The Unexpected Marriage Episode 24 (Ending) Recap
> The Unexpected Marriage Recap
Doctors reported to the King that while Prince Lv Jing's wound did not hit a vital point, the assassin's weapon was coated in poison. The King ordered Chu Ge, who had been captured, to be interrogated immediately to obtain the antidote, using any means necessary. Changsheng, Lv Jing's wife, pleaded with the King to allow her to question Chu Ge alone, a request the King reluctantly granted while assuring her safety.
Changsheng's parents also urged her to be careful before leaving. Xiao Zilv and the imperial doctors stayed to care for Lv Jing. Changsheng went to the prison to see Chu Ge. Chu Ge declared she would not give Changsheng the antidote and was not afraid of death. Changsheng insisted that she didn't want Chu Ge to die, but wanted Prince Qin to live. She told Chu Ge she believed they were alike because they both deeply loved their husbands.
Changsheng pointed out that Chu Ge's actions, though terrible, were driven by her love for the Fifth Prince, Lv Ke. Changsheng then fabricated a story, claiming that Lv Ke had returned for Chu Ge, begging the King to spare her life, and that he was the one who notified the Royal Guards who arrived at the wedding. She offered to let Chu Ge go if she handed over the antidote.
Chu Ge was initially moved but quickly saw through the lie, stating she knew Lv Ke was too selfish and afraid of death to return for her. She defiantly told Changsheng to prepare for Lv Jing's death, refusing to give the antidote. Changsheng, desperate, knelt and begged, insisting she and Lv Jing never intended to harm Chu Ge or Lv Ke.
Chu Ge remained unmoved, comparing them to insects killed because people hate them, and arguing that Lv Ke had attacked them first multiple times. She urged Changsheng to spend time with Lv Jing instead, as his time was limited. Imperial doctors explained that the poison, called Cold Farewell Dream, was extremely difficult to prepare. It didn't kill immediately but caused hallucinations, making the victim relive their worst fears until they died from exhaustion.
Lv Jing briefly awoke and tried to appear cheerful, suggesting he and Changsheng go for a stroll. Changsheng grew emotional, but he encouraged her to be happy and not think about him potentially dying, which he joked would confirm the negative rumors about her and make remarriage difficult so soon after their wedding. He promised to recover quickly to keep an eye on her.
He asked for the doctors, and Changsheng covered for them, saying they had argued about treatment and she sent them away. They shared a moment of lighthearted conversation, guessing riddles. He expressed his desire to stay with her peacefully, just "one house, two people, three meals, four seasons, forever and ever." Changsheng reflected on the hardships he endured since marrying her, asking if he regretted it. He replied that without her, even a healthy life would be meaningless.
Later, Lv Jing fell back into a deep sleep. Xiao Zilv and the doctors continued researching for a cure, while Changsheng stayed by Lv Jing's side, expressing hope that their suffering meant future happiness. She asked Xiao Zilv if the rumors about her being a jinx were true, given the recent events, but he dismissed it and reminded her of Sheng Tiangang's prophecy that Lv Jing was meant to subdue her.
Meanwhile, Princess Royal Lv Guan also interrogated Chu Ge but found her equally unyielding, convinced Chu Ge was waiting for someone. Lv Guan speculated it might be Lv Ke but dismissed the possibility, believing Lv Ke would never return, especially after losing influence and support. Despite her skepticism, news arrived that Lv Ke had indeed returned and was meeting the King in the Imperial Study.
The King questioned why Lv Ke came back after leaving, and Lv Ke admitted it was for Chu Ge, saying he couldn't bring himself to leave her behind despite knowing his return meant facing danger. He argued with the King about their strained relationship and the King's past favoritism, stating he had to fight for what he wanted.
He acknowledged his defeat but rejected the King's lecture on brotherly harmony, pointing out the King himself didn't achieve his position through such means. Lv Ke stated he didn't expect to live upon his return and offered to provide the antidote for Lv Jing's poison, but only on one condition. Lv Ke visited Chu Ge in prison. Chu Ge expressed her deep love and devotion to him.
As she was being led out by guards, she believed she was being taken for execution and confessed to everything to protect Lv Jing, urging Lv Ke to take the antidote and live. However, the guards removed her shackles and informed her that the Fifth Prince, Lv Ke, had taken all the blame for her crimes and traded his freedom and the antidote for her life. Chu Ge was released, horrified by this revelation.
She rushed back to the prison cell, demanding to see Lv Ke. The antidote was delivered and administered to Lv Jing. Ru Jing, having witnessed Changsheng's selfless act of saving Lv Jing during the attack while she herself hesitated, realized that her feelings for Lv Jing were not true love but a form of possessiveness or obsession. She decided to leave the palace and said goodbye to Changsheng, explaining her realization and her decision to let go of her fixation.
After taking the antidote, Lv Jing suddenly coughed up a large amount of blood, and his pulse weakened significantly, alarming the doctors who began to panic and argue over the best course of treatment (dredging collaterals soup, tonic bolus, ginseng pills). Changsheng remembered a wedding gift from Sheng Tiangang, a note he said to open in an emergency. She found the note, which read: "Stay, you see the dark clouds; Leave, you see the silver lining."
Coupled with the continued misfortunes befalling Lv Jing, she became convinced that the rumors about her being a jinx were true and that her presence was harming him. Believing her departure was the only way to save him, she decided to leave, writing a divorce letter signed with her fingerprint.
She instructed her attendants, Jinyan and Shenxing, to look after Muyan Forest and apologize to the Princess Royal Lv Guan and Xiao Zilv for her abrupt departure, trusting the King would understand. Three years passed. Lv Jing fully recovered and became the Crown Prince. He searched extensively for Changsheng but could not find her.
He received a letter from Lv Guan (Wan) updating him on their lives, mentioning she had a son and that Guangde and Jin wanted their daughters to marry him. Lv Guan also assured him that his vomiting blood was actually the accumulated poison leaving his system and he was fine, but Changsheng left because she believed the rumors. She mentioned he had refused the throne initially to search for Changsheng, traveling across the country.
Lv Guan concluded that their shared experiences proved the rumors were nonsense and hoped Changsheng would return for the upcoming Lantern Festival. Years later, during the Lantern Festival in Fuyu, Changsheng was working as a fortuneteller and later participating in a lantern riddle guessing event. As she was looking at masks, she encountered Lv Jing. He recognized her as she was about to participate in guessing a riddle.
The riddle spoke of dreams and passion, and the fortuneteller she had spoken to earlier had advised her against missing a good person based on divination, emphasizing that fate depends on human effort. At the lantern riddles stand, a vendor remembered her from previous years. Lv Jing found her there. They finally reunited.
