The Princess's Gambit Episode 36 Recap
> The Princess's Gambit Recap
Zhan Lu and Qingtai executed a diversionary tactic outside the imperial prison, killing the guards but not entering. Lv Yuanhua, receiving reports of the disturbance, ordered Commander Cui to lead a counterattack and capture them alive, believing that capturing more people would eventually draw out both Shen Zaiye and Jiang Changjue. However, Commander Cui did not find Jiang Changjue, Shen Zaiye, or Jiang Taohua.
He only saw Qingtai and Shen Zaiye's bodyguard, Zhan Lu, who shouted about holding them off to buy time for the Chancellor. Realizing this implied they had located Qian Mochen's true whereabouts, Lv Yuanhua swiftly dispatched Commander Cui to the hidden sand cave, unwittingly stepping into Shen Zaiye's meticulously planned trap. Observing Commander Cui's hurried departure through a back entrance, Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua followed him and arrived unnoticed at the hidden sand cave.
After they arrived, Shen Zaiye instructed Changjue to remain as a rear guard. At the cave, Shen Zaiye noticed Jiang Taohua was momentarily scared and reassured her, promising to be there for her. Commander Cui, finding nothing suspicious, sent a pigeon message back to Lv Yuanhua, assuring her the area was safe.
However, Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua had already discovered the enemy's carrier pigeon and used it to send a fake message to Lv Yuanhua, instructing her to send troops to the hidden sand cave for an "encirclement." Concurrently, Shen Zaiye dispatched instructions for Changjue to set an ambush along the route Lv Yuanhua would take, intending to lure her directly into their trap. Jiang Taohua quickly located Qian Mochen.
He expressed profound relief at seeing both her and Changjue safe, stating he had fulfilled his duty of gratitude to the late Empress and had no regrets, urging them to be happy for him and refusing to leave. Jiang Taohua, however, reminded him of his own teachings about true courage and insisted on taking him with her.
As Jiang Taohua attempted to open the intricate lock on Qian Mochen's chains, he guided her through the precise technique, emphasizing a steady hand and careful pressure. Meanwhile, Lv Yuanhua, having received the fake message for reinforcements, mobilized all her forces towards the hidden sand cave. Outside, Shen Zaiye engaged Commander Cui's forces. During the fierce fight, Shen Zaiye suddenly experienced a severe flare-up of the Jiangtao pill poison, causing him to vomit blood.
Despite the intense pain, he fought on with determination, buying critical time for Jiang Taohua. Commander Cui, realizing they had fallen into an ambush, ordered his men to retreat and fight their way out. Simultaneously, Qingtai and Changjue's ambush successfully trapped Lv Yuanhua's approaching forces, forcing them into a chaotic retreat under a barrage of arrows. Jiang Taohua, following Qian Mochen's precise instructions, finally managed to open the lock. At the same moment, Shen Zaiye decisively defeated Commander Cui.
As the battle raged, Changjue directly confronted Lv Yuanhua. He vehemently accused her of orchestrating the Luocheng massacre, which led to countless innocent deaths, and of personally murdering his mother and poisoning his sister, condemning her ruthless actions as unforgivable by heaven. Lv Yuanhua defiantly scoffed at his judgment and offered a substantial reward for Changjue's death. As she attempted to flee, Changjue relentlessly pursued her, cutting off her escape routes and demanding the antidote.
Lv Yuanhua adamantly refused, vowing to drag Jiang Taohua down with her even in death, before finally making her escape through a secret tunnel in the northwest, escorted by a guard. Lv Yuanhua, having fled through the secret passage, entered the hidden sand cave, where she discovered Jiang Taohua helping Qian Mochen to leave. Enraged, she ordered a subordinate to kill Jiang Taohua, but Shen Zaiye arrived just in time, swiftly dispatching the assailant and protecting Jiang Taohua.
Lv Yuanhua seized the moment to escape deeper into the cave. Jiang Taohua and Shen Zaiye pursued her, with Shen Zaiye confronting her and declaring that her end had come. Lv Yuanhua defiantly claimed her ascent to power was purely through her own efforts and dismissed their accusations. She expressed disgust at their display of affection. Shen Zaiye accused her of jealousy, reminding her of the love she had discarded.
