Good Bye, My Princess Episode 24 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
Gu Jian visits Xiaofeng, knowing her wedding is imminent. He offers to help her escape to Xi State that very night if she is unwilling to marry, or to stay by her side if she wishes to remain. Outside, A'Du confronts Gu Jian, questioning his intentions. He explains his desire to take Xiaofeng to a place free from suffering, as he considers the palace and Li Chengyin too dangerous.
A'Du reminds him that he, too, is someone Xiaofeng has forgotten and should not be close to. Gu Jian sorrowfully agrees, fearing his presence might cause her to remember her painful past, making him a "sinner" in her life once more. A'Du asserts that as long as Xiaofeng can live happily, forgetting her past, any place is fine, and she vows to protect her. The next morning, Li Chengyin visits Xiaofeng and she congratulates him on becoming the Crown Prince.
When he presents her with intricate gifts, she remarks that she dislikes such complicated things. Recalling a drunken night when she lamented wanting to return to Xi State because no one truly cared for her in the Li Empire, she realizes it was Li Chengyin, not Pei Zhao, who escorted her back. Li Chengyin promises to handle all complex matters for her from now on.
When Xiaofeng asks if he is asking her to stay, he simply affirms that he is. Later, Xiaofeng goes to the Court of State Ceremonials to meet the envoys from Xi State. After being initially denied entry, General Pei Zhao intervenes and grants her access. She meets Lahemeng, her father's envoy, and eagerly asks about her parents. He reassures her they are well but becomes evasive when she asks about the Danchi envoy and her grandfather, Khan Tömür.
Lahemeng claims the previous envoy retired and that he has not seen any Danchi representatives. Sensing his unease, Xiaofeng presses him, but he avoids her questions and quickly leaves. Meanwhile, Li Chengyin celebrates his investiture as Crown Prince with his mother, Empress Zhang, and his maternal uncle, Gao Yuming. He thanks them for their support and seizes the moment to ask for permission to marry Zhao Sese.
The Empress strongly objects, reminding him that his marriage to Xiaofeng is a matter of state. However, Gao Yuming proposes a solution: marry Xiaofeng as the Crown Princess Consort and Zhao Sese as a concubine of the second rank. Li Chengyin worries this would be unfair to Sese, but his mother retorts that if Sese is unwilling, she can be married off to a dissolute nobleman.
Seeing his mother relent, Li Chengyin is overjoyed, and she advises him that he can still favor Sese after both marriages are complete. Pei Zhao discreetly warns Lahemeng to remain silent about Danchi for the good of everyone involved. Driven by suspicion, Xiaofeng goes to the North Subduing Marquis's manor after seeing goods being delivered from Danchi. She is told the Marquis is not home, as he is currently governing Danchi.
Zhao Sese then appears, revealing the manor is her home and her father is the Marquis. She cruelly informs Xiaofeng that Danchi was eliminated half a year ago by Li Chengyin's forces, and her father was appointed by the Emperor to rule the territory in place of the former Khan. Devastated, Xiaofeng asks about her grandfather, and Sese callously suggests he likely died in battle.
A maid notes that palace staff were forbidden from telling Xiaofeng, but Sese dismisses the rule, claiming she is merely speaking the truth. Overwhelmed with grief and rage, Xiaofeng storms into the Eastern Palace and confronts Li Chengyin, who confirms he led the attack that annihilated Danchi and killed her grandfather. Screaming that she hates him, Xiaofeng tries to attack him.
Li Chengyin restrains her, explaining that while Khan Tömür was her grandfather, he was also an enemy of the Li Empire, and the war between their nations was a complex political reality. Xiaofeng furiously accuses him of using the Danchi people's deaths to secure the title of Crown Prince and eliminate his rival, Li Chengye. After violently flipping a table, she declares she will return to Xi State and cancel the marriage.
Li Chengyin coldly counters that her father already knew of Danchi's fate when he sent her for the political marriage, and that the alliance is critical for Xi State's survival. He stresses that their marriage contract binds their two nations, not just them as individuals. Heartbroken, Xiaofeng confronts A'Du, asking if she also knew she was being sent to marry her grandfather's killer. She tearfully accuses A'Du of deceiving her and pushing her into a "fire pit."
In despair, A'Du draws a dagger to kill herself, but Xiaofeng stops her, and the two embrace in tears. Xiaofeng apologizes, realizing A'Du has also been suffering in silence, unable to return home. Pei Zhao reports Xiaofeng's discovery to Li Chengyin, who worries how he will face her with their wedding just days away. A'Du secretly seeks out Gu Jian, pleading with him to help Xiaofeng escape the marriage, insisting she cannot marry her family's enemy.
Though Gu Jian hesitates, citing the political ramifications for Xi State, A'Du persuades him by appealing to his desire for Xiaofeng's happiness. He agrees and writes a note with an escape plan. However, Xiaofeng's attendant, Yongniang, sees the note. Fearing a scandal and wishing to protect Xiaofeng from punishment, she reports the escape plan to the Grand Empress Dowager, who orders Yongniang to watch Xiaofeng at all times.
When Xiaofeng attempts to flee, she is caught and brought before the Grand Empress Dowager. Kneeling and in tears, she begs to be released, proclaiming she hates Li Chengyin and cannot marry him. The Grand Empress Dowager takes her to the ancestral hall, pointing to the tablet of General Li Renmu, whose great-granddaughter, Consort Mingyuan, had treated Xiaofeng like her own daughter. She reveals that Li Renmu was killed by Xiaofeng's own great-grandfather.
She reminds Xiaofeng that Mingyuan, at a similar age, was sent to Xi State in a political marriage, where she set aside personal hatred for the sake of peace. The Grand Empress Dowager admonishes Xiaofeng for her selfishness, urging her to honor her mission and Consort Mingyuan's sacrifice. Pointing to the memorial candles, she explains they burn for peace and stability. Tearfully, Xiaofeng understands.
The Grand Empress Dowager advises her that if she must hate someone, it should be the Emperor or herself, not the Crown Prince. When Xiaofeng whispers that she misses her home, the old woman gently tells her, "This is your home now."
