Under the Moonlight Episode 8 Recap, Plot

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Qi Menglin went to look for Luo Shu early in the morning, but she wasn’t at the county office. Chen Meiqing, unable to find Han Muzhi either, guessed the two had gone to the Mei family residence. Without a word, Qi Menglin set off to find them. Luo Shu and Han Muzhi both believed that Feng Erlang was not the murderer of Meng Qiaosheng.

Based on Mei Hongying’s testimony, Luo Shu deduced that either Mei Changxiong or his wife, Lu Yanru, was lying. Both of them had alibis, but certain details didn’t add up: when Feng Erlang went to see Mei Hongying, the main door was ajar; Mei Hongying was locked in the study; and Meng Qiaosheng inexplicably ended up in Mei Hongying’s bed. All of this pointed to a deliberate setup. Han Muzhi shared the same suspicions.

Qi Menglin hurried to catch up with Luo Shu, using the excuse that Chen Meiqing needed to see Han Muzhi. He offered to accompany Luo Shu to the Mei residence, leaving Han Muzhi no choice but to return to the county office. At the Mei residence, they found that Mei Changxiong was at the workshop, leaving Lu Yanru alone at home. Luo Shu asked her to show them the study where Meng Qiaosheng had tutored Mei Hongying.

Lu Yanru claimed that Mei Hongying disliked studying, so she would often accompany her to read. Fearing that Mei Changxiong would discover Mei Hongying’s lack of dedication, she even admitted to doing some of Mei Hongying’s assignments. Luo Shu casually brought up the romantic poem written in the workbook and suggested that Lu Yanru had attended Meng Qiaosheng’s lessons in Mei Hongying’s place. Flustered, Lu Yanru hastily denied any improper relationship with Meng Qiaosheng.

Qi Menglin noticed an embroidered mandarin duck design on the table. Lu Yanru admitted to having embroidered it. Luo Shu then produced the sachet found under Meng Qiaosheng’s pillow. Lu Yanru explained that Mei Hongying wanted to embroider a pouch for Feng Erlang, but since her embroidery skills were poor, Lu Yanru had made a sample for her, which Meng Qiaosheng later took. At that moment, Mei Hongying stormed in, furious.

She accused Lu Yanru of gossiping about her being summoned to the county office, leading to neighbors spreading malicious rumors. Mei Hongying then exposed Lu Yanru’s secret affair with Meng Qiaosheng, claiming that Lu Yanru had always covered for her when she skipped lessons. Lu Yanru denied the accusations, but when Mei Hongying tried to drag her to the county office to explain, Lu Yanru locked herself in a room and attempted to hang herself.

Luo Shu broke down the door, and Mei Changxiong arrived just in time to save her. In a fit of anger, Mei Changxiong threw Mei Hongying out of the house. Witnessing Lu Yanru’s attempt to prove her innocence through suicide, Qi Menglin felt she had no involvement in the case. Luo Shu, however, disagreed.

Cai Baozi went to investigate Lu Yanru’s family and confirmed that she had indeed stayed at her parents’ house on the night of the incident, only returning home the next morning. Han Muzhi began to suspect that Mei Changxiong was lying. He sent Cai Baozi to investigate Mei Changxiong’s workshop, and Luo Shu volunteered to assist. Qi Menglin insisted on accompanying her.

Early the next morning, Luo Shu tried to head to the workshop alone, but Qi Menglin quickly caught up, and the two went together. The workers confirmed that Mei Changxiong had been working at the workshop on the night of the incident. However, Luo Shu noticed muddy footprints on the windowsill, suggesting Mei Changxiong might have entered and exited through the window. They then inspected Mei Changxiong’s boat, where Qi Menglin found scratch marks on the boat's edge.

Meanwhile, Xu Wuzuo discovered soil under Meng Qiaosheng’s fingernails during his examination. Back at home, Lu Yanru sat alone, reminiscing about her past moments with Meng Qiaosheng, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Mei Changxiong, noticing her mood, advised her to focus on the present. Lu Yanru, originally a young lady from a wealthy family, had been forced to marry Mei Changxiong, a coarse man concerned only with earning money, after her family fell into poverty.

She began to suspect that Mei Changxiong had orchestrated Meng Qiaosheng’s death. Confronted by her accusations, Mei Changxiong admitted to the crime. He explained that he had invited Meng Qiaosheng to tutor Mei Hongying, only to discover that Meng Qiaosheng was seducing Lu Yanru and even flaunting it in front of him. Enraged, Mei Changxiong killed Meng Qiaosheng and framed Feng Erlang.

Lu Yanru lashed out at Mei Changxiong, declaring that she would have preferred a poor but loving life with Meng Qiaosheng over a soulless marriage with him. Mei Changxiong, in turn, beat her but could not refute her words. The next day, Feng Erlang was set to be executed. Mei Hongying braved the heavy rain to visit him in prison, but Mei Changxiong dragged her back home. Mei Hongying swore she would never marry anyone but Feng Erlang.

If Feng Erlang were executed, she would die alongside him. Deeply saddened, Mei Changxiong realized the depth of Mei Hongying’s love for Feng Erlang. Finally, he decided to let them be together. The following morning, Mei Changxiong turned himself in at the county office, confessing to the murder of Meng Qiaosheng. He explained that on the night of the incident, he had returned from delivering goods earlier than usual.

He saw Mei Hongying and Feng Erlang playfully chasing each other in the street, which made him rush home. There, he witnessed Lu Yanru and Meng Qiaosheng being intimate. Restraining his anger, he kept quiet. However, when Lu Yanru rejected him that evening, still holding the jade pendant Meng Qiaosheng had given her, his resentment grew. After discovering that Feng Erlang planned to elope with Mei Hongying, Mei Changxiong devised a plan.

He locked Mei Hongying in her study, sent Lu Yanru to her parents’ house, and deliberately hinted to Meng Qiaosheng that he would not be home that night. Mei Changxiong created an alibi by working late at the workshop but snuck out through the window. He then lay in wait, saw Meng Qiaosheng visit Lu Yanru, and knocked him unconscious. He stripped Meng Qiaosheng and placed him in Mei Hongying’s bed.

When Feng Erlang arrived with Lao San and Da Niu to take Mei Hongying away, they unknowingly carried off the unconscious Meng Qiaosheng. When Feng Erlang discovered something was wrong on the boat, Mei Changxiong expected him to kill Meng Qiaosheng. But Feng Erlang released him instead. Mei Changxiong then pursued Meng Qiaosheng in his boat and beat him to death. After his confession, Feng Erlang was cleared of all charges and released.

Mei Hongying came to pick him up, and the two embraced each other, overwhelmed with emotion. To celebrate, Luo Shu personally made a large pot of shumai. Qi Menglin mistakenly thought she had made it especially for him, as he too loved shumai.

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