The Princess's Gambit Episode 29 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Shen Zaiye arrived swiftly in Luocheng, known as the exile ground of Beiyuan. He ordered five men to enter the city in disguise as commoners, while the rest of his group waited outside. He declined an offer to change clothes, remarking that anyone in the city who recognized him, friend or foe, would be someone he needed to find.
Reflecting on his deepest regret of not being able to hold Jiang Taohua's hand on Yugui Mountain, he felt grateful for this second chance and vowed he would never again leave her to face danger alone, no matter the risk. Meanwhile, Jiang Taohua and Qingtai met unexpectedly in Luocheng. Elsewhere, General Dong Lang, the commander of Qi's border garrison, greeted Mu Wuxia upon his arrival.
General Dong had prepared a banquet, but Mu Wuxia immediately wanted to discuss the bandits who had fled towards Beiyuan, directing the banquet be given to the soldiers instead. Mu Wuxia expressed admiration for General Dong's service before immediately pressing him for information about the bandits. General Dong explained they had entered Beiyuan territory and pursuing them further would risk provoking a war.
He stated his duty was solely to defend the border and offer condolences to the families of the captured Qi citizens. Questioning this approach, Mu Wuxia asked if General Dong would respond in the same passive manner if his own children were the ones captured. General Dong countered that risking war for only dozens of citizens would inevitably endanger tens of thousands, urging Mu Wuxia to consider the grave consequences and not fail the King's trust.
While understanding the general's point, Mu Wuxia believed a more flexible solution was possible, suggesting a team disguised as civilians could infiltrate and rescue the people. General Dong refused, claiming he was a simple soldier unskilled in such intricate schemes, and suggested Mu Wuxia seek lessons in flexibility from the Left Chancellor, Shen Zaiye.
Mu Wuxia acknowledged he had indeed learned from others, including Shen Zaiye, but firmly declared that compared to the safety of the people, his own future was insignificant. His resolve hardened, he decided to find an opportunity to slip away and personally infiltrate Beiyuan to take action. Xiang Qingying, who was present, voiced her unwavering support, stating she would accompany him.
She declared she was unafraid of the danger if it meant saving the people, believing that together, they could overcome any obstacle. Empress Lv also arrived in Luocheng, personally overseeing her plan from the city wall. Commander Cui reported that both Jiang Taohua and Shen Zaiye had entered the city. Eager for her plan to unfold, Empress Lv viewed their arrival as "fish" gathering and declared she needed "bait," specifically identifying Jiang Changjue.
She ordered that no one be permitted to leave the city before nightfall. In their search for Jiang Changjue, Qingtai informed Jiang Taohua that she had visited the quarry daily since first seeing him there, but had not found him again. Though Prince Wuyin had claimed Changjue was in Luocheng to face military law, Qingtai's searches of the city prison and Commandant Deng's residence had yielded no sign of him.
Taohua mused that perhaps Changjue was not in Luocheng at all, and Prince Wuyin's claim was merely a ruse to lure her and Shen Zaiye. Qingtai disagreed, pointing out the city's tight security made escape difficult and suggesting Changjue might instead be hiding somewhere nearby. Recalling Changjue's past actions of helping others in Luocheng, Taohua considered the possibility that someone might be sheltering him. They decided to question locals for information about places Changjue frequented, hoping to find a lead.
Taohua then asked Qingtai when she had encountered Zhan Lu. Qingtai replied it had been six days, leading Taohua to realize Shen Zaiye had sent Zhan Lu to find her after learning she was searching for Changjue. Taohua felt conflicted about Shen Zaiye coming, acknowledging the situation was a trap set by Empress Lv and Prince Wuyin, but feeling she had no choice but to come for Changjue.
She did not want Shen Zaiye to risk his life by involving himself. Qingtai noted the irony of their mutual concern despite their outward stubbornness. They agreed to quickly locate Changjue and leave the dangerous city. Meanwhile, Shen Zaiye used marks left by Zhan Lu to find him. Jiang Taohua and Qingtai arrived at the home of Censor Liu, a former official in exile. Madam Liu welcomed them inside.
When Censor Liu returned, he immediately recognized Taohua as the Princess, acknowledging Empress Helan's past kindness to his family and Changjue's help during their time in Luocheng. He recounted hearing false rumors of her death and his relief when Changjue had recently informed him she was alive. Taohua explained her purpose was to find Changjue, pressing Censor Liu to confirm he had seen him. Censor Liu then confessed that he had indeed hidden Changjue after he escaped.
He then went to bring Changjue to her. Meanwhile, Shen Zaiye questioned Zhan Lu about Taohua's whereabouts and safety. Zhan Lu confirmed she was with Qingtai but reported that after meeting Qingtai, Taohua had not spoken further with him, so he had returned alone. Shen Zaiye found the lack of incident since entering the city peculiar. He reasoned that if Empress Lv's true target were Taohua, she could simply withhold the antidote to the poison affecting her.
The use of Changjue as bait strongly suggested Shen Zaiye was the primary target, yet surprisingly, no assassins had appeared since his arrival. He concluded that a living, albeit missing, Jiang Changjue served as more effective bait than a dead one. Shen Zaiye ordered Zhan Lu and himself to split up and search for Taohua and Changjue, ensuring they did not fall into Empress Lv's hands.
Meanwhile, Commander Cui received a report confirming Jiang Changjue's location – heading to Censor Liu's home, where Jiang Taohua was already present. Seeing his "fish" gathered, he ordered additional men to capture them. Moments later, Jiang Changjue entered Censor Liu's home, eagerly calling for his sister. Taohua and Changjue rushed into each other's arms for a tearful reunion, both tearfully expressing how much they had missed each other.
