Serendipity Episode 38 Recap, Plot

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Jian Mingshu leaned weakly against Lu Chang’s chest, her mind drifting to the bracelet her father had given her. She had always sensed it was no ordinary bracelet. Seeing her expression, Lu Chang examined it closely and discovered a small hole on the bracelet, from which a tiny key slowly fell out. The key’s shape seemed to match a recess in the jade statue inside the ancestral hall.

She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, upon careful reflection, she realized her father must have hidden the evidence there. Jian Mingshu and Lu Chang went to the riverside and shared this crucial clue with Su Tangli. They hoped Su Tangli could set aside her personal grievances for now, as the most important goal was to bring down the powerful Prince Yu. Only by uprooting this force could they truly achieve justice.

Su Tangli, understanding the bigger picture, agreed to join the plan without hesitation. Lu Chang searched around and found a couple from a foreign state. Jiao Chunzhu, though constantly hunted, continued committing robberies against merchants. Lu Chang learned from the canal gang that Jiao Chunzhu planned to target the foreign couple.

However, Lu Chang had already warned the couple and planned for him and Jian Mingshu to pose as them, returning home by land to lure out Jiao Chunzhu, while the real couple would travel by water. To convincingly play the wife, Jian Mingshu did her homework and learned all the background information. Then the two arrived at the most renowned restaurant in the area. Lu Chang deliberately acted like a submissive son-in-law, yielding to Jian Mingshu in all things.

When Jian Mingshu felt the waiter was looking down on her, Lu Chang publicly pulled out gold and flaunted it. This immediately caught the attention of Zhan Yi, who rushed to inform Jiao Chunzhu. That night, they discovered the foreign couple had “delivered themselves,” so they set an ambush along the road. The next day, Jian Mingshu and Lu Chang arrived there with their carriage. Jiao Chunzhu and his men were already lying in wait.

At his command, they moved in. But when they opened the luggage in the carriage, it was filled with stones—they had clearly fallen into a trap. As they tried to escape, Lu Chang blocked them just in time. Seeing the situation, the two revealed their identities. Jian Mingshu expressed understanding toward Jiao Chunzhu, saying he had once been deceived by Cao Hai and later even hunted by him.

She said the revenge for the Jian family had a clear culprit, and she wouldn’t hold a grudge against Jiao Chunzhu. She even offered ten thousand taels of gold to enlist his help in the mission. Jiao Chunzhu was suspicious and didn't trust Jian Mingshu, even thinking of killing her on the spot. But Lu Chang had anticipated this and provoked Jiao Chunzhu into attacking the Lin residence by appealing to his pride.

He even promised that all of the Jian family’s wealth hidden in the Lin residence would go to him. After some thought, Jiao Chunzhu gladly agreed. Lu Chang and Jian Mingshu returned to the capital, where Prince Rui and Song Qingzhao were already waiting. They informed Jian Mingshu that the emperor had ordered her and Song Qingzhao to proceed with their arranged marriage. But the most pressing matter was to capture Cao Hai.

Jian Mingshu then shared the entire plan with Prince Rui. Later, Su Tangli drugged the food, and the courtyard guards were none the wiser. Meanwhile, Jian Mingshu accompanied the old Madam Lin in the ancestral hall for a vegetarian meal. Soon after, Madam Lin and everyone present fainted. Seeing the perfect opportunity, Jian Mingshu sent a signal, and Jiao Chunzhu and his men rushed into the Lin residence from the shadows.

Jian Mingshu changed into white robes and paid respects before the jade statue in the ancestral hall, successfully retrieving the hidden evidence. Madam Lin and the others slowly regained consciousness, only to find themselves bound hand and foot. Jian Mingshu stepped forward and revealed her true identity. Madam Lin was completely bewildered, unable to understand why she was there, and refused to believe her son Cao Hai was the one who murdered the Jian family.

She only knew that Cao Hai worked for the Ministry of War. Jian Mingshu, full of sorrow and rage, explained that the jade statue was not of Guanyin, but a portrait of her late mother, which her father had worshipped daily. The wealth locked in the next room all belonged to the Jian family. Madam Lin still refused to see the truth, insisting that Cao Hai was a hero who avenged the Jian family by killing bandits, not the murderer.

She even claimed she had planned to release Concubine Zhou after childbirth. But how could Jian Mingshu believe such lies? If she were truly kind, how could she have treated Concubine Zhou that way? As Jiao Chunzhu and his men attempted to leave with the gold and silver, they were ambushed by Cao Hai, and a fierce battle broke out in the courtyard. Meanwhile, Concubine Zhou, hearing the chaos outside, guessed that Jian Mingshu had begun her plan.

She tried to flee with the money she had hidden, but was suddenly struck with labor pains. Just then, Prince Yu appeared, coldly ordering that Jiao Chunzhu be beheaded. At that critical moment, Prince Rui arrived with soldiers, preventing Jiao Chunzhu from being silenced. Prince Yu claimed that he had already received the emperor’s permission to celebrate his mother’s birthday, and now accused Prince Rui of having ulterior motives.

Unshaken, Prince Rui calmly presented evidence of Cao Hai and Prince Yu’s crimes and had them publicly taken back to the capital. Cao Hai still resisted, attempting to assassinate Prince Rui. Jian Mingshu immediately shot an arrow into his back, killing him on the spot and finally avenging her father. The next day, Concubine Zhou suffered a difficult labor. The child could not be saved, and she herself was critically weak from blood loss. She repented before Jian Mingshu, saying she had brought this upon herself and was merely suffering the consequences of her own sins.

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