My Sassy Princess Episode 16 Recap
> My Sassy Princess Recap
Princess Peace Liu Ling attended the wedding of Seven, a Jinlin Guard. The guests lauded the beautiful match and expressed gratitude for Princess Peace Liu Ling's presence, vowing to defend her honor against any who called her arrogant. Elsewhere, His Royal Highness Liu Lishan, upon finding that Princess Peace Liu Ling had already left to attend Seven's wedding, discovered a hairpin and a portrait belonging to Zhang Yun, his late wife. This sight plunged him into a painful memory.
He recalled Zhang Yun's pregnancy, their shared anticipation of their daughter's birth, and his promise to give her the best in the world. He reminisced about naming her Ling, and Zhang Yun's explanation of "holding hands and growing old together" – a woman's deepest desire to find a brave man who would love and protect her more than his own life, ensuring she never felt alone.
His memory then turned painful, recalling how he had married Lu Qian for political gain, leading to Zhang Yun's sorrow and death, and Liu Ling's subsequent deep resentment towards him. His Royal Highness Liu Lishan was consumed by regret, lamenting that he had forced Princess Peace Liu Ling into a distant marriage, effectively denying her the very happiness her mother had dreamed of. He wished Zhang Yun were still alive, believing none of their current misfortunes would have occurred.
At the wedding banquet, Liu Ling sat alone, causing concern among Shen Yan's companions who urged him to approach her. Shen Yan finally did so, where Liu Ling, introduced as Princess Peace, and he, Commander Shen Yan of the Beidian Administration, were formally acknowledged. Liu Ling offered a toast, but Shen Yan advised her that "drinking is bad for your health."
Liu Ling then sat close to him, preventing him from leaving by holding his arm and stepping on his foot. She confessed she had waited all night for him to speak to her, and stated she hadn't come to the wedding to give a gift to Seven, but to him.
She desired to give herself completely to him before she left, referencing her past declaration that he could not provide what she truly wanted, and questioning why they should waste time compromising. As they exchanged a deep gaze, Shen Yan suddenly recalled Liu Ling's harsh words from the past and regained his composure. She then returned a red string, explaining that a heart not truly with her rendered the item useless and suggested he give it to someone else.
Shen Yan then instructed Ling Bi to escort the "drunk" princess back to her residence. Liu Ling conceded that if Shen Yan deemed her drunk, then she was, but lamented that there would be no "next time" for such a moment. After Liu Ling departed, Shen Yan retrieved a dropped red string from the ground. Later, Shen Yan sat with Shen Yu, visibly distracted. He unmindfully used Liu Ling's chopsticks and cup, showing no aversion.
Shen Yu inquired about Liu Ling, describing her as a very beautiful girl with a sometimes bad temper, but ultimately a good girl, a fact he attributed to her friendship with Xu Shijin. Shen Yu then suggested Shen Yan was drunk. Meanwhile, Ling Bi left Liu Ling alone on the street to procure hangover medicine, cautioning her to wait.
As heavy rain began, Liu Ling realized the red string was missing and frantically searched for it, only to be told by a passerby that it was likely washed away. Xu Shijin and her maid Nuanxiang speculated about Liu Ling's unconventional decision to attend a Jinlin Guard's wedding, concluding she must have gone to meet Shen Yan despite her impending arranged marriage. Nuanxiang spotted Liu Ling kneeling in the rain, forlorn.
Xu Shijin, holding an umbrella, immediately went to her and brought her home. In Xu Shijin's arms, Liu Ling wept, expressing profound regret for not seizing the opportunity to escape her predestined fate with Shen Yan. She recalled an earlier time when she and Shen Yan were in a dangerous situation, and she missed the chance to break free from her predestined path, realizing now her fear was not of the capital's complexities but of losing him.
