1. The Missing Calligraphy and Paintings from the Palace
This foreshadowing feels somewhat connected to the imperial handwriting and edict that Jiaozhou Governor’s wife Yulan showed to Han Ji. But this still feels a bit forced—do they really need to go through such a complicated process, using calligraphy gifted by the emperor to Consort Hui, just to imitate handwriting and seals? Does it really require such a roundabout method?
Personally, I still think the content of the calligraphy and paintings themselves is problematic.
As for Consort Hui, in my view her identity still doesn’t feel “clean.” Yulan, on the other hand, is very likely a villain—so what exactly is her objective?
When Li Zhang appeared, I began to suspect that Yulan might still be connected to You Chen’an. As for the forged edict, could the seal on it possibly have been carved by Li Zhang?
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2. The Identity of “Peacock” (孔雀)
So far, at least three people have impersonated Peacock. • One is Chu He; • One is Zhou Han’s younger twin brother, or Jiang Daohai. When Zhao Senyao sought medicine from the “ghost envoy,” the fake Zhou Han had a scar on his right hand—and Jiang Daohai has one as well; • One is You Chen’an. He is able to obtain the Peacock mask, which makes him highly suspicious.
Why do I say at least three? Because judging from the conversation between the King of Southern Zhao and his subordinate in Episode 16, Peacock is not You Chen’an—there may be someone else.
If the King of Southern Zhao knew You Chen’an was Peacock, he wouldn’t say, “Peacock has lived up to my trust,” and then order Gao Luoqian to escort You Chen’an back to Southern Zhao.
So there are two possibilities: 1. Peacock is someone else entirely, still hidden among Tang officials. Peacock and You Chen’an are allies—publicly loyal to the King of Southern Zhao, but privately engaged in interest exchanges with You Chen’an. 2. The real Peacock has already been killed by You Chen’an, who then took Peacock’s place and continued to liaise with the King of Southern Zhao under that identity.
At present, the first possibility seems more likely.
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3. The Disappearance of Civilians at the Tang Border
These missing civilians are very likely connected to human experimentation conducted by Southern Zhao.
The diagrams in You Chen’an’s possession should eventually explain this plotline. You Chen’an is very likely aware of the experiments—perhaps even an executor.
In Episode 16, when the Prince caught fireflies for Chu Chu, she mentioned that there are many fireflies at the burial grounds. This clue should connect to the location where the bodies of the missing civilians were disposed of.
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4. The Diagrams and Who Performed the “Facial Reconstruction”
Were the diagrams drawn by You Chen’an himself, or by someone else?
Where did You Chen’an learn his coroner skills? Is there another coroner or physician—perhaps a master—who has an extremely deep understanding of human skeletal structure?
Using the fake You Chen’an as a test subject, the disguise was repeatedly refined. The skill involved is so advanced that the fake You Chen’an looked almost indistinguishable from the real one. Chu Chu only confirmed his identity through the scar on his chest.
My speculation is that the diagrams and the surgical procedures were done by You Chen’an’s master—though it’s also possible that You Chen’an himself did them (purely entertainment speculation).
Coroner techniques feel like something that must be passed down through mentorship. Perhaps You Chen’an’s master was originally a physician who conducted experiments on living humans, was rejected by society, and later met You Chen’an. You Chen’an provided living subjects, the master taught him the skills, and the two formed a mutually beneficial master–disciple relationship.
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Unresolved Questions
There are still many unanswered questions: • How could a forged imperial decree sent by carrier pigeon reach Southern Zhao within a single day? • Why was the heavily guarded Three Judicial Offices breached so easily by just a few death guards?
It was mentioned earlier that the “ghost envoy” was actually Zhou Han, a former Shence Army school commandant who had already died. This lines up with the later reveal that Zhou Han changed his name to Laifu and was sent to the stone quarry.
Wang Ye deliberately sent Leng Yue there to verify whether it was really Zhou Han—and it turned out Zhou Han was indeed still at the quarry. Zhou Han then explained that he has a biological younger brother, which explains why the two of them look exactly alike.
Later on, Zhou Han was instructed to impersonate the ghost envoy to lure Changshou out. Changshou appears both at the opening of Chu He’s pharmacy and in the very first episode. However, since Zhou Han was not a real ghost envoy, he knew nothing of value. So after Changshou was captured, they drugged him to knock him out, then put the real ghost envoy in instead, in order to extract useful information.
This actually mirrors what happened in Season 1 with Qin Luan in a very similar way. Back then, Qin Luan believed he had seen through the scheme meant to disrupt his sense of time, but in reality, what was being manipulated wasn’t time at all—it was location.
The same logic applies here. Changshou had already sensed that something was off and thought he had uncovered the trick. But in truth, by the time he went to verify it, the fake ghost envoy had already been replaced by the real one. He believed he was testing the lie, when in fact he was stepping straight into the truth that had been carefully switched beneath his feet.
