Resumo do episódio 14 de The Imperial Coroner 2
> Resumos de The Imperial Coroner 2
Chu Chu remained devastated by the belief that her own carelessness during an autopsy had infected Xiao Jinyu with syphilis. As she fretted over his weakened state, the situation at the Three Judicial Offices grew dire. Wu Jiang rushed in with urgent news: His Majesty had arrived unexpectedly and was already at the Two Merits Hall. Chu Chu went to greet the Emperor, attempting to shield Xiao Jinyu by claiming he was merely indisposed.
However, the Emperor was not easily deceived, having already heard rumors of the prince's condition. Furious, he accused the Three Judicial Offices of deception and revealed that a complaint had been filed regarding Xiao Jinyu’s recent visits to the Music Office. Deeply pained by these accusations against her husband, Chu Chu took full responsibility.
She knelt before the Emperor, explaining that Xiao Jinyu’s visits to the Music Office were strictly for work and that he had only fallen ill because she failed to properly sanitize herself after an autopsy. She begged to bear the punishment alone. Sensing the tension, Wu Jiang stepped forward to deliver a message from Xiao Jinyu. The prince understood that with the court in an uproar, the Emperor needed a valid reason to continue trusting him.
Xiao Jinyu requested an audience to explain the true nature of the mystery. Despite his illness, Xiao Jinyu met with the Emperor to present his findings. He argued that the red sores were not signs of syphilis but the result of a sophisticated toxin. Chu Chu’s autopsies provided the proof: while the victim Qinxiang showed internal signs of the disease, Wan Qianshan and Zhao Fengming had perfectly healthy organs, meaning they had been poisoned to mimic the illness.
Xiao Jinyu explained that the culprits had targeted these two men—known as the Twin Stars—specifically because they were pillars of the civil and military factions. By making their deaths appear scandalous, the enemy intended to incite infighting at court and erode public trust. Even Xiao Jinyu’s own sudden "infection" was a calculated move to paralyze the investigation.
The Emperor warned that if the investigation touched the foundations of the state, he would prioritize the stability of the realm over Xiao Jinyu’s life. Undeterred, Xiao Jinyu vowed to see the case through. Chu Chu echoed his resolve, asking to work alongside him as his coroner and offering herself as a scapegoat if the investigation failed. Touched by their loyalty, the Emperor allowed them to proceed.
Physician Qi examined Xiao Jinyu and confirmed the presence of a toxin he had never encountered before. The urgency increased when Zhao Senyao began convulsing violently in his cell, hallucinating and screaming for a "ghost guard" to give him more medicine. Physician Qi observed these symptoms and concluded that syphilis does not cause such tremors; it was clear that Zhao Senyao was suffering from the same poisoning as the others.
Amidst the chaos, Xiao Jinyu’s strength failed him, and he fainted. Chu Chu stayed by Xiao Jinyu's side throughout the night. Her maid, Lian Qiao, urged her to eat, noting that the prince would be heartbroken to see her waste away. Chu Chu lamented that she had spent so much of their marriage focused on work that she had barely spent quality time with him.
When Xiao Jinyu finally woke, he hypothesized that since there was a poison, there must be an antidote. He suspected the "ghost guards" were using a specific medicine to keep their victims alive and compliant, likely to mask an even larger conspiracy. The investigation soon turned toward General Xie Huaiding, a key military leader. Jing Yi discovered the General had left his residence for a secret meeting. Suspecting a trap, the team rushed to the Music Office.
There, a mysterious figure was attempting to coerce the General into a "favor" in exchange for information about a woman named Lv Ying. Just as the General was about to drink a cup of poisoned tea, Jing Yi and the others intervened. The culprit escaped, but the General was saved from a lethal dose.
General Xie admitted he had been suffering from the same red rashes and had been approached by a "ghost guard"—identified as Zhou Han—who promised to extend his life in exchange for cooperation. He revealed that he had been lured to the Music Office by the promise of news regarding Lv Ying, a woman from his past. Chu Chu and Xiao Jinyu then facilitated a meeting between the General and the young monk Jing Yuan.
It was revealed that Jing Yuan was the son Lv Ying had raised in secret after fleeing the Xie residence. Though Jing Yuan had left the mortal world behind, he assured the General that his mother always spoke of him as a man of honor. Back at the Three Judicial Offices, Physician Qi and Chu Chu analyzed the "life-extending" pills.
They discovered the pills were actually small doses of Five-Stone Dust—a substance banned since the Zhenguan era—encased in a non-toxic shell. This design allowed the poison to release slowly, creating an intense addiction. If a victim became uncooperative, the culprits administered a massive, unshielded dose, causing instant death by internal hemorrhaging, as seen with the Twin Stars. General Xie prepared to lead his troops to Jiaozhou, vowing to defend the Tang.
However, during the march, the General accepted a piece of fruit from a five-year-old child. The fruit was laced with a lethal toxin, and the General died shortly after. The Emperor was horrified that a legendary commander had been felled by such a simple trick. An investigation later revealed that the mother and daughter who provided the fruit were merely innocent pawns who were murdered shortly after to cover the mastermind's tracks.
