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The Princess's Gambit Episode 32
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I have to give kudos to Zhang Zheng Yang for his performance as emperor. He does an excellent job begging for his next fix and has shown a broad range of emotions from cunning leader and father of princes, to a broken and desperate shadow of himself. He has now been reduced to the decrepit junkie at the mercy of his suppliers. Third Prince is more soothing in his approach to get him to abdicate throne while Meng patriarch openly mocks and laughs at him thinking his daughter has empress wrapped up and he’s in charge of the imperial guards. 4th Prince managed a visit to get a military decree from his father but unfortunately it lacks the seal. So now he and chancellor will have to get the military to respond based on the writing alone. Something the general is not inclined to do. He is not a coward, but he sticks his neck out for the seal, not for writing he can’t confirm belongs to the emperor. He will act only if he sees the emperor in person to know this has his approval. There is a showdown with the imperial guards and Meng says it is too late and that even the emperor cannot change the abdication. While he is being led away, that Meng POS that fancies himself the eldest son now takes 4th Prince hostage. It is now that the chancellor reveals his true identity and asks to be taken hostage instead. With the kerchief as camouflage, he slings a knife through that wretch’s throat and finally permanently shuts him up. The gals have gone to tell Ms Meng the truth and that her life is in jeopardy. They have the wedding certificate because Princess knows she’s just not gonna take her word for it. She is still not completely convinced because she has no reason to think her life in jeopardy from her chess companion. But she accepts the offer to let Princess and bodyguard hide in the room to see how things would play out. Our favorite bodyguard intervened with their plan and Ms Meng is truly grateful for her life. Meanwhile third Prince has the court behind curtains while he is basically sworn in as new emperor. The swords at their throats convince the scholars to bow and accept it. He is eyeing the new scholar in particular who is smarter than many of them and disinclined to bow for him. As things progress, the Princess and her guard enter to challenge the identity of the bride. It is now revealed to be Hua and not Meng daughter. Too bad patriarch Meng missed that. The best of his clan was almost strangled in a back room and his entire clan would have been erased to cover it up. He has no idea how poorly he judged his situation. But since the edict was read, and he wears the crown, other than removing her as his bride….can this be rescinded? Or is it a done deal? My last question is why didn’t chancellor want his identity revealed to father Meng? What plan does he have in store if third prince is officially now emperor?
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 30
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The empress had a full proof plan for the signal to ignite the incendiaries so everybody tried to get people to evacuate. She got outside of the city and gave third prince all of ten mins to get out.😝 whatever the time actually was, she opted to leave him there and lockdown the city. Their plot was heinous because in addition to fire they had a row of imperial archers to mow down people trying to escape. Third Prince thought he had it wrapped up with Princess as prisoner until they ignored him at the gate and refused to open. The one surprise element was commander and men showing up to help the people. We still don’t really know much about the Beiyuan prince, but he doesn’t lack courage. Sis earned her keep this episode with the spot on flame arrows. They beat them with their own plan and blew them up. Many caught fire but I couldn’t feel sorry for them. They were just preparing for their next life.😝The chancellor was a bit surprised seeing sis and 4th prince. For better or worse they are all together and usually in groups of two helping or fighting. Third prince noticed and said “ so this is what love looks like. “ The empress’ actions fell into place and perspective as the princess enlightened him. In her own way, she did try to give him a chance but when her time limit was done she went on with her plans and had no worries of whether he would survive or not. She wanted them dead more than her prince alive. That made a significant statement even to him in his deluded state. Watching him sit in the corner lost to the world sums him up. He was a shell that did her bidding and empty if the puppet master removed. I am not sure if he will move on from this or not and I am ambivalent about it. He is a pitiful thing since groomed at such a tender age to truly believe in someone. She was his angel sister and then idol and he really hasn’t cared about anything else. The princess did well on the drum beating. In her state, that was really the best option to gain attention and get people moving. The 4th prince is chatting with the sis and learned chancellor’s history. She is the daughter of his master so I guess they have lived as siblings but aren’t blood related. He has put it together who the chancellor really is. He remembers the idealistic child that inspired his beliefs. Now he can compare that to the man that fights like a demon and smarter than most around him. I think he is seeing what he lacks and while the pen is often mightier than the sword, he might need to toughen his hands up to be adept with both as needed. The princess has now collapsed from the poison and the chancellor actually found the dropped antidote box. He is very disappointed that a single antidote pill is inside. Unfortunately the flames found the bucket of explosives before he could exit the building. He has pushed his friend out in time and the building explodes as the episode ends.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 28
