Kusuriya no Hitorigoto / The Apothecary Diaries / Maomao's Murmurs

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The daughter of an apothecary, who lives near a brothel and is chums with many beautiful whores, gets kidnapped and sold to the inner palace of the Emperor. She uses her wit and medical knowledge to reluctantly solve mysteries and help people, earning her the attention of a fake eunuch, who uses her in his efforts to maintain order in the palace. Hijinks ensue.

The show is now up to episode 16.

Come on, the main three "big sisters" are not whores. Only Pairin does "night work" because she's insatiable.

I know, I was just jesting.

I wanted to check this out and forgot about it. What's interesting about it?

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Originally Posted by neflight86

I wanted to check this out and forgot about it. What's interesting about it?

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It's an exceptionally well-done Imperial Court era series. Charismatic as hell main and supporting cast. There is a mix of medical mysteries, political scheming, a few conspiracies, and sex education. It's well-composed and very well animated. No magic, no isekai, intelligent characters who don't act stupidly for plot sake (aside from the lead drinking poison for fun/science), and its not an ecchi series.

And if you want to listen to Yuuki Aoi as the lead make a full menagerie of amusing weird noises, this anime is #1 on that list.

It was scheduled to start a few weeks late last season so it is a bit of a sleeper hit.

Yeah, this is a quality series for more adult tastes. Not adult in an erotic sense but because of the plot and setting.

It strikes quite a nice balance between having a sort of fictional main character in that sort of past-its-prime imperial setting, where everything is too established and the way things are done is far more important than who are doing them or for whose sake they are done. I say fictional main character because obviously Maomao needs to keep getting involved in everything for the story to exist in the first place. Realistically nobody would have such a presence.

I still love the fact that the Emperor loved Lihua's titty fuck so much he gave Gyokuyou rest (that she welcomed).

Strategist guy seems weird. He's setting up puzzles for Maomao to solve, but doesn't actually seem interested in seeing her do it himself and just observes the result.

Her testing poisons and stuff on her forearm is played off lightly in this show. Some wounds just never heal and become infected/rotten.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Her testing poisons and stuff on her forearm is played off lightly in this show. Some wounds just never heal and become infected/rotten.

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The anime is a bit less graphic when it comes to Maomao's testing arm. It shows it more as pink scar tissue when in the manga, it is usually depicted with some ravaged post-festering areas and burn marks that have scarred very badly.

There is ample reason why Gyokuyou's ladies-in-waiting believe that Maomao was severely abused.

Just watched the first 3 episodes, and I'm sold. Great show so far. It reminds me, in feel and direction, of a slightly less garish Oshi no Ko (hear me out): Some good story telling, levity and intrigue, minus about %50 cynicism. I'm very interested to catch up; the ride is beautiful and comfy.

Episode 17


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It was quite refreshing how Jinshi didn't become a totally different person, like in Mission Impossible or most regular anime. The transformation operation was also explained in quite a detail. Though naturally the best part of this whole affair is Jinshi half accidentally learning more about Maomao.

Did I just see a hint of annoyance (jealousy?) when Maomao thought Jinshi was disguising himself to go to a brothel?

It was never clarified who he went to see, right? Was the entire thing still just a contrived excuse for a date, or have they just not gotten to the actual answer?

Latter. Probably an investigation.

Jinshi gets super jealous when "his latest toy" is used by someone else, but he shows significant interest and respect towards Maoamao that she's generally blind to, because she just thinks he's trying to manipulate her like he does with all the other Inner (and Outer) palace women.

Maomao may have not been jealous that he was going to a brothel/teahouse. But she was certainly disappointed.

Not sure she's quite there yet to be jealous. She's far too pragmatic and respectful to fall into that pattern with anyone.

I felt she was disappointed. "Oh, you're another one of those guys" kind of vibe. Though before she gets disappointed, she should actually be confused - since he's supposed to be a eunuch and all.

He's obviously not, based on how he's the other MC and just actually seems to be the son of the king and Ah Duo who is publically dead but is actually him.

I think it was explicitly stated that he is a fake eunuch.

Yes, I also interpreted it as Maomao being disappointed, not jealous. She only loves medicine and poison, anyway. She does have some familial love for her adoptive father, as well. Considering her background, it would take a whole lot to make her be romantically in love. She must be as jaded as some 50 years old madam who has seen it all.

