The Princess Royal Episode 11 Recap, Plot

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As the Qixi Festival approached, the Empress planned to host a banquet in the harem, inviting suitable young ladies from officials' families to celebrate and select a consort for the Crown Prince. Li Rong had been preparing for this day for a long time. Various incense burners and many types of incense were added to the banquet, and according to Concubine Rou’s recommendation, the girl adept at mixing fragrances would likely receive an imperial marriage decree on the spot.

Li Chuan first approached Qin Zhenzhen, mentioning the selection of the Crown Prince's consort and took the opportunity to express his feelings. To Li Chuan, although life in the palace was fraught with difficulties, he believed that despite the challenges, someone would be there to support Qin Zhenzhen, overcoming all obstacles together, just like a couple in the mundane world, living in mutual support and harmony.

However, Qin Zhenzhen remained clear-headed, not losing herself in Li Chuan’s words. She only wanted a pure relationship between the two of them, but Li Chuan’s status as Crown Prince made that impossible. Thus, Qin Zhenzhen gently rejected Li Chuan and suggested a martial arts match by the river, cherishing these beautiful days that were about to end, but Li Chuan didn’t understand her intentions.

On the seventh day of the seventh month, Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong entered the palace together. The male guests were seated in the main hall, while the female guests were in the imperial garden, so they separated. Shangguan Ya, coming from a prominent family, was chatting with the eldest Miss of the Su family and others. When she saw Li Rong, she ended the conversation gracefully and saluted with elegance, completely unlike the reckless behavior she had displayed before.

Li Rong almost laughed but held it back. When no one else was around, she confirmed Shangguan Ya’s intentions again. Shangguan Ya straightforwardly said she didn’t want to enter the palace or compete with other women for a man’s favor. Hearing this, Li Rong felt somewhat relieved, knowing that their ending in the previous life had been unsatisfactory. This time, her goal was to disrupt the selection and ensure it failed.

The Empress then announced the start of the competition according to the schedule. Since Li Rong was already married, she had to find an excuse to participate and found that Qin Zhenzhen also had no intention of entering the palace. During the Qixi banquet, the Empress and Concubine Rou had their own plans—one wanted to support Shangguan Ya, the other recommended her niece Xiao Wei. Regardless of who won, it wouldn’t be the best outcome for Li Rong.

At this moment, Shangguan Ya intentionally dropped a jade pendant beside Qin Zhenzhen and tried to switch sachets while Qin Zhenzhen was distracted. Qin Zhenzhen stopped her in a hurry but, hearing her sincere explanation, agreed to the switch half-heartedly. Li Rong watched silently, knowing that her father didn’t care if the Crown Prince’s consort came from a second-tier family, as long as it wasn’t someone from the powerful Shangguan or Su families. To help her brother, Li Rong wrote a note and asked Jing Lan to give it to Pei Wenxuan, but Concubine Rou noticed and immediately sent a maid to intercept Jing Lan.

Meanwhile, Li Chuan sat next to the Emperor, his expression unreadable. Before taking his seat, he had already received instructions from the Empress, confirming the person to be chosen that day. The thought of Shangguan Ya becoming the Crown Princess weighed heavily on Li Chuan's heart. Seeing the sachets brought by the noble ladies, he felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Each sachet was numbered but nameless, and the evaluations varied. Pei Wenxuan, worried about Li Rong’s delay in sending a note, suddenly saw the white sandalwood scent that Li Rong excelled at in her past life and instantly understood, subtly hinting for Li Chuan to choose number three.

Thanks to the tacit cooperation between Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan, Li Rong, Qin Zhenzhen, and Shangguan Ya won the top three spots, a result everyone was pleased with. The Emperor praised Li Rong's skill in making sachets and noticed the humble origins of Qin Zhenzhen, but Qin Zhenzhen avoided drawing royal attention and even deliberately avoided Li Chuan's gaze while receiving her reward.

After this cooperation, Qin Zhenzhen was glad she had trusted the right people, and Li Rong admired Shangguan Ya. Li Rong noticed the exchanged glances between Qin Zhenzhen and Pei Wenxuan, mistakenly thinking they had feelings for each other. Before leaving, she hinted to Qin Zhenzhen that her marriage to Pei Wenxuan was for cooperation and they would eventually divorce, leaving Qin Zhenzhen confused.

Later, Li Chuan personally sought out Qin Zhenzhen, only for her to abruptly tell him that she didn’t like fragrances or the palace and quickly distanced herself, hoping Li Chuan wouldn’t misunderstand. Qin Zhenzhen's harsh words left Li Chuan disheartened, and he walked away sadly.

Li Rong deliberately ignored Pei Wenxuan and engaged in conversation with Su Rongqing, which displeased Pei Wenxuan. On the way back, Li Rong suddenly reminded Pei Wenxuan to pursue Qin Zhenzhen if he liked her, offering to help propose to the Qin family if he was interested.

Before Li Rong could finish, Pei Wenxuan stopped the carriage in anger and stormed out. Li Rong was baffled until Pei Wenxuan returned, coldly stating that he never liked Qin Zhenzhen and that previous misunderstandings were due to his family instilling the idea that she was his betrothed.

Taking advantage of this moment, Pei Wenxuan confessed his hidden feelings for Li Rong, leaving her at a loss. Watching Pei Wenxuan walk away, Li Rong made up her mind, chased after him in the rain, and apologized, clearing up their misunderstandings completely.

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