Pursuit of Jade: Ep 40 Recap - Make Me a Princess (Normal Release)
Previous Recaps: Ep 1-5, Ep 6-9, Ep 10-11, Ep 12-13, Ep 14-15, Ep 16-17, Ep 18-19, Ep 20-21, Ep 22-23, Ep 24, Ep 25, Ep 26, Ep 27, Ep 28, Ep 29-30, Ep 31-32, Ep 33, Ep 34, Ep 35, Ep 36
Novel fan translation: Chasing Jade
Main characters:
Zhang Ling He as Yan Zheng/Xie Zheng, title: Marquis of Wu'an, courtesy name: Jiuheng
Tian Xi Wei as Fan Changyu, courtesy name: Shanjun
Ep 40: The old emperor used Prince Changxin to eliminate the Crown Prince. He also had Wei Yan come back to save his former fiance. When she died, he killed everyone and made the old emperor abdicate. All the blame for the defeat fell on Wei Qilan. Wei Yan took over so he could run the country properly (according to him). I remember this also being super complicated in the novel, but basically, blame for Xie Zheng's father's death is on the late emperor, but his mother died because of Wei Yan. Maybe. It's complicated. Wei Yan ends up being blamed for pretty much everything.
the blade that is Xie Zheng has found its scabbard, Fan Changyu. This is a double entendre? Let's say it is for fun!
The former emperor is insane. His sister goes to visit him. Yu Qianqian goes to visit Qi Min in prison (the two fake brothers are both impossible to kill) to feed him some poison soup.
He asks who she really is, but she doesn't really answer and he calls her a liar. She tells Fan Changyu she came from very far away and she can't go back.
Bao'er becomes the baby emperor, but don't worry, Yu Qianqian is helping and Xie Zheng is prince regent, so everything is all good. The Cuties will eventually be married.
The Li family is impoverished and exiled. We see Lin'an town with everyone back alive. Actual Fan Changyu returns and the whole family is cos-playing being poor again.
Yu Qianqian won't let the little cuties get married until they come of age (lol). Xie Zheng sends his uncle poison so he won't have to be executed. Wei Yan hallucinates Xie Zheng visiting him in prison? I can't tell if that happened or not. It would be weird if it did. They were never that close.
Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng move back to Lin'an town? Isn't he the prince regent? A position that ought to require residence in the capital? Whatever, logic left the house forever ago, but here they are in armour:
BUT NOT THE END! They actually filmed the extra chapter where Wei Yan gets a second chance and fixes his life. Xie Zheng is wearing some very excellent fur.
Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu are engaged from birth. Qi Min is normal and doesn't have white hair. He meets Yu Qianqian under normal circumstances but just looking at her makes him want to throw up. The end for reals.
Well... the first half was excellent, not sure what went wrong after that. Read the novel! It's one of my favourites.
Here is an explanation of the whole 17 years ago plot, though it has novel bits in it that aren't in the drama, if someone finds a better one you can share: https://www.newhanfu.com/79763.html
Novel ending for Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng, where she earns the title of marquis in her own right!!!:
The Northern Xue became increasingly restless. That year, not only Suzhou but also Jinzhou and Yanzhou were frequently disturbed. In autumn, Tang Peiyi took command to suppress the increasingly rampant foreign tribes, while Fan Changyu, now a great general, followed with supplies.
.... Later, when the war ended, that female general who had single-handedly supported the northwest for years, repelling countless attacks from the Northern Xue until they dared not invade at the sight of her command flag, was finally granted a marquis title for her military achievements.
...That female Marquis and her husband retreated from the turbulent court, returning to the northwest to jointly guard this great pass of the Great Yin.... The female Marquis gave birth to twins in the sixth year of Yongxing, naming the eldest daughter Xie Congyun, and the son Meng Xingchuan. The bloodlines of the two loyal families wrongly killed in the Jinzhou case would be passed down forever.
Li Huai’an also heard that they adopted many orphans of soldiers. Those who knew their original family names kept them, while others were given the surnames Xie, Fan, or Meng, all raised as if they were their children.
Posted Mar 30, 2026, 12:28 PM UTC