The Princess's Gambit Episode 13 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Prince Wugou proposed a hunting competition to the King, suggesting they see who could hunt the most now that everyone was gathered. The King agreed and offered a Ferghana horse as the prize for the winner. Unbeknownst to others, Prince Wugou intended to use the hunt as an opportunity to assassinate Shen Zaiye. However, Shen Zaiye was prepared. He secretly left to investigate the whereabouts of some hidden miners, sending Zhan Lu to impersonate him in the hunting grounds.
Jiang Taohua remained by Zhan Lu's side to help maintain the disguise. Shen Zaiye instructed Zhan Lu to be very careful to avoid detection. During the hunt, Xiang Qingying's horse became startled and bolted, running wildly and nearly throwing her. Mu Wuxia, who was reading quietly nearby, saw Xiang Qingying in danger. Despite having no martial skills, he rushed forward and managed to stop the frightened horse.
Consort Lan, witnessing the scene, praised Mu Wuxia's bravery, while the King remained silent, stating he was tired and wanted to leave. Xiang Qingying scolded Mu Wuxia for his recklessness, but he insisted he couldn't just stand by and watch her fall, worried she might get seriously hurt. She claimed her foot hurt.
Guards arrived, intending to take the spooked horse away to be dealt with, but Mu Wuxia stopped them, gently stroking the horse's head and explaining it was only frightened. Xiang Qingying found herself momentarily drawn to Mu Wuxia's unexpected gentleness. As the hunting competition progressed, reports showed that the impersonator of Shen Zaiye was accumulating a surprisingly high score, surpassing Prince Wugou's kills.
Meng Zhenzhen observed the fake Shen Zaiye closely and noticed that his archery technique was different from the real Shen Zaiye's. She quietly told Meng Huaijin her suspicion. Meng Huaijin immediately realized that if this was not Shen Zaiye, the real one must have gone to find the hidden miners. He quickly informed Prince Wugou of the situation and planned to send men to intercept and kill Shen Zaiye at the mine site.
Seeing Meng Huaijin ride away, Jiang Taohua correctly guessed that he had discovered Shen Zaiye's absence. She instructed Zhan Lu to continue the hunting facade while she sought help for Shen Zaiye. Jiang Taohua attempted to leave, but Meng Zhenzhen stopped her, insisting she stay and watch the rest of the hunt together. Meng Zhenzhen warned Jiang Taohua that if she left, she would report her to the King for disrespecting the main wife while her husband was away.
She explained that this would result in both of them being punished, but importantly, it would also force the King to summon Shen Zaiye back, exposing the deception. Jiang Taohua hesitated, trapped by the threat. At this moment, Prince Wuyin arrived and invited Jiang Taohua to play chess, expressing his boredom with the hunting competition. Meng Zhenzhen could not openly prevent Jiang Taohua from accepting a Prince's invitation.
Jiang Taohua seized the opportunity, claiming she needed to return to her tent to change clothes before playing. Prince Wuyin allowed her to go, seemingly aware that she had other intentions. Meanwhile, Shen Zaiye reached the location where the miners were imprisoned and freed them. As they tried to escape, they were ambushed by a large group of black-clothed assassins.
Shen Zaiye fought fiercely to protect the miners, telling them to hide and urging them to escape while he fought off the attackers. Despite his skill, the sheer number of assailants began to wear him down. The hunting competition concluded shortly after. The scores were announced, with Shen Zaiye's impersonator showing a higher count than Prince Wugou. The King declared Shen Zaiye the winner and announced he would be awarded the Ferghana horse.
Prince Wugou, still under the impression that Shen Zaiye was absent, tried to publicly question why the winner wasn't present to claim his prize, suggesting Shen Zaiye disdained the King's reward. However, just as he finished speaking, the real Shen Zaiye appeared, having successfully rescued the miners. He bowed to the King, accepting the prize and thanking Prince Wugou. The King expressed pleasure at seeing Shen Zaiye.