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No clue why it is a good idea for everybody to take a leave of absence and leave 4th prince with third prince and Meng family. He is just released from being framed and he is left solo with the most cunning of the brothers, one who proved he wanted him dead. I thought the princess would be around to help him but thanks to that gift from the empress she is set to go home ASAP. Once again she dumps chancellor and leaves him no means of travel except feet. Had he mentioned he was going there prior to her pressing need she would have still found a way to leave him stranded. This arc is way too long and way too haphazard in what point it wants to make. The only good thing is third prince’s urging has emperor send 4th son to location close to them all. He will unwittingly be in the thick of it with all of them. I am annoyed with this writer’s vehicle to get them there. Maybe two episodes ago it might have gone over better. Sis has managed to sneak along and for all the hate her character gets, she is the only one concerned with the prince’s well being. She is his guard and dressed in a uniform. Now my question is why is Prince wearing white flowing robes to shine like a beacon while trying to find bandits? Of course this is only topped by the princess returning to her homeland in her princess garb on a covert mission to find her brother. They will all be converging on the same spot to the delight of the empress and her cohorts. I liked the scene with the bodyguard and aide. These two are cute no matter where they are. I have spent most of my time rolling my eyes this episode. It is very hard to take it seriously at any point. However, I am determined to watch this through til the end because in spite of this ridiculous convolution of events dreamed up by the writer, I want these characters to find their way out of the bog and end up with a satisfactory conclusion.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 26
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The players are circling wanting the truth spun from their view. Third prince is not concerned with the actual truth as long as he can tie it to 4th prince. The princess and chancellor both know 4th prince is innocent and wanting the truth discovered. Ms Meng has a POS relative that wants to spend more effort spending and cheating than simply putting in the work to accomplish the task on his own. Circumstances point to the arrogant scholar that wanted to buy exam question. He argued with 2nd prince and pushed him, then fled from the scene rather than try to help injured prince. There is a slight discrepancy with lotus footprints and possibly two spots with blood clues. The investigation is still in progress. Ms Meng is becoming more like her father. She tortures scholar parents to get confession about pendant and then has aide’s parents to impede investigation. She stands her ground with chancellor over antidote pills and reach an agreement. The third prince makes a point to delay antidote to see how chancellor will react. He is like the cat that likes to play with his food. He rather likes smiling from the sidelines watching the discomfort caused by his machinations. Ms Meng is going to a dark place but fully invests herself. This is her only means to control her life so she will do nothing half assed. She knows what her brother endured and willing to uphold his legacy at all costs. She knows the chancellor has a deep grudge against her family, but I am not sure she knows why. She most likely thinks it is due to her family ties to silver mine rather than a very personal vendetta because of his parents’ murders. I also don’t know if third prince understands the tie between chancellor, 4th prince and Meng family. He is hitting the right tones to make these resonate with the chancellor, even if unknowingly. Does the household wear the same soled shoes or was Princess also there? That is a big question for chancellor. The bodyguard is being sent home to find Prince. The princess will not be swayed and has given her a general direction to head to find him. I believe she is cutting off chancellor and guard so they aren’t a weakness for her til she has antidote recipe. She also wants them distant in case her luck runs out and she dies waiting on antidote. I enjoyed watching the pair interrogate jade crafters. They both reached same conclusion. The princess’ knack with art and memory is a valuable skill set. Third prince would be handling things differently if he was aware. As the characters play different players in chess, I wonder what they see and how it makes them strategize. I would like to see Ms Meng and Princess play a game and Princess and chancellor. That would make for some interesting interactions. The emperor is in increasingly poor shape but at least coherent enough to recognize the significance of the evidence and to let the chancellor investigate. I hope the emperor changes the exam question to level the playing field for all participants.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 15
