Tigers Sniff the Rose episode 10 recap: A stolen third place

In short

The princess tells the Crown Prince that Yan Shang killed Zhang Renjing. Then the Elder Princess has Feng Xianyu's name put in Yan Shang's third place on the exam list, and Yan Shang finds a quiet way to win it back.

What happens in episode 10

In the house she gave him, Yan Shang tells the princess a story about a farmer who beats a giant python by waiting for its weakest moment. His advice: be patient. Walking back, he realizes the house sits right across from her residence. Yang Si turns up late at night, and Yan Shang calmly introduces himself as her male favorite.

Yang Si knows she lied about killing Zhang. She tells him she protects the people she wants to protect, and the next day takes Yan Shang to the Crown Prince. She names him as her adviser and Zhang's killer, and argues that using the Elder Princess to get his revenge shows how sharp he is. The Crown Prince lets the matter go.

Yan Shang, Wei Shu, Feng Xianyu and Liu Wenji drink under the moon and promise to be friends for life. After the exams, the princess sees the raw rankings: Wei Shu first, Yan Shang third. The Elder Princess sees them too. Feng Xianyu kneels at her feet, and his name replaces Yan Shang's.

The princess wants to confront her aunt; Yan Shang tells her it's too early. They follow Feng Xianyu as he sends his old servant and little daughter, Guiniang, out of the city, give the pair travel money as his friends, and Yan Shang asks the girl for a hairpin flower as a keepsake.

Posing as a married couple, he and the princess find Feng drinking in a brothel. Yan Shang shows him the hairpin flower and says Guiniang's safety depends on what Feng does before the results are posted. Yang Si walks in, the princess hides behind Yan Shang, and Yang Si scolds him for betraying her.

Why it matters

Yan Shang wins back his place without a fight, and the rigged rankings show how the Elder Princess controls the exams.

Based on the episode synopsis, summarized in our own words: TVmao (电视猫) episode synopses