The Princess's Gambit Episode 1 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
The State of Beiyuan, bordering the Qi state, had long suffered from continuous warfare. With the King unwell and the Prince young, the Queen Regent, Lv, ordered Princess Jiang Taohua, titled Chengping, to travel to Qi for a marriage alliance. Her mission was to foster peace between the two nations; failure would be deemed treason. Jiang Taohua, confined in the palace for eighteen years, had never expected to leave alive.
Though her departure was for a marriage alliance, she vowed to repay the suffering she had endured. A fire broke out in the Cold Palace, and Princess Jiang Taohua and Prince Changjue were discovered missing. Guards, acting under Lv's orders, searched for them. Hidden in a broken bamboo basket, they used ashes sacks they had prepared beforehand to shield themselves from the guards' blades, allowing them to escape.
Changjue questioned why their father had agreed to the marriage alliance, but for Jiang Taohua, such questions no longer seemed important after their father granted Lv power. Just as they were close to escaping, Changjue accidentally knocked over a pole, causing a wooden frame to collapse with a loud noise. Jiang Taohua urged Changjue to leave, but his leg was injured, making movement impossible.
With no other choice, Jiang Taohua allowed herself to be caught by Lv's guards, taking all the blame and offering herself for the marriage alliance to achieve peace. Lv did not further rebuke her but warned that she must send back timely information, navigate complex social circles among noblewomen without revealing her intentions, and understand that no one could rescue her if something went wrong; her fate rested solely on herself.
Jiang Taohua agreed, only pleading with Lv to protect her brother, Changjue. Reflecting on these events, Jiang Taohua composed herself and resolutely headed to Qi, hoping her brother would remember their promise and live until they could meet again. On the journey, Jiang Taohua and her maid, Qingtai, learned about the four sons of the Qi King. Her intended groom was the Fourth Prince, Wuyin.
Wuyin was not favored by the Qi King and had been sent to a temporary palace at the age of three to fend for himself. Qingtai worried that Wuyin would be unable to protect Jiang Taohua. In Qi, the current Heir, Prince Wugou, had the support of the powerful Meng family, the largest noble family. The second largest family, the Qin family, strongly backed the Second Prince, Wuhen, born to Consort Qin.
These two princes and their families were locked in a fierce struggle for power, both inside and outside the court. The Fourth Prince, Wuyin, had no such backing, and marrying him meant potential ruin if he made a mistake. Left Chancellor Shen Zaiye was another key figure in this succession struggle. Though from a humble background, he had saved the Qi King ten years prior and had since risen rapidly, becoming Left Chancellor at the age of thirty.
It was rumored he was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. At that moment, Shen Zaiye was at the residence of a man named Peng Si. Shen Zaiye's men had confiscated the property and found a large quantity of counterfeit money. Peng Si denied the charges, accusing Shen Zaiye of planting the evidence. Shen Zaiye ordered his men to force-feed Peng Si some freshly boiled glutinous rice balls to compel him to confess.
Peng Si cursed Shen Zaiye as a vile chancellor, a title Shen Zaiye did not deny. He warned Peng Si to confess now or his entire family would suffer, leading Peng Si to yield. Shen Zaiye's guard, Zhan Lu, questioned why they were framing Peng Si, who wasn't a corrupt official.
Shen Zaiye explained that while Peng Si might not be corrupt in the traditional sense, he was known for abducting young girls, and using him as bait to lure out the true culprit in the counterfeit money case was a fitting form of punishment and a strategic move. Meanwhile, Jiang Taohua and her entourage arrived at the Qi city gate but were refused entry. They were told they could only enter after sunset, forcing Jiang Taohua to endure the wait.
Unaware of this, Prince Wuyin was calmly feeding birds, seemingly indifferent to the impending marriage alliance. Following a specific poem, Shen Zaiye went to the Zuimeng Pavilion, understanding he was being deliberately lured there. He went nonetheless, undeterred by potential danger. As Jiang Taohua and Qingtai waited outside the city gate, the sky darkened. Jiang Taohua thought she heard wolves howling, but doubted her ears. While she was wondering, her escorts recognized the sound as wolves.
A pack of wolves suddenly charged towards them, causing the escorts to scatter in terror, their cries filling the air. The wolves attacked the carriages. Qingtai shielded Jiang Taohua inside. Jiang Taohua suddenly remembered wolves feared fire and ordered her people to light torches to drive them away. She then demanded the city gate guards open the gate, warning that if they died, the guards would be responsible for the failure of the peace talks.
The guards, fearing the consequences, opened the gate. However, even after they entered, wolves continued to pursue them within the city. They fled into the Zuimeng Pavilion. Qingtai helped Jiang Taohua escape first. Just as Jiang Taohua caught her breath, a figure appeared behind her, asking mockingly if she liked the "gift." Inside the Zuimeng Pavilion, a man named Xue Ran revealed himself to Shen Zaiye. He admitted to luring Shen Zaiye there.
Xue Ran explained that Shen Zaiye's subordinates had been investigating a batch of counterfeit money and tried to question some cart drivers, but they all committed suicide by poison, except for one who escaped. That escapee was Xue Ran. Afraid he would also be killed if he returned, he sought out Shen Zaiye.
Xue Ran offered Shen Zaiye a painting called "Sunlight over a Thousand Peaks," claiming that if Shen Zaiye could understand the painting's secrets, he would find what he was looking for. In return, Xue Ran demanded protection for his entire family. Shen Zaiye agreed to arrange for their escort out of the city the next day. Suddenly, Shen Zaiye noticed someone outside the window and quickly pursued them.
Prince Wuyin heard about the wolf attack and rushed to find the Princess. He found Prince Wugou beating Qingtai, demanding to know the Princess's whereabouts and blaming her for failing to protect her master. Wuyin pleaded for Wugou to stop and allow him to care for the Princess instead of punishing her maid. Wugou, who looked down on his brother raised in a temporary palace, agreed to search for the Princess together, citing it was Wuyin's wedding day.
Shen Zaiye pursued the person who had been listening outside the window to a room, only to find he had been drugged with aphrodisiac powder. Jiang Taohua then emerged from behind red curtains, also showing effects of the drug. Unwilling to be intimate with a stranger, Jiang Taohua attempted to stab Shen Zaiye. Shen Zaiye quickly overpowered her, pinning her down. He recognized her as the arriving princess and realized someone had set them up to frame him.
Forced to make a decision, he resolved to treat her as an assassin and began to strangle her neck. Just as Jiang Taohua was close to suffocating, Qingtai and others arrived. Shen Zaiye saw Prince Wugou also approaching and knew what was happening. At court, officials were loudly impeaching Shen Zaiye and demanding his dismissal. The Qi King refused to see them, understanding they were attempting to frame Shen Zaiye and incite chaos.
Shen Zaiye suggested adding "fuel to the fire" and presented a piece of the counterfeit money, suggesting that those most vocal in their accusations might be linked to the case. The King agreed that the counterfeit money threatened the state's foundation and must be thoroughly investigated. Given the scandal involving the Princess, the marriage alliance could not proceed as planned.
The King knew the Princess was innocent but could not allow her to marry the Fourth Prince Wuyin under these circumstances. Instead, he decided Wuyin should choose another noblewoman. The King ordered Shen Zaiye to deliver this decree. Meanwhile, Jiang Taohua had guessed the outcome but was determined to find a way to meet the Qi King. She knew she could not be sent back to Beiyuan, as both her and Changjue's lives would be in danger. From that moment on, she vowed to protect Changjue using only her own strength.
