Coroner's Diary Episode 36 Recap
> Coroner's Diary Recap
Yan Chi confronted Prince Cheng, accusing him of conspiring with Jiang Heying to orchestrate Prince Rui's murder by impersonating foreign enemies. Prince Cheng vehemently denied his involvement, shifting all blame onto Jiang Heying, claiming Jiang orchestrated the plot and harbored resentment against Yan Chi and the Imperial Uncle (Prince Rui).
Yan Chi, however, dismissed his pleas, asserting that all of Prince Cheng's crimes were proven and deserved execution according to the law, adding that the Emperor's current arrangement was merely to save face for the royal family. He forced Prince Cheng to kowtow and admit guilt, vowing that Prince Cheng, this "jackal," would personally experience every wound he inflicted on Prince Rui.
Prince Cheng, defiant even in defeat, retorted that everyone in the palace was ambitious, calling it merely a case of the victor writing history, a lesson he learned from his own father. He further provoked Yan Chi, claiming that Yan Chi, by humiliating him for a woman, had pushed him to kill Prince Rui, thus making Yan Chi the true culprit and an unfilial son.
As Yan Chi raised his sword, he recalled the Yan family law against corporal punishment for royal descendants. Sensing Yan Chi's hesitation, Prince Cheng lunged forward, impaling himself on Yan Chi's sword, challenging Yan Chi to explain his death to the Emperor. Yan Chi later presented himself before the Emperor, prepared to confess to the "private torture and brutal murder" of a prince.
The Emperor, concerned about the royal family's dignity, questioned how he could handle such a scandal if it became public. Yan Chi insisted that he needed to personally ensure Prince Cheng's confession and administer punishment to honor his father's spirit, or he would feel unworthy as a son. The Emperor then subtly orchestrated a cover-up, asking his attendants if they had witnessed Prince Cheng's death.
The head attendant, Yuan Qing, feigned ignorance, then reported that Prince Cheng had appeared deranged, seized Prince Rui's sword, and stabbed himself. Though Yan Chi was cleared of murder, the Emperor demoted him from his position in the Ministry of Justice to a commandant in the Imperial Security Bureau for "negligence" in preventing Prince Cheng's suicide.
Meanwhile, in Fengyi Palace, the Empress reveled in Prince Cheng's death, vowing that his entire household would perish as "accompaniment" for her son, the deceased Crown Prince. Back at his residence, Yan Chi expressed his frustration to Qin Wan about not being able to openly avenge his father's brutal death, as the Emperor had so readily believed Prince Cheng's suicide and covered for him. Qin Wan comforted him, assuring him his father would not want him to become a murderer.
Yan Chi explained his strategic need to appear impulsive and unquestioning of the Emperor, so the Emperor would lower his guard, giving them a chance to uncover the full truth. Qin Wan further clarified that their fathers (Yan Chi's father, her father, and Prince Jin) were not blindly loyal, and would support their investigation if it didn't cause court upheaval, as they sought a wise ruler for the people.
Qin Wan showed him her recent findings: annotations on a go manual, Sui's letters, and notes from Xuanji Pavilion all bore the same handwriting, confirmed to be the Emperor's from before his ascension, validating Consort Jin's previous observations. She noted a tender quote from these writings, indicating a deeply loving relationship between the Emperor and Empress in their earlier days, and affection for Yan Che.
Yan Chi, however, countered that the Emperor had never visited Fengyi Palace since he could remember, treating the Empress with mere courtesy and always calling Yan Che an "unworthy son." This stark contrast suggested a drastic change. Qin Wan also observed that the current Empress was no longer the type of mother who would fuss over trivial matters, like her son wiping a lute with saliva, suggesting a significant change in her character.
They found additional handwriting samples—private letters between the Emperor and Prince Rui, written after the Emperor's military campaign but before Consort Jin's death. Qin Wan recognized the script as identical to the carving on a wooden hairpin gifted to her by Princess Yi. This startling discovery led them to a terrifying hypothesis: the current Emperor might be Prince Yi, Yan Han, perhaps having used a face-changing technique.
Recognizing the profound implications for the court's stability, they decided to continue their investigation covertly, focusing on the Prince Jin case for further clues. Amidst the chaos following Prince Cheng's death, Qin Xiang attempted to flee with stolen valuables, only to be intercepted by Feng Chenbi. Feng Chenbi, accusing Qin Xiang of being a "venomous woman" who had humiliated her, attacked her and threw her into a lake, leaving her to drown.
Moments later, Feng Chenbi herself was apprehended and executed by Imperial Guards, despite claiming she had already divorced Prince Cheng. Qin Shuang was heartbroken by Qin Xiang's death, burdened by a sense of guilt, wondering if she had "stolen" Qin Xiang's good fortune and if Qin Xiang would have been better off marrying Xue Qingshan. Qin Wan comforted her, emphasizing that everyone chooses their own path.
