The Princess's Gambit Episode 24 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Mu Wuxia and Xiang Qingying went together to pay respects to Li Jiaohan. Remembering his voice and smile from when he was alive, Mu Wuxia swore to find a path forward for students from humble backgrounds and to reinstate the imperial examination. The next day, he went alone to the palace to see King Qi and requested the reinstatement of the imperial exams. However, King Qi did not agree and immediately ended court.
Mu Wuxia refused to leave, kneeling outside the grand hall and risking his life to advise the king once more. Although King Qi felt for him from within the palace, he still would not ask him to rise. Shen Zaiye, outwardly speaking from the king’s perspective, subtly reminded him that Beiyuan’s envoys were still present, and the sight might draw ridicule. At the same time, reopening the exams would invite opposition from the noble families.
Fearing that people might accuse him of being intimidated by them, King Qi finally agreed to resume the imperial exams and appointed both Mu Wuxia and Shen Zaiye as chief examiners. Everything was unfolding according to Shen Zaiye’s plan. Shen Zaiye then widely spread the news that it was Mu Wuxia who had knelt and begged for the exams, turning all the aspiring scholars of the land into Mu Wuxia’s loyal supporters.
Mu Wuxia and Xiang Qingying again went to pay tribute to Li Jiaohan. Filled with guilt, Mu Wuxia lamented that if only he had knelt earlier, Li Jiaohan might still be alive. Not far away, Shen Zaiye observed silently and swore that those who had sacrificed themselves would not have done so in vain—this time, he would eradicate the old disease at its root.
Lv Yuanhua departed Qi, but before leaving, she devised a three-pronged plan and demanded that Mu Wuyin execute it to the letter, showing no mercy even to his own brother. She said she would be waiting in Beiyuan for good news. Mu Wuyin promised he would not let her down. Mu Wuxia intentionally invited Meng Zhenzhen to discuss how to prevent the exams from going forward, knowing that the key lay with him and Shen Zaiye.
On her way back, Meng Zhenzhen encountered Meng Huairui, who hinted at wanting to take the exam, hoping to be seen in a better light. He ignored Meng Zhenzhen’s objections, infuriating her. She secretly ordered someone to keep an eye on him. Xiang Qingying noticed unusual activity at Zhengchun Pavilion and climbed the wall to look toward the capital, discovering that Qingtai had gone to Mu Wuyin’s residence in the middle of the night.
Xiang Qingying immediately followed her there to find Jiang Taohua. Qingtai tried to persuade Jiang Taohua to return with her, while Xiang Qingying shared concerns about Shen Zaiye. Since Jiang Taohua left, Shen Zaiye had stopped eating and rarely smiled. Everyone believed it was the pressures of the exam, but Xiang Qingying knew it was because of Jiang Taohua. Jiang Taohua was deeply saddened.
Though Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua were in different places, they both kept thinking of each other. Mu Wuyin soon visited Jiang Taohua and asked her to go see Shen Zaiye. Jiang Taohua realized Mu Wuyin was trying to use her to control Shen Zaiye but could not refuse outright, so she agreed. She also discovered that Mu Wuyin had assigned Qingfeng to watch her, further confirming her suspicions.
Jiang Taohua invited Shen Zaiye to a banquet and thanked him for saving Qingtai. Shen Zaiye felt bitter as she only mentioned Qingtai. Jiang Taohua told him that even if Qingtai had told her everything, it felt like a story about someone else. When Jiang Taohua got up to leave, Shen Zaiye followed, hoping they could meet again. But Jiang Taohua heartlessly walked away. She only wanted to push Shen Zaiye away to avoid dragging him down.
Shen Zaiye, watching her leave, regretted not fully trusting her back then and longed for her to turn back. Zhan Lu watched as Shen Zaiye carved a hairpin and tried to persuade him to stop fixating on one woman. But Shen Zaiye glared at him so fiercely that Zhan Lu dared not say another word. Shen Zaiye kept imagining Jiang Taohua running into his arms, smiling, and softly calling his name.
Realizing that Jiang Taohua had chosen the hardest path, he resolved to protect her silently from the shadows. Mu Wuyin and Meng Zhenzhen speculated that the second prince’s next move would be to leak the exam questions. They decided to fuel the flames. Mu Wuyin asked Meng Zhenzhen to recommend a skilled craftsman to help the second prince cheat.
