The Princess's Gambit Episode 19 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
As Yang Wanqing drove the carriage towards the cliff, Shen Zaiye sent a flying sword to stop it. Jiang Taohua protected Mu Wuxia as they got out. Shen Zaiye arrived with his men and revealed Yang Wanqing's true identity as a former personal maid of Empress Lv and the manager of Lan Boutique. He noticed Yang Wanqing had tied her hands together with Jiang Taohua's behind their backs.
Feigning indifference to Jiang Taohua's safety, he aimed two arrows at Yang Wanqing. One arrow cut the rope binding them. Just as Yang Wanqing fell towards the cliff, Jiang Taohua smiled at Shen Zaiye. Unexpectedly, Yang Wanqing pulled Jiang Taohua down with her into the deep ravine. Shen Zaiye ran towards them but only managed to touch Jiang Taohua's fingertips.
He ordered a search for the bodies of the spies who fell, demanding they be found dead or alive, while tears fell from his eyes. Qingtai refused to return with Shen Zaiye, insisting on going back to Beiyuan to find someone to avenge Jiang Taohua. Shen Zaiye did not stop her. He publicly announced that the two individuals who fell from the cliff were enemy spies attempting to harm Mu Wuxia.
He then ordered the arrest of everyone from Lan Boutique and subjected them to harsh interrogation. During the interrogation, he discovered a peach blossom mark on one of the captives, identical to one he had seen on Jiang Taohua. He suspected this mark was related to a poison, recalling seeing faint bloodstains on Jiang Taohua's clothes previously and wondering if it indicated the poison had reached a certain stage.
He intentionally tested the captives by claiming an antidote was found in Yang Wanqing's room. Unexpectedly, they confessed, admitting they were all spies ready to die for Beiyuan, forced by Empress Lv who held their families hostage. They revealed they were forced to take a poison called the Jiangtao pill, and the peach blossom mark was a sign of the poison taking effect.
They also confessed that Jiang Taohua, despite being called a princess, was treated worse than the lowest palace servants in Beiyuan. A scout Shen Zaiye had sent to Beiyuan returned and confirmed this information. Mu Wuxia urgently sought out Shen Zaiye and relayed a conversation he had overheard while semiconscious, explaining that Jiang Taohua had been trying to save him. He expressed anger that Shen Zaiye's stubbornness had resulted in Jiang Taohua's apparent death.
At the same time, a letter from Jiang Taohua's brother, Changjue, was found in her room, confirming he was held under duress in Beiyuan. When Shen Zaiye returned to Jiang Taohua's room, he was overwhelmed with sadness recalling their shared moments. He poured a cup of wine and drank alone in the courtyard, imagining Jiang Taohua sitting beside him. Tears streamed down his face.
Zhan Lu came to tell Shen Zaiye that Jiang Taohua's amulet had been found near the bottom of the cliff. Seeing the amulet, Shen Zaiye became emotional and personally led the search party, but they continued to find nothing. Xiang Qingying and Mu Wuxia went to a temple to pray for Jiang Taohua, hoping she was alive. They heard a commotion outside and rushed out to find Li Jiaohan being mocked by some young men.
Mu Wuxia stepped forward to scold the men, while Xiang Qingying repeatedly stated that Li Jiaohan was their friend and warned them not to cause trouble. Li Jiaohan proposed they settle the matter with a literary exchange, which the men, unwilling to refuse, accepted. Li Jiaohan recited a poem that, using the first characters of each line, subtly insulted the men, calling them dunces.
Shen Zaiye played chess with the King, who noticed Shen Zaiye seemed distressed and offered to "refresh" him. Shen Zaiye turned to see several guards with sticks standing by. Without hesitation, he walked over and knelt, allowing the guards to strike him. Afterward, he returned to the King and thanked him. The King stated he had been waiting for Shen Zaiye's report regarding the princess, noting the delay was concerning as her fate affected relations between their two nations.
He demanded a resolution before the Beiyuan delegation arrived, stating Shen Zaiye must handle the problem he created. Knowing that Empress Lv intended to send a delegation to rebuild Lan Boutique, Shen Zaiye drafted a list of specific people for her to include in the delegation. Empress Lv and Qian Mochen discussed the list, realizing the people on it were familiar with the princess.
They decided to send more capable individuals with the delegation as a countermeasure, agreeing to play along and see Shen Zaiye's intentions, especially as Empress Lv was frustrated by the destruction of Lan Boutique and Prince Mu Wuyin's failure. Empress Lv ordered Qian Mochen to act as regent while she retreated for a period of seclusion. Shen Zaiye remained distressed and preoccupied with Jiang Taohua, but continuous searching yielded no results.
He suspected she might still be alive and ordered the medical records from all clinics in the city to be brought to him, hoping to find a clue about her survival. He spent the entire night examining the records but found nothing. The next morning, as Zhan Lu brought Shen Zaiye breakfast, Shen Zaiye noticed that one clinic, Lin's clinic, had made multiple visits to Prince Mu Wuyin's residence starting from the day Jiang Taohua fell.
He suspected Jiang Taohua might be at Prince Mu Wuyin's residence. He immediately went to Lin's clinic but was told the doctor was currently at Prince Mu Wuyin's residence. Qingtai was caring for Jiang Taohua when she awoke. Qingtai explained that she had found Jiang Taohua unconscious by the river with many injuries. Jiang Taohua did not remember being hurt in a fall and initially thought something had gone wrong on the journey for the marriage alliance.
