Episode Summary
Lu Yuanhua executes her devastating attack on the city, betraying and abandoning Mu Wuyin by sealing the gates and trapping him inside.
Spoiler Alert
The Princess's Gambit: Episode 30 Spoilers
The episode opens with a sky full of lanterns, a beautiful but deadly sight. Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua quickly deduce they are signals for an attack orchestrated by Lu Yuanhua. Realizing they can't possibly shoot down every lantern, they split up: Jiang Taohua takes on the urgent task of evacuating the city's residents, while Shen Zaiye, along with Zhan Lu, hunts for those planting the explosives.
High on a mountaintop, Mu Wuyin and Lu Yuanhua watch their plan unfold. Mu Wuyin is lost in a romantic fantasy, recalling Lu Yuanhua's stories of the Beiyuan Sky Lantern Festival and hoping to share that experience with her. Lu Yuanhua, however, is ruthlessly pragmatic. She dismisses his sentimentality, coldly stating that if he had applied such passion to their cause, the Daqi Kingdom would already be theirs. She masks her impatience and urges him to flee the city now that the signal is given.
Suddenly, explosions rock the city, trapping civilians in the chaos. As Shen Zaiye and Zhan Lu scramble to rescue the injured, the widespread destruction convinces Jiang Changjue of Empress Lü's utter treachery. He immediately deploys his soldiers to stop the Empress's forces at the city gate and to assist in the evacuation. From a beacon tower, Jiang Taohua frantically beats a drum, a desperate call for the people to retreat.
In the crowd, Jiang Taohua spots Lu Yuanhua, and the terrifying memory of her mother's poisoning floods her with fear and rage. Mu Wuyin steps in to confront Jiang Taohua and her maid, Qingtai, allowing Lu Yuanhua to make her escape. An ambush laid by Shen Zaiye's men at the gate fails, as Lu Yuanhua, flanked by Wang Wei, had anticipated the move and brought superior numbers.
Jiang Taohua confronts Mu Wuyin, exposing Lu Yuanhua's true, power-hungry nature and revealing that he has been left behind as a pawn.In his moment of despair, Jiang Taohua breaks free from his grasp.
The situation grows more desperate. Shen Zaiye saves Jiang Taohua from an assassin's arrow just as Jiang Changjue and Mu Wuxia arrive, only to find themselves trapped with everyone else. A brave but futile charge on the gate led by Deng Xiao results in heavy casualties from enemy archers.
Thinking fast, Shen Zaiye decides to use the enemy's own explosives against them. The distance is too great, so he makes a heroic run toward the wall, hurling the saltpeter at its base. Xiang Qingying provides the crucial final touch, igniting the explosives with a perfectly aimed flaming arrow. The wall breaches, and the survivors pour out. In the chaos, Xiang Qingying takes the hands of both Jiang Taohua and Mu Wuxia, a simple act of unity that makes Mu Wuyin, watching from afar, realize what true love and camaraderie look like.
The escape takes its toll. Jiang Taohua's poison flares up, and she secretly vomits blood. Mu Wuyin, meanwhile, is an island of desolate emptiness in the bustling crowd of survivors.
Later, as Xiang Qingying bandages Mu Wuxia's hand, she shares stories of Shen Zaiye's tough childhood. She recounts how her father, the street performer Xiang Zhen'ao, took in a young, abused Shen Zaiye and made him his apprentice. This story leads Mu Wuxia to suspect that Shen Zaiye may be her long-lost cousin.
The episode culminates in a cliffhanger. Jiang Taohua finally collapses from the poison, and Shen Zaiye sees the ominous, darkened peach blossom mark on her arm. Qingtai confesses she lost the antidote in an inn during the battle. Shen Zaiye immediately races back into the city, finds the medicine, but discovers the room is rigged with a lit bomb. In a selfless act, he shoves Zhan Lu out of the room just as a massive explosion engulfs him.
