My Sassy Princess Episode 1 Recap
> My Sassy Princess Recap
On Princess Changle Liu Ling's twentieth birthday, the Prince Guangping's Mansion was abuzz with activity, though the noise only served to annoy the beautiful but vexed princess. Her stepmother, Princess Lu Qian, arrived uninvited with her daughter, Liu Runxiang. Lu Qian presented Liu Ling with a specially crafted golden hairpin. Liu Ling, however, callously threw it to the ground and instructed her servant to give it to the dog.
Lu Qian then dismissed everyone, claiming she wished to personally help the princess prepare. Once alone, Lu Qian dropped her benevolent facade, sternly advising Liu Ling to choose a husband from the attending guests and marry swiftly, or face dire consequences. Liu Ling feigned weakness, only to swiftly slap Lu Qian. Liu Runxiang, hearing the commotion from outside, burst into the room.
After Lu Qian's tearful accusations, Liu Runxiang chased Liu Ling to the front hall and publicly berated her for disrespecting her elders. Guests murmured, their whispers fueled by Liu Ling's notorious reputation. Unfazed, Liu Ling neither refuted nor explained, instead instructing her loyal servant, Ling Bi, to accompany her to Nanyuan, a courtesan establishment specifically for women's enjoyment. Amidst the music and dances of the male courtesans, Liu Ling, already a light drinker, succumbed to intoxication.
In her sleep, her usual domineering demeanor softened, replaced by a poignant sorrow. She murmured about feeling uncared for, her mind replaying the traumatic memory of her birth mother drowning in a lake. Meanwhile, Shen Yan, the formidable and handsome commander of one of the Jinlin Guard's fourteen units under Beidian's administration, was in Jiangzhou. His mission was to apprehend Yun Yi, a fugitive involved in the Jiangzhou treasury theft case from years ago.
Shen Yan laid a trap for Yun Yi, but inadvertently fell victim to the bandit's ambush and was poisoned. Stumbling into Nanyuan, he collapsed unconscious in Liu Ling's room. Mistaking him for a male courtesan, Liu Ling began to tease him, only to be unexpectedly restrained when Shen Yan awoke. Unwilling to linger, Shen Yan swiftly departed through the window. Liu Ling, recovering from the surprise, found herself captivated by his rare beauty.
She then discovered his dropped Jinlin Guard token, revealing his true identity. In the capital, Crown Prince Liu Wang, who temporarily governed the nation, intended to reopen the long-stalled Jiangzhou treasury theft case and had dispatched Shen Yan for the task. However, Lord Lu, a powerful court official, dismissed Shen Yan as too young and inexperienced for such a critical mission, offering to personally lead the capture and execution of Yun Yi.
Xu Shijin, a lady-in-waiting to the Crown Prince and a descendant of the Xu family implicated in the case, sought to clear her family's name. During a tea ceremony, Crown Prince Liu Wang skillfully engaged Xu Shijin in conversation, subtly allowing her to express doubts about the original verdict and defend Shen Yan's capabilities, thereby undermining Lord Lu's attempts to take over the investigation and definitively close the case.
Despite Lord Lu's persistent demands to travel to Jiangzhou and ensure the Xu family's guilt, the Crown Prince coolly dismissed him, advising him to simply await good news from the capital. Upon his return, Prince Guangping was enraged by Liu Ling's scandalous behavior. He ordered her to kneel and apologize to Lu Qian. Liu Ling vehemently refused, declaring her mother had long been dead and defiantly choosing to endure a whipping over apologizing.
Liu Runxiang's further accusations only exacerbated the situation, despite Lu Qian's attempts to quiet her. Liu Ling's stubborn defiance in the face of punishment left Ling Bi heartbroken by her mistress's wounds. As she suffered, Liu Ling's mind once again drifted back to the tragic image of her mother's death. Shen Yan, blaming himself for underestimating Yun Yi and allowing him to escape, discovered his imperial waist token was missing.
His subordinate, Luo Fan, tried to console him, but Shen Yan was determined to retrieve the token. Later that night, Shen Yan stealthily entered Liu Ling's room through the window. Liu Ling, however, not only refused to return the token but also playfully provoked him. During their close interaction, Shen Yan noticed her fresh injuries. He quickly restrained her to retrieve the token, but Liu Ling dramatically screamed for help, alarming the guards.
Unwilling to cause a greater disturbance, Shen Yan was forced to leave, though not before placing a bottle of internal medicine by her bedside to aid her recovery. Liu Ling's bodyguard, Yang Ye, arrived upon hearing her cries. Liu Ling ordered him not to pursue Shen Yan, instead tasking him with investigating Shen Yan's mission. Yang Ye reported that Shen Yan was in Jiangzhou to apprehend Yun Yi and transport him back to Yejing for trial.
Liu Ling then instructed Yang Ye to keep a close watch on all of Shen Yan's movements at the Jinlin Guard station. Determined to capture Yun Yi personally, Shen Yan orchestrated another trap outside the city. After a fierce struggle, Yun Yi began to falter. Just then, a carriage approached, and Yun Yi, in a desperate move, shot a dart to spook its horses.
Shen Yan quickly wounded Yun Yi, ordering his men to apprehend him, then immediately gave chase to the bolting carriage. The carriage, containing Liu Ling, jolted violently, throwing her out. Fortunately, Shen Yan caught her, and they tumbled together on the grassy ground. As Shen Yan led the Jinlin Guard, escorting Yun Yi, Liu Ling's carriage followed behind.
When her carriage became stuck in the mud, and sensing Shen Yan's intention to leave her, Liu Ling playfully shot arrows at the Jinlin Guard with a small crossbow. Annoyed, Shen Yan was forced to turn back. To deter her, Shen Yan deliberately spooked Liu Ling's horse.
Despite the danger, Liu Ling refused to return his waist token, prompting Shen Yan to warn her that if her horse continued to run wild, with no one else around, she would be left to her fate.
