Episode Summary
Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng identify the archer Zheng Hao as Dong Yue's killer, who confesses he was manipulated by an anonymous letter. This links the murder to a larger conspiracy. Meanwhile, we learn the tragic motivation behind coroner Zhong Shizai's actions; he's desperate to win the coroner competition to give his children a better life. After a new murder occurs, Zhong attempts to kill his former master Geng Wushang but is stopped by Chu Yingtao. He is later captured by Lu Lingfeng and, while professing his innocence in the murders, reveals his deep love for his children.
Spoiler Alert
The Coroner Lineup
Narrowing Down the Suspects
Su Wuming and Master Fei go to see Geng Wushang. He's the legendary retired coroner. They want to ask him about the top coroners in Chang'an. When they arrive, they walk right into some drama. Geng is kicking out his own apprentice, Zhong Shizai. It’s a pretty brutal public shaming.
After Zhong leaves, Geng figures out why Su Wuming is there. He lays out the current coroner scene for him. Since Geng retired, another top guy named Yin Yao also quit. That leaves five main coroners in the city. There's Dong Yue, who was just murdered. Then you have Xiahou Shuang at the Dali Temple and Liu Wei at the Yongzhou government office. Finally, there's Zheng Hao at the Chang'an County office and, of course, the recently fired Zhong Shizai.
Geng immediately says Zhong couldn't have done it. He was at a birthday party when Dong Yue was killed. Geng's advice is simple. The other three coroners are the most suspicious. If any of them are hiding something, they're probably the killer.
Picking a Target
On the way back, Master Fei is complaining. He thinks Geng is just an arrogant coroner trying to tell Su Wuming how to do his job. Su Wuming sees it differently. He thinks it shows how hungry these coroners are for a chance to prove themselves.
Later, Su Wuming meets with Lu Lingfeng to go over the case. They start eliminating people. Liu Wei is out. He was with Lu Lingfeng working on a different case at the time of the murder. They also decide to put Xiahou Shuang on the back burner for now. They know him, and he seems like a decent guy.
That leaves one person. Zheng Hao becomes their main target. Su Wuming knows this is going to be complicated. Zheng Hao comes from a formerly powerful family, the Zheng clan of Xingyang. His ancestor was a famous general who refused to surrender to the first Tang emperor. The emperor was furious. He punished that branch of the family by forcing them to be coroners for generations. They're still stuck in that low-status profession today.
The Arrogant Archer
A Tense Visit
Su Wuming feels a little lost without Chu Yingtao around. He asks Lu Lingfeng to go with him to Zheng Hao's house. The place is unsettling. They find dead foxes and rabbits hanging in the yard.
Zheng Hao is exactly as advertised. He's incredibly arrogant and brags about being a perfect shot with his bow. He denies having anything to do with Dong Yue's murder. But Su Wuming sees right through him and calls him out on his lies. Zheng Hao completely loses his temper. He tries to attack them but Lu Lingfeng is faster. He easily takes Zheng Hao down.
The Confession
Back at the yamen, Zheng Hao tries to deny everything. But Su Wuming has him cornered. The shoe prints from the crime scene match his shoes. The arrows used to kill Dong Yue match the ones he owns. Su Wuming lays out exactly how he did it, step by step.
Faced with the evidence, Zheng Hao finally confesses. He admits he hated Dong Yue. The man had humiliated him in the past. Then, he received an anonymous letter. The letter encouraged him to kill Dong Yue and even provided a detailed plan. He thought about it. It was a chance for revenge and a way to get rid of a competitor in the big coroner competition. So he decided to go through with it.
Su Wuming examines the letter. The handwriting matches the other anonymous notes from their previous cases. It’s all connected. Pei Xijun also has a sketch of the suspect who delivered a note, but it's not much help. The man had a thick beard that covered his whole face.
A Father's Desperation
The Pressure on Zhong Shizai
The team gets together that night. Chu Yingtao asks Lu Lingfeng for permission to stay in Wannian County to help Su Wuming. He agrees. Suddenly, Su Wuming gets a bad feeling about Geng Wushang's safety. He tells Chu Yingtao to go protect him in secret.
The show then cuts to Zhong Shizai's home. It’s a sad scene. He's screaming at his young son, Zhong Pi, for not memorizing a poem. His daughter, Zhong Jie, steps in to defend her brother. She explains that neighborhood bullies keep harassing them. They mock the kids for being a coroner's children and say they should be learning about dead bodies, not poetry. Zhong Pi got distracted from his studies while protecting his sister.
Zhong Shizai is gutted. He tells his children about the coroner competition. He promises that if he wins, their family will finally escape their low social status. Zhong Pi will be able to take the imperial exams and become a scholar. Zhong Jie will be free to study painting and become a famous artist.
An Attempted Murder and a Capture
While this is happening, another murder goes down. A young woman finds a lost money pouch. Inside, there's a note with the character for "one." She thinks it’s a romantic sign from the heavens. Maybe she'll find her true love within a day. That night, she hears a man reciting love poems outside her window. She follows the voice to an abandoned courtyard and is stabbed to death before she can even react.
Back at Geng Wushang's house, a masked figure breaks in. It's Zhong Shizai. He's about to kill his old master. But Chu Yingtao drops down from the rafters and blocks him. Zhong is forced to flee. Geng isn't surprised. He suspected this might happen. Still, he's heartbroken that the apprentice he treated like a son would try to kill him.
The next day, Zhong Shizai tries to get out of the city with his kids. Lu Lingfeng intercepts them on the road. They don't say anything directly in front of the children. Zhong understands. He sends his kids home. Then he fights Lu Lingfeng, loses, and is captured.
At the yamen, Zhong sees Pei Xijun's incredible paintings. He falls to his knees and begs her to take his daughter as a student. He even offers to let Pei Xijun adopt her. Su Wuming sees how much Zhong loves his children and feels sorry for him. He says it’s a shame he went down this path. With tears in his eyes, Zhong insists he didn't directly kill anyone.