Taohua noted how he had grown taller and was tanned, while he remarked that she, by contrast, seemed unchanged. As they embraced, a volley of arrows suddenly flew towards them. Shen Zaiye and Zhan Lu arrived just in time, deflecting the arrows with their flying swords. Shen Zaiye immediately told Taohua to get down. Taohua quickly threw a bow to Shen Zaiye, and together they fought back against the attackers, eventually forcing them to retreat. Changjue then thanked Shen Zaiye.
Taohua then confronted Shen Zaiye, scolding him for coming and revealing that Empress Lv had orchestrated this trap specifically to kill "him". Shen Zaiye calmly replied that he was already aware. Commander Cui expressed frustration that his men had failed to capture them, but noted that at least the Jiang siblings had now joined Shen Zaiye.
He ordered his men to keep them under close watch and report any attempt to leave the city, promising Empress Lv a "good show" that night. Later, two men were observed arranging carts laden with material. One commented that night soil haulers in Luocheng typically worked during the day, making collections at midnight highly unusual. They discovered the carts contained bitumen and saltpeter mixed with sulfur and sawdust, a highly explosive combination.
They realized these individuals were Empress Lv's operatives and that similar explosive material was likely hidden throughout the city. Taohua deduced that Empress Lv intended to trap them within the city and detonate the explosives, questioning how she could be so ruthless with so many innocent civilians present. Shen Zaiye remarked that the minds of cruel people were difficult to comprehend by normal standards, emphasizing the need for extreme caution.
In another scene, Empress Lv was shown expressing deep satisfaction in watching her enemies suffer and struggle. An aide reported that everything was in place and awaited her command for detonation, which would clear the path for her "grand ambition." Empress Lv expressed pleasure, eager for them to be "reduced to ashes."
Jiang Taohua urged Shen Zaiye to leave immediately, arguing that as Qi's Left Chancellor, he should not endanger himself for the people of Beiyuan, whose safety was the responsibility of the Beiyuan royal family. Shen Zaiye countered that both his sense of public duty and his personal feelings compelled him to stay and help the citizens, demonstrating his unwavering principles.
He instructed Zhan Lu and Wu Jiang to gather the hidden guards stationed outside the city and remain ready to provide support, while he planned to remain inside to find a way to resolve the crisis. Taohua commended his righteousness. She suggested that Jiang Changjue inform Commandant Deng of the danger. Shen Zaiye agreed that splitting up was a good strategy.
Changjue went to Commandant Deng's residence and urgently warned him that Luocheng was in grave danger, explaining the deliberate placement of bitumen and saltpeter, particularly in hidden locations, mixed with sulfur and charcoal. He implored Commandant Deng to order an immediate evacuation of the citizens. Commandant Deng scoffed, dismissing it as a joke and pointing out that Luocheng was, in fact, a major source of these materials.
He feared Changjue's warning was a trick designed to cause chaos, facilitate the escape of exiles, and leave Commandant Deng as a scapegoat should no such event occur. Meanwhile, preparations for the Lantern Festival were underway in the city, with people releasing sky lanterns, a tradition meant for wishing for peace. Amidst the preparations, someone lamented that Empress Lv was perverting this peaceful tradition.
They realized they had to discover the planned detonation time to prevent the festival from becoming a tragedy. Following their plan to split up, Shen Zaiye and Taohua continued their search, looking for secluded areas where large quantities of explosives might be hidden. They found stockpiles of saltpeter on the second floor of a building. An operative appeared and attempted to attack Shen Zaiye.
They managed to subdue the man, but when Shen Zaiye attempted to question him about the plan and the signal, the man killed himself. Noticing a wound on Shen Zaiye, Taohua urged him to bandage it, but he dismissed it as a minor injury, prioritizing finding a solution to the impending crisis. Elsewhere in the city, Prince Mu Wuyin arrived and visited Empress Lv.
He told her he had arrived early specifically to spend the Lantern Festival with her and asked if she was pleased to see him. She expressed concern about him being seen, fearing it would jeopardize her meticulously laid plan, and insisted he return to Qi immediately. He expressed frustration, asking if she missed him even slightly, noting that he thought of her every day, despite their meeting the previous year.
She reiterated that his presence was a distraction and emphasized his critical role back in Yujing for the "bigger picture," suggesting they would have ample time together later. Growing angry, he expressed his feeling that she perpetually prioritized her plans and seemed not to care about him. She called him childish and stated that their many years of planning were precisely "for" the moment of success when they could finally pursue their true desires.
He felt she was merely attempting to quickly dismiss him. He attempted to reassure her about the Qi King's declining health, exacerbated by elixirs, and that Yujing remained stable with Meng Zhongyan overseeing matters and both Shen Zaiye and Mu Wuxia absent. Still expressing worry about unforeseen complications, she eventually agreed when he suggested they go to see the signal preparations. He stated that everything was ready, except for the signal.
He reached out to take her hand, but she withdrew it. As preparations for the festival continued elsewhere, Xiang Qingying purchased a sky lantern. She wrote down her numerous wishes: for the bandits to be found and the people rescued soon, for the Qi dynasty to flourish, for her brother Mu Wuxia and Princess Jiang Taohua to be together, and for a lifetime of happiness with Mu Wuxia. She then released the lantern into the sky.
Shen Zaiye and Taohua, continuing their search, found more individuals setting explosives. They killed them. Taohua observed that one of these individuals had been constantly looking up at the sky and suggested this indicated they were waiting for a signal for a unified action. Shen Zaiye realized that in the darkness of night, audible signals would be difficult to distinguish, concluding that the signal must be something visible in the sky, likely the sky lanterns being released for the festival.
