The Imperial Coroner Episode 14 Recap
> The Imperial Coroner Recap
Rumors circulated fiercely within the palace walls regarding the late emperor's son, Duke Chang, said to have returned from the dead to reclaim the throne. Emperor Xuanzong was deeply unnerved, given that he had previously ordered eunuchs to purge Duke Chang's mansion to secure his own ascension. Qin Luan, the Acting Chief Eunuch who had served three emperors, was well aware of these rumors, which he initially dismissed as mere talk from ignorant men.
However, when censors also reported on the matter, Emperor Xuanzong tasked Qin Luan with uncovering the source of these unsettling whispers. Meanwhile, Xue Rucheng, who was secretly the lineal son of Emperor Wuzong, viewed Emperor Xuanzong as a usurper—his father's uncle who had orchestrated his family's massacre. He harbored ambitions to reclaim what he believed to be his rightful position. In Guanling County, Jing Yi sought out General Xiao Jinli, Xiao Jinyu's brother, to borrow soldiers.
He explained that Xiao Jinyu needed to transport a body hidden at the Chu family's residence to the Yamen for inspection. Jing Yi also acquired two coffins from the Chu family under the guise of transporting a bandit killed by General Xiao’s subordinates.
Later, as Xiao Jinyu, Jing Yi, and Chu Chu arrived at the Guanling Yamen, Magistrate Zheng Youde rushed to greet them, profusely apologizing for his drunken state the previous night, during which he had mistakenly saluted Jing Yi as the commanding officer. Jing Yi corrected him, revealing himself as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and introducing Xiao Jinyu as Commandery Prince An.
Unconcerned by the misunderstanding, Xiao Jinyu instructed Magistrate Zheng to lead him to the archive, specifically requesting the household register of the Xu family. Zheng Youde informed him that Deputy Magistrate Tan Gui now resided in the old Xu family mansion, and Tan Gui’s father, Tan Hong, had once been the Xu family's butler.
At the archive, Xiao Jinyu discovered that the household register only listed Xu Zongfang and his wife, with no information on their ancestors, siblings, or new residence. Zheng Youde explained that a fire had destroyed most of the files before he took office, forcing him to reconstruct them with many omissions. He noted that the fire occurred sometime between the previous magistrate's departure and his own arrival.
Finding the timing suspicious, Xiao Jinyu decided it was not yet time to question Deputy Magistrate Tan. Instead, he proposed opening Lady Xu’s coffin, reasoning that while Tan Hong might lie, Lady Xu’s remains would not. Chu Chu agreed to the exhumation, asserting that she would personally inspect her mother’s body. That same night, Xiao Jinyu learned from his elder brother, Xiao Jinli, that Leng Yue had been seen furtively peeking outside Jing Yi's room.
Xiao Jinli had assumed Xiao Jinyu had assigned her the task. Xiao Jinyu was surprised, explaining he believed Leng Yue had been ordered by their mother to keep an eye on Chu Chu, as she had been inseparable from her until now. Meanwhile, Jing Yi secretly met with Deputy Magistrate Tan Gui in a desolate area.
Tan Gui, revealing he was an agent loyal to Jing Yi’s father, received two drawings from Jing Yi with instructions to send them to the capital. Shortly after Tan Gui departed, Leng Yue arrived, questioning Jing Yi's late-night presence. Jing Yi evasively claimed he had followed a furtive man from the Yamen but lost him. Unconvinced, Leng Yue noticed another set of footprints in a nearby cave, confirming her suspicion that he was lying.
However, she chose not to confront him and departed. Back in Chang’an, Senior Jing, Jing Yi’s father, accompanied Xue Rucheng to an audience with Emperor Xuanzong. Senior Jing proposed a marriage between Leng Yue and Xiao Jinli. He argued that Leng Peishan, Military Commissioner of Qianzhongdao and Leng Yue's grandfather, held immense power in the Southwest.
A marriage alliance would encourage the aging commander to support Xiao Jinli as his successor, thereby allowing the court to gain control of the Leng family's influence and neutralize any potential threat without military intervention. Xue Rucheng secretly resolved to stop the marriage.
In a private conversation later, he argued to Senior Jing that the plan was too risky, expressing concern that if Leng Peishan discovered the strategic intent, both Xiao brothers and their mother, Princess Xiping, would be in grave danger. Senior Jing countered that his own son's safety was also on the line and that the plan would remain secret. Xue Rucheng feigned agreement. The following morning, Xiao Jinyu visited Xiao Heng’s old residence to re-examine clues.
Beneath a wooden table, he discovered a chess board and a drawing of an endgame. Xiao Jinyu and Xiao Jinli played the depicted endgame repeatedly, but regardless of their moves, the game always ended with the same four pieces—a Rook, a Knight, an Elephant, and a Pawn—on the same four squares. Though Xiao Jinyu had not yet deciphered its meaning, he was convinced his father would not have left a meaningless puzzle.
Meanwhile, Chu Chu began the inspection of her mother's remains. She observed that the injury on her mother's forehead, previously attributed to hitting a wall, was not fatal. Instead, she found a distinct fracture at the back of the skull, surrounded by bruising that indicated a severe blow from a blunt object before death. Chu Chu concluded that her mother had not committed suicide but had been murdered.
