The Princess's Gambit Episode 11 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Jiang Taohua, tangled by water weeds, struggled and lost consciousness, remembering her mother's persecution and death. Her mother's dying words urged her never to trust anyone again and to always save herself, but in that moment, Jiang Taohua felt powerless and resigned. Just then, Shen Zaiye jumped into the water and rescued her.
When she awoke, Lian told her Shen Zaiye had saved her, noting that while he was a "treacherous chancellor," he seemed to care for her, having stayed by her side since bringing her back. Shen Zaiye entered, acting distant, and reminded Jiang Taohua of their cooperation, chiding her for needing rescue. He demanded she recover quickly and work for him. Soon after, Granny was brought back severely wounded.
Lian cried, blaming Wei Wuxia and Xiang Qingying for failing to protect her grandmother as promised. Granny comforted Lian, saying that if not for Wei Wuxia and Xiang Qingying's desperate efforts, she wouldn't have lived long enough to see Lian one last time. Lian was heartbroken. As they prepared to cremate Granny, Lian screamed, clinging to Shen Zaiye, and bit his arm fiercely, begging him not to burn her grandmother and blaming him for all their suffering.
Shen Zaiye, however, was reminded of his own family, framed and wiped out years ago. Later, Shen Zaiye sent Wei Wuxia away, telling him to live well. Wei Wuxia, watching from a distance, recalled his childhood but didn't recognize Shen Zaiye as his older cousin. Grief-stricken, Wei Wuxia drank alone until Xiang Qingying approached to comfort him. Wei Wuxia blamed himself, believing Granny's death was his fault for insisting on reporting to the authorities, exposing their hiding place.
He felt he had failed everyone, especially Lian. Xiang Qingying reassured him, saying that if those people intended harm, they would have found another way even if he hadn't gone to report them. Shen Zaiye watched Lian angrily kicking a ball, deep in thought. Jiang Taohua gently bandaged Shen Zaiye's arm where Lian had bitten him. Shen Zaiye then approached Lian and proposed a game of cuju: if Lian won, he would help her get revenge.
Shen Zaiye repeatedly blocked Lian's shots, but a group of children intervened, urging Lian to shoot while they held back Shen Zaiye. Shen Zaiye collapsed to the ground, letting the rain wash over him. Lian scored, winning the game. Jiang Taohua came to Shen Zaiye's side, offering her hand and proposing they work together to avenge Granny. Shen Zaiye took her hand, a hint of a smile appearing.
Jiang Taohua led Shen Zaiye to a mountain peak and used his sword to draw the Sunlight over a Thousand Peaks painting, asking him to look up and see that the landscape matched the painting. She pointed out that despite being called "thousand peaks," there were only seven prominent ones, which connected to form the Big Dipper constellation. They analyzed the possible location for minting the counterfeit money.
A blank space in the painting caught Shen Zaiye's attention, its meaning unclear at the moment. Meanwhile, Zhan Lu investigated and found a royal hunting ground nearby. Prince Wugou had obtained special permission from the King to establish it, publicly stating it was for training horses. Shen Zaiye theorized that horse carts would constantly enter and exit, potentially used to transport other goods unnoticed under the guise of carrying provisions.
Jiang Taohua felt a sudden chill, and Shen Zaiye, noticing her discomfort, draped his coat over her shoulders. As they returned by carriage, Shen Zaiye was about to help Jiang Taohua down, but Qingtai appeared and eagerly assisted Jiang Taohua, causing Shen Zaiye to withdraw his hand awkwardly and turn away. Jiang Taohua met with Yang Wanqing and gave her the complete painting. Yang Wanqing assigned Jiang Taohua the task of finding the location depicted in the painting.
Jiang Taohua feigned ignorance to gauge Empress Lv's intentions but Yang Wanqing saw through her pretense, noting her recent multi-day excursion with Shen Zaiye. Yang Wanqing threatened Jiang Taohua, reminding her that she had nearly killed her before, and then gave her a letter from Changjue. This served as both comfort and a veiled threat.
Although the letter stated Changjue was doing well in the army, Jiang Taohua realized he was suffering because the seal on the letter was weak and unsteady. Jiang Taohua understood that Empress Lv's urgency indicated the critical importance of the matter, using Changjue's safety to pressure her to complete the task quickly, while also knowing that completing the task could mean their deaths. Jiang Taohua decided their immediate priority was to discover Empress Lv's true objective.
While Shen Zaiye and Zhan Lu were discussing matters, Xiang Qingying abruptly arrived, demanding Shen Zaiye take her to the Spring Hunt. Shen Zaiye refused to see her or take her hunting. Angry, Xiang Qingying drew an arrow and threatened to shoot a guard to force Shen Zaiye out. Just then, Jiang Taohua arrived, and the arrow flew towards her, startling Shen Zaiye, who rushed forward. The arrow only cut a strand of Jiang Taohua's hair. Xiang Qingying quickly apologized.
Jiang Taohua calmed Xiang Qingying and quietly promised to find a way for Shen Zaiye to take her to the hunting grounds. Prince Wugou announced the Spring Hunt. Jiang Taohua suggested this was an opportune moment to infiltrate and investigate the counterfeit money operation. Shen Zaiye agreed to plan accordingly. Zhan Lu noted that Shen Zaiye's willingness to discuss important matters with Jiang Taohua indicated he was beginning to trust her, though Shen Zaiye was reluctant to admit it.
This year, Prince Wuhen surprisingly managed to arrange for many influential figures to attend the hunt. When Prince Wugou heard this, he doubted Prince Wuhen had such influence on his own. Meng Huaijin suspected Shen Zaiye was manipulating the situation from behind the scenes. Fearing the exposure of the counterfeit money operation, Prince Wugou asked Meng Huaijin for help devising a plan. Meng Huaijin instructed that all mines be immediately closed, movement halted, and everyone evacuated and managed centrally.
He also wrote a letter to his father, the Right Chancellor, and another letter to Meng Zhenzhen, instructing her to keep a close watch on Shen Zaiye. With arrangements made, Prince Wugou and Meng Huaijin awaited Jiang Taohua and Shen Zaiye, vowing they would not leave the hunting grounds alive this time.
