The Imperial Coroner Episode 12 Recap
> The Imperial Coroner Recap
Chu Chu examined the wounds on the deceased, noting they were multiple small, shallow cuts from a sharp weapon. The lethal injury was a single upward stab from the fifth rib on the left, which pierced the heart. She deduced the murder weapon was a hard, cylindrical object with a sharp point, just like the iron rod found with the body. Xiao Jinyu questioned why the murderer would preserve both the body and the weapon in the wall.
Chu Chu explained that the non-lethal wounds on the victim's forearms and torso indicated he was a martial artist adept at minimizing injury. The unusual upward stabbing angle suggested the attacker couldn't reach vital areas like the head or throat, implying they were always about 60 centimeters away from the victim. To better understand the fight, Xiao Jinyu and Chu Chu re-enacted the scene, which led a protective Chu He to accuse Xiao Jinyu of taking advantage of his sister.
During the simulation, they realized the attacker's strikes were consistently low, as if originating from a child's height. Since a child would lack the required strength, Chu Chu deduced the murderer must have been kneeling or lying down. This led Xiao Jinyu to suspect the witch doctor, whose injured leg prevented him from standing. Chu He defended the witch doctor, arguing it was a justifiable act of self-defense against the eunuch.
However, Xiao Jinyu pointed out that if he was innocent, he should have reported it to the authorities or at least buried the body. He concluded the witch doctor deliberately preserved the body and weapon as evidence for a future purpose. Chu He recalled that the house became known as "haunted" right after he and his father helped the witch doctor build the new walls.
Xiao Jinyu theorized that the witch doctor used the ghost stories to keep people away, allowing him to hide the evidence from other eunuchs who might be searching for their colleague. Since the deceased was a eunuch, the matter would require an imperial investigation. Xiao Jinyu strictly ordered everyone, especially Chu He, to keep the discovery a secret.
Defying these orders, Chu He rushed home and told his father, Chu Ping, that a body had been found in the "haunted house." He confessed that he had tried to humble Xiao Jinyu with the ghost story, only for the official to solve the mystery. Worried that Xiao Jinyu's investigation would expose Chu Chu's identity, Chu He suggested they flee, but Chu Ping angrily forbade it, stating that running would only confirm their guilt.
They resolved to learn more about Xiao Jinyu's intentions at the Yamen the next day. Later, Xiao Jinyu took Chu Chu aside to speak privately. He revealed that the stone pendant was a token of love his father had made for his mother, and her pendant was the matching pair to his own. He confessed that this was his only lead to finding his long-lost father and pressed her for information.
Believing she had been used, Chu Chu accused him of keeping her by his side only to investigate the pendant, not because he valued her skills. Feeling betrayed and disappointed, she pushed him away and stormed out. Meanwhile, Leng Yue brought breakfast to Jing Yi, who had been searching through archives all night for the tomb of Chu Chu's biological mother. As they talked, Jing Yi suddenly discovered a crucial clue in a case file and rushed to report it.
At the same time, Qin Luan arrived at Princess Xiping's residence to pay respects to the late Prince Consort on behalf of the emperor. The princess blocked his path, struck him with her whip, and warned him not to harm her son, Xiao Jinyu. Their standoff was interrupted by Xue Rucheng, who arrived with the same imperial orders.
Humiliated, Qin Luan retreated to the palace and flew into a rage, furious that his subordinate Xu Rugui had failed to assassinate Xiao Jinyu. His eunuch, Sun Mingde, assured him that a new, foolproof plan was in place. In a room full of empty coffins, Xiao Jinyu stored the eunuch's body in one for safekeeping as evidence.
Jing Yi arrived and shared his finding: a case file from January 9, ten years ago, detailing the suicide of a heavily pregnant Mrs. Xu. Xiao Jinyu connected the date to Chu Chu’s birthday and recalled that Chu Ping had been the one to handle the body. Jing Yi theorized that Chu Chu was an abandoned baby Chu Ping found, noting that the original case files were destroyed in a fire and the re-recorded version was suspiciously brief.
Xiao Jinyu confronted the Chu family with the case record. He declared that Chu Chu was neither a bastard nor an abandoned baby, but a "coffin baby"—a child born from a deceased mother. Overcome, Chu Ping finally revealed the truth. On that night ten years ago, he was hired to dispose of Mrs. Xu's body. Finding it heartless that the wealthy Xu family had just wrapped her in a straw mat, he decided to give her a proper coffin.
As he did, he discovered a living baby inside the corpse. After learning that Mrs. Xu's entire family had been killed and she had fled to her brother for refuge, Chu Ping decided to raise the baby as his own, protecting her from the Xu family's unknown troubles. Devastated, the entire Chu family knelt before Xiao Jinyu, begging him not to punish Chu Chu for her origins.
Seeing her family's desperation, Chu Chu also knelt, offering to reveal everything about the pendant if he would spare them. Overwhelmed by her profound distrust in him, Xiao Jinyu suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.
