Good Bye, My Princess Episode 17 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
When the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince, Li Yan entered alongside him. Ninth Princess Xiaofeng immediately identified Li Yan as the suspicious man from the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, recalling his panicked reaction when she knocked on a statue. Li Yan feigned innocence, claiming he was merely supervising the statues as ordered and that the copper was allocated by the Ministry of Revenue.
Xiaofeng countered, stating that she and Prince Yi, Li Chengyin, had checked the Ministry of Revenue's records and discovered that the amount of copper circulating in the market far exceeded the empire's annual production, implying Li Yan's source was illicit. After Li Yan accused them of illegally inspecting his ministry's accounts, Xiaofeng clarified she had found the information while researching local gazetteers.
Li Yan then knelt before the Emperor, pleading innocence and feigning confusion as to why he was being targeted. The Crown Prince, Li Chengye, defended his confidant, Li Yan, asserting that Xiaofeng's accusation was unreliable. Xiaofeng insisted on opening the statue to reveal the truth, but Li Yan vehemently opposed it, citing the sanctity of the blessed idols. Unfazed, Xiaofeng proposed a clever alternative: weighing the statue.
A solid copper statue's weight would match the Ministry's records, while a mud-filled fake would be significantly lighter. Impressed, the Emperor agreed and ordered General Ceng Xian to seal the temple with the Shenwu Army for an official investigation the next day. The following day, a massive Buddha statue was transported by elephant to be weighed on a boat, a spectacle that drew a large crowd. To Xiaofeng’s shock, the statue's weight matched the official records perfectly.
She insisted the statue had been swapped overnight, as she had personally seen workers applying copper paint to a mud sculpture. Li Yan, who had stood vigil at the temple, declared a swap was impossible and mocked her for backing out of her claim. The Crown Prince patronizingly dismissed the issue, stating Xiaofeng wasn't a military person and her pledge shouldn't be taken seriously.
In contrast, Prince Yi Li Chengyin, seeing Xiaofeng’s distress, requested that the Emperor investigate a second statue. However, the Emperor, concerned with royal dignity, declared the matter closed. As they left, Xiaofeng thanked Li Chengyin for his support. He acknowledged that he had involved her and advised her to let the matter rest. Later, Chai Mu admonished Li Chengyin for his rashness in publicly defending Xiaofeng, warning that it could alienate the powerful Prime Minister Gao and weaken their position.
That night, Li Chengyin visited Prime Minister Gao Yuming to apologize for his impulsiveness, admitting he had disrupted the plan Gao and Empress Zhang had arranged for him. Gao advised him to learn from the experience. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and Li Yan celebrated their narrow escape. Li Chengye thanked Li Yan's father for orchestrating the overnight swap of the statue.
Furious that Prince Yi knew their secrets, Li Yan suggested killing him but was rebuked by his father for the reckless idea. Li Chengye agreed a more subtle approach, befitting the capital's ways, was needed. Later, Zhao Sese visited Li Chengyin in the snow, concerned about the day's events and his association with Xiaofeng. He reassured her they were only investigating a case together, and their mutual affection was well-known, which assuaged her fears.
The next day, Princess Yongning and Princess Luoxi brought Xiaofeng to the hot springs. They accidentally entered the men's bathing area, where they found General Pei Zhao and Li Chengyin. A flustered Luoxi stumbled into Pei Zhao, who quickly escorted her away, while Xiaofeng was left face-to-face with a submerged Li Chengyin. She chided him for not looking away, but her presence triggered a sharp headache and confusing flashes of memory in him.
He wondered aloud if she was his nemesis. Xiaofeng retorted sarcastically, thanking him for the fact they didn't have to marry and noting his good fortune in having the gentle Lady Zhao. Later, at the Imperial Villa, Li Yan was found whipping Li Chengyin's servant, Chan'er, claiming she had startled the Crown Prince's horse. Li Chengyin intervened to protect his servant, but Li Yan insinuated Chan'er was his master's lover.
The Crown Prince arrived and insisted on taking Chan'er for punishment, claiming she had been disrespectful. Unwilling to openly clash with his brother, Li Chengyin relented, pleading only that the Crown Prince spare her life. That evening, the Crown Prince invited Xiaofeng, Yongning, and Luoxi to dinner. Seeing Xiaofeng enjoy the silver ear snow pear soup, he offered her his own bowl, which she gratefully accepted and drank. Moments later, she collapsed from poison.
The Emperor arrived at the sealed-off villa, enraged. The imperial physician reported that Xiaofeng was severely poisoned with an unknown substance and would die within three days without an antidote. The head steward, Lu Pingzhang, reported the day's arrivals and noted that Li Chengyin had left early with Pei Zhao. When the Emperor demanded to know why, Li Yan eagerly recounted the confrontation over Chan'er, implying Li Chengyin was on the verge of fighting both him and the Crown Prince.
The investigation revealed that while the kitchen was secure, it was Li Chengyin's servant, Chan'er, who had taken the tray with the poisoned soup and delivered it directly to Xiaofeng. Furthermore, when apprehended, Chan'er was caught dumping a suspicious pouch into a pond.
