Episode Summary
The investigation into Yang-shi's death uncovers a far more sinister crime as the reopening of a well on the Qin property reveals the skeletons of numerous young girls. The Third Master is exposed as their abductor and torturer. The Second Brother provides a crucial testimony, linking the Third Master, Old Madam Qin, and the Eighth Concubine to the cover-up and to Yang-shi's suicide. Meanwhile, Yan Chi confirms Qin Wan's true identity as Shen Wan, and a new lead from Qin Wan results in the discovery of another victim's remains in a second well.
Spoiler Alert
Coroner's Diary Episode 9: The Skeletons in the Well
The investigation takes a dark turn as Yan Chi confronts the Qin family's Third Master. Initially, the Third Master feigns unconsciousness to avoid questioning. However, Yan Chi, unfazed, employs a rather terrifying psychological trick, threatening to drive a nail into his head. The "unconscious" man is immediately scared awake and confesses a shocking truth: Yang-shi was not just a concubine, but a victim of human trafficking, abducted by the Third Master himself. Prefect Huo is stunned that the brother of the esteemed Marquis of Zhongyong could commit such a heinous crime.
Meanwhile, Qin Wan rushes to the bamboo grove, only to find that the well has been sealed by Cai He under orders. Once alone, she begins her own investigation. Yan Chi arrives and informs her of the Third Master's confession. They both realize that Old Madam Qin's desperation isn't about covering up a simple suicide, but about hiding the horrifying secret buried within the well. Qin Wan presents an extra piece of bone she found earlier, speculating it belongs to a young girl. They theorize that someone used the well to dispose of bodies long before Yang-shi's death. Enraged, Yan Chi orders the well to be reopened immediately.
This decision sends Old Madam Qin into a panic. She tries to create a diversion by claiming she needs to leave the mansion for medical treatment, a ploy to smuggle her guilty son to safety. Her plan is thwarted when Head Constable Qi intercepts the eldest brother attempting to escort the Third Master out.
The reopened well reveals a gruesome sight: a mass grave of skeletons.A devastated Qin Wan, along with Xu He, painstakingly cleans each set of remains, determined to give the victims dignity. Overcome with emotion, she weeps for the young lives cut short, and Yan Chi comforts her, vowing to bring them justice. The investigation reveals all the victims were girls between the ages of twelve and sixteen who died roughly seven years ago. More disturbingly, the evidence suggests they were systematically tortured, healed, and then tortured again in a cycle of unimaginable cruelty.
With the skeletons laid out in the Qin family's main hall, Old Madam Qin throws tantrums, threatening suicide and vowing to report Yan Chi to the emperor, all to protect her son. Yan Chi, however, remains resolute and places the entire Qin estate on lockdown.
Seeking answers, Qin Wan is approached by the family's Second Brother. He confesses what he knows, hoping to save his branch of the family. He reveals that the Third Master had purchased the girls and kept them locked away in a separate courtyard. The Second Brother recalls once seeing a body wrapped in a straw mat being thrown into the well, after which Old Madam Qin sealed the courtyard. He also sheds light on Yang-shi's final days. She had lost the Third Master's favor to the Eighth Concubine but gained a strange freedom. She would often stand for hours outside the courtyard where the girls were held. The Second Brother believes that after learning a terrible truth from the jealous Eighth Concubine, a distraught Yang-shi took her own life.
As the pieces come together, Yan Chi's own investigations yield critical information. He confirms that Qin Wan is, in fact, Shen Wan, the daughter of the late official Shen Yi. He also discovers that Yang-shi was likely the missing daughter of the Yang family, who was known to have six fingers. Remembering that her sister, Qin Shuang, once saw a body in a different well located in the flower shed, Qin Wan realizes the high terrain might have caused a body to wash into it. She orders the second well to be excavated, and just as she suspected, a human skull is unearthed.