Otherwise, they’d have dropped it already. 🤣
This foreshadowing feels somewhat connected to the imperial handwriting and edict that Jiaozhou Governor’s wife Yulan showed to Han Ji. But this still feels a bit forced—do they really need to go through such a complicated process, using calligraphy gifted by the emperor to Consort Hui, just to imitate handwriting and seals? Does it really require such a roundabout method?
Personally, I still think the content of the calligraphy and paintings themselves is problematic.
As for Consort Hui, in my view her identity still doesn’t feel “clean.”
Yulan, on the other hand, is very likely a villain—so what exactly is her objective?
When Li Zhang appeared, I began to suspect that Yulan might still be connected to You Chen’an. As for the forged edict, could the seal on it possibly have been carved by Li Zhang?
⸻
2. The Identity of “Peacock” (孔雀)
So far, at least three people have impersonated Peacock.
• One is Chu He;
• One is Zhou Han’s younger twin brother, or Jiang Daohai. When Zhao Senyao sought medicine from the “ghost envoy,” the fake Zhou Han had a scar on his right hand—and Jiang Daohai has one as well;
• One is You Chen’an. He is able to obtain the Peacock mask, which makes him highly suspicious.
Why do I say at least three? Because judging from the conversation between the King of Southern Zhao and his subordinate in Episode 16, Peacock is not You Chen’an—there may be someone else.
If the King of Southern Zhao knew You Chen’an was Peacock, he wouldn’t say, “Peacock has lived up to my trust,” and then order Gao Luoqian to escort You Chen’an back to Southern Zhao.
So there are two possibilities:
1. Peacock is someone else entirely, still hidden among Tang officials. Peacock and You Chen’an are allies—publicly loyal to the King of Southern Zhao, but privately engaged in interest exchanges with You Chen’an.
2. The real Peacock has already been killed by You Chen’an, who then took Peacock’s place and continued to liaise with the King of Southern Zhao under that identity.
At present, the first possibility seems more likely.
⸻
3. The Disappearance of Civilians at the Tang Border
These missing civilians are very likely connected to human experimentation conducted by Southern Zhao.
The diagrams in You Chen’an’s possession should eventually explain this plotline. You Chen’an is very likely aware of the experiments—perhaps even an executor.
In Episode 16, when the Prince caught fireflies for Chu Chu, she mentioned that there are many fireflies at the burial grounds. This clue should connect to the location where the bodies of the missing civilians were disposed of.
⸻
4. The Diagrams and Who Performed the “Facial Reconstruction”
Were the diagrams drawn by You Chen’an himself, or by someone else?
Where did You Chen’an learn his coroner skills? Is there another coroner or physician—perhaps a master—who has an extremely deep understanding of human skeletal structure?
Using the fake You Chen’an as a test subject, the disguise was repeatedly refined. The skill involved is so advanced that the fake You Chen’an looked almost indistinguishable from the real one. Chu Chu only confirmed his identity through the scar on his chest.
My speculation is that the diagrams and the surgical procedures were done by You Chen’an’s master—though it’s also possible that You Chen’an himself did them (purely entertainment speculation).
Coroner techniques feel like something that must be passed down through mentorship. Perhaps You Chen’an’s master was originally a physician who conducted experiments on living humans, was rejected by society, and later met You Chen’an. You Chen’an provided living subjects, the master taught him the skills, and the two formed a mutually beneficial master–disciple relationship.
⸻
Unresolved Questions
There are still many unanswered questions:
• How could a forged imperial decree sent by carrier pigeon reach Southern Zhao within a single day?
• Why was the heavily guarded Three Judicial Offices breached so easily by just a few death guards?
Wang Ye deliberately sent Leng Yue there to verify whether it was really Zhou Han—and it turned out Zhou Han was indeed still at the quarry. Zhou Han then explained that he has a biological younger brother, which explains why the two of them look exactly alike.
Later on, Zhou Han was instructed to impersonate the ghost envoy to lure Changshou out. Changshou appears both at the opening of Chu He’s pharmacy and in the very first episode. However, since Zhou Han was not a real ghost envoy, he knew nothing of value. So after Changshou was captured, they drugged him to knock him out, then put the real ghost envoy in instead, in order to extract useful information.
This actually mirrors what happened in Season 1 with Qin Luan in a very similar way. Back then, Qin Luan believed he had seen through the scheme meant to disrupt his sense of time, but in reality, what was being manipulated wasn’t time at all—it was location.
The same logic applies here. Changshou had already sensed that something was off and thought he had uncovered the trick. But in truth, by the time he went to verify it, the fake ghost envoy had already been replaced by the real one. He believed he was testing the lie, when in fact he was stepping straight into the truth that had been carefully switched beneath his feet.