Coroner's Diary Episode 6 Recap
> Coroner's Diary Recap
Upon receiving urgent news that her sister-in-law, Xinlan, had started bleeding profusely after returning to the mansion, Wan, with her medicine box, rushed back, postponing a follow-up visit with the Grand Princess. Wan performed acupuncture and administered medicine, stabilizing Xinlan and saving the seven-month-old baby. She advised Xinlan's husband, Qin Chen, to spend more time with his wife, explaining that pregnant women are prone to worry, and his presence would prevent her from falling into melancholy.
Qin Chen later presented Wan with an extravagant sapphire jewelry set, a custom order from Jinxiu House, which Wan suspected was originally intended for Xinlan. Observing this, Yan Chi remarked on Qin Chen's blatant disregard for his wife's health, prioritizing the opinions of the royal family over Xinlan's well-being. Wan defended her brother's actions as a necessity for the third branch's future, driven by Madam Qin's and the Third Madam's expectations.
However, Yan Chi sharply criticized such family values, deeming the Qin family an unsuitable place for Wan to reside. He offered to arrange her return to the capital, which Wan confirmed was her eventual plan as her father had been buried and they still had property there. Yan Chi then requested her future assistance, which Wan readily agreed to.
Wan advised Yan Chi against any physical exertion due to his still unhealed wounds, and he, in turn, asked her to prepare emergency medicine for his upcoming departure from Jingzhou for Shuoxi. He encouraged her to address him by his given name, lamenting the distance between them, but Wan insisted on maintaining proper decorum given his royal status.
Later, Yan Chi, still consumed by the search for Miss Shen, learned that no one in the capital had seen her true face, though her temperament was noted to be similar to Wan's. He ordered his Eagle Squad to thoroughly search along the river for any trace of her.
Yan Chi also deduced from muddy footprints left by clogs and their direction towards Tinglan Garden that someone had been secretly spying on Wan at night, and he dispatched Yingqi to Jingzhou immediately. That night, as Wan and Fu Ling headed to the mansion's pharmacy, they heard screams and discovered the lifeless body of Lianye, a second-class maid under Madam Qin. Qin Li, Wan's cousin from the third branch, was also at the scene in a panic.
When Wan suggested reporting the death to the authorities, Steward Liu Chun intervened, stating that as Lianye was Madam Qin's maid, he needed her permission before taking any action, a sentiment echoed by Qin Li. Wan later examined Qin Li and discovered he was suffering from syphilis. He admitted he had followed her all evening, desperate for treatment, fearing ruin if his "filthy disease" became known.
Unable to guarantee a cure for such a dangerous illness, Wan agreed to help him, asking him to return the following night. She then inquired about the Purple Bamboo Grove, recalling vague memories of it. Qin Li confirmed its location but warned her against going there, explaining that Madam Qin had forbidden entry, though he would not disclose the reason, stating "the less you know, the better."
Wan's suspicions deepened when she found a piece of purple bamboo on Lianye's body, hinting at a connection to the forbidden grove. Fu Ling expressed fear and a desire to return to the capital, but Wan resolved to uncover the truth, believing they must rely on themselves to gain a firm footing. The next morning, Wan secretly visited the Purple Bamboo Grove, reasoning that Lianye must have witnessed something forbidden there, leading to her death.
As she investigated, Steward Liu Chun appeared, his gaze chilling, and implicitly warned her against trespassing. Meanwhile, Yan Chi's subordinate reported Qin Li's visit to Wan's courtyard, leading Yan Chi to deduce it was for medical consultation and order Yingqi to continue monitoring. The subordinate, attempting to take over the surveillance of Wan, was penalized by Yan Chi for his "weak footing." At the mansion's pharmacy, Wan encountered Concubine Liu, who made veiled taunts about Wan's rising status.
Wan noticed peculiar sores on Concubine Liu's neck and, after examining her prescription, realized she too was suffering from syphilis, despite her claims of menstrual issues. To protect Qin Li's secret, Wan strategically mixed his prescribed herbs with those intended for Yan Chi's emergency medicine, ensuring their true purpose could not be discerned from the records. Upon returning, Wan discovered her room had been searched.
Soon after, Madam Qin sent two new maids, Wantang and Wanxing, ostensibly to assist Fu Ling. Wan suspected they were spies, sent because of her encounter with Liu Chun at the Purple Bamboo Grove, and ordered Fu Ling to closely observe them. In a separate discussion, Yan Chi expressed to a trusted advisor his concerns about the Shuoxi Army's formidable influence, which had drawn the Emperor's wary eye.
He explained that the Emperor's seeming generosity—allowing the Shuoxi Army to be summoned but not relocated—was a calculated move to place his father, Prince Rui, in a vulnerable position. Yan Chi lamented that his father, consumed by loyalty, dismissed his strategic foresight as mere scheming. That night, Qin Li, whose syphilis had worsened significantly, secretly returned to Wan's room. Wan confirmed he had not infected anyone else in the mansion before providing him with ointments and instructions.
She again pressed him about the Purple Bamboo Grove's forbidden status, but Qin Li, citing his vulnerable position as an illegitimate son, reiterated his inability to disclose the truth and urged her to stay away. Still determined, Wan revisited the Purple Bamboo Grove, where she saw Concubine Liu. Moments later, Steward Liu Chun appeared. Wan speculated that Lianye might have been silenced for witnessing Concubine Liu meeting someone secretively in the grove.
Suddenly, Wanxing appeared, informing Wan that Physician Qian was waiting and urging her to leave. Liu Chun also warned her away, claiming the area was filthy from being cleaned. When questioned, Wanxing claimed Fu Ling had told her to follow Wan, who then instructed the new maid not to do so again without permission. Later, a distraught Qin Shuang created a commotion, wielding scissors and threatening suicide over being confined by her mother for offending the Grand Princess.
In her agitation, she fell into a well being drained of mud. As she was pulled out, Qin Shuang frantically claimed to have seen "dead bones" that grabbed her. However, after Steward Liu Chun investigated the well, he only retrieved a withered branch, which Madam Qin dismissed as a hallucination. Despite Qin Shuang's insistence, her mother ordered the well to be cleaned. Qin Shuang later thanked Wan for her help, and Wan advised her against further foolish acts.
Fu Ling, unsettled by the stark difference between white bones and a dark branch, expressed her growing fear of the Qin family. Wan reminded her that their departure depended on Yan Chi's arrangements and noted that she wanted to observe the seemingly timid but calculating Wanxing. Late that night, Concubine Liu was brutally murdered.
