Coroner's Diary Episode 31 Recap
> Coroner's Diary Recap
Yan Chi, seething with anger, aimed an arrow at Prince Cheng. Though he intentionally missed by a mere inch, he sternly led Qin Wan away. Qin Wan was shocked by Prince Cheng's audacity and shamelessness, admitting she had suspected him of ill intent after seeing the marriage nominations list. Yan Chi, consumed by self-reproach for failing to protect her, assured her that she only needed to prepare to be his bride, vowing to repay the humiliation they suffered twofold.
Meanwhile, Prince Cheng had not returned the previous night. Feng Chenbi, feigning concern, came looking for him, making sure the Crown Prince would witness their interaction. She claimed sincere feelings for Prince Cheng, though he saw through her pretense, knowing she sought a husband who could rival the Crown Prince, enabling her to stand on equal footing with Qin Zhaoyu, or even become Empress.
She suggested they ally against the Crown Prince and Yan Chi, which confirmed Prince Cheng’s suspicion that she merely desired to become Princess Consort Cheng. Shortly after, Qin Xiang approached Prince Cheng, and upon learning her surname was Qin and that she was Princess Yongci's fifth sister, Prince Cheng invited her into his tent. Yan Chi later presented the Empress Dowager with rare peach blossom fish, a special delicacy only available when peach trees bloomed.
He directly requested her decree to marry Princess Yongci as his primary consort, admitting he could no longer wait, as she had many admirers, and that their hearts had long been connected. The Empress Dowager, after teasing him about his past hesitations, sought his solemn vow never to betray Qin Wan, reminding him that she was no ordinary woman.
Yan Chi swore a sacred oath, invoking the heavens to strike him down and disown him from the Yan clan should he ever betray her. The Emperor was greatly displeased by the widely reported confrontation between Prince Cheng and Yan Chi during the Double Third Festival hunt. Noble Consort Su arrived, weeping and demanding a thorough investigation into the suspicious death of her nephew, Zhang, during the hunt. The Emperor dismissed it as an unavoidable accident, warning against baseless accusations.
He then announced the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had confirmed Prince Cheng's marriage to Feng Chenbi, a match orchestrated by Noble Consort Su. Though Prince Cheng initially hesitated, he eventually accepted the decree. The Emperor also decreed the Crown Prince's marriage to Qin Zhaoyu. Shortly thereafter, a decree arrived from the Empress Dowager, arranging the marriage of Yan Chi and Princess Yongci. The Emperor was delighted by the flurry of joyous occasions within the palace.
Later, Qin Shuang noticed a mark on Qin Xiang, assuming she was injured, but Qin Xiang quickly dismissed her concern and threatened her against revealing anything, dismissing her sisterly bond. In a private conversation, Yan Chi and Qin Wan discussed the recent events. Qin Wan found it unsettling that Prince Cheng had been let off so easily, suspecting he was the mastermind behind deeper schemes.
Yan Chi revealed that Prince Cheng coveted Liangzhou, a vital stronghold in Shuoxi, more than the Crown Prince's position, and suggested the military provision corruption case could involve Prince Cheng, the Crown Prince, or even the Emperor. Yan Chi explained that the Emperor desired the Shuoxi Army, and Prince Rui's obstinacy had crossed a red line.
He revealed his own precarious position: in the Emperor's eyes, he was a spy for his father, while in Prince Rui's eyes, he was a cowardly, rebellious son who engaged in mere political maneuvering rather than direct military achievements. Qin Wan urged Yan Chi not to meddle further in Prince Jin's case, fearing it would endanger him, especially since Li Muyun seemed to be waiting for them to make a mistake.
Yan Chi, however, insisted he couldn't let her face danger alone, particularly now that the Empress Dowager had decreed their marriage, binding their fates. He asked if she would face the perilous path ahead with him, and she readily agreed. Soon after, an imperial official announced the formal decrees for the marriages: Qin Zhaoyu to Crown Prince Yan Che, Feng Chenbi to Prince Cheng Yan Qi, and Princess Yongci Qin Wan to Heir of Prince Rui Yan Chi.
At the Spring Banquet, Qin Xiang drank heavily, ignoring Qin Shuang's warnings about the severe offense of public intoxication. Qin Xiang, dreaming of rising to power, defiantly declared she feared no one, asserting that even her relatives would kneel before her one day, though Qin Shuang advised her against such fantasies about the princes.
Yan Chi, in a grand gesture, brought two wild geese to the Grand Princess, humbly requesting her consent to marry Qin Wan, even though the Empress Dowager had already decreed it. The Grand Princess accepted him as her sworn grandson-in-law, acknowledging his sincerity. The Emperor, also present, expressed his pleasure, stating that it would honor Prince Rui. However, the joyful atmosphere was shattered by an urgent report: Prince Rui had passed away.
The news stunned Yan Chi, and the Empress Dowager fainted from grief. Yan Chi was devastated by his father's sudden death. Qin Wan, having rushed from the Empress Dowager’s side, comforted him, assuring him that the Empress Dowager would recover. Yan Chi decided he must personally retrieve his father’s coffin and left Bai Feng to protect Qin Wan.
Qin Wan, resolved to protect Yan Chi, then instructed Bai Feng to take the discovered body back to the morgue for a "steaming bones" autopsy upon their return to the capital, vowing to ensure that all who harmed him would face justice. During his journey to retrieve the coffin, Yan Chi recalled a painful argument with his father, Prince Rui, who believed himself to be the Emperor's blood brother, incapable of being suspected.
Yan Chi had tried to convince his father that the Emperor coveted the Shuoxi Army, not private troops, and urged him to return to the capital and surrender the tiger tally to preserve the army amidst the volatile struggle for the throne. Prince Rui had fiercely rejected this, asserting his lifelong integrity in defending the borders and his oath to the late Emperor never to abandon Shuoxi.
He dismissed Yan Chi's political maneuvering as cowardly and disowned him, but Yan Chi had insisted he would return to the capital regardless. Upon her return to the capital, Qin Wan, true to her word, began the "steaming bones" investigation. She supervised the process, instructing assistants to pour medicinal decoction mixed with wine and vinegar over the remains to remove cadaveric wax and reveal injuries.
She meticulously examined the bones, identifying a blunt force trauma to the back of the head, and multiple reddish cracks and bloodstains on ribs, wrist, shin, and kneecaps, indicating severe, prolonged abuse before death. The right ulna showed signs of heavy impact. She also noted the deceased's uneven leg length, a consequence of an inward-bending left knee, causing a distinctive shoulder sway when walking.
His stable lower body and combat stance, with the left leg generating power and the right striking, suggested he was a professionally trained martial artist, like a bodyguard or escort, not an ordinary bandit. Qin Wan concluded that the body's burial in the sealed Prince Jin's Mansion was no coincidence and instructed Zheng Prefect and Li Muyun to investigate the mansion’s former servants and guards.
Li Muyun revealed that Prince Jin had a Western-blooded armed guard named Song Xiwen, who was supposed to be detained in the Imperial Punishment Department. He warned Qin Wan that investigating Song Xiwen's presence outside the tightly guarded Imperial Punishment Department could implicate many powerful individuals. Qin Wan, however, insisted that since the remains appeared in an improper place, they had a duty to report the truth, leaving the Emperor to decide who should be held accountable.
Li Muyun and Zheng Prefect agreed to draft a memorial to the Emperor. Meanwhile, Yan Chi arrived in the capital with Prince Rui's coffin, presenting the Shuoxi Army tiger tally to the Emperor, which brought the Emperor a sense of relief.
