Serendipity Episode 39 Recap
> Serendipity Recap
The Prince of Yu was thrown into prison, ready to be escorted to the capital for trial. Su Tangli, unable to wait, sneaked in for revenge, but to her surprise, the Prince of Yu was so frightened upon seeing her that he wet his pants. Su Tangli immediately realized that this man was not the real Prince of Yu! Su Tangli went to Prince Rui to confess for killing Cao Hai.
Prince Rui did not want to pursue the matter, but since it was of great importance, it had to be reported to the Emperor. The Prince of Yu had been impersonated—the man in custody had been sent to Ning’an under the Prince’s orders, but he himself had no idea where the real Prince of Yu was. Lu Chang speculated that the Prince of Yu went to such lengths to protect his identity in hopes of one day inheriting the throne.
Now that the Emperor was gravely ill, the Prince used the excuse of visiting Ning’an for his wet nurse’s birthday to divert attention—he was planning a coup. The Emperor summoned Minister Lu to discuss the matter of appointing a crown prince, but before they could begin, the Prince of Yu charged into the palace with troops. Upon learning of the coup attempt, the Emperor became so enraged that he spat blood.
The Prince of Yu brought the Imperial Concubine with him, framing her for various crimes as a pretext for his rebellion. Fortunately, Minister Lu and the Emperor had already moved the Tiger Tally. The Prince of Yu could not find it and flew into a rage, accusing the Emperor of always favoring the Concubine and Prince Rui. But in the Emperor’s heart, he had never favored one son over the other. Overwhelmed with anger, the Emperor fainted.
Minister Lu urged the Prince of Yu not to destroy everything and to quickly summon the imperial physicians. News arrived that Prince Rui was bringing Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao to the capital, which deeply worried Minister Lu. Prince Rui, along with Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao, was blocked from entering the palace. Song’s father arrived with troops to escort Prince Rui back to the mansion.
With the tense situation in the capital and no soldiers at their command, they had to proceed with caution. The Emperor had been placed under house arrest by the Prince of Yu. At that moment, Wei Zhuo entered the capital with half of the Tiger Tally, giving them a brief respite. Meanwhile, Jian Mingshu was kidnapped by the Prince of Yu’s men.
Lu Chang had no choice but to suggest a risky move: since the Prince of Yu did not yet know that Cao Hai was dead, they could use Cao Hai’s command token to enter the palace. Prince Rui assigned a highly skilled martial artist to accompany Lu Chang. Song Qingzhao insisted on joining the palace infiltration. Although his father tried to stop him, Song Qingzhao had already made up his mind.
He was familiar with the palace layout and was as close as a brother to Lu Chang—how could he possibly stand aside? Song’s father had no choice but to agree. When Minister Lu saw that the Prince of Yu had kidnapped Jian Mingshu, he immediately understood that the prince was using her to threaten Lu Chang. The Prince of Yu found the other half of the Tiger Tally and asked Minister Lu where the remaining half was.
Upon learning it had already been sent out of the palace by the Emperor, he flew into a rage. Lu Chang, disguised as Cao Hai, entered the palace with Song Qingzhao and Su Tangli among the entourage. The Prince of Yu summoned him for an audience outside the main hall. Su Tangli quietly slipped away, disguising herself as a palace maid to sneak in.
Su Tangli used the excuse of delivering pastries to enter the Emperor’s sleeping quarters but was stopped by the Prince of Yu’s guards. Minister Lu claimed he had summoned her, allowing her entry. Su Tangli asked Minister Lu to reveal the Tiger Tally’s location, but it had already been hidden by the Prince of Yu. Lu Chang, disguised as Cao Hai, entered the main hall. The Prince of Yu, upon discovering his identity, considered recruiting him.
Su Tangli, unsure of where the Tiger Tally might be hidden, decided to search the palace of the Prince of Yu’s mother. Minister Lu saw Su Tangli’s signal and assumed she had obtained the Tiger Tally. He pretended to have stomach trouble, but an attendant ordered him to help persuade Prince Rui to surrender. Minister Lu quickly agreed and insisted on bringing the Imperial Concubine with him. The Prince of Yu tried to use Jian Mingshu to force Lu Chang into obtaining the other half of the Tiger Tally from Prince Rui, but Jian Mingshu fiercely refused to give in.