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Father Meng lost no time trapping his daughter into an odious task. She is not allowed to mourn her beloved brother and is intimidated to blame and kill the chancellor. Never mind the incompetent crown prince and the illegal silver mining that really pulled down the Meng family. Money alone didn’t get them the clout they needed to override the stupidity of the Prince. Casting blame to the shrewd chancellor was a huge mistake on their part. The wife has reluctantly agreed to take the poison with her and delegates a ‘killer’ maid in the palace. As she talks to her father she realizes that she will never be the most important to him. His climb for power will always put her in a place she would rather not be. So she literally takes the back carriage on the way to emperor’s tea party and gives the princess the wife’s right of being in carriage with chancellor. When they all arrive the chancellor and princess are sitting in close proximity to the emperor and consort…seems the emperor changes Qin for Meng at the tables of officials. In spite of their conversation just a few days ago, Meng sees the writing on the wall for his place in the court. He knows the Meng family has fallen in disgrace. Ms Meng decided to get it over with. She knew the end result and decided not to drag things out. She has the chancellor and princess’ tea poisoned and waits to hear her fate. The chancellor expected something like this so offered a gift for the party. Tea cups that changed color if tea contained poison. When trying to force Meng’s hand he was only partially successful so the princess pretended to faint to move things along. The tea tested positive for poison and the maid immediately recanted and pointed to Ms Meng. She came forward and confessed her crime and left it at that. Her father came forward and offered his position in court for her life. Ms Meng was further surprised with pleas from both chancellor and princess on her behalf. He finally gave her the divorce she’d been wanting and he and princess both begged for mercy. The chancellor then surprises the fathers of his two remaining concubines as he asks to have all other women in his house be allowed to return home and be treated as loved younger sisters. Interesting change of events, but that now means all his attention will be on the princess. She will have no curtain to hide behind when asked to do more by her country. I liked that princess and wife had a chat. The wife has no clue how she was actually in a better position than Princess was in many ways. She had local family. These two truly could have been friends and have far similar circumstances than the wife is aware of. I wonder if Princess’ reflection after the conversation cause the chancellor to leave or if he was going to leave anyways. Seems both of them had lots of thinking to do wandering through town lost in thought. It is also fate that these two meet on the bridge just as fireworks get started for a romantic view of the city. Now the battle of wits can be in high gear at the house with no distractions. Qin finally is decent to the other concubine and these two will probably be close friends now since no more husband competition between them. The house is going to be much quieter and far more interesting. The only machinations will now be lord and lady of the house. Will they work together to get a new prince set up for throne or will they clash as they try to outmaneuver each other?
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The heavenly emperor has assigned a general to spy on the prince and learn his celestial duties to be a fitting replacement if necessary. It is nice to see the mischievous side of the prince and the timely assists from his aide. The fathers in this drama all leave much to be desired. YeTan is a breath of fresh air, except for her music.😂 She really does need some lessons. I wonder if the fairy will ever try the soup or just leave on a shelf as a treasured item. 😂 It is funny to see the heartless shard’s frugalness show up with the gifting. 😂 ChaoFeng has become the royal bag holder as his fiancée and mother go on a shopping spree. He recieved the memo that he and guards are to be killed and he’s taking it in stride, still striving to keep QingKui happy for as long as possible. The empress wants the other sons killed, third one in particular. She is destroying any legacy that the void might have and tyrant father has opted to sacrifice third son to avenge second. Both realms suffer because of their leaders. Both are stuck in tradition and refuse to think outside the box. I like that beast Prince gave the sisters a way to communicate without using pain. It is nice they can now speak long distance and arms not pay the price. The servant coriander has disappeared in their absence so wonder what’s happened to her? QingKui has benefited from the swap. For all the hardships she has endured, she is not trapped in a cold sterile environment. She is finding her true self and she is formidable. Likewise YeTan is learning restraint. She is innately livening the place up just existing there. She is learning how to be a princess and deal with the rules of politics and protocol. She is growing up and learning how to think and reason by pushing emotions aside and working beyond them. She is understanding better the bindings her sister grew up with tho seemingly the favorite one. She also, is finding her true self and it is far more than emotions and revenge. She too, is becoming formidable. Together, they have opportunity to forge a new existence with the void and heavenly realms.
