Original subtitles

[Coroner's Diary]

[Episode 10]

The nails have turned purple

with blackening at the lunula.

Hair loss is evident.

Has Master Qin An shown any new symptoms lately?

Yes, indeed.

The master has been complaining of headaches recently,

and he's suffering from severe itching,

his temper has also become more irritable than before.

Master Qin An isn't ill.

He's been poisoned.

It seems

someone is eager to silence him.

There's nothing wrong with this prescription.

Miss Qin, please investigate.

Does Master Qin An usually take any medicinal pills?

No,

never.

Is this in the medicine pot

the herbs currently being soaked?

Yes.

It's definitely mineral poisoning.

Your Highness, please look,

there's a layer of black residue at the bottom of this bowl,

left behind from dissolved medicinal pills.

But the dosage of this mineral poison

isn't enough to be fatal, is it?

This amount for an ordinary person

would indeed be unlikely to cause serious harm,

but Master Qin An has been suffering from syphilis for some time,

his body is weakened,

so this dosage is enough to worsen his condition,

eventually causing organ failure

and mental deterioration.

Tell me,

who ordered you to poison Qin An?

Speak!

I'm innocent!

I'm the master's personal attendant.

If anything happened to the master,

I'd surely suffer the consequences

I would never dare harm the master!

Who usually prepares the medicine?

It's me.

But

Physician Qian always delivers the medicine personally.

I only

brew it as instructed.

Though I deliver the master's medicine,

each time it's

personally inspected by Madam Qin.

I truly don't know how mineral poison got into it!

Take these two into custody

and we'll decide their fate after finding the poisoner.

Yes.

Your Highness.

I'm innocent!

Your Highness.

I've been wrongly accused!

I'm innocent!

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Please see the truth, Your Highness.

How much longer can Qin An survive?

At least three months

or up to half a year.

Can you cure his mineral poisoning?

The Qin family case must be reported to the Ministry of Justice,

and the paperwork alone could take more than half a year.

He's completely heartless,

but

don't you want to see him alive

to face legal punishment?

Fine.

What are you thinking about?

I'm thinking about

how Madam Qin has always doted on her descendants,

she's done so much for Qin An,

why would she be so cruel to him?

She's just sacrificing a rook to save the king.

Clearly, Qin An couldn't be saved anymore.

If she wanted to protect Qin Chen's future,

she couldn't let Qin An live to stand trial.

If that's the case,

why not use a quicker method?

This way, Qin An wouldn't have to face trial

and would suffer less.

In Qin An's current condition,

even if he wants to die,

he can't die quickly,

and he's living in terrible agony.

What if the poisoner isn't Madam Qin,

but someone who wants Qin An to suffer?

Then in this household,

there must be someone who hates him even more than I do.

We previously speculated

that the killer murdered Concubine Liu

to draw out Liu Chun.

Creating ghost fire

was to lead us to the Purple Bamboo Grove.

And killing Liu Chun

was to bring up Concubine Yang's death.

Then Concubine Yang's death was to uncover...

The case of the body buried in the well.

Yes.

If we trace the cause and effect of these cases

backward...

The case of the body in the well

is the root cause of all the murders.

Someone among the victim's family must know the truth.

All the murders that happened in the Qin family

might be revenge from the victim's family.

We need to identify the victim girls as soon as possible.

Thirteen.

Exactly thirteen young female remains.

Xu He.

You and I verify

the hand bones of these three skeletons together.

Let's find

finger joints with exostosis marks at the epiphysis.

Yes.

Found it.

The left thumb

has obvious exostosis marks at the second joint epiphysis.

Heaven is just!

We can finally reunite Concubine Yang

with her daughter.

The Yang family had a fire after the mistress disappeared?

Yes,

Concubine Yang's husband

was burned to death in that fire.

Prefect Huo.

Why are the Yang County records

so careless about documenting this fire?

There's only speculation about fireworks

causing the fire,

with no description of the scene whatsoever.

Well, um,

the fire happened near the year-end,

when all prefect's offices are at their busiest.

It was negligent.

Must be rectified.

It must be.

These

are all testimonies from the Yang family's neighbors.

