Good Bye, My Princess Episode 52 (Ending) Recap
> Good Bye, My Princess Recap
Li Chengyin finally awoke after seven days and seven nights in a coma, remembering his identity as Gu Xiaowu. His first thoughts were of Xiaofeng, desperately calling out for her, even proclaiming, "Gu Xiaowu is here, I am here!" Pei Zhao, his trusted general, then reported urgent military news: Gao Xian had colluded with King Qu Tianze of Xi State and launched a rebellion. Meanwhile, Gao Xian was indeed conspiring with King Qu Tianze.
Qu Tianze admitted that a direct confrontation with the Li Empire would be risky, suggesting an alliance with the Danchi King for a greater chance of success, although convincing the stubborn Danchi ruler would be challenging. Despite the risks, Qu Tianze declared that Xi State would never retreat.
Gao Xian, focused on winning, offered to handle Zhao Jingyu and then proposed using the Ninth Princess, Xiaofeng, as a crucial bargaining chip, citing Li Chengyin's deep feelings for her, evident in his actions that drove Zhao Jingyu's daughter to insanity. However, Qu Tianze vehemently rejected this idea, seeing no difference from his own father's act of sending Xiaofeng for a marriage alliance.
He proudly stated that the men of Xi State were fearless warriors who would never let a woman shield them from danger, and that their fight against the Li Empire was to reclaim their dignity and prove they were not cowards to be manipulated.
Gao Xian, seemingly impressed, subtly tried to sway Qu Tianze by implying the Li Empire's military strength was superficial and their reasons for peace were merely pretense, urging Qu Tianze to look beyond short-term gains for a promising future. Qu Tianze rallied his soldiers, declaring that the day to seek vengeance had arrived, vowing to make the Central Plains emperor taste their formidable power.
Xiaofeng, hearing of the impending war, rushed to her brother, pleading with him not to initiate conflict with the Li Empire, as they hadn't provoked Xi State. Qu Tianze stood firm, stating that the arrow had already left the bow. He insisted his actions were not provocation but a necessary step to restore Xi State's lost dignity, a long-held dream shared by all Xi State men.
He questioned why Xiaofeng had returned, suggesting it was due to hatred and suffering, and promised to get justice for her. Xiaofeng, however, denied returning for those reasons, expressing her deep confusion and the sense that her return was part of a greater, perhaps pre-ordained, destiny. Gao Xian then sought out Zhao Jingyu, attempting to secure his support. Zhao Jingyu initially questioned the wisdom of risking an alliance, given the vast disparity in military power.
Gao Xian countered by emphasizing their combined familiarity with the northwestern terrain and ample reinforcements, making it difficult for Li Chengyin to win. He proposed they persevere until peace negotiations could be called, at which point they would demand independent statehood, allowing them to rule as carefree kings. Gao Xian also played on Zhao Jingyu's personal grievances, reminding him of his daughter's suffering at the hands of Li Chengyin. Ultimately, Zhao Jingyu agreed, pledging 30,000 Danchi iron cavalry as reinforcement.
Unbeknownst to Gao Xian, Zhao Jingyu had his own cunning agenda. He confided to his subordinate that he had to feign agreement to prevent the desperate Gao Xian from turning on him. He believed that by joining Gao Xian, he would complicate the Li Empire's efforts to suppress the rebellion, prompting the imperial court to offer him generous terms and military support to secure his allegiance.
With the former Prime Minister Gao already toppled, Zhao Jingyu envisioned returning to the Central Plains with glorious achievements, becoming peerless in the imperial court. He even noted that even if his daughter had gone mad, she would still become Empress once Li Chengyin ascended the throne, solidifying his family's position. As news of the impending war spread, the people of Xi State began to flee their homes, fearing the Central Plains emperor would annihilate their clans.
Xiaofeng watched the mass exodus with profound sadness, lamenting that her parents were no longer there to welcome her back. She recalled Pei Zhao's warning that her return would transform her personal affairs into a state-level conflict. She questioned whether she had made a mistake, feeling she had inadvertently brought suffering upon the innocent people of Xi State, and wished she had endured more, dreading a fate similar to Danchi's annihilation.
A'Du comforted her, assuring her it was not her fault and that her brother's decision to fight was his way of living for Xi State. A'Du reminded Xiaofeng that she had already made a choice at Jade Gate Pass to let go of Li Chengyin and Gu Xiaowu. She urged Xiaofeng to live for Xi State and its peace, not to be consumed by personal love or hate.
Xiaofeng, accepting A'Du's wisdom, affirmed her resolve to live for the tranquility of her people. Both women, now bound by a shared purpose, declared they would have no regrets, even if it meant their lives. Li Chengyin, as Crown Prince, immediately issued a decree conferring Zhao Jingyu as Protectorate Generalissimo to assist in pacifying the revolt. He also prepared to lead the army, while the Emperor remained gravely ill and immobile.