Although Shen Zaiye successfully rescued most of the miners, Lian's brother, one of the workers, had secretly tried to escape on his own, desperate to see his family. He had used all his meager wages to buy a comb for his sister Lian. Tragically, he was caught by the guards and brutally beaten to death. Later, Mu Wuxia came to Jiang Taohua and gave her the comb that belonged to Lian's brother.
Holding the comb, Jiang Taohua was filled with sorrow and began to worry about the safety of Changjue, fearing she might never see him again. Qingtai tried to comfort her, assuring her that Changjue was waiting for her safely. Qingtai also revealed that she had overheard Prince Wugou and Meng Huaijin discussing their plan to assassinate Shen Zaiye by shooting him with an arrow during the hunt.
Prince Wugou was angry that the miners had been rescued, and although Meng Huaijin tried to calm him, Prince Wugou insisted Shen Zaiye must be killed with an arrow the moment he appeared. Later, as Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua were walking together in the woods, an arrow suddenly flew towards Shen Zaiye. Without hesitation, Jiang Taohua threw herself in front of him, taking the arrow.
Shen Zaiye caught her as she fell and quickly carried her back to the camp for urgent medical attention. He immediately requested the King to conduct a thorough investigation into the assassination attempt, explaining that the arrow was intended for him. The King, enraged that such an act would occur within the royal hunting grounds, ordered a full investigation to find the assassin. Meanwhile, Meng Huaijin confronted Prince Wugou, asking if he was responsible for the attack.
Prince Wugou denied it, claiming he had initially planned to use assassins but called off the plan, deeming it too risky under the King's nose. Meng Huaijin warned him about failing to eliminate Shen Zaiye and advised him to lie low. He reassured Prince Wugou that his high status would protect him if he was truly innocent and stated he would write to his father to request his presence quickly.
Jiang Taohua remained unconscious after being hit, causing great anxiety to Shen Zaiye and Qingtai. Qingtai worried about the physician's ability to help her. Shen Zaiye, who had lost his faith in gods and spirits after a past family tragedy, initially dismissed Qingtai's suggestion of praying at a nearby temple. However, consumed by worry and guilt, knowing that Jiang Taohua had been injured because of his plan, he ultimately went to the temple.
There, he prayed for Jiang Taohua's recovery, accepting the blame for the danger she was in. Returning to the tent, he placed a protective amulet into Jiang Taohua's hand. Miraculously, she soon began to stir and woke up. Shen Zaiye, overcome with relief, quickly called for Qingtai. Jiang Taohua noticed the amulet in her hand and held it, a smile appearing on her face. Qingtai stared at Jiang Taohua, surprised she had woken up, admitting she had feared the worst.
Zhan Lu reported that Prince Wugou had remained secluded in his tent since the incident. Shen Zaiye, saying Prince Wugou wouldn't be able to hide indefinitely, left to pursue his next steps, instructing Zhan Lu to guard Jiang Taohua and ensure her rest was undisturbed. Qingtai expressed to Jiang Taohua how genuinely she seemed to act when she shielded Shen Zaiye, so much so that Qingtai had even wondered if she had fallen for him. Jiang Taohua denied this.
She confessed that she had known about the assassination plot beforehand, having heard about it from Qingtai, and had prepared for it, implying she had taken precautions like wearing padding to mitigate the impact of an arrow. Qingtai voiced her frustration that Shen Zaiye had left almost immediately after Jiang Taohua woke up, appearing unconcerned. That evening, Jiang Taohua invited Xiang Qingying to her tent. Xiang Qingying arrived with Mu Wuxia and suggested they barbecue inside the tent.
The smoke caused Jiang Taohua to cough, prompting Mu Wuxia to urge Xiang Qingying to stop and leave, concerned about Jiang Taohua's health and the risk of fire. As they prepared to leave, Xiang Qingying mentioned how worried Shen Zaiye had been about Jiang Taohua, revealing that he had even gone to a temple to pray for her, despite his usual lack of belief in gods. After they left, Jiang Taohua smiled, telling Qingtai that her plan had succeeded, confirming Shen Zaiye's action of praying for her as a key sign.