She confessed her deep love for him, recalling their shared promise to "hold hands and grow old together." Overwhelmed, she felt she had "angered him" and that it was "too late" to fix things. Xu Shijin offered to save her from the marriage, but Liu Ling, exhausted, expressed a desire to accept her fate, believing it would lead to less suffering. The next morning, Xu Shijin reiterated her offer to help.
Liu Ling, however, stated that if it were truly easy for Xu Shijin to help, she would have done so without question. Liu Ling inferred that Xu Shijin's method was dangerous and that she was asking for a compelling reason to undertake such a risk. She then urged Xu Shijin not to compromise her own happiness for her sake.
Xu Shijin countered that she could not live happily knowing she had a way to prevent Liu Ling from marrying Tuoba Lie, yet stood by. Later that day, His Royal Highness Liu Lishan impatiently waited for Liu Ling, who finally returned to the Marquis's residence nearing noon from Xu Shijin's home. Ignoring His Royal Highness Liu Lishan's urgency to depart, Liu Ling insisted on seeing her bedroom, which held many cherished memories of Shen Yan.
She recalled him lying there, pretending to ignore her yet caring deeply, and his promise to marry her. She wondered if he, too, remembered these moments and felt the same sadness. Ling Bi suggested commissioning a painter to capture the room, a proposal Liu Ling readily accepted.
She then instructed Ling Bi to tell His Royal Highness Liu Lishan to find the finest painter, explicitly stating she would not leave until the painting was completed, adding that this request would demonstrate she still acknowledged him. Nuanxiang expressed concern about Xu Shijin's latest plan, reminding her that the Crown Prince was already suspicious and that any misstep could undo years of effort to clear her family's name.
Xu Shijin responded that sometimes one must take risks to truly live, then prepared to make a deal with Shen Yan. That night, Xu Shijin, introduced as Lady-in-waiting Xu, met Shen Yan. She revealed that she had seen Liu Ling drenched in the rain, searching desperately for a lost red string, implying Liu Ling's deep distress.
Lady-in-waiting Xu then proposed a plan to help Liu Ling escape the marriage to Yigu and to clear her own family's injustice regarding the Jiangzhou stolen silver. This, she explained, would expose the hidden silver, inevitably triggering a long-simmering conflict between Wei and Yigu, thus nullifying the marriage. She tasked Shen Yan with securing the position of escort for the marriage procession, under the pretext of gathering intelligence on Yigu.
When the Yigu escort team made their move, Shen Yan was to protect Liu Ling and help her escape back to Wei. Shen Yan initially dismissed the idea, stating that Princess Peace Liu Ling had already returned to Jiangzhou to await her marriage, and he intended to forget her. Lady-in-waiting Xu pressed him, asserting that the marriage was not Liu Ling's true desire. She accused Shen Yan of fearing repercussions that would implicate his own family.
She argued that Liu Ling had lived a life burdened by others' expectations, carrying the weight of her mother's fate, the Marquis's, and now the entire Wei populace, leaving her no real choice. She recounted that Liu Ling had called his name repeatedly while drunk, and knowing Shen Yan's pride, she gave him seven days to reconsider if he still harbored feelings for Liu Ling.
Back home, Nuanxiang reported to Xu Shijin that Liu Ling's harsh words had made Shen Yan difficult to sway, and reiterated the Crown Prince's growing suspicion, urging Xu Shijin to abandon her risky endeavor. Xu Shijin adamantly refused, declaring she would not abandon Liu Ling in such a perilous situation. When Nuanxiang questioned if risking everything was worth it, Xu Shijin replied that saving Liu Ling would require a significant price.
She then wrote a letter to Shen Yu, stating he was the only one who could persuade Shen Yan, and sent Nuanxiang to deliver it. Upon receiving the letter, Shen Yu promptly burned it without reading, stating he could not fulfill the request within. Immediately following this, Shen Yu ordered his subordinate, Seven, to apprehend someone for colluding with foreign enemies, asserting that the evidence was solid.
