Good Bye, My Princess Episode 23 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
On the evening of the Spring Lantern Festival, the capital city of Shangjing was brightly illuminated. Mingyue, burdened with worries, sat alone playing her zither. Gu Jian, unwilling to see her so melancholic, invited her to wander the streets, affirming their friendship regardless of past events. He asked her to accompany him, as he had been in Shangjing for a long time but had yet to experience its bustling markets.
Meanwhile, Yongning and Luoxi were enjoying the lantern market with Xiaofeng when they encountered Li Chengyin and Pei Zhao. Yongning, seizing the opportunity, deliberately pulled Luoxi along with Pei Zhao, claiming Luoxi wanted to visit Weipin Pavilion and instructing Pei Zhao to escort them. Before leaving, Yongning playfully told Li Chengyin to take good care of Xiaofeng.
Alone with her, Li Chengyin looked at Xiaofeng's red outfit and remarked that while he previously disliked the color, she looked exceptionally radiant in it. Xiaofeng wanted a sugar figurine from a street vendor, but both she and Li Chengyin had forgotten to bring money. With a clever idea, they decided to perform in the crowded market. Li Chengyin's sword movements were powerful and swift, while Xiaofeng enthusiastically beat a gong and cheered, creating a lively spectacle.
Having gathered enough coins, Li Chengyin excitedly pulled Xiaofeng to buy the sugar figurines, and her heart swelled with joy. At the stall, Xiaofeng happily bought two figurines. However, a passerby bumped into her, causing one to shatter. As she bent to pick up the pieces, she was stunned to see Li Chengyin nearby, laughing and talking with Zhao Sese. Overwhelmed with disappointment, Xiaofeng silently departed alone. Li Chengyin, speaking distractedly with Zhao Sese, kept searching for Xiaofeng.
Noticing his absentmindedness, Zhao Sese tearfully expressed her understanding that he was determined to become Crown Prince and that Xiaofeng would be his consort. Pleading for no official title, she only asked to be kept in his heart. Soon after, Xiaofeng found Yongning and Luoxi. Yongning comforted her, assuring her that Zhao Sese's gentle act couldn't last forever and Li Chengyin would eventually see Xiaofeng's true worth.
Yongning, who had just bought rouge made from rare safflower petals from Xiaofeng's homeland, tried to cheer her up by recounting how the state guesthouse was filled with envoys from various countries, all there to celebrate Xiaofeng's upcoming wedding—an honor Zhao Sese would never have. Xiaofeng's eyes lit up, realizing she might see people from Xi State. She wanted to go immediately, but Yongning cautioned against it.
Xiaofeng then voiced her deep concern that none of her letters to Xi State had been answered, leaving her to wonder if her father would even attend her wedding. Later, Gu Jian quietly visited Xiaofeng. He reminisced about an incident in Xi State when she had furiously run away after seeing him in a hairpin store with another man.
Gu Jian explained that he had been buying a gift for her, and he worried she might be upset after seeing him with Mingyue earlier. However, Xiaofeng claimed to have no memory of the past events he described, stating she did not remember him. Li Chengyin discussed the struggle for the Crown Prince position with Chai Mu, noting the Fourth Prince as his only remaining rival. Li Chengyin decided to remain passive, believing that any anxious moves would reveal weakness.
Aware he could not contend, the Fourth Prince requested the Emperor's permission to recuperate in Jiangnan, which was granted. The Emperor then tested Li Chengyin's wisdom with a medicated tea, using it as a political metaphor. Li Chengyin's insightful answer, advocating for a gradual approach to solving deep-rooted national problems, greatly impressed his father. An imperial edict was proclaimed, invoking historical precedents to praise Li Chengyin's merit and righteousness.
The edict formally named him Crown Prince and ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange a grand ceremony. Soon after, in the late spring of the twenty-fourth year of Tientong, Li Chengyin was officially conferred the title, granted the crown and seals, and moved into the Eastern Palace.
A new administration was established for him, with key appointments including Li Shiqing as Junior Preceptor, Zhao Jingyu as Junior Guardian, and Pei Zhao as the Commander of the Crown Prince's Palace Guards. As Li Chengyin stepped into the Eastern Palace, he involuntarily thought of his late brothers, Li Chengji and Li Chengye, recognizing he was now the third Crown Prince to occupy it. That night, Xiaofeng stood alone, aware that with Li Chengyin's ascension, her marriage was imminent.
Gu Jian appeared and firmly asked if she was willing to marry Li Chengyin. He stated that if she was not, he would take her back to Xi State that very night.
