The Princess's Gambit Episode 30 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua realized that the enemy was using sky lanterns as a signal, but there were too many to shoot them all down. They decided to split up; Jiang Taohua would help evacuate the citizens while Shen Zaiye focused on finding those placing explosives and minimizing casualties, later working with Zhan Lu. As they parted ways, Jiang Taohua urged Shen Zaiye to be careful, and he returned the sentiment.
Meanwhile, Mu Wuyin and Empress Lv stood on a hilltop, observing the ascending lanterns. Mu Wuyin reminisced about hearing Empress Lv describe the Beiyuan Sky Lantern Festival when he was young, and how he had longed to light lanterns with her. Empress Lv seemed unmoved, telling him that if he focused such efforts on state affairs, Qi would already be theirs. Mu Wuyin replied he only wished to belong to her.
Empress Lv told him to behave, confirming the plan was in motion with shadow guards placing explosives around the city; the falling lanterns were the signal to ignite them. She declared she would eliminate all her enemies tonight so no one could keep them apart. With the signals sent, she urged Mu Wuyin to leave the city quickly. Explosions began to erupt across the city.
Shen Zaiye and Zhan Lu worked to rescue trapped civilians, pulling people from the chaos and helping those in distress, who expressed their gratitude. Fires spread as they frantically tried to save lives and put out the blazes. Shen Zaiye also had salvaged leftover saltpeter from earlier findings. Desperate citizens, seeing the widespread fires and explosions and believing Commandant Deng offered no help, called him a lackey who didn't care about their lives.
Commandant Deng, however, was seeing the chaos and realizing the severity. After being informed by someone that the city gate had been taken over using Empress Lv's seal and that she intended to seal everyone inside to die, Jiang Changjue arrived and told Commandant Deng that trying to please both sides would neither satisfy Empress Lv nor protect the people he cared about.
Listening, Commandant Deng ordered one unit to fight the fires while the rest, with him and Jiang Changjue, were to evacuate citizens towards the city gate. Jiang Taohua positioned herself where the thick smoke had gathered, atop a signal tower, and began urgently beating a large drum, hoping the sound would guide the panicked citizens towards the city gates and safety. People heard the drum and followed the sound, rushing towards the outer city.
They struggled to find water and clear paths through the debris, urging each other to watch their steps and help the vulnerable. As Jiang Taohua was guiding people, she spotted Empress Lv. The sight triggered a terrifying memory: Empress Lv forcefully poisoning her mother, stating she had to remove her to become ruler of the harem.
Mu Wuyin noticed Jiang Taohua had seen them and told Empress Lv to leave immediately, promising to handle Jiang Taohua and Qingtai and wait for her outside the city. Empress Lv's guards were ordered to stop Jiang Taohua. Outside the city gate, Empress Lv was met by her loyal servant Cui Wei and a contingent of shadow guards who were waiting for her.
Shen Zaiye had anticipated this and had his own men waiting, but Empress Lv had anticipated him and brought extra forces, having expected Shen Zaiye's ambush. A fight broke out, but Shen Zaiye's ambush was repelled by Empress Lv's superior numbers, and she was safely escorted away. Meanwhile, inside the city, Mu Wuyin captured Jiang Taohua. He gloated that her death was imminent and advised her to reflect on her life.
Jiang Taohua retorted that it was "his" death that was near, caused by the person who had just abandoned him there. Mu Wuyin, confident with her in his grasp, asked what Shen Zaiye could possibly do. Jiang Taohua called him pitiful for not understanding that the person who would cause his death was someone else entirely – the person who had just left him behind. Mu Wuyin dismissed her words as delirious nonsense.
Jiang Taohua pressed, asking if he truly knew the person "Ahua" was. She claimed her experience living in Beiyuan gave her a far deeper understanding of Empress Lv's true nature than Mu Wuyin's nostalgic view. Mu Wuyin insisted their past was real and she was the kindest person. Jiang Taohua countered that it was all pretense and that Empress Lv had merely taken advantage after his sister's death.
She warned him that the current Empress Lv was cold and ruthless, solely focused on power, and saw everyone, including him, as a mere stepping stone. Mu Wuyin refused to believe she had changed, insisting she was still his "Ahua." Jiang Taohua pointed to the screams of the suffering citizens, asking what they had done to be dragged into hell by his "Ahua."
As a citizen cried out for their lost child, Mu Wuyin callously referred to the people as insignificant ants. Jiang Taohua asked if he wasn't just a tool himself, or if he simply refused to admit it. She pressed further, asking if, after his delay, he truly believed Empress Lv would wait for him. He insisted that she would, repeating it desperately.
Having safely left the city, Empress Lv was informed that all was ready, but Prince Wuyin had not yet arrived. Prioritizing her plan, she ordered the city gates sealed immediately, stating that the bigger picture was paramount. As her men began nailing the gates shut, her voice echoed, declaring she had given Mu Wuyin a chance, and it was he who had wasted it.
