Under the Moonlight Episode 21 Recap, Plot

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When Zhou Xian, the county instructor of Linfen, learned that Qi Menglin was the son of Governor Qi, he was so frightened that he repeatedly apologized. Qi Menglin had never endured such humiliation. He went to find Luo Shu, knocked for a long time, but no one responded. Eventually, he had to climb over the wall to enter and was caught and mistaken for a thief. Zhou Xian even suspected that he had an affair with his wife, Xue Wenyin.

Qi Menglin, furious, gritted his teeth and shouted at Zhou Xian, who was so frightened that he begged for mercy. Xiao Yue firmly claimed that Xue Wenyin was having an affair and presented a man's undergarment found in her room. Zhou Xian, unable to protect himself, was too busy to deal with this scandal.

He planned to host a banquet to apologize to Qi Menglin, but Liu Wan, citing some business with Qi Menglin and Luo Shu, quickly took them away. Zhou Xian pressured Xue Wenyin, who realized that Xiao Yue was deliberately framing her but had no solid evidence. She was so distressed that she burst into tears, and Xiao Yue eventually managed to pull Zhou Xian away.

Liu Wan noticed that her cousin, Xue Wenyin, had been framed and asked Luo Shu to stay in the mansion for a few days to help clear her name. Luo Shu also felt that Xue Wenyin had been wronged and readily agreed. Qi Menglin, worried that Liu Wan might bully Luo Shu, wanted to stay as well, but Luo Shu asked him to return to Han Muzhi to request leave, so he reluctantly complied.

Luo Shu asked Xue Wenyin to explain the situation. Xue Wenyin detailed her experience: she had been married to Zhou Xian for two years without having any children, and Zhou Xian then married his childhood friend, Xiao Yue, who bore him a son. Xiao Yue became arrogant because of her favored position and constantly made things difficult for Xue Wenyin, even trying to force Zhou Xian to divorce her.

One day, when Xue Wenyin was napping in her bedroom, the maid Ziyan saw someone sneak into the room. She only caught a glimpse of the person’s back. Luo Shu deduced that the intruder was familiar with the inner workings of the household. Luo Shu and Liu Wan tried to inquire from the mansion's servants but found no valuable leads. Luo Shu heard that Xiao Yue had introduced a relative, Niu Dali, to work at the mansion as a stableman.

This man was tall and muscular, so Luo Shu and Liu Wan went to the stable. Niu Dali returned drunk, and when Luo Shu pressed him about his movements, he claimed not to know anything and was very rude. Zhou Xian heard that the new county magistrate, Han Muzhi, had powerful connections and wanted to use his influence to advance. He decided to send Han Muzhi a fine inkstone, hoping to get into his good graces.

As Xue Wenyin was about to reveal Liu Wan's connection to Han Muzhi, Zhou Xian impatiently interrupted her and urged her to hurry and send Luo Shu away. Xue Wenyin suspected that Xiao Yue had used Niu Dali to frame her, so she sent Ziyan to a tavern frequented by Niu Dali to gather information. It turned out that Niu Dali spent money lavishly.

Han Muzhi waited anxiously at the county office for Luo Shu to return, but when night fell and she hadn't come back, he was frantic and considered sending Cai Baozi to search for her. Qi Menglin arrived just in time, reporting that Luo Shu was simply visiting a friend but did not mention Liu Wan. Han Muzhi still wasn’t reassured. Qi Menglin was also worried about Luo Shu, so he stayed outside Zhou Xian’s house all night.

The next morning, Luo Shu hadn’t woken up yet, but Liu Wan came to find her, informing her that Niu Dali had committed suicide in the stable. Xiao Yue suspected that Xue Wenyin had forced him to death, so Zhou Xian ordered the news to be kept quiet and sent someone to notify Niu Dali’s family. Luo Shu found Niu Dali’s death suspicious and suspected it was not a suicide.

She wanted to go to the county office to have Xu Wuzuo conduct an autopsy, but Zhou Xian didn’t want to escalate the matter, so Luo Shu had to find another way. Qi Menglin and Lian Shu had been watching the Zhou household all night. The next morning, when Luo Shu went out, she saw him and asked him to help stage a scene. Then, they would invite Xu Wuzuo to perform an autopsy.

Qi Menglin pretended to be Niu Dali’s vengeful ghost at the stable, covering the doors and windows with blood handprints, which frightened the stableman. Luo Shu suggested bringing someone to perform a ritual in the mansion. Zhou Xian, unable to think of a better solution, reluctantly agreed to Luo Shu’s plan. Xu Wuzuo disguised himself as a Taoist priest and came to the Zhou household.

He performed a ritual in the yard and then quietly entered the house to perform the autopsy on Niu Dali. Liu Wan suspected that someone in the house had an affair with Niu Dali, which led him to place the undergarment on Xue Wenyin’s bed. Xiao Yue desperately tried to defend Niu Dali, and Liu Wan, frustrated, wanted to report to the authorities.

Zhou Xian, not wanting to make the matter public, declared that Niu Dali had committed suicide and urged Xiao Yue to notify Niu Dali’s family to come collect the body. Xiao Yue was stunned and stood motionless until Zhou Xian called her, and only then did she come to her senses. Luo Shu observed everything. Xue Wenyin remembered an argument between Xiao Yue and Niu Dali a month ago and felt something was off about their relationship.

Luo Shu decided to check Niu Dali’s belongings. Han Muzhi, by chance, saw Qi Menglin escorting Xu Wuzuo away and began to have doubts. He had been waiting for Xu Wuzuo to return, only to find out that he had helped with the autopsy for the Zhou family. Han Muzhi went directly to Zhou Xian, who then learned that Han Muzhi was Liu Wan’s fiancé. He greeted him with great respect and changed his attitude toward Xue Wenyin.

Han Muzhi scolded Liu Wan for allowing Luo Shu to stay behind to investigate the case. Luo Shu claimed that she had chosen to stay voluntarily, and Han Muzhi, unable to press further, agreed and left for the county office. Zhou Xian continued to send him off, and Xiao Yue, upon hearing that Han Muzhi was Liu Wan’s fiancé, had a sinking feeling. She was certain that Han Muzhi wouldn’t divorce Xue Wenyin because of Liu Wan.

Liu Wan and Luo Shu examined Niu Dali’s belongings and found that he had a lot of money and a pill called "Qi Rong Wan," which was a kind of sedative made by the Xiang Tang. Xue Wenyin remembered that shortly after Xiao Yue visited the Xiang Tang, she became pregnant, and Niu Dali had joined the Zhou family as a stableman after the Xiang Tang was destroyed.

Luo Shu deduced that Niu Dali had once been a disciple of the Xiang Tang, and after violating Xiao Yue, he had nowhere else to go and turned to her.

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