Good Bye, My Princess Episode 44 Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
After Xiaofeng collapsed from exhaustion and became lost in the forest, Gu Jian brought her back to a secluded wooden house. In her dazed state, Xiaofeng dreamt of a man named Gu Xiaowu. She could not clearly see his face, but the emotional connection she felt for him was profound. Xiaofeng woke up with a start, crying out Gu Xiaowu's name. Gu Jian quickly offered her medicine, but she refused to engage with him.
Undeterred, Gu Jian went outside to catch fireflies, knowing they were her favorite, to lift her spirits. He reminded her of a time in Xi State when she had sneaked out at night, gotten lost, and held a firefly in her palm as her only companion. Seeing his sincere efforts and his knowledge of her past, Xiaofeng began to trust him as a friend. She asked him to take her back to the palace once she had fully recovered.
Meanwhile, Pei Zhao reported his investigation findings to the Emperor and Li Chengyin. He confirmed that Prime Minister Gao had indeed instructed a man named Sun Er to investigate Mingyue's background. Sun Er had confessed that Prime Minister Gao had obtained Mingyue's childhood clothes, which contained a hidden blood poem. Upon seeing the poem, Prime Minister Gao was greatly surprised, realizing Mingyue was Chen Zheng's daughter. Li Chengyin feigned ignorance, asking about Chen Zheng's identity.
The Emperor explained that Chen Zheng was the only son of Chen Shiqian, the former Emperor's Shenwu Army Commander, who had died on the battlefield. Chen Zheng had been raised by the Gu family, close family friends of Chen Shiqian, and was as close as a brother to Gu Ruhui. He was skilled in martial arts, loyal, and often by the Emperor's side until he was implicated in the Gu family's rebellion case and died over twenty years ago.
Pei Zhao then speculated that Prime Minister Gao's eagerness to eliminate Mingyue suggested there might be deeper secrets concerning the Gu family's rebellion. The Emperor's suspicion grew, and he ordered further investigation. He also questioned Li Chengyin's own perception of the assassination attempt, asking if the assassin was targeting Mingyue or the Emperor himself. Elsewhere, Prime Minister Gao, discovering Sun Er had disappeared, ordered his men to find and eliminate him to prevent him from speaking further.
However, Li Chengyin had already anticipated this move and orchestrated Sun Er's demise by having him drugged, leaving him helpless when Gao's assassins arrived. Sun Er was subsequently killed, pleading that they had the wrong person. Prime Minister Gao felt uneasy, despite his son's assurances that the matter was settled. He confessed his confusion to his son, noting Mingyue's unknown past, the assassin's mysterious appearance and disappearance, and the Crown Prince's feigned lack of progress.
Prime Minister Gao expressed a sense of foreboding, fearing a storm approaching without warning. Li Chengyin soon visited Prime Minister Gao, deliberately feigning a lack of progress in the investigation. Prime Minister Gao, offering advice, suggested that the person who took the Crown Princess Consort might be from Xi State or Danchi, seeking revenge against the Central Plains. Li Chengyin lauded his insight.
Prime Minister Gao then offered Li Chengyin walnut cookies, reminding him that they were his favorite treat when he was a child. Separately, the Emperor visited Mingyue in her residence. She candidly revealed that her family had suffered a tragedy when she was very young. She recounted hiding and witnessing men with swords kill her parents, and her mother's dying words about a complex, endless cycle of vengeance.
Mingyue expressed her wish to forget the past and simply live a peaceful life. The Emperor encouraged her to remain as she was when he first met her. Gu Jian prepared an elaborate meal for Xiaofeng, but she had no appetite and reiterated her desire to return to the palace. Gu Jian refused, accusing her of harboring suspicions and heartbreak towards Li Chengyin, a charge Xiaofeng vehemently denied.
He pressed further, reminding her of Li Chengyin's role in the annihilation of her grandfather's tribe. Gu Jian declared that he would take her back to Xi State, asserting that the Eastern Palace was not her place and Li Chengyin was not the one she should love. As Xiaofeng wept in distress, Yulin Palace Guards, who had been searching for her, discovered the wooden house. Xiaofeng, who could have left with them, hesitated.
Curious about the past Gu Jian had mentioned, she made a choice and fired the whistle arrow from Xi State into the sky. He had once promised this arrow would summon him in times of danger. The signal created chaos, and the guards, mistaking Gu Jian for an assassin, moved to apprehend him, allowing Gu Jian to escape with Xiaofeng. Once they were safe, Xiaofeng confronted Gu Jian, asking if he was Gu Xiaowu. He did not deny it.
He explained that after the Danchi battle, where many died and she was severely injured, they were separated. By the time he found her again, she had already become the Crown Princess Consort. Believing him to be her lost love, a distraught Xiaofeng lamented that she had forgotten her most beloved person and married someone else. Gu Jian blamed himself for not holding onto her.
Xiaofeng affirmed that she had finally remembered her beloved Gu Xiaowu and vowed never to forget him again. Meanwhile, upon learning that Xiaofeng seemed unwilling to return, an enraged Li Chengyin commanded his men to tie her up and bring her back if she resisted again. Gu Jian continued to deceive Xiaofeng by recounting stories of their supposed past, telling her that their "accidental" meeting in Shangjing was actually him waiting for her.
Xiaofeng, leaning contentedly on his shoulder, fully believed him to be her Gu Xiaowu. Separately, Zhao Sese eagerly awaited Li Chengyin's visit, but he turned away at her door and instead went to see the Grand Empress Dowager. The Grand Empress Dowager teased him about Zhao Sese before speaking affectionately of Xiaofeng. She revealed that Xiaofeng had made her a Ruyi cake, which, though bitter, made her heart feel sweet.
The Grand Empress Dowager praised Xiaofeng as a good girl, unlike others in the palace, and noted that Xiaofeng loved Li Chengyin for who he was, not for his title. Under the moonlight, Gu Jian and Xiaofeng shared wine. Xiaofeng reflected on how different Shangjing was from Xi State. Despite her initial naiveté, she found comfort in the kindness of people like Yongning, Mi Luo, Luoxi, Mingyue, Pei Zhao, and Yongniang, feeling fortunate.
She then asked Gu Jian to return to Xi State with her. As she drifted off to sleep, Gu Jian had an internal monologue. He acknowledged that most of his memories of her were from Shangjing, making him question whether he now saw her more as the Ninth Princess of Xi State or the Crown Princess Consort of Li Empire. Her presence felt both familiar and strange.
He mused that perhaps this life had never truly belonged to him, and it was time for them to wake up and leave. He then silently pledged to always stay by her side.
