Episode Summary
After her family is murdered, Shen Wan assumes the identity of Qin Wan to survive and seek revenge. She endures mistreatment from her new "family" but gets a chance at a new life when she saves the powerful Grand Princess. This brings her into the orbit of the charming warrior Yan Chi and the princess's protective circle, giving her the allies she needs to pursue the truth. The episode concludes with the horrifying discovery of a murdered, headless bride, setting up the first major case.
Spoiler Alert
Coroner's Diary: Episode 1 Spoilers
The story begins on a dark and stormy night with a brutal massacre. Shen Wan's family is ambushed, and her parents are tragically killed while trying to get her and Second Master Qin onto a boat. On the water, Second Master Qin also sacrifices himself to save her from a volley of arrows. Just before a final arrow strikes, Shen Wan leaps into the lake, clutching a blood-stained letter from her father. His dying wish was for her to live a peaceful life, forbidding her from seeking revenge. But consumed by grief and a burning desire for justice, she vows to uncover the truth behind her family's slaughter. To survive, she assumes the identity of the recently deceased ninth daughter of the Qin family, renaming herself Qin Wan.
Now at the Zhongyong Marquis's residence, the Qin family's matriarch, Old Madam Qin, is in a tense meeting with a Mrs. Huo. The Huo family, once minor officials, now holds a higher status than the declining Qins and wishes to break off the engagement to the ninth daughter. Old Madam Qin stalls, using the absence of Second Master Qin as an excuse. Just then, the new "Qin Wan" arrives, carrying the ashes of Second Master Qin, accompanied by her loyal maid, Fuling. Fuling, who knew both the real ninth daughter and Shen Wan, is devoted to her new mistress.
To get inside the manor and avoid the immediate cancellation of the engagement—which she actually wants voided to have more freedom—Qin Wan fakes a fainting spell. Her life in the Qin household is immediately difficult. Old Madam Qin considers her an ill omen and has a Taoist ritual performed to cleanse her courtyard. When Fuling speaks up in protest, she is nearly sold off. Qin Wan's desperate pleas save her, but the Old Madam locks them both in the courtyard under the pretense of observing a mourning period.
During this time, Qin Wan overhears a conversation that shatters her world. Old Madam Qin and Third Master Qin discuss her father, Shen Yi, painting him as a corrupt official who colluded with the disgraced Prince Jin and was killed while fleeing justice. Heartbroken but resolute, Qin Wan knows her father was framed. She becomes determined to travel to the capital to find her parents' remains and investigate the truth behind Prince Jin's supposed suicide.
Her fortune changes when she uses her medical skills, learned in the Valley of the Medicine King, to save an elderly woman who has collapsed on the street. This woman is none other than the powerful Grand Princess. Soon after, the lively Princess Yue Ning arrives at the Qin manor, identifying Qin Wan as her grandmother's savior and inviting her to the palace to continue treatment.
On the way, they witness the charismatic "God of War," Yan Chi, disciplining rogue soldiers. Yue Ning excitedly reveals that the impressive warrior is her cousin. At the palace, Yan Chi is visiting his ailing great-aunt, The Grand Princess. When Qin Wan arrives, she and Yan Chi share a moment of inexplicable familiarity. Yan Chi is immediately intrigued by the young doctor who saved his great-aunt.
The Grand Princess takes a strong liking to Qin Wan. Having investigated her difficult situation at the Qin residence, she promises to protect her. Qin Wan, feeling a glimmer of hope for the first time, is deeply grateful.
The episode ends on a shocking cliffhanger. The heir of the Anyang Marquis, Yue Jia, is celebrating his wedding. When the bridal sedan is opened to welcome the new bride, she is found inside, brutally decapitated.
