Good Bye, My Princess Episode 36 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
Following the court session where Gao Zhen was implicated in Zhang Can's murder, an enraged Empress Zhang confronted Li Chengyin in her palace, questioning why he hadn't informed her and Prime Minister Gao Yuming sooner, which could have allowed them to devise a plan. Li Chengyin feigned ignorance, insisting he was unaware of Gao Zhen's involvement before Zhao Shixuan, in collusion with the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, publicly announced the matter.
He advised the Empress to distance herself from the affair. The Empress was furious, realizing that Li Chengyin's actions had effectively forced Prime Minister Gao to sacrifice his own son, which would surely make the Prime Minister resent them. Li Chengyin acknowledged his mistake and offered to explain things to Prime Minister Gao, but the Empress called him foolish, forbidding it for fear the Emperor would discover Li Chengyin's intention to get close to the Gao family.
After Li Chengyin departed, the Empress confessed to her maid, Rongshuang, that she felt at fault because she had secretly placed Zhang Can in the Eastern Palace without her uncle, Prime Minister Gao's, knowledge. Deciding to take the risk herself, she sent Rongshuang to request an audience with Prime Minister Gao, but the manor staff refused entry, claiming the master was not home. Feeling indebted to the Gao family, Empress Zhang dispatched Rongshuang to the prison to see Gao Zhen.
However, the guards, citing the Emperor's strict orders, denied her entry. At that moment, Li Chengyin arrived, as he was overseeing the case. He assured Rongshuang that he could freely enter the prison and volunteered to relay the Empress's message. Inside, Li Chengyin found a disheveled and despairing Gao Zhen. Feigning helplessness, Li Chengyin explained that with the case under the jurisdiction of the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, he had no power to intervene.
He subtly shifted the blame, stating that the severity of the case hinged on the Empress, as the victim was her clansman, and reminded Gao Zhen that his own position as Crown Prince depended entirely on his mother. Gao Zhen urged Li Chengyin to have Prime Minister Gao persuade the Empress, but Li Chengyin claimed the two were avoiding contact to dispel suspicion.
Nevertheless, he promised to put in a good word for Gao Zhen, giving him a sliver of false hope. During the imperial court session, with Prime Minister Gao absent due to feigned illness, his eldest son, Gao Kun, accepted Gao Zhen's guilt on the family's behalf and did not request leniency. However, several other officials pleaded for a lighter sentence.
The Emperor, mindful of Prime Minister Gao's standing, ultimately sentenced Gao Zhen to forty strokes of the rod and exile to Ya Province, sparing his life. Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister Gao was relieved his son's life was preserved and planned to bring him back when the situation calmed down. As Gao Zhen was being led away in restraints, he bitterly cursed Empress Zhang for her perceived ingratitude. Outside the capital, Assistant Minister Zhao Shixuan confronted and taunted him.
Enraged, Gao Zhen boasted of his father's immense power and vowed to return. Observing Gao Zhen's ambition, Zhao Shixuan hardened his expression and secretly instructed his subordinate to arrange for Gao Zhen to have a fatal "accident" on the treacherous road to exile. Meanwhile, Xiaofeng, who had caught a severe cold on Qixi night, refused to take her bitter medicine.
Li Chengyin appeared and gently coaxed her, offering to drink the medicine with her every day and reminding her that the imperial doctor had advised her to regulate her body for future childbearing. He then personally fed her the medicine, a tender moment that prompted Yongniang to remark that they were increasingly like a true married couple. Later, devastating news reached Prime Minister Gao: his son, Gao Zhen, had perished after encountering wild beasts on the way to Ya Province.
Overwhelmed by shock and grief, the Prime Minister collapsed. Li Chengyin also received the news and immediately suspected Zhao Shixuan's involvement. He decided to feign ignorance, instructing his men to send gifts to Qingluan Hall, Zhao Sese's residence, as a subtle acknowledgment. Burdened by guilt, Empress Zhang again tried to apologize to the gravely ill Prime Minister Gao, who refused to see her, holding her responsible for his son's fate.
Elsewhere, Gao Kun visited his sister, Consort Ruyi, hoping she would soon conceive an heir to comfort their grieving father. Ruyi tearfully revealed that the Emperor rarely visited his consorts anymore, instead frequently going to the Singing Jade Brothel to see a courtesan named Mingyue. She asked Gao Kun to investigate the woman. Separately, the Empress urged Li Chengyin to sever ties with Zhao Sese, especially given the Gao family's tragedy.
Li Chengyin vehemently refused, declaring he would always protect "his woman" and would not repeat his father's mistake of being unable to protect the one he loved, a statement which deeply alarmed the Empress. The Empress's persistence at the Gao Manor finally paid off. Prime Minister Gao granted her an audience and, seizing the opportunity, brought up Xuniang, revealing his belief that the child she was carrying was not Li Chengyin's.
He instructed the Empress to handle the matter swiftly and discreetly. Feeling indebted, she agreed. Soon after, Xuniang suffered a miscarriage, reportedly from ingesting abortifacients. The Empress launched an investigation, and a palace maid confessed to being bribed by Crown Princess Xiaofeng. Xiaofeng vehemently denied the accusation but had no proof. Li Chengyin deferred to his mother's judgment. However, further investigation revealed the confessing maid had ties to the Zhao family and was found with official silver, implicating Zhao Sese.
The Empress, infuriated, concluded Sese had orchestrated a plot to eliminate Xuniang's child and frame Xiaofeng. As she threatened to have Sese executed, Li Chengyin pleaded for her innocence. Xiaofeng then courageously interceded, pleading with the Empress to spare Sese, stating that Li Chengyin genuinely loved her and would be miserable without her. Convinced, the Empress demoted Sese to a commoner and confined her for three months, while promoting Xuniang to the rank of Baolin.
As Li Chengyin and Xiaofeng left the Empress's palace, he turned and slapped Xiaofeng across the face, furiously accusing her of masterminding the entire scheme. Stunned, Xiaofeng slapped him back with equal force.
