Qi Menglin came to find Luo Shu early in the morning but discovered she was not at the county office. Chen Meiqing couldn’t locate Han Muzhi anywhere and guessed that the two had gone to the Mei household together. Without hesitation, Qi Menglin set out to find them.
Both Luo Shu and Han Muzhi 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 Yanyu was lying. The couple both had alibis, but when Feng Erlang went to see Mei Hongying, the main door was slightly ajar, Mei Hongying was locked in the study, and Meng Qiaosheng inexplicably appeared on Mei Hongying’s bed. All of this pointed to deliberate tampering, and Han Muzhi shared the same suspicion.
Qi Menglin hurriedly caught up with Luo Shu, using the pretext that Chen Meiqing had matters to discuss with Han Muzhi. He accompanied Luo Shu to the Mei household, while Han Muzhi had to return to the county office. Mei Changxiong went to work at the workshop, leaving only Lu Yanyu at home. Luo Shu asked Lu Yanyu to lead them to the study where Meng Qiaosheng taught Mei Hongying. Lu Yanyu insisted that Mei Hongying didn’t like studying and that she had come to accompany her with her studies. She also mentioned that she often helped Mei Hongying with her homework to prevent Mei Changxiong from discovering her lack of diligence. Luo Shu recalled a tender poem on the homework and casually mentioned that Lu Yanyu was substituting for Mei Hongying during lessons. Startled, Lu Yanyu became flustered and desperately tried to deny any relationship with Meng Qiaosheng.
Qi Menglin found an embroidered mandarin duck piece on the table, which Lu Yanyu admitted she had crafted. Luo Shu then revealed the scented pouch found under Meng Qiaosheng’s pillow. Lu Yanyu repeatedly explained that Mei Hongying wanted to embroider a purse for Feng Erlang but lacked the skill, so she embroidered a sample for her. Unexpectedly, Meng Qiaosheng had taken it.
Mei Hongying angrily confronted Lu Yanyu, accusing her of spreading rumors that led to Mei Hongying being taken to the county office for questioning. She exposed Lu Yanyu’s affair with Meng Qiaosheng, revealing that every time Mei Hongying skipped classes, Lu Yanyu covered for her. Lu Yanyu offered numerous defenses, but Mei Hongying insisted on taking her to the county office to clarify the situation. In response, Lu Yanyu locked herself in the room and attempted to commit suicide by hanging. Luo Shu opened the door just in time, and Mei Changxiong arrived to rescue Lu Yanyu. In a fit of anger, he chased Mei Hongying away.
Qi Menglin personally witnessed Lu Yanyu’s suicide attempt to prove her innocence and believed she was unrelated to the case. However, Luo Shu was unconvinced. Cai Captian went to Lu Yanyu’s maternal home to gather evidence, confirming that Lu Yanyu had indeed stayed at her mother’s house on the night of the incident and only returned to her own home the following morning. Han Muzhi suspected that Mei Changxiong was lying and sent Cai Captian to investigate Mei Changxiong’s assistant, Xiong Zong, at the Mei household’s workshop. Luo Shu volunteered to look into the matter, and Qi Menglin insisted on accompanying her.
Luo Shu woke up early, intending to investigate the Mei household’s workshop alone. Qi Menglin followed shortly after. Together, they visited the workshop, where the workers clearly remembered that Mei Changxiong had been working all night on the night of the incident. Luo Shu discovered muddy footprints on the windowsill, suspecting that Mei Changxiong entered and exited through there. They also inspected Mei Changxiong’s boat, where Qi Menglin found claw marks on the boat’s beam. Xu Wuzuo found soil between Meng Qiaosheng’s fingers.
Lu Yanyu sat in the room, melancholic, reminiscing about the beautiful moments she spent with Meng Qiaosheng. She felt conflicted. Mei Changxiong noticed her longing for Meng Qiaosheng and advised her to move on. Originally a lady from a wealthy family, Lu Yanyu had been forced to marry Mei Changxiong, a rugged man solely focused on earning money, due to her family’s decline. Lu Yanyu suspected that Mei Changxiong had orchestrated Meng Qiaosheng’s murder, and Mei Changxiong admitted as much. He had invited Meng Qiaosheng to teach Mei Hongying, but Meng Qiaosheng had seduced Lu Yanyu and even flaunted himself in front of him. Angered, Mei Changxiong had killed Meng Qiaosheng and framed Feng Erlang.