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The siblings arranged for the three shards to locate in one spot and YeTan decided that they could decide if staying or going. The sisters agreed to a meeting spot to head for a far off location that would keep them safe from the politics of war. What they did not count on was the poison in third Prince serving as a tracker for empress. She found them and a battle started. The three shards showed up of their own volition. They found out when they combined they had tremendous fighting power. After YeTan was struck by a severe blow, they joined all the other shards and the Empyrean Prince was reborn. The battle ended with the second son doing a valiant thing, he saved his mother. He was not fit to rule but he did have a shard of pure courage and love for his mother. It is a shame he was sacrificed, but this is probably the best thing he could have done that would give his life some righteous purpose. In those few minutes, he was the loving son that sacrificed all for the love of his mother. It was a beautiful moment. While she grieved the others went to their respective safe spots. Once in the heavenly realm, I am annoyed that the emperor is am ass. He is so tunnel visioned on what he thinks the proper behavior for the realm that it is devoid of many common enjoyments of emotion. He considers emotions an evil and had the prince shown any, he would have killed him I am about sure. His mother was disappointed at the don’t touch me version that returned and his rebuke of YeTan for running to him happily made his father ever so proud. The dad disgusted me in that moment because until he saw that, he was afraid his son loved his wife. This was not a victorious return for me, it was a bully demanding stoic behavior 24/7. I loved the thoughtful goodbye gifts from the three earthly shards. I think these three embody the best and most capricious parts of the prince’s personality. I am hoping he will share more emotion with YeTan privately and explain that he was just keeping his father happy. In the void the empress is complaining about the loss of her son tho she was the one that instigated it. The tyrant knows it is futile to take on the heavenly realm as they currently are. Both kingdoms have serious flaws but the void is still the most weak. Since he won’t start a war, at the end of the episode the empress is calling for the army.
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Beast Prince and healers have kept third Prince alive but his powers will cease and he will be mortal. QingKui wants to stay with him. The third shard has completely fallen for YeTan. She is conflicted because she doesn’t know what will happen to their physical forms once united with Empyrean Prince. Since she is waffling about what to do the Prince and Princess take matters into their own hands and get all three shards in same location. QingKui makes her see the obvious, she has fallen in love with the one she calls heartless. She reminds YeTan that these three are all the Empyrean Prince. I want her to see them all as her Prince, like looking through a prism and he is divided by his different characteristics and that all of these combined make him who he is. She is missing the obvious. He was never heartless. He had just fragmented his heart into so many pieces she never got the real picture of him as a whole. I hope they are ending this arc soon because this needs to be wrapped up to deal with the void. It was nice to see different aspects of his personality, but it is time to move this along and progress the story. We want to know how much of him is left to revive and who that person will be.
