My Sassy Princess Episode 9 Recap
> My Sassy Princess Recap
Shen Yan arrived late at night to visit Liu Ling, only to find the windows of her room sealed with wooden planks. Liu Ling stated she had them sealed herself, asserting that as a noble lady, she could not allow a pervert to enter her boudoir at night. When Shen Yan, amused, pretended to leave, Liu Ling quickly stopped him and urged him to come in.
Once inside, Liu Ling made a playful advance, but Shen Yan deftly turned the tables, playfully asserting his control over her. Later, they sat on the rooftop, enjoying the moonlight and snacks. Seeing Liu Ling's subdued mood, Shen Yan tried to comfort her. Liu Ling admitted her worry that Shen Yan’s mother would not accept her.
Shen Yan reassured her, stating he would find a way to resolve the matter of their proposal and that everything was proceeding according to his plans. He informed her that he would be very busy with the Jiangzhou case in the coming days and would not have time to accompany her, hoping she would not cause any trouble. Liu Ling confirmed she also had an important task, which Shen Yan correctly guessed was the upcoming archery competition.
She declared her determination to win, so she could ask the Crown Prince to grant her wish to break off her engagement. Despite Shen Yan's doubts about her archery skills, Liu Ling asserted that for him, she was not afraid of death and could achieve anything. On the day of the archery competition, Lu Mingshan and Liu Yunxiang also arrived to participate. Before the competition began, the Crown Prince announced the prize: his personal Dragon Jade Pendant.
He promised that whoever won it would receive a wish from him, provided it was not excessive or against the law. He appointed Shen Yan as the judge to ensure fairness. The first round, target shooting, commenced. Lu Mingshan instructed Liu Yunxiang to help him force Liu Ling out of the competition, and Liu Yunxiang readily agreed. Placed in the same group as Liu Ling, Liu Yunxiang made insulting remarks.
However, Liu Ling, not one to back down, retaliated sharply by mocking Liu Yunxiang and her mother, Lu Qian, for their "natural talent at wailing and weeping even without learning," suggesting Liu Yunxiang might need to learn a skill like playing a horn for a living if she were to be cast out of Prince Guangping’s Mansion. Liu Ling successfully hit all five targets.
The results of the first round declared Liu Ling, Liu Yunxiang, and Lu Mingshan as the top three, qualifying them for the final round. Observing from the stands, Xu Shijin expressed her opinion to the Crown Prince that the contentious situation was his doing. The Crown Prince dismissed this, attributing the conflict to the long-standing animosity between the Liu and Lu families.
Xu Shijin further noted that both Liu Ling and Lu Mingshan were determined to win the Dragon Jade Pendant for opposing reasons: Liu Ling desired to break off her engagement, while Lu Mingshan sought a decree for marriage. The Crown Prince mused that if Liu Ling won and requested a divorce, Lu Mingshan would be anxious, but if Lu Mingshan won and requested marriage, the Crown Prince himself would be the "unlucky one."
The final round was called "canary shooting on swings," requiring the three contestants to stand on swings and shoot at flying golden balls. Before the match, Lu Mingshan subtly gave Liu Yunxiang a dagger. As Liu Yunxiang took her position, she swiftly used the dagger to cut one of the ropes supporting Liu Ling's swing. During the competition, Liu Ling discovered the compromised rope. Despite the dangerous situation, she refused to give up, even managing to shoot the golden ball.
Just as she secured the win, the swing rope snapped. Liu Ling plummeted, but Shen Yan, who had been watching closely, flew forward and caught her in his arms. Meanwhile, Liu Yunxiang, unable to maintain her balance, fell off her swing, and her arrow accidentally struck Lu Mingshan, causing him to lose his chance. Having won the Dragon Jade Pendant, Liu Ling requested her reward from the Crown Prince, who had already surmised her intention to break off her engagement.
Lu Mingshan protested, stating that his marriage had been decided by Prince Guangping and his grandfather and was not a trivial matter. Xu Shijin sharply rebuked Lu Mingshan for his disrespect toward the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince then commanded Lu Mingshan to accept his defeat gracefully and honored his promise to Liu Ling, allowing her to break off her engagement. Following the competition, Liu Ling arrived at the Lu Mansion to retrieve the Broken Engagement Announcement.