I haven't reviewed them yet.

Could you check if they mention the fire?

Alright.

Master,

when I was questioning them,

I did bring up the fire at the scene.

Since someone died in it,

all the nearby residents know about it.

Concubine Yang had two daughters?

Yes,

the younger daughter was born with six fingers.

But

they say the elder daughter resembled Concubine Yang more,

being both beautiful and capable.

On the day of the fire,

she was delivering goods for her father,

which is how she escaped the disaster.

Where is the elder daughter now?

Some say

she wept bitterly in front of the burnt ruins,

kowtowed several times,

and then left.

After that,

no one ever saw her again.

Your Highness,

all the victims of the Qin family murder cases

once harmed Concubine Yang.

The Concubine Liu drove Concubine Yang to drown herself in a well.

Liu Chun was Qin An's accomplice.

This cannot possibly be a coincidence.

Concubine Yang's eldest daughter

is now in her twenties.

As the only survivor of the Yang family,

if during these ten years of disappearance

she's been searching for her mother and sister,

then after discovering their whereabouts,

she would have had every opportunity to infiltrate the Qin family

and seek revenge.

But she's an orphan girl

with no martial arts training.

Even if she could strangle Concubine Liu,

how could she control Liu Chun?

These serial murders

were long planned

and involve many people.

Even if she's not the killer herself,

she can't escape suspicion as the mastermind.

If we can find her,

identifying the other accomplices will be simple.

Li said

Qin An often painted portraits of Concubine Yang.

If the elder daughter resembles her mother,

then finding Concubine Yang's portrait

would give us a reference for her appearance,

making it easier for the prefect's office to find her.

Prefect Huo.

Search Qin An's quarters immediately

and his study, inside and out,

to find Concubine Yang's portrait.

Yes, Your Highness.

Miss Qin, please

bring your medicine box.

Master Qin An

should be waking up soon.

Feed him medicine.

Master, time for your medicine.

Master.

Your Highness.

Master won't open his mouth. I can't get the medicine in.

Get a bigger one.

Force it in.

Yes, Your Highness.

It hurts...

My head hurts so much.

You've been poisoned.

Poi...

Poisoned?

Syphilis doesn't turn your fingernails black.

If not treated,

in three days your intestines will rot,

and you'll die in agony.

Save me!

Quickly, give me the antidote!

Save me!

-Help me! Help me! Give me the antidote -You want to live?

I don't want to die, I don't!

Please give me the antidote.

Save me!

If you want to live, confess honestly.

Were all those thirteen

young girls your victims?

It wasn't me.

I just told them

to dispose of the unhealthy ones.

Liu Chun.

It was Liu Chun.

Liu Chun drugged them

and threw them into the well.

You left them in the well to die slowly?

I wanted to give them a quick death,

but...

but arsenic

is controlled by the government.

Beast!

You bought 13 girls from brokers over time.

All these years,

not a single relative came to the Qin family to visit them,

nor did anyone inquire about their deaths.

This isn't how legitimate brokers operate.

Which broker did you buy them from?

I'll tell...

I'll tell...

It was Qingyuan Pawnshop.

You mean the Qingyuan Pawnshop

with branches throughout Zhou?

They know my preferences

and regularly bring kidnapped girls

to my residence.

Why would a pawnshop

do such a heinous thing?

It's a pawnshop in name only,

but actually serves the powerful

by doing their dirty work,

gaining connections

while collecting dirt on the elite.

Could the Yang mother and daughter

have been kidnapped by the pawnshop too?

They only took the young one at first,

but Concubine Yang loved her daughter so much

she tracked them down.

When I went to pick up the goods,

they were about to kill her.

When she saw I'd bought her daughter,

she begged desperately to stay with her,

to enter the household together.

Seeing she was beautiful,

I decided to buy

both of them.

She's just a fool.

Wherever that little thing is,

that's where she'll be.

I just have to threaten her with the little one,

and she'll do anything I want.

Let go of me!

I'll make this despicable thing...

-experience unbearable pain. -Bai Feng.

Leave this matter to Bai Feng.

Don't dirty your hands.

I'm telling the truth.

Master, this...

