Coroner's Diary Episode 19 Recap
> Coroner's Diary Recap
Qin Wan arrived to treat Madam Pang, who visibly flinched, attempting to conceal injuries on her arm. Madam Pang's young son, Yan, innocently revealed that his father, Pang Fuliang, was responsible for the bruises. Qin Wan observed Madam Pang's deep mental exhaustion and despair, recognizing it as the true source of her physical weakness.
Qing, Madam Pang's maid, corroborated Yan's statement, explaining that Pang Fuliang's temper had become increasingly volatile, and he frequently abused Madam Pang, even blaming her for their eldest son's misbehavior. Despite the relentless torment, Madam Pang clung to the hope that her son, Young Master Yan, would grow up quickly and help his father manage the family's affairs, believing this would improve her situation.
Qin Wan, however, urged Madam Pang to abandon such illusions, warning that an abusive man would only grow more comfortable with violence. Qing explained that Madam Pang's family had been in business, and Pang Fuliang, in his relentless pursuit of their assets, had driven her family to the brink of ruin years ago. Madam Pang had only reluctantly become his second wife to safeguard her family's legacy, a sacrifice that left her with no perceived escape.
Meanwhile, Yan Chi and Yan Li were investigating Qing Yun, a key figure in the Shuangqing Troupe, and her unusual annual visits to Yuzhou to meet Pang Fuliang and Liu Renli. Yan Li surmised that Liu Renli was infatuated with Qing Yun, and Pang Fuliang's generosity towards Qing Yun was a strategic move to secure Liu Renli's allegiance. Bai Feng, Yan Chi's subordinate, confirmed that Qing Yun, Liu Renli, and Pang Fuliang were all originally from Dingzhou.
He reported that Liu Renli had once operated a martial arts school in Dingzhou, and the three of them had left the city concurrently with a major gold heist fifteen years prior. Only Qing Yun had returned to Dingzhou to retire, using the alias Madam Qin. Yan Chi revealed that this gold heist was an unsolved case involving stolen military funds, a scandal that had been covered up by the emperor. He suspected that the three were deeply involved.
Around the same time, Yue Ning excitedly informed Qin Wan that she and Yan Li had been operating as spies, uncovering significant information about Pang Fuliang's shady dealings. Suddenly, Qin Yan, Qin Wan's elder, instructed them to pack their belongings immediately, as they would be leaving Yuzhou early the next morning. Qin Wan suspected this abrupt departure was linked to Liu Renli's recent death.
As they discussed, an unsettling opera chant echoed through the air—a sound Qin Wan had heard three times before, each instance followed by a death. This was the fourth. Following the ominous melody, Qin Wan and Yue Ning arrived at Pang Fuliang's residence, discovering Madam Pang's daughter, Miss Jia Yun, in distress, suffering a seizure after being frightened. Yan Chi pressed his investigation, interrogating Yang Ying, the deputy leader of the Shuangqing Troupe.
Yang Ying explained that Qingxi, Qing Yun's junior sister and a former leader of the troupe, had married General Zhang and left with her exceptionally talented apprentice, Qing Huan, leading to a falling out with Qing Yun. Yang Ying also mentioned that Qingxi and her disciples had been tragically killed by bandits fifteen years ago while visiting their hometown.
Yan Chi continued to pursue leads on the gold heist, eventually finding the household register of General Zhenwu, who was General Zhang. The records indicated that 50,000 taels of military funds, under General Zhenwu's escort, had vanished during a robbery in Dingzhou, and General Zhang's entire family had perished. Yan Chi observed that Liu Renli's sudden rise in officialdom, Pang Fuliang's acquisition of the Shifang Inn, and Qing Yun's retirement all conveniently coincided with the year of the gold heist.
Though eager to bring Pang Fuliang to justice, Yan Chi was reminded by Yan Li to adhere to the law, especially since Qing Yun and Liu Renli were already dead. They resolved to confront Pang Fuliang and extract the truth. Back at Pang Fuliang's residence, Miss Jia Yun experienced another seizure, but was instantly calmed when her younger brother, Young Master Yan, brought her two exquisitely crafted opera dolls, fashioned by Qing.
Qin Wan overheard Miss Jia Yun singing the very opera tune she had found so unsettling, realizing it was the source of the mysterious chant. Upon leaving, Qin Wan discovered poisonous Datura flowers growing outside Pang Fuliang's study. She immediately dispatched Yue Ning to inform Yan Chi and urge him to bring reinforcements to Qinghui Manor. Qin Wan, alone, ventured into Pang Fuliang's study. There, she found him critically wounded by a sword, pierced and drenched in tung oil.
