Coroner's Diary Episode 3 Recap
> Coroner's Diary Recap
The Grand Princess fell gravely ill from worry over the Song Rou case, collapsing from the recurrence of an old ailment. Qin Wan was urgently summoned and saved her life, though her condition remained critical, requiring monitoring for two days to prevent infection. In gratitude, the Marquis of Anyang arranged for Qin Wan to stay in the Plum Garden, affording her the same comforts as a princess.
When Qin Wan tried to return the Hanyue blade, Yan Chi insisted she keep it, stating that while it was a weapon in his hands, it could save lives in hers, fulfilling its true purpose. During their conversation about the revered official Shen Yi, Qin Wan’s assistant, Fu Ling, was visibly startled. Yan Chi later noted to his subordinate how strange it was that they were so secretive about someone they clearly respected.
He also informed Qin Wan that he had arranged with Prefect Huo to re-examine the case the next day. Yue Ning expressed her gratitude to Qin Wan, noting that her recent help had allowed Prefect Huo to capture a criminal named Wei Wu, saving his post and boosting his reputation. Yue Ning believed Prefect Huo must regret annulling his son Huo Ning's engagement to Qin Wan.
However, Yue Ning remained worried about clearing her brother Yue Jia’s name, questioning how a murder in a bridal sedan could go unnoticed by the nearly one hundred attendants. Later, they observed Wei Yanzhi practicing his sword forms. Yue Ning challenged him to a duel, but Wei Yanzhi, claiming to be distracted by grief, was easily defeated. Qin Wan, however, observed that he had skillfully controlled the match and did not seem genuinely unsettled.
That night, Fu Ling was terrified by what she believed was a headless ghost. Qin Wan calmly asserted that it was not a ghost but a person with ulterior motives. Yan Chi’s search of the area found no intruder, leading him to deduce the culprit must be intimately familiar with the mansion to evade his guards. Qin Wan found clues confirming a human intruder: disturbed rose petals and footprints on mossy roof tiles.
She explained the headless, floating illusion was created by someone with lightness skills using the environment to leap onto a pillar while hiding their feet with a gown. Concluding the act was meant to scare her off the upcoming autopsy, they questioned who knew about it. Yue Ning sheepishly admitted she had told a concerned Wei Yanzhi that Qin Wan would help, while Captain Wei Cheng of the Song family guard was also present.
Yan Chi decided to investigate both men. Examining the bridal gown used in the ruse, Qin Wan noted it was new and had a pine soot ink stain on the right cuff—a stain unique to the rare silk gauze fabric. Based on the height required for the illusion and the ink stain indicating a left-handed writer, Qin Wan deduced the culprit was a left-handed man skilled in martial arts, between 5'7" and 6' tall.
Suspecting the gown was a spare from the dowry, Yan Chi had Prefect Huo question the wedding party. Vice Commandant Wei Yanzhi immediately identified the gown as one of two identical pieces made for Song Rou and confirmed the matron-in-waiting held the spare. The matron claimed the spare had vanished from a locked chest, and she was arrested.
Wei Yanzhi explained he had stopped his vigil for Song Rou after fainting from exhaustion while sparring with Wei Cheng, who then made him copy texts all night as a restorative discipline. An examination of their hands revealed calluses on Wei Cheng’s left hand from spear training and that Wei Yanzhi practiced calligraphy with his left hand when upset. Both men fit the profile and were considered suspects.
Unfazed, Qin Wan declared she would proceed with the autopsy, and Yan Chi promised to handle any interference from the Song family. Yan Chi received a report that the Duke of Song had taken his grievances to the Emperor. Simultaneously, his Eagle Squad found two skeletons weighted with stones in the river where Shen Yi’s family had disappeared. Believed to be Shen Yi and his wife, their cause of death was indeterminable.
Their daughter, Shen Wan, remained missing, a fact Yan Chi found suspicious. He also learned that Prefect Huo was attempting to revive the marriage proposal between his son and Qin Wan, a move Yan Chi viewed with disdain. Meanwhile, rumors spread by servants—originating from the Song family—blamed Qin Wan as a jinx for the recent misfortunes. Furious, Yan Chi had the servants punished. Qin Wan saw the rumors as confirmation the Song family was involved and trying to undermine her.
As Yan Chi escorted her, Qin Wan took his pulse and sensed he still harbored suspicions about her, making her regret a brief moment of lowered guard. Before she left for the morgue, Yan Chi gifted her a set of deerskin gloves and rare golden needles, admitting he had wrongly suspected her of seeking personal gain and offering them as a token of genuine appreciation.
While touched, Qin Wan suspected his generosity was part of a larger plan to recruit her as a military doctor, a role she intended to avoid. At the morgue, a disdainful Huo Ning watched as his father, Prefect Huo, eagerly awaited Qin Wan. Qin Wan prepared for the autopsy, asking Yan Chi to serve as her recorder. She began her examination, noting the headless female body was approximately 5'2" tall.
The neck wound indicated the victim was beheaded alive with a single blow. However, Yan Chi pointed out the minimal blood on the gown’s collar meant the victim was dressed after death and killed elsewhere. Qin Wan discovered white-toothed termites on the body, which are native to banyan forests like the one near Shili Temple.
After Huo Ning was escorted out in disgust, Qin Wan had the body washed with onion and vinegar to reveal hidden injuries without a full dissection. She identified the victim as a noblewoman from the capital based on her expensive nail polish. Calluses on the left hand were consistent with years of zither practice, strongly suggesting the body was Song Rou, a known player. Finally, she discovered teeth marks on the skin, leading her to suspect Song Rou was having an affair before her wedding.
