Episode Summary
Episode 11 sees Yue Chi recovering from injuries while Jiang Yunqing's allegiance to the manipulative Yi Qingyun, who controls her through poison, is revealed. Jiang Yunqing, the archer who saved Yi Qingyun, feigns injury to gain Yue Chi's sympathy, leading to flashbacks of their past and Yue Chi's growing suspicions about her true identity, particularly after she eats chestnut cakes (which the real princess disliked). Yue Chi shows her a peaceful life, and she agrees to stay by his side, testing his loyalty to Emperor Huo Jingheng. However, her identity as the former dynasty's princess is accidentally revealed to Huo Jingheng, who is angered by Yue Chi's concealment. Despite the Emperor's offer to escort her away safely, Yue Chi insists on doing it himself. When Jiang Yunqing refuses to leave, Yue Chi contacts Ling'er, hoping she can persuade Jiang Yunqing to depart the imperial city.
Spoiler Alert
"A Prime Minister's Disguise" Episode 11 recap & Spoilers:
Yue Chi is sent back to his residence to recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, it's revealed that Jiang Yunqing is under Yi Qingyun's command. She approaches Yi Qingyun to admit her fault, acknowledging that her mishandling of their recent plan caused it to fail. Jiang Yunqing's obedience to Yi Qingyun stems from being poisoned; whenever he plays his flute, she endures excruciating pain that only his antidote can alleviate. It turns out, Jiang Yunqing was the archer whose intervention allowed Yi Qingyun to escape. Yi Qingyun also has his eye on Yue Chi, greatly admiring his talents and intending to invite him to become Regent. However, Jiang Yunqing knows Yue Chi well; he cares little for official titles, his primary concerns being the welfare of the common people and the Yue family.
Jiang Yunqing later appears at Yue Chi's residence, pretending to be heavily injured. Seeing her state, Yue Chi is deeply concerned and urges her to stop self-harming, believing the spirit of the late Empress would surely wish her peace and happiness. They reminisce about their first meeting: Jiang Yunqing was a princess who had been lost as a child and only found and returned to the palace much later. Yue Chi, then a General, often saw her in the palace. Although the Emperor had acknowledged her, Jiang Yunqing was frequently bullied. Yue Chi had wanted to protect her but was stopped by his good friend, Pei Ning.
When Yue Chi's father learned of this, he summoned Yue Chi. Without saying much, his father gave him some military-grade healing ointment, instructing him to deliver it to the Princess and the Crown Prince for their injuries. Later, Yue Chi happened to see Jiang Yunqing eating chestnut cakes, recalling that the young princess he knew did not eat them. This prompted Yue Chi to investigate. Based on the findings, he suspects that a young girl, an innocent victim of a massacre years prior, might have taken an object capable of changing her fate to escape her dire circumstances.
Yue Chi takes Jiang Yunqing to a place where Yun Shuo lives a simple, happy life with an elderly couple. Moved by Yue Chi's kindness and his assertion that Huo Jingheng is an enlightened ruler worth serving, Jiang Yunqing decides to stay by Yue Chi's side to see for herself. Yue Chi is overjoyed but, given Jiang Yunqing's sensitive identity, insists she remains within his residence for her safety.
While Yue Chi and Jiang Yunqing are dining at his residence, Huo Jingheng arrives unexpectedly. He's grown weary of reviewing court memorials and has come specifically to ask Yue Chi to help share the workload. His visit leads to an encounter with Jiang Yunqing. She feigns composure but deliberately creates an opportunity, slipping her jade pendant waist tag onto Huo Jingheng's carriage. Huo Jingheng later finds and recognizes the tag, realizing the woman with Yue Chi is Jiang Yunqing, the princess of the former dynasty. He is furious that Yue Chi intentionally hid this from him, angered more by the implication that Yue Chi considers him so petty and narrow-minded as to not handle the truth.
With Jiang Yunqing's identity exposed, Yue Chi makes urgent arrangements to send her out of the city. Just then, Huo Jingheng has Du Tianzhao summon Yue Chi to the palace. Not wanting to make things difficult for Yue Chi and aiming to protect him, Huo Jingheng offers to arrange for Jiang Yunqing's escort out of the city himself. He suspects Jiang Yunqing's sudden appearance is driven by ulterior motives and worries she might be manipulated by those with malicious intent. Yue Chi, however, insists on personally escorting her. Understanding Yue Chi's concerns, Huo Jingheng reluctantly agrees, ordering him to ensure Jiang Yunqing is gone within two days.
Jiang Yunqing, however, refuses to leave. With no other choice, Yue Chi sends a message to Ling'er, asking her to discreetly leave the palace on the pretext of visiting her family, emphasizing the need for secrecy. Huo Jingheng's sole hope is that Ling'er can persuade Jiang Yunqing to leave the imperial city swiftly.