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YeTan discovers that Mr suave and debonair is too sly for her. She goes to plan B. This time she takes him to a ‘fortune teller’ that tells him to change his ways or his life will be short. She gets beast prince to give her earrings that will read minds and then sees how things go. She arrives to find that all the women he had charmed formed a mob and put a chastity belt on him. Since YeTan considers this just punishment, she doesn’t hurry herself to rescue him. QingKui has her own troubles. She still doesn’t know third Prince is poisoned, but she is aware empress and second son on a mission to get soul shards. She goes to empress seeking a bargain for sister’s life. She then misdirects them for as long as possible to give YeTan more time. This is where I get grieved with YeTan. She did not consider the danger of her sis and other shards while she is playing games with third shard.😝 QingKui would have weighed all the circumstances where YeTan always goes for what is closest. Now QingKui knows about the poison but foolish brave third prince is now facing accelerated poisoning and the empress is royally ticked with both of them. Third shard is realizing the grief he causes women and now taking responsibility to apologize. He will see them en masse again next episode.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 11
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The child has summed up the chancellor pretty accurately. He isn’t really either. His moral compass is ambiguous because it walks a fine line in between. He does what is required no matter which side it is on. His thought process is rarely shown via his actions. Just like the vault escape they do not show her actual rescue from water. This is disappointing and not sure if events edited out or bypassed due to budget. The lovable granny is sacrificed and the child is now on her own til brother returns. The 4th Prince now knows the weight of blood on his hands and will weigh his decrees more before sending up the chain. He sees the reality of what the chancellor said and witnessed the prior preparations he had in place to prevent a massacre. I am hoping he will seek more counsel than his own in future. The princess has been out for several days. The little girl shares her puzzlement of the chancellor, not being able to decide if good or bad. She further whispered in confidence how he had not left her side. The chancellor takes on the heavy task of lighting the funeral pyre and the granddaughter is doing her best to bite a hunk out of his arm and blaming him personally for everything that had happened. He agrees with her. I think he is glad to have a scar to remind him of the innocents who pay the ultimate price for the power games of the royals and nobles. He challenges the girl to a game—he wins, she lives quietly in peace with her brother and puts this behind her—she wins, he must avenge the grandmother’s death and make it right. She wins the game. She has successfully beaten the wicked chancellor that brought death to her village. She also has enlisted the good chancellor that will avenge the great wrong and make right the theft of property and lives taken by greedy nobles. The prince and princess survey the mountains trying to determine the best route for carts. Here by studying and viewing from several angles, they begin to decipher the meaning behind the painting. After returning the wife is told by brother he has figured out how to dissolve their marriage but that chancellor needed closely watched during hunt. The third and 4th prince have added a change. Together they persuaded the emperor to change location of the hunt to crown prince hunting grounds. Again he runs and cries to Meng first son because his rash actions has again left a trail probably visible from space because he is greedy, careless, cowardly, and mentally incompetent for long term goals.😝 The chancellor and Princess have arrived while crown prince is saying they won’t live to return home. I am not sure if Princess has managed to get sister included after her ‘arrow incident’, but if it could be done, sis might also be there next episode.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 8
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Well the two princes showed up just in time. Kinda funny seeing psycho prince going to his friend. They’re going to tell dad what am I going to do?😝 He is a scary person but also a cowardly bully. 😝Seeing him and Meng made me curious about boy that saved Chancellor. Family or noble? Meng family must be local crime lords. They seem to run the operation and have embedded themselves for years. They will have a little black account book for all the nobles that have participated in the gambling hall and benefited from laundering counterfeit money to the masses. I really didn’t expect them to burn down the house, but chancellor had a point. The silver and gold won’t burn; just the incriminating evidence. Luckily and not, the prince responded quite promptly with the news before chancellor’s report. The emperor is not impressed that he watched and waited rather than correct his brother earlier. It is decided that a slap on the wrist will cover it as their hub has been dismantled. There is a heart in psycho Prince. He was truly distressed that oldest Meng son bore his punishment. He even fought for him to end it. The uncle then admonished him to be wiser and