The Imperial Coroner Episode 1 Recap
> The Imperial Coroner Recap
In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, eunuchs assisted Emperor Xuanzong to the throne. To appease them, Emperor Xuanzong allowed them to command the Imperial Armies and guard the Imperial Palace. At the same time, he established the Three Judicial Offices, appointing Commandery Prince An, Xiao Jinyu, to oversee all criminal cases throughout the realm.
The Three Judicial Offices greatly valued the role of coroners, holding annual qualification exams in the capital with no restrictions, ensuring that talented individuals could serve. During one such exam season, coroners from various regions arrived in the capital. Meanwhile, a few days prior, a woodcutter carrying a lantern and a basket had been struck by lightning through a tree, leading to his immediate death. This remained an unsolved mystery.
Among the aspiring coroners was Chu Chu, a young woman from a coroner family in the Southwest, disguised as a man. She traveled thousands of miles alone to Chang'an, a bustling and prosperous city. As she observed the vibrant scene, a carriage suddenly collided with an elder, knocking him to the ground. The driver offered to take the elder to a physician, but the man, constantly mentioning medical expenses, refused.
Chu Chu, initially just observing, noticed something peculiar about his leg injury: it was red but not swollen. She quickly realized he was faking the injury to extort money. Chu Chu publicly exposed the man, revealing that he was a young imposter using burned beech bark to create a fake bruise and that his eyes didn't show the yellowing typical of an older person.
Jing Yi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, witnessing the deception, immediately ordered his subordinates to apprehend the fraudster. Intrigued by Chu Chu's keen observation skills, Jing Yi introduced himself. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a group of charging eunuchs on horseback, who nearly ran Chu Chu over. Fortunately, Jing Yi swiftly protected her.
Suddenly, Wu Jiang, the Prince's Chief Guardsman, descended, kicking Palace Eunuch Sun Mingde off his horse and quickly bringing the chaotic situation under control. Sun Mingde, recognizing Xiao Jinyu's authority, arrogantly invoked Acting Chief Eunuch Qin Luan's name, disrespecting Commandery Prince An. However, Xiao Jinyu remained unfazed, ordering Wu Jiang to flog Sun Mingde fifty times for riding a horse in a busy market, as per Great Tang law.
Chu Chu, having witnessed the entire incident, was deeply impressed by Xiao Jinyu's impartial enforcement of the law. With the coroner exam approaching, Chu Chu worried about her eligibility. Hearing her concern, Jing Yi handed her a token, assuring her it would grant her entry. Indeed, with the token, Chu Chu smoothly gained access to the Three Judicial Offices. The previous day had been the qualification exam, and now it was the selection phase.
Success meant serving Commandery Prince An within the Three Judicial Offices. Meanwhile, Minister of Revenue Wang Jun expressed his dissatisfaction with Xiao Jinyu for hosting a coroner exam instead of focusing on the unresolved case of Assistant Yan Ming. Minister of Justice Han Ji, fueled by Wang Jun's complaints, was even more enraged, resentful of Xiao Jinyu's imperial favor and his own obligation to take orders from such a young official.
For the coroner exam, Xiao Jinyu used two unsolved cases from the capital as practical tests. One of these was the case of Assistant Yan Ming. Chu Chu, beginning her examination with the woodcutter's corpse, meticulously deduced the process of his death using her self-made tools, including the "Yin-yang Pestle"—a cone-shaped hardwood tool with cotton-wrapped ends for examining the nose and throat.
She noted reddish-brown dendritic patterns on his arms and neck, pale osseous pearls on his finger bones, and the smell of sesame oil on his skin. Despite the severe burns, she concluded that he was a man over thirty, around five chi tall, who had died about half a month prior. She found soot in his mouth and nose, indicating he was burned alive.
Based on a skull fracture, dendritic patterns, and signs of being soaked in water after burning, she concluded he was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm, fell unconscious, and was then burned to death when a lantern he carried ignited sesame oil he was also transporting. Furthermore, she observed old, multiple fractures on his ribs, arms, and shanks, suggesting he frequently engaged in life-threatening fights as his profession.
Her detailed and accurate findings, including her unique method of deodorizing with steamed vinegar, greatly impressed the proctors and Xiao Jinyu. Later, Sun Mingde, limping, accused Commandery Prince An before Emperor Xuanzong of administering private corporal punishment. Emperor Xuanzong then reprimanded Xue Rucheng, Xiao Jinyu's former teacher, for failing to properly guide his student, which had led to discontent among court officials. He ordered Xue Rucheng to ensure Xiao Jinyu exercised restraint.
Years ago, when Xiao Heng, Xiao Jinyu’s father and a prince consort, investigated southwestern rebels, Acting Chief Eunuch Qin Luan had been dispatched to assist. In truth, Qin Luan had conspired to frame Xiao Heng for colluding with Military Commissioner Chen Ying in a rebellion, leading to a battle where Xiao Heng's body was never found. This uncertainty had plagued Qin Luan for over a decade, fearing Xiao Heng might still be alive.
Now, with Commandery Prince An Xiao Jinyu gaining influence, Qin Luan frequently undermined him before Emperor Xuanzong and ordered General Zhou Han to gather intelligence on him. Chu Chu proceeded to the next exam, which involved injury inspection. Unaware that Commandery Prince An was the test subject, she mistook Xiao Jinyu for a "live corpse" and confidently began examining him.
She observed a forehead injury caused by a blunt, roughly polished wooden object from the previous night, and a palm-wide bruise on his left hand from a heavy object, likely a man's foot. She also noted injuries on his palm roots from pressing against a smooth, hard surface, all occurring almost simultaneously. As she attempted to remove his clothing for further examination, Xiao Jinyu revealed his identity, startling her into immediately kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly.
Xiao Jinyu then exposed Chu Chu's true background, discerning from her clothes, the particular scent on them, and her advanced autopsy knowledge that she hailed from a coroner family, not a literary one as she had stated on her application. He detailed his deductions: her oversized, altered, nearly new clothes with dog scratches indicated they belonged to her elder brother, who owned a dog.
The scent of soapberry and atractylodes on her clothes further confirmed a coroner's family, as these were traditionally used for washing by such practitioners. He noted her proficiency in certain unconventional forensic techniques, suggesting her ancestors had been coroners since before the Taizong era. Chu Chu, amazed by his precise observations, mistakenly believed him to be the legendary "Handsome Judge," chief of the Six Gates. Xiao Jinyu, however, denied this, stating he had no such titles.
Despite Chu Chu's attempts to justify her application, Xiao Jinyu remained firm in his assessment but chose not to pursue the matter of her false identity. Instead, he decided to take her to the crime scene for the second case. However, as they exited, they were confronted by a waiter from Fusheng Inn, who publicly accused Chu Chu of absconding without paying her lodging bill.
The waiter presented a jade pendant Chu Chu had left as collateral, making Xiao Jinyu suspicious of her. Chu Chu explained she had lost her money purse and, in a hurry for the exam, left the pendant and a note with her thumbprint, promising to return and pay. Xiao Jinyu and Jing Yi recognized the jade pendant as something unusual. He had Jing Yi pay the 37 copper coins owed to the inn.
He then shocked everyone by instructing Wu Jiang to inform the inn's manager that he was permanently renting Chu Chu's former room, forbidding any alterations to its contents, and declared his intention to stay there himself when leisure allowed. This move intimidated the waiter, who quickly tried to retract his claims, but Xiao Jinyu insisted on taking the pendant and Chu Chu's note.
