Episode Summary
In this episode, Qin Wan survives a murderous attack and is unofficially appointed as Yan Chi's advisor by the Emperor. When a foreign prince is the target of an assassination plot during a royal hunt, Qin Wan's medical and forensic skills are crucial in saving his life and exposing the conspirator. For her significant contributions, she is finally granted a noble title, allowing her to work alongside Yan Chi officially.
Spoiler Alert
Coroner's Diary Episode 24: A Royal Conspiracy
The episode kicks off with Yuan Wu viciously attacking Qin Wan and slaughtering the imperial guards. Fortunately, Qin Wan uses a hidden sleeve arrow to buy herself enough time to escape. In a desperate move, she leaps into a river and hides behind a waterfall before being swept away by the current.
Meanwhile, the Emperor tasks Yan Chi with overseeing the security for the royal hunt, which is to take place in seven days. The Emperor, however, suspects Yan Chi is hiding something from him. His suspicions are confirmed when he reads a report from the governor of Yuzhou and learns of Qin Wan's crucial role in solving the great gold robbery. Yan Chi adds that Qin Wan's skills as a coroner are exceptionally brilliant. The Emperor laments that her gender is a barrier to appointing her to an official position, as the court ministers would surely object. Yan Chi challenges this notion, questioning why a woman's talents should be confined to the domestic sphere. He asks the Emperor to give Qin Wan a chance, assuring him it's a matter of public service, not personal feelings. He proposes to continue employing her unofficially for the Ministry of Justice. The Emperor agrees, allowing Qin Wan to serve as Yan Chi's advisor for the time being, with the promise of a formal title when the time is right. Just then, news arrives that the Crown Prince of Beidai has gone missing in the Southern Garden. The Emperor immediately orders Yan Chi to find him, dead or alive.
Tensions flare between the delegations from Beidai and Xihan, with Prince Cheng and the Crown Prince also on edge. Yan Chi, along with Yan Li and Yue Ning, rushes into the mountains to search. He becomes deeply anxious upon learning that Qin Wan was taken by Yuan Wu's men and is now missing. The Beidai Crown Prince's horse, Changfeng, returns with injuries. Yan Chi instructs Yan Li to continue the search for the prince while Yue Ning stays behind to apprehend Yuan Wu if he returns.
Elsewhere, a wounded Qin Wan manages to find medicinal herbs on the mountain to treat her injuries, holding onto the belief that Yan Chi will find her. The horse Changfeng suddenly bolts, leading the search party to the missing Prince Yuan Hong, who has a bloody arrow lodged in his chest.
Yan Chi eventually tracks Qin Wan to a cave. He is heartbroken to see her covered in wounds. After making her some wild onion soup to warm her up, he brings her back safely. Yuan Wu is furious to see Qin Wan alive. With Prince Yuan Hong's life hanging in the balance, the imperial physicians are too afraid to perform the risky procedure of removing the arrowhead from his chest. The task falls to Qin Wan. While examining him, she discovers animal bait in his hair, a clear sign that someone intended for his body to be devoured by beasts to destroy the evidence. Yue Ning recalls that Yuan Hong went missing after chasing a snow fox that the Crown Prince had presented as a gift.
Yan Chi and Yan Li return to the location where Yuan Hong was found and discover a tripwire, confirming it was an assassination attempt. Yan Chi already has a suspect in mind. They catch the Beidai General, Xu Chang, acting suspiciously. Though Xu Chang owed his high rank to Yuan Hong's patronage, Yan Chi reveals that he had been secretly working for the Fifth Prince, Yuan Rui, all along. Confronted by the recovering Yuan Hong, Xu Chang has nothing to say in his defense. Shamed by the incident, Yuan Hong withdraws his proposal to marry Yan Zhen.
The conspiracy makes the Emperor uneasy about his own succession. Yan Chi and Yan Li quickly reassure him they have no desire for the throne. With the political situation shifting, the Third Prince of Xihan also takes his leave. Yan Li takes the opportunity to suggest that the Emperor should reward Qin Wan for her repeated meritorious service.
Before the Xihan Prince departs, Qin Wan notices he uses heavy makeup to cover signs of a lung disease. She offers a treatment that could extend his life by three to five years, but he refuses. Soon after, an imperial edict arrives. Qin Wan is officially granted the title of "Princess Yongci," finally allowing her and Yan Chi to stand together as equals.
