Episode Summary
Jiang Taohua, weakened by a partial antidote, uses a heartbroken Xiang Qingying as a cover to attempt a mission in Mu Wuxia's private rooms. Her plan is interrupted by both Mu Wuxia and a suspicious Shen Zaiye, forcing her to lie to escape. Shen Zaiye's investigation uncovers Taohua's connection to the antagonistic Lanyi Pavilion, leading to a tense confrontation where he ultimately chooses to trust her oath of loyalty. However, her handler, Yang Wanqing, takes matters into his own hands, kidnapping Mu Wuxia and forcing a showdown.
Spoiler Alert
The Princess's Gambit Episode 17: Spoilers
Struggling with her health after taking only a partial antidote, Jiang Taohua pushes aside Qingtai’s offer to handle her mission. She’s determined not to give Yang Wanqing any excuse to accuse them of shirking their duties. Instead, she crafts a plan to use Xiang Qingying as a cover to slip past Shen Zaiye’s watch.
Finding Xiang Qingying heartbroken over Mu Wuxia's rejection, Taohua offers to teach her the art of winning a man's heart. The suggestion immediately lifts Qingying's spirits. When Shen Zaiye spots them whispering conspiratorially, he's called away on urgent business before he can learn their secret. Taohua then takes Qingying for a makeover but deliberately does a terrible job, using it as an excuse to leave her with the shopkeeper while she slips away to the nearby Library Pavilion to carry out her real task.
Left on her own, Qingying comes to the defense of a handsome young scholar, Li Jiaohan, who is being bullied. They discover a shared way of thinking, and she impulsively invites him to spend the day with her, eager to soothe the sting of Mu Wuxia’s rejection.
Meanwhile, Shen Zaiye, having dealt with the men tailing Mu Wuxia, grows suspicious. They were defeated too easily, suggesting they were a diversion. He rushes back to the Library Pavilion. Inside Mu Wuxia’s private room, Wuliu Ju, Taohua has just lit the mission's incense. Realizing her mistake about the room's owner, she hurries back to extinguish it. As Mu Wuxia approaches below, she drops a scroll to stall him. When he looks up, he sees Qingying with Li Jiaohan and, struck by a pang of jealousy, decides to join them.
Shen Zaiye confronts Taohua in the room, his suspicion palpable. Thinking fast, Taohua claims she was playing matchmaker, leaving a red string in Qingying's name to bring her and Mu Wuxia together. She presses the string into his hand and departs. During their outing, Mu Wuxia and Li Jiaohan bond over a rare book, becoming fast friends, while Li Jiaohan astutely observes the unspoken affection between Mu Wuxia and Qingying.
Later, Shen Zaiye learns from captured assassins that their orders came from the Lanyi Pavilion—the same place Taohua gets all her clothes. Feeling betrayed, he orders a full investigation. His suspicions are further confirmed when he brings fresh clothes to Taohua and sees, through a screen, her blood-stained collar and a distinctive peach blossom mark on her arm. She dismisses it as a fashion trend, but he doesn't believe her and forbids her from leaving.
Defying his orders, Taohua goes straight to the Lanyi Pavilion and demands the rest of the antidote from Yang Wanqing. She argues that her mission failed due to her weakened state and interference from Yang Wanqing’s own men. From behind a screen, Mu Wuyin signals for Yang Wanqing to give Taohua another half-dose, though it's clear he has his own agenda.
When Taohua returns, Shen Zaiye is waiting. Knowing he has investigated her, she forgoes excuses and simply repeats her oath: she will never harm the Daqi Kingdom or Mu Wuxia, on pain of never seeing her family again. Moved, Shen Zaiye tearfully chooses to trust her.
Torn between her promise and her duty to Yang Wanqing, Taohua plans a ruse to protect Mu Wuxia. But Yang Wanqing moves first, using Taohua's name to lure Mu Wuxia into a trap. The episode ends as Taohua rushes to a tea house, only to find Yang Wanqing holding a dagger to Mu Wuxia's throat.