think of the consequences of his actions. The lesson didn’t sink in too far since he still manhandled a poor servant girl. Our Princess is very shrewd . She drew a full map for the chancellor and only half the map for her antidote handler. Unfortunately her tattoo was visible to Prince so he stormed into fabric shop. Fortunately the antidote made her flower invisible. But, she gave herself away talking too much. He recognized her voice. She is now being relentlessly hunted by his guards. They have to find her or not come home, so they are not going to stop looking for her. Her bodyguard comes and pleads her case to chancellor but is told the princess is clever enough to get herself home. As she slips down a large slope she is caught in his arms so he obviously rethought his response for aid. They manage to give the guards the slip and camp out in an animal den. So fun when she wakes up leaning on his shoulder and he’s like…I wasn’t being nice to you😂These two have such sweet moments in spite of their tense and life threatening circumstances.🥰A little girl finds them and basically tells them to get lost🤣 She has no patience for uppity people and doesn’t want to waste time or resources on them. She is not happy about the chicken sacrificed for them. When a traveling merchant come through the Princess buys treats for the girl. She begrudgingly accepts them.😂She is adorable and has a very sharp tongue for such a young lady. They can’t return to the house because they know they won’t survive, so they persuade the young girl to invite them home and while there, they notice counterfeit money has already made it to remote villages. The chancellor decides to stick around for awhile and wants the princess to chat with the women to find out as much as possible. He has not commented on what he is going to do other than say it was more important.😝 I like them better in the plainer clothes. They really do look like a couple dressed like this. The chancellor is already plotting how to proceed and so is the princess. She is going to learn what that painting means so she can find a way to tell all the royals to kiss off and get her brother safe. These two are interesting. They both stay quiet even if not calm when under duress and they consider collateral damage of their choices while also thinking outside the box on the fly. They are quite a remarkable pair.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 6
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The princess and bodyguard get to the maid and break food carrier revealing painting. The princess gets the painting, memorizes the features and drops it into the fire destroying it. The chancellor and prince both see and the prince snidely wishes him a happy marriage celebration. He is unhappy about the painting but satisfied that chancellor didn’t get it either. The sister gets herself in trouble with the psycho prince and right when things look bad the eunuch comes in with a gift for the sister from emperor. The prince then offers a jade piece and leaves, I wonder if the jade piece is the one that opens the door of the vault in gambling house. The chancellor is ready to literally throttle the princess. She reminds him that the only way he gets the painting is her recreating it. He shrewdly tests her memory and skills with a series of ink paintings, where she successfully provides a decent rendition of them in correct order. She makes a three part negotiation to give him painting in three installments. Rather than recreate the painting, she recreates the signature block and has her bodyguard leave to make inquiries. In this episode, I feel sympathy for the wife. She is in exact same boat as the princess and is pressed for intel as well. It is more sad that this day is also her bday and only brother remembered her. I wonder if the chancellor was even aware? She tries to offer a divorce and the chancellor refuses. She is now basically a prisoner in house with no visitors or visiting permitted. She will have to plead sick until further notice. The Princess’ bodyguard has not returned and she tries a revised deal with the chancellor. He has his own issues because he has two weeks to solve counterfeit case or his records go to Prince and he is punished. He had already decided to visit gambling house but now doesn’t feel the need for the painting. He feels she overplayed her hand with triple request so now even tho he could get whole painting for finding bodyguard he is not interested. The Princess then finds the sister who helps her get to the gambling house. They are caught by chancellor and aide and while the Princess successfully gives them the slip the aide takes sister home. While the chancellor gambles to find source of counterfeit money, he wrongly assumed Princess wouldn’t be able to get in. She again successfully hides amongst the help and actually gets to third floor where she thinks bodyguard is being held hostage. The chancellor seas the vault door and that jade seal required to open it. He’s coming from basement and Princess from third floor. She comments that both of them not having a good night and coming up empty handed. Can’t wait to see his response next episode.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 5