Master.

Your hand.

It's just a small wound.

Don't move.

Syphilis can be transmitted through blood.

Wanxing,

bring the medicine box.

Yes.

I'm sorry,

I lost my composure today.

Qin An still shows no remorse

for his actions.

Anyone else

would want to kill him on the spot.

But that's no excuse for my mistake.

You're human too,

don't be so hard on yourself.

Greetings, Your Highness,

Miss Qin.

Miss Qin.

I mentioned giving you a new umbrella,

and today I found one with the same pattern

in a color that suits you.

Thank you.

I'm glad you like it.

Such a bright color,

how could it suit me?

If you don't like it, throw it away.

Why waste energy over an umbrella?

It's not that I don't like it,

but I've only recently ended my mourning period,

so it's inappropriate to use such bright colors.

Isn't she Madam Qin's

most trusted personal maid?

How could she forget something like this?

Caihe has always been meticulous,

logically,

she wouldn't make such an oversight.

However...

Given what I've done to the Qin family lately,

it's remarkable she even bothers

to make this gesture at all.

If I hadn't met her in the Purple Bamboo Grove,

resealing the dry well

might have

been kept secret longer.

Madam Qin

has been anxious about this cursed well for two days.

This morning, as soon as Prefect Huo gave the word

that the investigation was complete,

she immediately ordered me to bring people

to seal the well.

Resealing the dry well.

Resealing...

This stone slab must be the demon-suppressing stone used to seal the well.

[Government Office]

Judging by the moss growth,

this stone slab

must have been moved recently.

This is a forbidden area of the Qin family.

Who would have nothing better to do than

move this demon-suppressing stone?

I think

we missed the first case at the Qin family.

Is it the Lianye case?

No.

It's the case of secretly moving the demon-suppressing stone.

Whether it was Liu Chun's death

or leading us

to find the remains of the Yang mother and daughter,

the killer needed to move the demon-suppressing stone first.

Therefore,

moving the demon-suppressing stone

was the first step in the revenge plan.

If that's the case,

the killer has been planning

before taking action

and showing such patience for so long.

Indeed.

For over a decade.

In the entire Qin family,

only Liu Chun could openly enter and exit the Purple Bamboo Grove.

For the killer to secretly move the stone without anyone knowing,

they would need Liu Chun's cooperation.

But Liu Chun

was a trusted confidant of both Madam Qin and Qin An,

so gaining his trust would not have been easy.

This shows that

the killer's temperament

and cunning

are truly formidable.

But that demon-suppressing stone

would require at least four or five strong men to move.

Even with Liu Chun's help,

that's only two people.

How could they move

a stone weighing over a thousand jin?

And after moving the stone,

why didn't they immediately

make a move against Concubine Liu and Liu Chun?

What were they waiting for?

I'm afraid they were waiting for us.

Us?

After the Marquis of Anyang's Mansion's bride case,

I discovered someone was watching you.

Rather than surveillance,

it was more like waiting,

waiting for an opportunity

to unfold his scheme.

Without your autopsy skills,

the true cause of Concubine Liu's death

would have been covered up by Madam Qin.

Without me as the prince's heir,

the newly appointed Surveillance Commissioner

Huo Huaixin wouldn't dare to offend the Qin family,

and the killer's plan couldn't have moved forward at all.

But because of our collaboration,

the killer's scheme was successfully executed,

exposing Qin An as the mastermind.

The murderer is like an experienced hunter.

who waited patiently

for that one fatal strike.

If that's the case,

Lianye

has nothing to do with the Yang mother and daughter,

and her death wasn't part of the killer's plan.

Thinking back to the night of Lianye's murder,

when Liu Chun arrived,

he specifically went to look at the victim's body,

as if to confirm the victim's identity.

Lianye?

This indicates

Liu Chun had no idea the victim was Lianye.

When Lianye was killed,

Liu Chun definitely wasn't in the Purple Bamboo Grove.

Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing

what Lianye actually witnessed before her death

that forced the killer

to hastily silence her.

Let's ask the maid who was close to Lianye,

perhaps

we can find out why she went to the Purple Bamboo Grove.

