Episode 17 of The Princess’s Gambit unravels a web of surveillance, suspicion, and poison as Jiang Taohua’s loyalty is tested, Shen Zaiye begins closing in on the truth, and the Soulsever Incense claims its first fatal sign.
🍃 1. A Fragrant Trap Lingers
As the effects of the Soulsever Incense begin to spread, strange signs emerge. A rat dies mysteriously in Wuliu Residence, and Chancellor Shen Zaiye instantly grows suspicious.
“No rat poison was used... then what killed it?”
The scent of soap pods mixed with perfume hangs faintly in the air — a clue pointing to poison, and possibly, to Jiang Taohua.
🎭 2. Deception Woven in Rouge
Taohua, aware she’s being watched, tries to maintain her cover. But she’s weakened from incomplete antidotes, and her illness worsens. Still, she heads to Lan Boutique under the guise of shopping, though Zaiye intercepts her along the way.
“A girl can never have too many clothes. We’re always missing a shade of rouge.”
But Zaiye isn’t fooled. He gently, but firmly, warns:
“If you go out today… Zhan Lu’s men might mistake you for a threat.”
It’s a delicate threat disguised as care — and she takes the warning seriously.
🩸 3. Lan Boutique Reveals Its Colors
When Taohua finally arrives at Lan Boutique, she overhears the agents criticizing her failures — and their fear that Zaiye has caught on.
Desperate, she asks for the second half of the antidote, bargaining with promises:
“Mu Wuxia will be dead in one strike… if you give me the medicine.”
They reluctantly comply, but behind her back, they plot:
“She’s too clever. We’ll push her further — until she breaks.”
This is the first moment we see how thoroughly Taohua is trapped by both sides.
🕵️ 4. Zaiye’s Suspicion Crystallizes
After his investigation, Zaiye confirms a connection between the dead rat, the Lan Boutique incense, and Taohua’s recent outings.
“I want every record of Jiang Taohua’s visits. Every detail.”
Still, when confronted, she holds firm to her oath:
“If I break my word, may I never see my family again.”
Zaiye says nothing, but the trust is fractured.
He doesn't act, not yet — but he watches everything now.
💔 5. Qingying’s Tangled Romance
In a lighter subplot, Qingying and Mu Wuxia share a flirtatious, poetic afternoon — but it's soon soured by interference and jealousy. A new character, Li Jiaohan, emerges as a comic contrast and potential new romantic interest.
Qingying, exasperated by courtly games, declares:
“A romance is sweet, but a kindred spirit is rarer.”
The moment reminds us that amid war, spies, and plots, love still flickers — though rarely free of strings.
🧪 6. Zaiye’s Calm, Taohua’s Storm
Zaiye continues to investigate quietly — his tone increasingly cold, his gaze sharp.
Taohua knows he suspects her.
But her exhaustion shows in private:
“If they still need me alive, they won’t let me die. If I die… who’ll do their dirty work?”
Her self-awareness, laced with despair, is deeply moving. She’s alive not because she’s loved, but because she’s still useful.
🧨 7. The Fire Beneath Still Water
At episode’s end, the tension finally boils over. Zaiye tells her:
“I gave you a chance. But you threw it away.”
Taohua responds not with excuses, but with resolve:
“I will never harm you or Qi. If I break that oath… may I never see my family again.”
Despite everything, Zaiye’s voice softens:
“I trust you.”
But does he really?
💬 Overall Impressions
Episode 17 is slow-burning, rich in atmosphere, and full of silent confrontations. It doesn’t give us explosions — it gives us that tight feeling in your chest when the web tightens and no one can breathe.
Taohua’s psychological state takes center stage. She's:
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Poisoned.
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Spied on.
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Under suspicion from her enemies and her only protector.
Yet she continues playing a game she didn’t ask to join — because if she stops, she dies.
🔚 Final Verdict
“Episode 17 lingers like incense — quiet, cloying, and deadly. It tests the boundaries of loyalty, love, and endurance with haunting subtlety.”