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Challenge accepted and they agree to be a couple in love to spur on the one with the map. Did not expect humor, this episode in beginning felt like a completely different drama. The princess is now playing the part of the indulged concubine….the immediate separation and brushing of robes once entered the chambers 🤣 Him peeling shrimp for her. If she only knew what memories this evoked for him. The cooking scene. Let me put the spiciest spice on these delicate shrimp.😂 must eat they are watching.😂 They play off each other nicely and then tuck into their respective corners plotting. The sister has arrived home. She is over the top but likeable. She has found a location for women trafficking but the crowd doesn’t believe her. Throwing rocks at the Prince😂 he is not street smart enough to understand the significance of the act. The meeting with her and the bodyguard. I enjoyed this sparring match. The sister has preconceived bias about Princess but she respects the abilities of the bodyguard and speaks in her defense when the chancellor got the wrong opinion. They decide on a wedding fit for a princess figuring this will give the map holder opportunity to pass it off. They look beautiful and elegant in their ceremonial attire and it’s a shame it’s a sham. The Princes four are all in attendance which is an unusual accomplishment. I like how the three brothers make the psycho brother look cheap. The maid of the wife has passed a message to him and the pieces are in place. The wife gets the sister involved as a distraction and is somewhat successful. The princess and bodyguard see the maid leave and know the handoff is about to take place while the psycho prince threatens sister for assaulting him. The Princess has decided what her move will be when the episode ends.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 3
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I love how she quietly gets back at chancellor. The nice big piece of pork and getting others involved to be sure rituals are correct so that he has to show up😂 He got her back with the toast until she kissed him and gave it back.😂Beautiful move. Her truthful responses and then calm demeanor when her poison counteracted the truth drug. The wife is the dangerous one. She has intercepted the painting. The chancellor has countered since none of them have seen it. She can’t be certain if he is bluffing or telling the truth. She tries to frame the princess and is almost successful. The princess is caught sneaking into secret compartments but she astutely figures out which servant led her there. The writer of this gave her astute attention to detail. The chancellor has tea with his wife and warns her of mixed loyalties. He then has a meal prepared for Princess that has all her country favorite dishes, but she is scared to eat them. He leads her on a chase with chopsticks and surprisingly chooses a piece of pork to eat. He leaves after telling her she is going to attend a banquet with him. She suggests Lady Wen the appropriate one but he comments that her eye for detail will come in handy. He and the prince are playing chess with dangerous moves. I am hoping the Princess does well. Guess we will find out next episode. They have rated this drama 6.9 whatever haters did this, ignore. This is a min of 8.5 just these 3 episodes. It is action packed, well acted and plot so far decently written with lots of intrigue and harsh political moves. This is literally do or die so life is always on the line in this drama. There are no kind sides.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 2
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The princess ingeniously got herself out of a precarious situation. She manages to find a solution that pleased the emperor and kept her alive from her prison guards at the palace. It is hard to decide which country is the most cruel hers or the new one. She was forced to take a poison pill prior to leaving to keep her in line. If she passes on the required intel she gets the antidote and she and brother get to live another month. Her fake hanging has the chancellor intrigued but also alert she might be trouble for him. He therefore determines she deals with whatever his harem dishes out. This is the second drama I have watched with Meng ZiYi. She has done an incredible job of running through a gamut of emotions these two episodes. She knows the emperor will never allow her to marry the prince so she bargains for the chancellor. She even agrees to be his concubine. I liked how she corrected the pretend seamstress. This one will deliver the antidote on a regular schedule. The princess responds to great incivility with calmness and cool demeanor. She remains courteous and respectful while holding a line that lets them know there is a point she will defend herself. When presenting the toasts to the harem she performs admirably. The first concubine could not complain of wedding gown color or name addressed and I smiled when she failed to upset cup for serving. The third trial of kneeling was rather cruel. Nails were hid in the pillow and they mocked her for trembling so early. I would have been screaming by that point. She knows that she must find a painting that has a map everyone wants. The chancellor is also trying to track it down. He sees that she is going through the hazing better than expected and he is intrigued but on guard. He has no intention of trusting or making things easy on her. She is still kneeling on nails when episode ends.This was also a very eventful episode. Well done.
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