepared several challenging riddles, all based on her favorite poetry, and enlisted the Seventh Prince Li Lv to loudly announce the prize-winning quiz, hoping to attract Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan, displaying remarkable intelligence, effortlessly solved the riddles, even identifying a trick question Li Heng had intentionally included. Impressed, Li Heng presented her with two tickets to a shadow puppet show and invited her to accompany him. Zhu Yan, acknowledging his intellect, readily accepted his invitation. Overjoyed, Li Heng thanked the Seventh Prince Li Lv and then went with Zhu Yan to enjoy the shadow play. At a stall, Li Che and Chang Le admired a pair of earrings.
However, another woman claimed them, leading to a heated argument. The woman aggressively tried to snatch the earrings from Chang Le, provoking Li Che, who declared himself the Crown Prince and threatened to beat them. Chang Le quickly intervened, urging Li Che to calm down and pointing out that such a public confrontation would damage his reputation and give the Empress a reason to target him. She conceded the earrings to the couple to avoid further conflict.
While Li Heng and Zhu Yan enjoyed a shadow puppet play about Chenxiang saving his mother, which deeply moved Zhu Yan, Li Heng noticed her sadness. He offered to show her something interesting: what was happening at the distant Moonlight Tower, intriguing her curiosity. Meanwhile, Li Che still felt bad about not getting Chang Le the earrings, unaware that Chang Le had already subtly taken them as "compensation" for diffusing the earlier conflict.
Chang Le then asked Li Che, hypothetically, if he would still love her if she were not the eldest daughter of the Liu family. Li Che firmly dismissed her "ifs," promising that he would never let anything happen to her. Under a sky lit by brilliant fireworks, the two shared a passionate kiss. Li Heng then presented Zhu Yan with a western telescope, which allowed her to clearly see the Moonlight Tower and its occupants, much to her delight.
Zhu Yan realized that the entire evening's arrangements were Li Heng's thoughtful gesture. He confessed his immediate affection for her. However, Zhu Yan, concerned about the repercussions from the Empress, asked him to keep his distance. Li Heng expressed confusion, wondering why her demeanor changed after he revealed his identity, and urged her to disregard their statuses.
He passionately explained that he didn't want to be bound by fate in love and wished they could simply be Li Heng and Zhu Yan, unburdened by their public roles. Despite Li Heng's heartfelt plea for them to cast aside their official titles and pursue their feelings as simply "Li Heng and Zhu Yan," Zhu Yan remained steadfast.
After a moment's hesitation, she firmly stated that their differing identities as the Fifth Prince and the daughter of the Zhu family made a relationship impossible and that they should not meet again, returning his telescope. Upon their return to the mansion, Li Che gently applied medicine to Chang Le's arm, their tender exchange mirroring that of a newly married couple.
Chang Le, despite claiming her wound was healed, still felt an itch, which Li Che affectionately told her to endure. He then told her to have an early night as she drifted off to sleep. Heavily injured, Gongsun Mo was helped back to the mansion, recounting his near-death experience. He warned Li Che about Nong Ying's suspicious behavior, as she seemed to be impersonated by an assassin from Prime Minister Liu's household.
Gongsun Mo then voiced concerns about Li Che's growing closeness to Chang Le (Liu Yuyao), fearing he was developing genuine feelings and letting his guard down. Li Che, to clarify, revealed that his actions were entirely orchestrated by General Shen, showing Gongsun Mo a letter.
The letter detailed General Shen's strategy: since Chang Le was a person of deep emotion, especially after her beloved Mr. Duan's likely death at the hands of Prime Minister Liu, Li Che was to gain her affection. By making her fall in love with him, she would eventually betray the Liu family and become a valuable asset against Prime Minister Liu.
Gongsun Mo grasped the deception, accusing Li Che of merely using Chang Le for the mission, not genuinely caring for her. Li Che, claiming it was part of his "mission," hastily left Gongsun Mo to buy Chang Le a night snack from the west city, which made Gongsun Mo suspect that Li Che was indeed developing genuine feelings for her. Meanwhile, Li Heng gave Zhu Yan's calligraphy and painting to the Seventh Prince Li Lv, instructing him to return it.
However, Li Lv accidentally dropped the painting, which was then picked up by Lord Zhu. Seeing his daughter's portrait, Lord Zhu mistakenly believed that the Seventh Prince Li Lv harbored feelings for Zhu Yan.
