The Princess's Gambit Episode 26 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Suspecting Mu Wuyin's unease when the broken jade piece was mentioned, Jiang Taohua returned to his chamber. She discovered a jade pendant with a broken edge that precisely matched the fragment found at the crime scene. When a servant, alerted by a sound from the room, came to check, the hidden Mu Wuyin emerged, dismissing the servant by feigning annoyance at the disturbance.
After successfully evading detection, Jiang Taohua later examined the pattern on the jade and drew it, sending this crucial clue to Shen Zaiye via a dart delivered by Qingtai, while being cautious not to suggest any change in her stance towards him. Shen Zaiye's attempts to identify the broken jade piece had not yielded results. Qingtai then arrived, delivering a drawing of the pattern sent by Jiang Taohua via a dart.
While Shen Zaiye studied it, Xiang Qingying entered, expressing frustration at the lack of progress in saving Wei Wuxia. Observing the pattern, she suggested it looked more like writing than a picture. Shen Zaiye immediately grasped its significance as the exam topic and prepared to seek an audience with the King. Shen Zaiye vouched for Wei Wuxia's innocence, revealing his knowledge of the imperial examination's essay topic.
When the King confirmed the topic and expressed outrage over its leak, Shen Zaiye presented the broken jade pendant found at the crime scene, explaining the topic was carved upon it, linking it to Wuhen. He argued that if the pendant belonged to neither deceased prince, it proved a third party was present. Shen Zaiye requested and was granted the authority to fully investigate to uncover the truth.
Understanding the clue came from Jiang Taohua, Shen Zaiye instructed Zhan Lu to locate Qingtai. Shen Zaiye questioned Qingtai, who, after initial denial, admitted to leaving the residence, asserting her loyalty was to the Princess. Seeing a handkerchief, he deduced it was how Jiang Taohua sent the message and asked her to convey his gratitude, also admitting his past mistakes.
Qingtai returned to Jiang Taohua and delivered Shen Zaiye's message, urging her to remain uninvolved in the investigation for her safety while residing in hostile territory. Jiang Taohua stated her actions were solely aimed at saving Wei Wuxia. Qingtai shared her impression that Shen Zaiye was not malevolent and had attempted to save both Jiang Taohua and Wei Wuxia during the cliff fall.
Jiang Taohua then confided that she had regained her memory and strictly instructed Qingtai to keep this secret, especially from Shen Zaiye, and never show any hint of it in front of him. Qingtai questioned why they inflicted pain upon each other if they cared. Jiang Taohua explained that their opposing identities made a relationship impossible, and living separately was necessary now that her true background was known.
Jiang Taohua then expressed her wish for Qingtai to leave Qi, asking her to undertake the vital mission of finding Changjue. She explained that their past actions were controlled by the Queen, but Qingtai's recent near-death experience had freed her from direct control, making her the only trustworthy person for the task. Recalling a letter from Changjue mentioning a sand sea near his camp, Jiang Taohua speculated his location was near Xingzhou in the northern frontier.
Qingtai tearfully vowed to find him, but Jiang Taohua cautioned her to prioritize safety and explicitly instructed her not to inform Shen Zaiye about her departure or mission. Qingtai returned to Shen Zaiye's residence, informing him that Jiang Taohua had granted her freedom and that she would depart the next day for Beiyuan to seek her kin, forgoing a formal farewell.
Shen Zaiye, understanding Jiang Taohua's intent to sever their ties and ensure Qingtai's safety, offered Zhan Lu the option to leave with Qingtai, but Zhan Lu chose to remain. Determined to clear Wei Wuxia's name while protecting Jiang Taohua from suspicion for providing the clue, Shen Zaiye ordered a widespread, public search for jade engravers, instructing his subordinates to claim any discovered clues originated from these artisans, not from Jiang Taohua.
Meanwhile, Mu Wuyin discussed Shen Zaiye's investigation with Meng Zhenzhen, stating his refusal to allow Wei Wuxia's name to be cleared. He hinted at a task for Meng Zhenzhen in exchange for the antidote and directed her to approach Shen Zaiye at the jade workshop to monitor and potentially impede his progress. Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua collaborated at the jade workshop.
Questioning a woman from a tavern frequented by Wuhen, they reviewed records noting incompatible dishes being ordered together, always handled by this woman who would then have a dancer escort the guests away. She identified Meng Huairui as the person she handled after Wei Wuxia left. Shen Zaiye dispatched Zhan Lu to arrest Meng Huairui. Elsewhere, Meng Huairui attempted to flee with his parents but was intercepted by Meng Zhenzhen.
With his parents held captive, Meng Huairui confessed that he had gone to the tavern to buy the exam questions from Wuhen, who, agitated from an argument with Wei Wuxia, became aggressive. Meng Huairui threatened to expose Wuhen's illicit sales, leading to a struggle where Meng Huairui pushed Wuhen, causing him to fall and fatally strike his head on the table corner.
Meng Zhenzhen then forced Meng Huairui to agree to provide a specific, coerced account to Shen Zaiye to protect the family, using his parents as leverage. Following the discovery pointing to Meng Huairui, Jiang Taohua's poisoning symptoms flared severely at the jade workshop. Shen Zaiye immediately took her back for treatment.
While an Imperial Physician provided temporary relief, Mu Wuyin, informed of Meng Zhenzhen's poisoning incident at the workshop but dismissive of her condition, focused on Shen Zaiye's investigation tracing back to the Meng family's ties to the artisans and Meng Huairui. Meng Zhenzhen, having recovered, met with Shen Zaiye, who was with the ailing Jiang Taohua.
She offered Meng Huairui and the remaining temporary antidote in exchange for Shen Zaiye halting his investigation at Meng Huairui and sparing the wider Meng family. Shen Zaiye demanded the permanent cure, but Meng Zhenzhen admitted she only had the temporary antidote. Faced with Jiang Taohua's critical state, Shen Zaiye agreed to the terms, demanding Meng Huairui be delivered alive to the imperial prison in return for sparing the Meng family this time.
Jiang Taohua, overhearing the negotiation, was deeply moved by Shen Zaiye's willingness to compromise for her. After taking the temporary antidote, Jiang Taohua's condition stabilized. She informed Shen Zaiye the medicine provided two months of relief and thanked him before stating she needed to return to Mu Wuyin's residence. After she departed, Shen Zaiye observed her distinctive peach blossom shaped shoe prints on the ground, identical to a mark found on the window at the crime scene. This led him to question if all individuals within Mu Wuyin's residence wore shoes with this distinctive design.