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

We've searched the Qin family's storeroom and Qin An's quarters

thoroughly

but there's absolutely no portrait of Concubine Yang.

Are there no portraits with Qin An's inscription

or specifically none of Concubine Yang?

Forget about inscriptions,

there aren't any portraits of women at all.

Master, over here.

The secret passage is behind here

and the mechanism

must be somewhere nearby.

It's here.

Let me.

What the hell is this?

Concubine Yang's portrait is at least eight or nine years old,

just look for scrolls with slightly yellowed paper.

Don't bother with all the other junk.

They're all things Qin An has touched.

Don't dirty your hands.

No inscription or signature.

This portrait has quite a romantic atmosphere.

[Yumin]

There's a seal here.

Yumin?

It means a beautiful jade that's Nhard to distinguish as real or fake.

In the entire Qin household,

the only person whose name relates to jade

seems to be Qin Chen.

Is this the Young Madam Qin in the painting?

No.

My sister-in-law said

my brother had someone else in his heart,

but no one believed her.

So she wasn't being paranoid after all.

Qin Chen hiding this scroll here

proves that he knew

this affair couldn't bear the light of day.

Master, we've searched everywhere,

but there's not a single proper portrait of a lady.

It must be that Qin An,

afraid of revealing Concubine Yang's whereabouts,

secretly had someone destroy them.

Concubine Yang's remains have already been dug up,

so why destroy the portraits?

Your Highness means

someone else destroyed the portraits.

Qin Chen manages the household affairs,

Liu Chun is Qin An's confidant,

both had opportunities to destroy the portraits.

It's a pity we have no reference for Concubine Yang's daughter's appearance.

No matter,

as long as she's still in the mansion,

she won't escape.

Concubine Yang's daughter certainly has reason for revenge,

but how could a physically weak woman

kill Liu Chun and Concubine Liu?

Perhaps she had more accomplices than just Liu Chun,

or perhaps

she's merely an accomplice.

Right now,

we first need to figure out

how the killer moved the demon-suppressing stone.

Alright,

I'll reinspect the Purple Bamboo Grove immediately.

Clamps.

I understand now.

Your Highness,

could you ask General Bai to examine this bamboo grove

for any signs of wear or breakage?

In the future, when you need Bai Feng,

there's no need to specifically inform me.

Thank you.

Right away!

Miss Qin, please look.

There are indentations on many bamboo stalks here,

clearly made with a knife.

But only this bamboo stalk

has a piece of broken rope on it.

These cuts are...

To control the rope position and prevent slipping.

This knotting technique is the same as the person who made the ghost fire.

Such a large demon-suppressing stone,

bigger than a millstone,

could these few bamboo stalks really move it?

Then please, Prefect Huo, see for yourself.

The killer was working alone with limited strength,

they could only use the bamboo's rebounding force

to move this thousand-pound stone.

Wrap the rope around to the bottom,

then wrap it once

on each side.

Go help them.

The killer wrapped multiple ropes around the bottom of the demon-suppressing stone,

utilizing the durability of bamboo

to secure both ends of the ropes

to pre-selected bamboo branches.

When I count to three,

we'll push together.

One, two, three!

Following the killer's method,

just two people can move the stone,

even if one of them is a woman,

they could manage it.

Concubine Yang's daughter must have

infiltrated the Qin family

a year ago and recruited help

to move the stone.

Prefect Huo,

did the Qin family purchase any servants a year ago?

According to the registry,

the Qin family last purchased servants two years ago,

all maids for the inner quarters.

Investigate these maids immediately.

Any between 20 and 25 years old

with no family connections

should be detained at the administration office.

Those under serious suspicion

shall be held in the jail for questioning.

Yes, Your Highness.

Constable Qi, let's go.

Yes.

Let's go.

We can't arrest people based on speculation alone.

Right now we can only deduce that

Concubine Yang's daughter has a motive for murder,

but her accomplice hasn't been identified.

To secure a conviction,

we still need more evidence.

Once we catch her,

her accomplice won't escape.

Evidence

will come eventually.

If she refuses to confess,

what will you do?

Do you want to abuse the punishment?

Don't worry,

I won't force a false confession.

