Resumo do episódio 12 de The Imperial Coroner 2
> Resumos de The Imperial Coroner 2
After exposing the two individuals claiming to be the siblings of the deceased Qinxiang, Xiao Jinyu ordered his guards to beat them until they confessed. Terrified, the pair admitted they were merely con artists hired by a square-faced man who looked like a ghost and spoke with a Nanzhao accent. This mysterious figure had paid them two taels of silver and promised three more upon the completion of their task to steal Qinxiang’s belongings.
In his cell, Zhao Senyao hysterically pleaded for a "ghost messenger" to save his life, eventually identifying the man as Zhou Han, a commandant of the Shence Army believed to be dead. Xiao Jinyu realized the enemy was using the Music Office—a gathering place for the elite—to spread syphilis and incite chaos within the capital.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Chu Chu expressed her deep respect for the heavy burdens Xiao Jinyu carries, while he warned that the shadow war between Great Tang and Nanzhao had already begun. Meanwhile, Gao Luoqian realized that the mastermind known as the Peacock had been using him as a mere distraction. Sensing the need for external intelligence, Xiao Jinyu tasked Leng Yue with a secret mission to leave the capital and locate a specific individual.
The political situation worsened when Wan Qianshan, the Left Remonstrant of the Chancellery, submitted a memorial regarding rumors of an affair between Chu Chu and the Nanzhao envoy, You Chen'an. While the Emperor initially dismissed the report and warned Wan Qianshan to remain silent, Consort Hui later confirmed that the scandal was spreading rapidly among noblewomen.
Summoned to explain, Xiao Jinyu defended Chu Chu, noting that You Chen'an was simply a student at the Three Judicial Offices and that Chu Chu was exhausted from her official duties. As the Emperor left the matter for Xiao Jinyu to handle, the Nanzhao King and his Eldest Prince finalized their war preparations in Jiaozhou, waiting for a key Tang general to fall. Back in Chang'an, several officials invited Wan Qianshan to the Music Office.
Though he initially resisted, he eventually joined them and, in a moment of patriotic fervor, stood up to recite his "Proclamation Against Nanzhao." However, he suddenly collapsed and died mid-recitation. Xiao Jinyu and Chu Chu arrived to find sores on his body consistent with syphilis. Despite the local official Zhao Fengming’s insistence that the strait-laced Wan Qianshan could never have contracted such a disease, Chu Chu suspected that the illness, combined with alcohol, led to his sudden death.
When Zhao Fengming refused to allow an autopsy to protect his friend’s reputation, Xiao Jinyu and Chu Chu worked together to trick him. Chu Chu described the incredibly complex burial rites required for a scholar of his rank, warning that any error would lead to public mockery. Fearing he would fail his friend’s memory, Zhao Fengming begged Chu Chu to guide the burial process, unwittingly giving her the chance to examine the body.
Later, Jing Yi urged Xiao Jinyu to stop shouldering every burden alone and to trust his friends as his strength. When Xiao Jinyu later asked Chu Chu why she hadn't mentioned the rumors about her affair, she admitted she had been briefly upset but soon forgot about it, as her work for the dead was far more important than the gossip of the living.
Moved by her resilience, Xiao Jinyu compared her to a sturdy tree that deserved a vast sky. Chu Chu’s examination of Wan Qianshan’s clothing revealed a mysterious white powder on his outer robes, though there were no traces of medicine on his inner garments. Xiao Jinyu suspected that Wan Qianshan might not have known he was ill and that someone had tampered with a remedy to make it lethal when mixed with wine, linking his death to Qinxiang’s murder.
The Emperor summoned Xiao Jinyu and Jing Yi again, angry over the scandals at the Music Office. Although You Chen'an defended their integrity, the Emperor remained worried about the public panic regarding the spread of syphilis. In a private strategy session, Xiao Jinyu suggested appointing the veteran Xie Huaiding as the commander-in-chief for the Jiaozhou front, with Xiao Jinli as his deputy.
Finally, when the Emperor urged Xiao Jinyu to have Chu Chu leave the Three Judicial Offices for her own safety, Xiao Jinyu refused, insisting that she should not be punished for being a victim of slander. Determined to change public opinion, he decided to take Chu Chu shopping in the busy markets to confront the rumors head-on.
