The Imperial Coroner Episode 24 Recap
> The Imperial Coroner Recap
As the private minting of copper coins case was of great importance, and Chu Chu informed Xiao Jinyu that Li Zhang had small wounds on his hands, Xiao Jinyu guessed that Li Zhang must be involved, but lacking evidence, he still needed to stay in Qianzhou to investigate secretly.
As for Xue Rucheng, who needed to return to the capital to report, Xiao Jinyu was willing to entrust Xu Rugui to him, after all, this person was Chu Chu's maternal uncle, who, for his own self-preservation, killed Chu Chu's biological mother back then, and later joined Qin Luan, becoming his minion. Now that the plan had failed, Qin Luan regarded Xu Rugui as a discarded pawn and wanted to silence him.
Fortunately, Wu Jiang had already rescued Xu Rugui's family. If Xue Rucheng brought him back to Chang'an and promised his family a way out, he believed Xu Rugui would reveal all the truth before the Emperor. Hearing Xiao Jinyu say this, Xue Rucheng agreed to only take Xu Rugui back to the capital.
However, a capital official suddenly arrived with an imperial decree, ordering Xiao Jinyu to thoroughly investigate the private minting of copper coins case, and also relaying a message from Grand Secretary Jing to him. After Xue Rucheng and others gradually left Qianzhou, Chu Chu's small courtyard finally regained its tranquility. Xiao Jinyu, following Jing Yi's strategy, personally purchased cosmetics and brought back a few fresh flowers for Chu Chu.
However, Chu Chu was not interested in cosmetics, and even the few fresh flowers were thrown into the swill bucket by her. Xiao Jinyu was completely puzzled, so he simply went to discuss the reason with Jing Yi. Just then, Leng Yue entered from outside, and immediately recognized that these flowers were pig feed, which meant Xiao Jinyu's attempt at courtship failed and instead became a joke.
Leng Yue guessed that Xiao Jinyu was not good at pleasing women, and that the so-called cosmetics and flowers were probably Jing Yi's idea behind the scenes. Xiao Jinli thought that while his younger brother's courtship was acceptable, he shouldn't rush into things without proper thought, so he reminded him that he should prove his sincerity in his own way, rather than asking others for advice.
Ever since the imperial decree reached Qianzhou, Li Zhang completely changed his previous attitude, even personally visiting to apologize and show his loyalty, willing to fully assist him in thoroughly investigating the private minting of copper coins case with all officials within Qianzhou. Li Zhang verified the output of each mine under his jurisdiction one by one, and wrote down the investigation process in a case file, handing it over to Xiao Jinyu and truthfully reporting the results.
Jing Yi deliberately asked him about the cause of the private minting of copper coins. Li Zhang pretended not to know, only guessing that the counterfeit minting den should be near Phoenix Mountain. Xiao Jinyu knew that Chu Chu would definitely ask to go with them, and instead of restricting her movements, it would be better to keep her close for easier protection.
In contrast, Xiao Jinli was still worried about the imperial decree granting marriage, while Li Zhang, following Xue Rucheng's instructions, planned to lure Xiao Jinyu and the others to the den for an ambush, quietly eliminating them. The next day, everyone went to Phoenix Mountain to search. Following the flow of living water, they found an abandoned porcelain kiln, and under Chu Chu's guidance, they finally located the porcelain kiln.
Li Zhang found something unusual on a wall, and quickly called Xiao Jinyu and the others over. He then watched him press a mechanism to open a stone door. Xiao Jinyu quietly observed Li Zhang, and ordered everyone to enter the stone chamber with torches. As there were no doors or windows around, Xiao Jinyu's old ailment recurred.
Chu Chu quickly went to help him, and after much effort, they walked through the tunnel, entering the interior of the stone chamber and seeing a large number of boxes filled with counterfeit money on the ground. Now that the den was known, Xiao Jinyu publicly exposed the reason for the private minting of copper coins. If it were an ordinary person, they would never gratuitously produce such realistic counterfeit coins.
But if the mastermind was a local official in charge, as long as they subtly manipulated the accounts, the labor costs for minting money could be paid through public funds from the yamen treasury via accounting entries, ensuring huge profits with minimal investment. Li Zhang was greatly startled by this, and so he forced himself to remain calm.
He originally intended to pin the blame on Magistrate Zheng Youde, but Xiao Jinyu exposed that his construction of bridges in Guanling County was merely to provide convenience for his illicit activities, yet it had become a celebrated achievement among the common people.
