Resumo do episódio 22 de The Imperial Coroner 2
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In Jiaozhou, General Xiao Jinli received reports of a Nanzhao attack on the beacon towers and prepared to mobilize. However, Han Ji, the regional secretary, intervened. Despite Jinli’s recent promotion to Annan Great General, Han Ji produced a secret imperial decree stating that no border troops could be deployed without authorization while foreign envoys remained in Chang’an. Jinli was stunned, suspecting the decree’s existence had been leaked to Nanzhao, allowing them to strike while the Tang army’s hands were tied.
Nanzhao’s Eldest Prince, You Longsheng, led his troops toward a strategic bridge, confident that the Tang forces would not dare to retaliate. Jinli appeared with his personal guards and used the clever excuse that he was merely clearing debris from recent mountain floods rather than deploying the military. When the Prince ordered a charge, he was suddenly flanked by Luo Yan and her bandits from the Mount Zhenyuan Abode.
Trapped between Jinli’s men and the bandits, and facing a sea of fire after Jinli’s troops poured oil on the stone steps, the Prince was forced to retreat. This victory was the result of a coordinated plan between Jinli and Luo Yan to introduce an unpredictable force that Nanzhao had not factored into their strategy. In the capital, Xiao Jinyu tasked Jing Yi and Leng Yue with searching Jiang Daohai’s residence.
Jing Yi discovered a wooden replica of the official seal. Since all legitimate seals were cast in copper, they realized Jiang had lost the original and carved a wooden substitute to hide the crime. However, the wood had cracked over time, leaving a distinct mark on recent documents. Meanwhile, the Nanzhao Vice Envoy Gao Luoqian attempted to flee, but was summoned to the palace.
Xiao Jinyu and Jing Yi presented evidence showing that Gao had poisoned several officials during a banquet to coerce them into serving Nanzhao. Those who refused, like Wan Qianshan, had been murdered. Leng Yue arrived with definitive proof after catching the attendant Hong Luan attempting to return the stolen official seal to Jiang Daohai. A search of the Nanzhao lodging inn also uncovered the poisons Gao had used.
Faced with the evidence, Gao desperately tried to shift the blame to Nanzhao’s Second Prince, but the Emperor ordered the Three Judicial Offices to take Gao, Hong Luan, and Jiang Daohai into custody. Following the arrests, Zhao Wanrong visited her cousin, Consort Hui, lamenting her husband’s downfall. Consort Hui remarked that her own favoritism toward the Zhao family had allowed such corruption to fester, but noted that Wanrong had at least been honest with Xiao Jinyu.
Senior Jing later shared a meal with his son, Jing Yi, confessing that during the peak of the crisis, he had asked the Emperor to sacrifice Jing Yi if it meant saving the state. Jing Yi was not resentful, expressing his desire to follow his father’s example of absolute devotion to Great Tang.
Subsequently, the Emperor appointed Xiao Jinyu as an Imperial Censor and sent him to Jiaozhou to assist his brother, fearing the region's complex politics were undermining Jinli’s authority. Jinyu and Chu Chu departed for the south, leaving Jing Yi and Leng Yue to root out Gao Luoqian’s remaining spies in the capital. In Jiaozhou, Prefect Liu finally returned and was informed of the imperial decree by Han Ji.
Disgusted by the situation, the Prefect went to see his pregnant wife, Madam Yulan. In tears, Yulan confessed that Han Ji had forced his way into her room late at night under the pretext of official business and had violated her. Consumed by rage, the Prefect vowed to confront Han Ji. Nearby, Xiao Jinli reflected on his past with Luo Yan, insisting he only saved her years ago out of a general's duty to protect the people.
Luo Yan teased him, noting that his tongue was only good for eating. When Xiao Jinyu and Chu Chu arrived at the Prefect’s residence, Han Ji met them with open hostility. He blamed Jinyu for the death of his own wife, who had died of despair during their journey to the south after Han Ji was demoted. Han Ji claimed Jinyu had no authority in Jiaozhou, but Jinyu asserted his power as an Imperial Censor. The confrontation ended abruptly when Madam Yulan rushed in, distraught and reporting that Prefect Liu had suddenly vanished.