Bai Feng.

Take the Black Armor Guards to seal off Qingyuan Pawnshop immediately,

and bring everyone to the jail at the prefect's office.

Don't let anyone escape.

Your Highness.

Don't be angry.

My approach actually kills two birds with one stone.

Concubine Yang's daughter

can only get information about her mother

through Qingyuan Pawnshop.

Qingyuan Pawnshop has informants

in every household.

Once Prefect Huo begins investigating

the backgrounds of these maids,

it will certainly alert our suspects.

By moving on both fronts simultaneously,

they won't have a chance to coordinate.

I understand now.

Your Highness,

please proceed as you see fit.

I'll have Bai Feng notify you as soon as we have news.

Wanxing.

Escort Miss Qin back.

Yes.

Wanxing.

Go tell my second brother

I need to see him tonight.

Yes.

Hurry,

keep up.

[Qingyuan Pawnshop]

Let go of me!

Kneel down.

Yan Chi,

don't think having the Shuoxi Army as your backing

means no one dares to touch you.

Behave yourself.

The owner of our Qingyuan

is not someone you can afford to mess with.

Oh really?

I especially enjoy messing with those I supposedly can't.

The dirty work you do for your Master,

would your Master dare to admit it?

You,..

Take him away.

Yes, Your Highness.

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

-Let’s go. -Let go of me!

Yan Chi!

[Qingyuan Pawnshop]

You'll regret this one day!

This small-time pawnshop owner

is surprisingly arrogant.

Investigate.

Find out who exactly is the owner behind this

Qingyuan Pawnshop,

and which officials and powerful figures they're closely connected with.

Yes, Your Highness.

Take them all away.

Move them out.

Get up.

-Go. -Go.

Go.

You must

brew the medicine yourself

and watch Qin An drink it

to prevent anyone from tampering with it.

If I wasn't waiting to see him stand trial,

I wouldn't bother taking care of him.

Just bear with it for a while,

and we'll personally send him to the execution ground.

Wan.

Wan, it's me.

You're here.

Wan.

Li.

Please, have a seat.

Wan.

I've been taking the medicine you gave me

and applying the ointment regularly.

It's much better now, look.

Let me see.

After you finish this prescription,

we'll need to change to a new one.

I asked you to come today

because I need your advice on something.

Wan, don't say that.

Whatever you want to know,

I'll tell you everything.

Yi, have you never wondered

why I keep asking you about the Purple Bamboo Grove?

I never told you that

the place where Lianye was killed

was in the Purple Bamboo Grove.

Are you afraid of the Purple Bamboo Grove,

or afraid to hear that Lianye died there?

Wan.

Lianye has already been laid to rest.

Please stop investigating this.

I promise I'll take good care of her family.

Yi.

A human life is worth more than anything

I can never let this go.

Besides, that person didn't just kill Lianye

but also Concubine Liu and Liu Chun.

If we don't stop them,

the Qin family

will likely see more deaths at their hands.

He...

Chen?

Why would he come to the Bamboo Grove so late?

This... this can't be possible.

Chen couldn't possibly kill anyone.

Just as I thought.

That day I was rushing to find you for medical help.

I just saw Chen enter the Bamboo Grove, perhaps...

Chen manages all household affairs and has always been meticulous

Lianye was clearly murdered.

Whether for the household's reputation

or for himself,

why has he taken no action?

Li, do you know Chen loves someone else?

The maids from the main house told Prefect Huo

that Lianye entered the household before Caihe,

but Madam Qin bypassed Lianye

and promoted Caihe to first-class maid.

Lianye was resentful

and determined to find dirt on Caihe.

The night Lianye was killed,

Caihe said she was going to the sewing room

and Lianye followed her closely out of the courtyard.

But the people in the sewing room said

they saw neither Caihe

nor Lianye that night.

As Madam Qin's most trusted first-class maid

and an orphan with no parents,

where did Caihe

actually go that night?

Wan,

please stop talking.

Please tell me,

who is this woman in the painting?

It's

Caihe.

Hearing that Fuling has been assisting you with diagnoses all day,

worried that your place might be short-handed,

so Madam Qin specifically bought two maids to assist Fuling.

