Episode Summary
In this episode, Yan Chi is appointed as an Imperial Commissioner and officially partners with Qin Wan to solve crimes. They investigate the murder of the Eighth Mistress in the Qin Manor, where Qin Wan deduces the body was moved to cover up the truth. The investigation is complicated by the family's secrets, a syphilis diagnosis, and Old Madam Qin's interference. Qin Wan also uncovers a spy in the household and a plot against her sister-in-law. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as Qin Wan confronts her panicked second brother about a sealed well, suggesting it holds the key to the murders.
Spoiler Alert
Coroner's Diary: Episode 7 Spoilers
Yan Chi has successfully received an imperial decree to join the Ministry of Justice. His uncle is worried, suspecting that Yan Chi's true motive is to investigate the sensitive case of Prince Jin, a topic the Emperor does not wish to be revisited. But Yan Chi's mind is made up. He asks his uncle to grant Qin Wan an official status to support her, preventing her from being constrained upon her arrival in the capital. His uncle readily agrees, seeing it as a chance to repay his debt to her.
With his new appointment as an Imperial Commissioner, Yan Chi goes to the Qin residence and formally invites Qin Wan to assist him in solving crimes. This means she can now conduct her forensic examinations openly and legitimately. Their partnership is immediately put to the test as a new murder has occurred within the Qin Manor. To Qin Wan's surprise, the victim is not Lian Ye, but the Eighth Mistress.
Yan Chi, Qin Wan, and Prefect Huo arrive at the Eighth Mistress's lavish quarters, but the Third Master's branch of the family attempts to block their investigation. Yan Chi's new authority, however, keeps them at bay. Qin Wan quickly assesses the scene and determines that the victim was strangled to death. She concludes that this is not the primary crime scene; the body was moved here after death by someone within the Qin household. Crucially, the victim's shoes are missing, and the repositioning of the body was a clear attempt to mislead them.
Old Madam Qin, the family matriarch, is displeased with the official investigation and particularly with Qin Wan's involvement. She is obsessed with the family's reputation, especially since her three granddaughters are not yet married. She pulls Qin Wan aside, claiming that the victim, also known as Concubine Liu, was having a secret affair and that she had to intervene to protect the Qin family's honor. According to the matriarch, a maid discovered the concubine dead and disheveled beneath the east courtyard's flower wall. Following this, Old Madam Qin orders a nearby well to be sealed.
The investigation continues as Prefect Huo discovers the victim's clothes buried in the backyard. Yan Chi has his subordinate, Bai Feng, reconstruct the scene based on the maid's testimony, which reveals a drag mark. Qin Wan suspects it was a crime of passion, recalling that she once saw the Eighth Mistress with Butler Liu in the purple bamboo forest. The case takes another turn when the coroner, Xu He, reports that the body shows signs of syphilis. He finds this strange for a woman of the Qin household, but Qin Wan firmly reminds him that a coroner must focus only on the evidence. In a bold move to flush out the culprit, Yan Chi orders a physical examination of every male in the Qin residence.
This order throws the household into chaos. Old Madam Qin is so enraged that she faints from stress, while the Third Master furiously demands that all of the Eighth Mistress's servants be beaten to death. Meanwhile, Qin Wan discovers that her sister-in-law's medicine has been tampered with, containing musk. Knowing her brother neglects his wife, Qin Wan prepares the medicine in pill form to ensure her sister-in-law takes it safely.
Setting a trap, Qin Wan instructs her maid, Fuling, to place a purple bamboo stalk in a visible location. The bait works perfectly, as they witness another maid, Wan Tang, passing an item to an old woman, confirming she is a spy. Qin Wan now believes the murders of Lian Ye and the Eighth Mistress are connected; solving one will unravel the other.
The episode culminates in a moment of high tension when Qin Wan's second brother rushes to her in a panic. He is terrified that Yan Chi's physical examinations will expose a secret he is hiding. Qin Wan promises to handle Yan Chi, but on one condition. She asks him a single, pointed question: Did Old Madam Qin seal the purple bamboo forest because of the well that lies within it?