Lu Yanyu lashed out at Mei Changxiong, declaring she would rather live a life of poverty with Meng Qiaosheng than endure a loveless marriage. Mei Changxiong responded by physically assaulting her, while Lu Yanyu retorted with biting sarcasm. With Feng Erlang facing execution the next day, Mei Hongying braved the heavy rain to visit him in prison. Mei Changxiong adamantly opposed this and forcibly pulled Mei Hongying back into the room. Mei Hongying vowed never to marry anyone but Feng Erlang and threatened to commit suicide if Feng Erlang was executed. Deeply pained, Mei Changxiong had always protected Mei Hongying, fearing she would suffer any injustice. However, Mei Hongying did not appreciate his efforts, as she and Feng Erlang had been childhood sweethearts deeply in love, while Mei Changxiong had persistently obstructed their relationship.
Mei Hongying became increasingly angry, feeling that Mei Changxiong and Lu Yanyu were living a facade while interfering with her happiness. Observing Mei Hongying’s unwavering love for Feng Erlang, Mei Changxiong decided to let them be. Early the next morning, Mei Changxiong went to the county office to surrender and confessed to killing Meng Qiaosheng.
On the day he surrendered, Mei Changxiong returned from delivering goods earlier than usual. He saw Mei Hongying and Feng Erlang playfully chasing each other in the street and hurried home. There, he witnessed Lu Yanyu and Meng Qiaosheng intimately together. Suppressing his anger, Mei Changxiong did not expose them. Lu Yanyu, disgusted by Mei Changxiong’s sweaty appearance, refused to let him approach, clutching the jade pendant Meng Qiaosheng had given her. Mei Changxiong felt deeply aggrieved.
When Feng Erlang came to propose, Mei Changxiong drove him away. Feng Erlang refused to marry anyone but Mei Hongying. Mei Changxiong offered Feng Erlang a dowry of two hundred taels of silver, leading to a fierce argument between Mei Hongying and Mei Changxiong. Concerned that Feng Erlang might do something reckless for the dowry, Mei Changxiong went to Feng Erlang’s mother to confront her, insisting that he would not let Mei Hongying marry Feng Erlang.
Leaving Feng Erlang’s home, Mei Changxiong encountered Feng Erlang, Lao San, and Da Niu discussing matters. Mei Changxiong sent his workers to gather information and discovered that Feng Erlang intended to elope with Mei Hongying. Heartbroken by the affair between his beloved wife Lu Yanyu and Meng Qiaosheng, and distressed by his sister Mei Hongying’s impending elopement, Mei Changxiong decided to eliminate both Meng Qiaosheng and Feng Erlang. He meticulously planned the murders: first, locking Mei Hongying in the study and sending Lu Yanyu to her maternal home, then deliberately misleading Meng Qiaosheng about his whereabouts that night.
To create an alibi, Mei Changxiong went to work at the workshop and jumped out of the window at midnight, then waited at the doorstep, witnessing Meng Qiaosheng going to see Lu Yanyu. Mei Changxiong knocked Meng Qiaosheng unconscious, then stripped him naked and placed him on Mei Hongying’s bed. Feng Erlang, along with Lao San and Da Niu, came to pick up Mei Hongying. They lifted the blanket and found Meng Qiaosheng naked inside. Mei Changxiong intended for Feng Erlang to kill Meng Qiaosheng but was surprised when Feng Erlang let him go. Forced to act, Mei Changxiong rowed his own boat to chase Meng Qiaosheng, ultimately beating him to death. Mei Changxiong confessed his crimes, leading to Feng Erlang’s exoneration. Mei Hongying came to retrieve him, and the two embraced tearfully, relieved.