This is Wantang.

This is Wanxing.

Don't worry, Eldest Young Master,

I will definitely escort Miss Qin there.

Recently,

things have been unsettled in the household,

you must be extra careful,

if anything happens, you can tell me,

I'll help you.

Just finished.

I also took the liberty

of repairing the well in this flower shed,

so Madam Qin won't worry

about anyone else falling in.

Although I delivered the master's medicine,

each time it was

personally inspected by Madam Qin.

Wan.

What is all this

really about?

For revenge.

Caihe

is Concubine Yang's daughter.

[Confession]

[Confessor: Zhao Yuanxi]

Master.

The Yang family register from Magistrate Yang has arrived.

Concubine Yang's husband suffers from color blindness.

Color blindness?

What does that mean?

He sees yellow as red and blue as black.

It's an eye condition where one cannot distinguish between green and red,

and it can be passed down to children.

If you don't like it, just throw it away,

why waste your energy over an umbrella?

It's not that I don't like it,

I've just ended my mourning period,

so it's inappropriate for me to use such bright colors.

Caihe.

Careful, Young Madam.

Your mother-in-law is waiting for you at Madam Qin's place.

Don't rush,

it would be terrible if you hurt the young master.

Slow down, Young Madam.

Let's go.

Go find His Highness,

tell him Caihe's name,

he'll understand what I mean.

If he asks about me,

tell him I've gone to see Prefect Huo,

and that he should prepare himself.

Yes.

Where are you going?

I'm going out for a bit.

If Fuling asks,

just tell her

I'm delivering a pair of shoes to my godmother.

Chen, why are you here?

I've been waiting for you.

I need to find Xu He.

Let's talk as we walk.

Wan.

You're so clever.

But I don't want to see Prefect Huo.

What did Wantang tell you?

And what did Li tell you?

Li only confirmed my suspicions.

Wan.

I've always treated you well,

could you please let us go?

If you delay telling Huo Huaixin for just one day,

I'll take Caihe away tonight.

What about your wife and her unborn child?

What about your mother and sister?

Things have come to this point,

I can't worry about all that anymore.

Chen, for Caihe's sake,

you'd abandon your wife and mother,

even commit murder and patricide?

If it weren't for you,

I wouldn't be in such a miserable state today.

Did I force you to kill Lianye,

to kill Concubine Liu,

to kill Liu Chun?

That was their karma.

Since I discovered Qin An's true nature,

I've wanted him dead every single moment.

He doesn't deserve to be my father.

He doesn't deserve to be human.

They all deserve to die!

Wait.

My stomach hurts a bit.

I'll go call Wan.

No need to disturb her.

Why don't you come in with me to rest for a while?

Moshu,

go get the medicine.

That way, we can feel more at ease.

Okay.

Young Madam,

please.

Chen, you're determined to take Caihe away,

but have you asked what she wants?

Does she truly want to go with you?

Caihe is the purest and most wonderful woman in the world.

I treat her with all my heart,

of course she wants to come with me.

For revenge,

she endured for eight long years.

Now,

Qin An, the main culprit, is still alive,

the third branch of the Qin family still enjoys their wealth and glory,

do you think she can accept that?

I'm the one who wants revenge.

For the sake of my future,

she has already given up on revenge.

She urged me to marry Xinlan,

to help me connect with the Yue family,

she even gave up being my concubine.

She has sacrificed so much for me,

how could I bear

to make her abandon her blood feud?

If she truly gave up on revenge,

then after Qin An's crimes were exposed,

why would she still poison him?

Do you know

the person who put musk in Xinlan's medicine

was none other than

your so-called kind and wonderful Caihe?

You're talking nonsense,

Caihe would never harm anyone.

If you don't believe me,

you can investigate yourself,

find out who said you had fainting spells,

who sent your maid to get musk from the medicine storage,

who gave the medicine containing mineral poison

to Qin An's attendant.

What she wants

is not just to make everyone who hurt

Concubine Yang pay with their lives,

she also wants the third branch of the Qin family

to end without descendants.

Shut up!

I won't allow you to slander her,

not anyone!