Lv Yuanhua scoffed at his words, asserting that she never cared for trivial matters of romantic love, only for power. She confessed her deep-seated jealousy of Jiang Taohua's privileged birth, declaring her ambition to become the ruler of the world and ensure no one would ever dare to disrespect her again. Shen Zaiye countered, exposing how her tyrannical rule had devastated Beiyuan, leading to widespread suffering and the nation's decline.
Lv Yuanhua angrily retorted, insisting they could not comprehend her "grand vision." To utterly shatter Jiang Taohua's hopes, Lv Yuanhua deliberately set fire to the Yinghuo, revealing she had already doused the entire place in oil.
She declared her intent to watch Yinghuo burn to ashes, aiming to make Jiang Taohua suffer and die in agony, and stating that if not for them, she would have already become the ruler of the world, and their deaths would ensure no one could stop her. Lv Yuanhua then activated a mechanism, trapping Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua in a cage. Qian Mochen, despite his injuries from being chained, managed to reach and pull a rope, releasing the cage.
In a desperate act, Lv Yuanhua plunged a blade into Qian Mochen. With his remaining strength, Qian Mochen used the same rope to effectively strangle Lv Yuanhua. With his dying breath, he urged Jiang Taohua and Shen Zaiye to escape, to live on. Amidst the engulfing flames, Shen Zaiye bravely risked his life to retrieve a single Yinghuo plant. Three days later, Jiang Taohua regained consciousness.
Physician Mei informed her that the Jiangtao pill poison within her had been completely neutralized. When Jiang Taohua anxiously inquired about Shen Zaiye, Qingtai explained that Shen Zaiye had rescued only one Yinghuo plant, which was insufficient for both of them. Shen Zaiye had selflessly taken the smaller portion, ensuring Jiang Taohua received the full dosage required for her cure. However, Shen Zaiye's body harbored a complex mixture of residual poisons from years of testing medicines.
He had fallen into a deep coma, his life currently sustained only by medication, with his condition critical and uncertain. Jiang Taohua recalled Shen Zaiye's firm promise to her: that no matter what, she could always trust him. Distraught, Jiang Taohua went to Shen Zaiye's room, weeping as she held his hand. Zhan Lu then approached, handing her an Yinghuo flower seed, explaining it was a special request from Shen Zaiye before he lost consciousness.
Zhan Lu detailed the extremely demanding conditions for Yinghuo's growth: it thrives deep within desert caves, is highly sensitive to moisture and soil changes, and as an extremely cold and yin-based plant, it critically requires moonlight to bloom. Following these instructions, Jiang Taohua carefully planted the Yinghuo seed in the hidden sand cave.
Daily, she sat by Shen Zaiye's side, watching him, caring for the Yinghuo, and praying for moonlight to nourish it, offering her own life as a "lamp" for his well-being. Under her diligent care, the Yinghuo seed eventually began to sprout. Though the Yinghuo eventually bloomed, nourished by the moonlight Jiang Taohua so fervently prayed for, Shen Zaiye remained unconscious. Jiang Taohua questioned Physician Mei as to why Shen Zaiye had not woken up despite taking the antidote.
Physician Mei explained that the poison had deeply penetrated his organs, leaving his body like a ravaged battlefield where the antidote had won the fight but left behind severe damage. His recovery would take an unknown amount of time, with no certainty of when, or if, he would awaken. Holding Shen Zaiye's hand, Jiang Taohua made a silent vow to wait for him, no matter how long it took.
Later, standing beneath a peach tree, Jiang Taohua reminisced about a cherished childhood memory in Beiyuan, where her mother carried her to admire peach blossoms under the snow during a year when the snow lasted from winter into spring. Just as she wondered if she would ever see such a sight again, Shen Zaiye appeared beside her. He gently pulled down a peach branch, allowing her to touch the blossoms, confirming her hope. She turned, and they embraced.