Lu Mingshan, chastised by his grandfather as an "incompetent loser," had no choice but to sign the document. Lord Lu was furious upon learning of Lu Mingshan's affair with the maid, Yue Ling, vehemently denouncing Lu Mingshan and his mother as "cheap and insignificant" and calling him a "boor from the countryside" who would always be "useless." Lu Qian intervened, reminding her father-in-law that the initial marriage arrangement with Liu Ling was merely a matter of expediency.
She expressed concern that Liu Ling, now colluding with Shen Yan, the Commander of the Jinlin Guard who was investigating the old Jiangzhou case, might uncover past secrets, potentially bringing trouble to both the Lu Family and Prince Guangping’s Mansion. Meanwhile, Yue Ling, who was pregnant, knelt before Lu Qian, asking for her help. Lu Qian, despite calling the unborn child a "bastard," saw an opportunity.
Yue Ling offered to be sent to Duke Dingbei's Mansion to serve Liu Ling, promising to ruin Liu Ling's reputation in the capital. In return, she asked to be allowed to remain with Lu Mingshan as a concubine. Lu Qian agreed, promising to convince her father-in-law, provided Yue Ling successfully ruined Liu Ling's reputation and aborted the child. Concurrently, a royal lord received blueprints for a fire arrow machine.
He ordered his men to have craftsmen begin production immediately, with instructions to kill all the craftsmen once the weapons were completed. Lu Qian, under the pretext of making amends, sent Yue Ling to Duke Dingbei's Mansion, where Liu Ling's maternal uncle assigned her to miscellaneous duties. Yue Ling immediately demonstrated extreme diligence, impressing the other maidservants who commented on her hard work and agile nature. However, Ling Bi, Liu Ling's personal maid, grew suspicious.
Upon encountering Yue Ling in the backyard, Ling Bi confronted her, asking why she was there. Yue Ling deliberately stumbled and fell, causing the other maids to accuse Ling Bi of bullying and to criticize Ling Bi's master as "unruly." Angered, Ling Bi returned to Liu Ling and reported Yue Ling’s manipulative behavior, suggesting she was acting under Lu Qian's instructions to ruin Liu Ling's reputation.
Liu Ling, however, viewed Yue Ling as a "pitiful" person and decided to let her continue her schemes. During this time, Shen Yan also sent Liu Ling a small golden bell, which Liu Ling lovingly put on her pet pig, Shen Oink, remarking that it was a gift from Shen Oink's father and that Shen Oink, like its father, was growing. On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, Duke Dingbei's Mansion held its customary alms-giving ceremony.
Liu Ling, resting in her room, was disturbed by Shen Oink's persistent squealing. Ling Bi, trying to keep Shen Oink quiet, took him to a nearby pavilion. She then left to fetch food for Shen Oink, instructing him to stay put. Seizing this opportunity, Yue Ling, who had earlier taken abortion medicine, stole Shen Oink and delivered him to a group of beggars. When Liu Ling discovered Shen Oink was missing, she frantically searched for him.
She eventually found Shen Oink's collar and clothes outside the mansion, near where several beggars were grilling meat. Realizing they had killed her beloved pig, Liu Ling demanded its return. Yue Ling, feigning concern, emerged and pleaded with Liu Ling to spare the beggars, claiming they were merely starving refugees unaware of Shen Oink's identity. Liu Ling, understanding Yue Ling's culpability, slapped her and ordered her to leave.
Yue Ling, however, clung to Liu Ling, begging not to be cast out and kowtowing repeatedly. When Liu Ling forcefully pulled away, the abortion medicine Yue Ling had taken took effect, causing her to miscarry on the spot. Yue Ling then publicly accused Liu Ling of her miscarriage, arguing that Liu Ling's cruelty had cost her a human life, which she claimed was more important than an animal's.
Liu Ling retorted that Yue Ling’s child was lost because Yue Ling had intentionally harmed Shen Oink, and thus, she was suffering the consequences of her own actions. Shen Yan, having been alerted, arrived quickly. He comforted the distraught Liu Ling, gently telling her that as Princess Changle, she should not cry publicly. He promised to give her something better than Shen Oink and swiftly took her away from the scene on horseback.
