Episode Summary
The episode brings the series to its climax with Yan Ze's final act of revenge. He exposes the Emperor as the usurper Yan Han and attempts to kill Yan Li. The intervention of Yan Chi and Qin Wan foils his plan, leading to a final confrontation where Yan Han kills Yan Ze before succumbing to poison himself. With the villains dead and the conspiracy revealed, the throne passes to the young Yan Sui, with Yan Chi and Qin Wan as his regents, ushering in an era of peace and justice.
Spoiler Alert
Coroner's Diary: The Final Reckoning
The grand conspiracy finally unravels in a dramatic and bloody confrontation. Yan Ze orchestrates his ultimate revenge, forcing Yuan Qing to serve the Emperor a cup of tea laced with the very "Butterfly Dream" poison that the Emperor once used to kill the Consort of Prince Xin—Yan Ze's mother. Yan Ze reveals his long-held hatred, stemming from his mother's death and the eye injury he sustained from tasting the same poison. He exposes the Emperor's greatest secret: he is not the rightful ruler but Yan Han, Prince Yi, the late Emperor's twin who was abandoned at birth and usurped the throne by killing his own brother.
Just as the truth is revealed, Yan Li stumbles upon the scene, utterly bewildered. Yan Ze explains that this is retribution, and the man Yan Li called father is actually his uncle, the murderer of his real father. Yan Han desperately tries to justify his actions, claiming everything he did was to secure the throne for Yan Li. In the ensuing chaos, Yan Ze knocks Yan Li unconscious, intending to kill him in front of Yan Han.
While Yan Chi battles the Tiandao Society outside the main hall, Yan Ze uses Yan Li's blood to draw a symbolic "Flower of Iniquity." He then turns on his accomplice, Yuan Qing, killing him and revealing that he had been deceiving him all along, planning to frame the Tiandao Society for the Emperor's assassination.
The tide turns when Yan Chi, Qin Wan, Yue Ning, and Bai Feng burst in. Yue Ning and Qin Wan rush to save Yan Li, while Bai Feng secures the young Yan Sui. With the rebellion failing, Qin Wan confronts both Yan Han and Yan Ze, calling them hypocrites who sacrificed countless lives for their selfish desires. In a final, desperate act, Yan Ze breaks free from Yan Chi and lunges at Yan Han. However, Yan Han fatally stabs him. With his last breath, Yan Ze asks only one question: "Why did you kill my mother?"
The palace coup concludes with more tragedy as the Empress and Noble Consort Su, who had both long known the Emperor's true identity, end their years-long rivalry by killing each other.
Deeply poisoned and filled with regret, Yan Han dies crawling towards the throne, begging Qin Wan and Yan Chi to protect Yan Li. The Empress Dowager, heartbroken by the consequences of her actions, decrees that Yan Sui will inherit the throne.
In the aftermath, peace is restored. Yan Sui becomes the new emperor with Yan Chi acting as the regent prince, supported by Qin Wan. The Grand Princess returns to her home in Jingzhou, accompanied by Yue Ning and a reformed Yan Li. With new laws established and justice prevailing, Qin Wan and Yan Chi finally look forward to a future of peace, side by side.
