The Imperial Coroner Episode 15 Recap
> The Imperial Coroner Recap
After carefully analyzing her mother’s skull and the fractures in the carpal bones, ulnas, and radii, Chu Chu concluded that her mother did not take her own life. Instead, she was deliberately pushed from behind while heavily pregnant, causing her to instinctively brace her arms against a wall to protect her unborn child. The fierce impact resulted in multiple fractures.
When this initial attempt to kill her failed, the murderer struck the back of her head with a blunt object, leading to her death from an occipital fracture. Overwhelmed by grief, Chu Chu resolved to sculpt her mother's likeness from pottery clay. Using the skull as a base and referencing her own features as a guide, she hoped that restoring her mother's face would help identify someone who knew her and lead her to her biological father.
Xiao Jinyu readily agreed to support her in finding the truth. Meanwhile, Jing Yi, who had been secretly observing Xiao Jinyu, sent a letter to his father. The letter revealed that Xiao Jinyu had discovered a eunuch’s corpse in Xiao Heng's former residence. His father, the Master of Jing Mansion, speculated about the eunuch's presence in Qianzhou, linking it to Qin Luan's pacification efforts and subsequent eunuch purges.
He also considered the possibility that the eunuchs, with whom Xiao Heng had a contentious relationship, might have seized the opportunity to kill him. This, coupled with the strange circumstances, led the Master of Jing Mansion to suspect that Xiao Heng might still be alive. He also anticipated Princess Xiping's imminent visit to Xue Rucheng. Indeed, Princess Xiping soon arrived at Xue Rucheng's manor, seeking his urgent assistance to prevent the marriage between Leng Yue and Xiao Jinli.
She explained that if Xiao Jinli were to assume military power in the Southwest, she and her sons would become mere pawns, trapped and controlled, much like her own mother before her. Princess Xiping had already discussed the matter with Emperor Xuanzong, who, though not issuing an immediate decree, had permitted her to stall by requiring divination of their birth dates. She acknowledged her limited time and pleaded with Xue Rucheng for help.
After some contemplation, Xue Rucheng decided to take on the challenge and announced his intention to travel to the Southwest to devise a solution. Back in Qianzhou, Leng Yue approached Xiao Jinyu to clarify their relationship after hearing rumors of an arranged marriage. She plainly stated that she only viewed him as a good friend, and Xiao Jinyu reciprocated the sentiment, affirming his respect for her straightforward and brave nature while also acknowledging their cousin relationship.
Xiao Jinyu, however, pressed her on her true reason for coming to Qianzhou, suspecting it was related to Chu Chu's background. Leng Yue admitted that she came for Chu Chu, feeling a kinship with her due to their shared pursuit of freedom and dreams. Xiao Jinyu then arranged for pottery clay to be sent to Chu Chu in the mortuary, asking Leng Yue to accompany her. Later, Xiao Jinyu noticed mud on Jing Yi's shoes, which aroused his suspicion.
Jing Yi offered a flimsy excuse about an early morning walk to check on local copper coins. Xiao Jinyu then presented Jing Yi with items found in Chu Chu's mother's coffin – jewelry and clothes – asking him to identify them. Jing Yi corrected him, noting they belonged to a married woman, not a young girl. Meanwhile, Leng Yue joined Chu Chu in the mortuary, bringing the clay.
Chu Chu explained her process of using the skull and her mother's burial clothes to reconstruct her mother's face, hoping to identify her. Leng Yue confided that her own parents had died when she was very young and she too didn't remember their faces, having been raised by her aunt, Princess Xiping. Chu Chu offered comfort, explaining her theory that children often resemble their parents, suggesting that by looking in a mirror, Leng Yue might see hints of her parents.
Their conversation then shifted to Xiao Jinyu and Xiao Jinli. Chu Chu expressed her professional opinion that despite being twins, their physical differences were so significant that they did not appear to be brothers from the same parents. She speculated that one might resemble their father and the other their mother. Xiao Jinyu, still harboring doubts about Jing Yi, later questioned his brother, Xiao Jinli, about his swift-moving skills compared to Jing Yi's.
Xiao Jinli, while confident in his general martial prowess, conceded that Jing Yi was superior in swift-moving techniques. He confirmed that Jing Yi could move within ten meters unnoticed if one wasn't paying close attention. This admission further fueled Xiao Jinyu’s suspicion that Jing Yi was the masked individual he had heard spying on him. Concurrently, Qin Luan and Eunuch Sun investigated an inner hall where a eunuch had just committed suicide.
The eunuch had bitten into a capsule of Aconitine from the Western Region, causing immediate death. Searching the room, they discovered a receipt from an Antique Store. Qin Luan then proceeded to the store, where the manager presented him with a beautifully repaired jade pendant. The manager stated the eunuch had simply brought it in for repair without further explanation. The next day, as Leng Yue walked Chu Chu home, they planned to share some local rice noodles.
When Chu Chu briefly separated to buy rice cakes, she was abducted by a middle-aged man who knocked her unconscious in an alley. Leng Yue rushed back to inform Xiao Jinyu. Arriving at the scene, Xiao Jinyu meticulously examined the area, noting carriage tracks and discovering Chu Chu's hairpin deliberately placed under a basket.
He deduced that the abduction was a calculated trap by Xu Rugui, who likely knew of Leng Yue's martial skills and had orchestrated a carriage to block her pursuit. Xiao Jinyu swiftly dispatched his men in two different directions to pursue the kidnapper. Chu Chu later regained consciousness to find herself captured.
Her abductor revealed his identity as Xu Rugui and confirmed he knew she was the coroner working for Commandery Prince An, assuring her that Xiao Jinyu would indeed come for her.