Li Chengyin received wishes for triumph and a victorious return. That night, Gao Xian's general urged him to rest after three sleepless days. As Gao Xian finally lay down, A'Du, who had been hiding beneath his bed, thrust a long sword through the bed frame, fatally stabbing him. In his dying moments, Gao Xian retaliated, stabbing blindly beneath the bed, striking and killing A'Du. Thus, A'Du avenged her brother Heshi, but sacrificed her own life in the process.
The following morning, Xiaofeng realized A'Du was missing. Soon after, news arrived of Gao Xian's assassination. A wave of dread washed over Xiaofeng, and she rushed with Qu Tianze to Gao Xian's camp, where they discovered A'Du's lifeless body. Xiaofeng collapsed, cradling A'Du and weeping uncontrollably. On the battlefield, as the Li Empire's army, led by Li Chengyin, stood poised against Qu Tianze's Xi State forces, Xiaofeng, clad in white, bravely charged forward to stand between the two armies.
She declared Gao Xian's death, proclaiming that the traitor had met his deserved end. She appealed directly to the Central Plains soldiers, asking if they truly wished to fight their own countrymen for Gao Xian's selfish greed, reminding them of the senseless loss of life. When Qu Tianze urged her to stop, she warned both him and Li Chengyin not to approach, threatening to join A'Du in death if they moved.
She implored her brother to cease the conflict, revealing Gao Xian's scheme and highlighting the futility of sacrificing countless Xi State lives for one man's avarice. She evoked the horrific annihilation of Danchi, begging him not to let Xi State suffer the same fate.
She questioned why prosperity and happiness couldn't be sustained and why peace couldn't be achieved through allegiance, arguing that their father's compromises were acts of true kingly dignity, enduring personal pain for the happiness of their people. She then specifically implored Li Chengyin to grant her two final wishes for lasting peace in Xi State: first, that the Central Plains cavalry would never set foot in Xi State, and second, that he would live well.
Then, turning to Li Chengyin, she called him "Gu Xiaowu," asking if he remembered. She confessed that he was the only one she had ever truly loved. Despite his lies, betrayal, and the murder of her loved ones, she admitted she could never bring herself to kill him, and despite countless attempts, she could not hate him. Declaring that the past was gone, she stated her only desire now was to live and die for the people of Xi State.
If he still understood her and wished to compensate her, she urged him to stop the battle. As the Ninth Princess of Xi State, her marriage to the Li Empire was for generations of peace. If they fought now, she would have failed her father, Consort Mingyuan, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the countless people of Xi State. She concluded that regardless of which side she stood on, it would be a betrayal.
Therefore, if her life could awaken her brother and the Crown Prince, bringing true peace and happiness to Xi State, she would have no regrets. With those words, Xiaofeng drew her long knife. As Li Chengyin cried out in horror, flashbacks of their past, from their carefree days of catching fireflies and his promises, to their moments of love and profound heartbreak, flashed before his eyes. In his arms, Xiaofeng smiled tragically, finally confessing that she had always loved him.
With a final, heartbreaking whisper, Xiaofeng said, "Li Chengyin, I forgive you. I forgive all our happiness, debts, wild hopes, and despair." She then plunged the long knife into herself, her form falling into the vast desert. Li Chengyin rushed to her, desperate to reach her. He held her in his arms, screaming her name in anguish as she breathed her last.
Qu Tianze gently took Xiaofeng's body from his grasp, leaving Li Chengyin to cry out in an agony that could not bring her back. Many years passed. Li Chengyin, now an old man, had abdicated his throne to the eldest son of his Third Royal Brother, marking a rare peaceful transfer of power in the Li Empire. He was now the Retired Emperor. Pei Zhao, also aged with white hair, found him.
Pei Zhao expressed concern for Li Chengyin, who had been melancholic and focused on state affairs for years, but Li Chengyin dismissed his worries, stating he had a more important task: to find Xiaofeng in Xi State. Despite Pei Zhao's insistence that Xiaofeng had passed away many years ago, and that green grass now covered her tomb in Xi State, Li Chengyin refused to believe it.
He was convinced she was alive, hiding somewhere to punish him, confident that she was the most brilliant woman in the world who had simply tricked them all. Pei Zhao pleaded with him to forget the heavy memories, but Li Chengyin looked into the distance, pondering the River of Oblivion, whose waters were said to bring forgetfulness, and wondered where it could be found. Li Chengyin embarked on a solitary journey into the vast desert.
The harsh winds and shifting sands etched further lines onto his aged face, yet his steps never faltered. He was determined to find the young woman in red, the one who had been the fragrant essence of his youth, the love of his entire life. The narrative reflected on the tragic fate of the fox from the story he once told Xiaofeng, a fox that was never able to wait for its girl.