Before Qin Wan could question him or render aid, a flaming arrow struck, igniting the oil and consuming Pang Fuliang in fire. Trapped by the inferno, Qin Wan was moments from death when Yan Chi dramatically arrived, crashing through the roof to pull her to safety. Outside, Qin Xiang, Qin Wan's younger sister, attempted to approach, only to be sternly deterred by a glance from Qin Yan.
Qin Yan, noting the close bond between Qin Wan and Yan Chi, decided it was time to return to the capital, citing an urgent matter for the Crown Prince that required Qin Wan's exceptional skills. At the Yuzhou Prefecture Office, Qin Wan meticulously conducted post-mortems on the four victims, meticulously comparing her findings with her late father's notes on the gold heist case.
She discovered critical discrepancies between his private records and the official accounts: General Zhang's family had not died in a fire as officially stated, but had been systematically killed through cruel means, with the fire merely a cover-up. General Zhang had been shot with an arrow, Qingxi hanged, and her eldest son drowned.
Qin Wan observed that the deaths of Qing Yun, Qing Li, Liu Renli, and Pang Fuliang mirrored these earlier methods—Qing Yun was hanged, Qing Li died from an arrow, Liu Renli drowned, and Pang Fuliang, though stabbed, was left to burn alive. This striking parallel led Qin Wan to deduce that the killer was a survivor of the gold heist, most likely Qing Huan, Qingxi's apprentice, who, according to her father's notes, had escaped along with Qingxi's eldest daughter.
Based on ages, the Datura flowers, and the opera dolls, Qin Wan concluded that Qing Huan was none other than Qing, and Madam Pang's daughter, Miss Jia Yun, was General Zhang's eldest daughter. Governor Wang's men arrived to arrest Qing from Pang Fuliang's residence. Qing, accepting her fate, entrusted Young Master Yan and Miss Jia Yun to Madam Pang's care. In court, Qing initially denied the charges.
Qin Wan, addressing the court as Master Qin, requested that Qing be allowed to stand, a request granted by Governor Wang. Qin Wan then presented compelling evidence for each murder. She showed how Qing Li was killed by a specially modified arrow. For Qing Yun, she presented forensic findings of Datura seed powder in her stomach, alongside Datura fruit from Qing's residence, detailing how Qing had poisoned and then hanged her.
She also highlighted Qing Huan's renowned martial arts and lightness techniques, crucial for committing such acts. Faced with irrefutable evidence, Qing confessed to all four murders: shooting Qing Li, hanging Qing Yun, drowning Liu Renli, and stabbing and burning Pang Fuliang. Qin Wan pressed her on why Pang Fuliang was not killed instantly. Qing chillingly revealed her intent: she wanted him to suffer, to watch himself burn to death.
She then declared that these four were "cold-hearted, rotten, and vicious people," the true culprits behind the fifteen-year-old gold heist. They had conspired to hang her master Qingxi, shoot her master's husband General Zhang, and drown her master's eldest son, leaving General Zhang's eldest daughter, Miss Jia Yun, traumatized and mentally impaired. The court erupted in uproar. Governor Wang, stunned by the revelation, immediately dismissed the current trial, declaring that the gold heist would be tried separately.
As Qing was led away, she quietly thanked Qin Wan. Later, Qing explained to Qin Wan that she held no resentment for being exposed, knowing that her day of reckoning would come. She shared the full, painful truth of the gold heist. Qing Yun, though older, was consumed by jealousy of Qingxi's marriage to General Zhang and the wealth of his household.
Qing Yun feigned reconciliation with her trusting sister, bringing Pang Fuliang, Liu Renli, and Qing Li into the fold. Together, they infiltrated General Zhang's convoy, disguised as laborers, drugged the escorting soldiers, and massacred everyone to steal the 50,000 taels of military funds. Qingxi's two young children were cruelly thrown into a well.
Qing, who had hidden on a whim and survived, courageously descended into the well after they left, managing to rescue only Miss Jia Yun, who had been carried on her older brother's back as he drowned. Miss Jia Yun's current state was a direct result of that trauma.
Qing explained that she did not report the crime to the authorities because she knew that such a high-stakes case, involving powerful figures, would be suppressed, and that true justice was elusive in a world governed by power and money. Qin Wan reflected on her father's wisdom, which taught her that while perfect justice might be rare, one must not lose faith.
With a public-minded heart, she believed they could still bring about change in an unfair world, using the law to ensure that justice was served for General Zhang and his family.