Qin Wan further noted that while Prince Cheng deserved his fate, his concubines, including Qin Xiang, were innocent victims, suspecting that people loyal to the Empress took the opportunity to vent anger during the raid. During their conversation, Qin Wan discovered Qin Shuang was pregnant and advised her against excessive sorrow, urging her to prioritize her health and her unborn child. Qin Wan then examined a dagger her father, Shen Yi, had meticulously hidden.
The dagger, bearing a five-clawed golden dragon pattern and the character "Jin" (Consort Jin's name), clearly indicated it was the true murder weapon used by the Emperor against Consort Jin. Realizing her father had risked his life to conceal this crucial evidence, Qin Wan immediately sought out Li Muyun, determined to witness his reaction to her father's "crime" of hiding the weapon. She declared her intent to reopen Prince Jin's case.
Li Muyun asserted that, according to law, closed cases couldn't be revisited without new evidence, and questioned her basis for accusing Prince Jin and Shen Yi of conspiring to conceal the crime. Qin Wan retorted that Li Muyun had knowingly used a blunt ceremonial dagger as evidence, implying his complicity. She accused him of knowing the true murderer of Consort Jin and that Shen Yi had hidden the actual weapon to protect someone.
Li Muyun acknowledged that Shen Yi had indeed hidden evidence, but he derided Shen Yi as a "sycophant" for prioritizing court stability over justice, claiming Shen Yi and Prince Jin had deserved to be his stepping stones to power. Enraged by his callousness and betrayal of his mentor, Qin Wan slapped him, proclaiming that such an ungrateful individual would face dire consequences.
Later, speaking with Yan Chi, Qin Wan remarked on Li Muyun's unsettling resemblance to Ning Buyi in his demeanor and obsession with the "Heavenly Way," leading her to strongly suspect he was a member of the Heavenly Way Society. Recognizing the potential danger if a high-ranking official like Li Muyun was involved with such a powerful society, Yan Chi promised to investigate, warning Qin Wan against further direct contact with Li Muyun.
Bai Feng brought Prefect Zheng, a former imperial exam colleague of Li Muyun, to Yan Chi and Qin Wan to enlist his help. They discussed Li Muyun's rapid career ascent despite a lower initial exam ranking, attributing it to his success in solving major cases and Lord Shen's patronage.
Yan Chi then stated his suspicion that Li Muyun might be a member of the Heavenly Way Society and requested Prefect Zheng to investigate Li Muyun's past postings for any murder cases similar to those attributed to the Heavenly Way Society. Prefect Zheng agreed to assist, understanding that Yan Chi's recent demotion to the Imperial Security Bureau limited his access to official archives.
Concurrently, court ministers voiced their concerns to the Emperor regarding the "scarcity of heirs," urging him to take more consorts and select a new crown prince for the stability of the nation. Another faction demanded a "Self-reproach Edict" to appease the heavens, given the successive deaths of princes since Prince Rui's passing.
The Emperor erupted in fury, questioning his own misdeeds and defiantly declaring that even if all his sons perished, he still had loyal and upright brothers and nephews, specifically naming Yan Li, Yan Chi, and Yan Ze, as potential heirs to the throne. He then publicly announced that even after his demise, capable rulers from the imperial clan would take his place. Later, Yan Li expressed his profound displeasure to Yue Ning at the prospect of becoming an heir.
He found the idea of living like the Emperor—burdened with endless court duties and strict protocols—worse than death, lamenting that he was merely an adopted son with no true royal bloodline, making the possibility of him ascending the throne an absurd notion when other royal kinsmen were still alive. Yue Ning then revealed that Yan Ze's eyes were nearly healed and reminded Yan Li of their previous agreement, which Yan Li readily affirmed.
In the Empress's palace, she scoffed at the Emperor's declaration regarding his nephews, dismissing it as ridiculous. She secretly entrusted an item to a servant for delivery to Qin Wan. Qin Wan subsequently visited the Empress Dowager, who was still asleep, and was advised by Chen Ma to avoid visiting the palace for a few days. As Qin Wan left, she received a small, intricately carved seal with "Anmin, Zhang, Qian" and a nine-fold script, seemingly made with a hairpin.
Recognizing it as a message from the Empress, Qin Wan deduced that the Empress, in her desperate situation, was seeking their assistance to avenge the Crown Prince. Yan Chi and Qin Wan, with Bai Feng's help, identified "Zhang Alley" in the Anmin district and located Madam Qian, the only resident with that surname. Madam Qian, who was once the Empress Dowager's head matron, explained that she lived under the Empress's protection to survive, despite never betraying the Empress Dowager. She revealed a secret that, if left untold, would "throw the court into chaos." Madam Qian confessed that the Empress Dowager's first birth was, in fact, twins.
