Good Bye, My Princess Episode 35 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
Gu Jian reported to Li Chengyin that the child Xuniang was carrying was indeed Zhang Can's. Zhang Can, the Empress's distant cousin and a member of the Yuilin Palace Guards, was known for his illicit activities outside the palace, including rampant gambling and involvement in several murder cases. Xuniang, having originally disliked him, became pregnant after he forced himself upon her. Gu Jian then revealed his detailed plan to sow discord between Prime Minister Gao Yuming and the Empress.
He had placed an agent, Tao Jian, in Gao Zhen's inner circle, gaining intimate knowledge of Gao Zhen's illegal gambling house. The plan was to let Zhang Can incur massive debts there. When Zhang Can became desperate, another agent, Hu Xiao, would advise him to report Gao Zhen's unregistered and untaxed gambling house to the authorities. This would enrage Gao Zhen, prompting him to retaliate.
The critical part of the scheme was to ensure Gao Zhen fled the capital immediately after the incident, preventing any communication between the Empress and the Gao family. This would make Zhang Can's death appear as a mere dispute between gamblers, creating a major rift between Empress Zhang and Prime Minister Gao. Later, Li Chengyin accompanied the Emperor on a visit to Empress Zhang.
Suddenly, the Lady of Pei State, the Empress's mother, arrived in a frantic state with another relative, Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang tearfully implored the Emperor and Empress for justice, explaining that her son, Zhang Can, had been found in the river with his body covered in wounds, clearly beaten to death, despite the official ruling of accidental drowning while intoxicated. Madam Zhang revealed that her son had worked for the Empress, urging her not to abandon him.
Seeing an opportunity, Li Chengyin promptly volunteered to investigate the case, a task the Emperor assigned to him. After the Emperor and Li Chengyin departed, Empress Zhang admonished her mother for her rashness. She expressed deep suspicion about the timing of the Emperor's visit, feeling the incident was too coincidental to be simple. She instructed her mother to monitor the situation closely.
Elsewhere, the Emperor also harbored doubts, confiding in his servant Cao Ji that he believed someone had orchestrated the event. That evening, Li Chengyin, while dining with Zhao Sese, feigned distress over his inexperience and the difficulty of finding officials willing to help with the case. Unaware of his intentions, Zhao Sese kindly recommended her elder brother, Zhao Shixuan, a suggestion Li Chengyin eagerly accepted. Zhao Shixuan, who had a long-standing animosity with Gao Zhen, quickly uncovered evidence implicating him.
Believing Li Chengyin was allied with Prime Minister Gao Yuming and would protect Gao Zhen, Zhao Shixuan decided to act independently. He instructed his subordinates to keep their findings secret from both the Gao family and the Crown Prince, planning to present the evidence directly to the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice. By claiming urgency, he intended to bypass Li Chengyin and prevent him from interfering on Gao Zhen's behalf.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Shixuan, this entire maneuver played perfectly into Li Chengyin's calculated scheme to use him as a spearhead against the Gao family. On the night of the Double Seven Festival, Li Chengyin insisted on taking Xiaofeng out. He found her and playfully threatened to report her to the Empress and Grand Empress Dowager if she didn't come with him. Despite initial reluctance, they rented a boat and ventured onto a lake.
Xiaofeng splashed water at Li Chengyin and sang a song, which he teasingly criticized. When Xiaofeng attempted to row, she accidentally dropped the oar into the water. Stranded, they spent the rest of the night using their hands to paddle the boat back to shore, returning to the palace at dawn. Upon their return, Pei Zhao reported Zhao Shixuan's progress to Li Chengyin, detailing how Zhao Shixuan had gathered evidence and was preparing to arrest Gao Zhen.
Li Chengyin simply smiled, content that Zhao Shixuan's actions would create a conflict from which he could remain detached. Meanwhile, concerned that Li Chengyin might have caught a chill, Zhao Sese went to the kitchen to prepare ginger soup for him. There, she overheard servants preparing ginger soup on Li Chengyin's orders, but specifically for the Crown Princess, Xiaofeng. Realizing Li Chengyin had lied about being with her brother and had spent the night with Xiaofeng, Zhao Sese left heartbroken.
Soon after, Zhao Shixuan's men apprehended Gao Zhen and brought him back to the capital. At court, Prime Minister Gao, enraged by his son's arrest, confronted the ministers. They presented their findings: Gao Zhen had established an illegal gambling house and, seeking revenge after Zhang Can reported it, had murdered Zhang Can and disposed of the body in the river before fleeing.
Li Chengyin, feigning shock, publicly reprimanded Zhao Shixuan for acting without his knowledge, convincing the court of his own innocence. Faced with overwhelming evidence and the Emperor's impartiality, Prime Minister Gao made the painful decision to sacrifice his son to safeguard the family's standing, even offering to have the family's assets inspected. The Emperor declined, refusing to punish the entire family for one man's crimes.
After court, Li Chengyin offered a false apology to Prime Minister Gao, who sarcastically complimented the Crown Prince on his capable subordinates. Elsewhere, Empress Zhang was stunned to learn Gao Zhen was the murderer. At his residence, Prime Minister Gao instructed his other son to audit the gambling house accounts, surrender all profits to the treasury, and cover any deficits with their own assets.
Meanwhile, Gu Jian privately advised Mingyue to withdraw from her dangerous association with the Emperor, whom he deemed untrustworthy. Mingyue questioned his motives and asserted that if she were to leave her life, it would be with a man who truly loved her.