Inside the city, desperate citizens banged on the sealed gates, pleading to be let out, crying for their families trapped inside. They realized Empress Lv had locked them in. Jiang Changjue, worried about Shen Zaiye and the others also trapped inside, suggested breaking the gate. Mu Wuyin, holding Jiang Taohua, arrived at the gate and called out to the guards outside, ordering them to inform Empress Lv he was there and open the gates. There was no response.
Mu Wuyin stared blankly at the sealed gates, heartbroken. Jiang Taohua told him to wake up and see Empress Lv's true face, reminding him that she was cold, ruthless, and used everyone, including him, as a stepping stone. As Mu Wuyin wept, devastated by the realization that "Ahua" had abandoned him, Jiang Taohua seized the moment of his despair and escaped his grasp.
Amidst the chaos, an arrow flew towards Jiang Taohua, but Shen Zaiye lunged forward and shielded her with his body, saving her. Jiang Taohua cried out that he shouldn't be there, that risking his life for her wasn't worth it. Shen Zaiye simply replied that it was worth it. Jiang Changjue, Mu Wuxia (identified as the Fourth Prince of Qi), and Xiang Qingying also arrived at the gate, realizing they were all trapped inside the locked city.
Jiang Changjue thanked Prince Wuxia for his kindness to his sister. They lamented being caught in Luocheng. Determined not to wait and die, Jiang Changjue suggested finding weapons at the city armory behind the Commandant's office to break through the gates. However, he was told the key was with Commandant Deng, and the recent explosions likely meant the armory had been destroyed.
At that moment, Commandant Deng arrived, rallying his men to charge the city gate and fight their way out, declaring it the only path to survival. Citizens joined the desperate charge, resolving to fight the enemy on the wall. Shen Zaiye joined Commandant Deng, helping lead the charge. They faced intense arrow fire from archers on the city wall, forcing them to seek cover. The enemy's shield formation, supported by archers on the towers, made direct assault difficult.
Shen Zaiye proposed using the sulfur and saltpeter the enemy had left behind to blast a hole in the defenses, but first, they needed to neutralize the archers on the side towers. He sent Zhan Lu, Qingtai, and Xiang Qingying to handle them. Xiang Qingying prepared fire arrows. The distance to the wall was too great for the explosives alone. Shen Zaiye volunteered to run closer, risking his life to place the explosives within range.
Xiang Qingying provided cover fire as he ran. Despite the danger and enemy guards trying to stop him, Shen Zaiye reached a sufficient distance and threw the sulfur and saltpeter towards the wall. Xiang Qingying immediately shot a fire arrow, igniting the explosives. The tower was breached, and they prepared to break through the weakened gate. Shen Zaiye called for cover as they charged. The gate gave way, and the trapped citizens and soldiers surged outward.
As the crowd poured out, Mu Wuyin watched them, his face etched with sorrow. He reflected that this was what true love looked like. Outside the city, the escape continued. Shen Zaiye helped cover the evacuation of civilians. Mu Wuxia also moved to help the people escaping. Jiang Changjue and others regrouped. Jiang Taohua's poison began to flare up, causing her to cough up blood, but she quickly hid it, not wanting anyone to worry.
Qingtai offered to go back into the city to retrieve the antidote, but Jiang Taohua refused, knowing the fires made it too dangerous. Amidst the fleeing crowd, Mu Wuyin stood, watching with a sense of deadness inside. Elsewhere, Xiang Qingying bandaged a hand injury for Mu Wuxia. She noted how soft his hand was, unlike the rougher hands she had bandaged, referring to Shen Zaiye.
Mu Wuxia asked if she had held other men's hands, to which she replied only her brother's, explaining their father had trained him intensely in martial arts to protect them. Mu Wuxia grew curious about Shen Zaiye's childhood. Xiang Qingying recounted how her master, Xiang Zhen'ao (her father), found Shen Zaiye as a boy being abused and stealing money. Instead of punishing him, Xiang Zhen'ao took him in as a disciple, and Xiang Qingying became his junior sister.
Shen Zaiye was initially wild but learned quickly and mastered everything. He would often lecture her with complex theories about governing and warfare. Hearing this, Mu Wuxia was reminded of his cousin and asked about the meaning of one of Shen Zaiye's maxims, realizing with growing conviction that Shen Zaiye might be the same person as his missing cousin.
Xiang Qingying added that because Shen Zaiye had suffered greatly in his youth, he was fiercely protective of her, wanting to ensure she had a life of safety and happiness. Later, Shen Zaiye found Jiang Taohua, who had fainted. Seeing her condition and the dark peach blossom mark on her arm, he realized her poison had worsened. He urgently asked Qingtai where the antidote was.
Qingtai was hesitant, knowing Jiang Taohua did not want him to risk himself, but Shen Zaiye insisted that delaying would be too late if the antidote burned. Qingtai finally admitted the antidote had been dropped near Qiao Tavern during the fight with Empress Lv's men. Shen Zaiye immediately took off for Qiao Tavern. Zhan Lu offered to accompany him, and they went together. Arriving at Qiao Tavern, Shen Zaiye quickly located the antidote.
He then realized the room was rigged with explosives that had been lit. He yelled at Zhan Lu to get out and pushed him from the room just as the explosives detonated.