Why would she be disappointed though? Does she look down on patrons of brothels despite having many close friends and "sisters" who work in the industry?

She had mentioned in the past being drug into alleys after patrons left feeling less than satisfied only to be saved by her hideous freckles. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a great contempt for customers of brothels- not the courtesans themselves.

But those are the bad patrons. The rest of them literally keep her friends and sisters fed, clothed, and housed. It'd be weird to be disappointed at Jingshi for that reason when she knows he is not a rapist.

I don't know if you are just jesting for the sake of conversation, but Maomao has seen far too much of the life in the red light district to have respect for it, other than to respect the people who are pushing through their lives despite living/working there. It's only the few topmost courtesans who must even maintain their virginity that are glamorous, in a certain manner. The rest are faring as they might, many succumbing to STDs eventually. The patrons are hardly all gentlemen, either. I'd say Maomao considers the customers mostly suckers.

It's not uncommon for people working at any place having much worse (=realistic) opinion of it than customers merely visiting it occasionally.

But then again, maybe I'm wrong. She is so jaded, like I said, that it's difficult to get opinions out of her, unless it's about food/poisons.

I support sex workers, which also means I support their patrons because it doesn't make sense otherwise. One cannot exist without the other.

Some patrons being assholes or criminals are not because they are customers but because they are assholes and criminals, which exist in any subset of humanity.

Maomao has expressed multiple times that she doesn't want to be sold for sex work by the old hag. Obviously because it would interfere with her experiments and research.

I suspect that the old hag would never actually sell Maomao for sex work. Maomao's skillset is far too valuable. The three princesses would also throw a fit. The five of them are a very tightly knit family unit even within Verdigris House.

Maomao grumbles about the old hag all the time, but Verdigris House has a significant aftercare facility for girls who succumb to one illness or another. Luomen presumably does a lot of the work, but we've already seen Maomao doing it as well.

The old hag is has been shown to be lot more caring than Maomao's statements give her credit for.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

The old hag is has been shown to be lot more caring than Maomao's statements give her credit for.

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Tsundere old hag?

Episode 18

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So Lakan and the syphilis woman had Maomao as a kid and he wants her. Going by the whole pregnancy thing, it sounds like he may have originally wanted to buy the mum but now just wants Maomao.

Meimei's line suggests she enjoys her time with Lakan. Not sure if it's in a romantic way.

Pairin's pretty stacked.

Suirei gave off crazy woman vibes, and a significant part of that was the OST.

Lakan has been made to appear like a character nobody can win in a battle of wits. Maomao is also highly intelligent, solving problems left and right. She certainly got those genes.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Suirei gave off crazy woman vibes, and a significant part of that was the OST.

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Indeed. The background music just before the ED was like from a traditional murder mystery show.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Meimei's line suggests she enjoys her time with Lakan. Not sure if it's in a romantic way.

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Meimei's specialty is poetry, chess, and Go. Based on the OP and the scenes with Maomao's syphilitic parent (not 'mother' by the way that Maomao treats her), Lakan's main desire is to spend time with someone who can at least vaguely keep him engaged.

Meimei didn't say that she enjoyed the time either. She implied the only courtesan qualified to entertain Lakan. Intellectually.

One can presume then, that Maomao's other parent was exceptional at Go.

As smart as Maomao is though, experience always wins out. She can't ever seem to outwit Suiren. Can't fool that old nanny one bit!

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

As smart as Maomao is though, experience always wins out. She can't ever seem to outwit Suiren. Can't fool that old nanny one bit!

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Like Jinshin's granny servant said directly, Maomao is held back by her too class-conscious attitude. That makes her weaker than she should be in front of anyone she considers to be socially above her. At least until she gets used to the person enough, in some cases. Of course there could always be exceptions when she's following someone's orders and really gets into it.

While it holds back her potential, I'd say it definitely increases her survival chances. It makes sense to have developed it during her Brothel days, like the freckles. With her current skills and backing, I do agree that she can start pushing some boundaries from now.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

While it holds back her potential, I'd say it definitely increases her survival chances. It makes sense to have developed it during her Brothel days, like the freckles. With her current skills and backing, I do agree that she can start pushing some boundaries from now.

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Not only that, but his adoptive father, while not telling Maomao what exactly happened in the palace that led to his doom, still must have said something. Moreover, just the father's behavior and way of life would teach Maomao to be careful when dealing with people of status and money, and not to draw their attention upon herself. She would probably be even more timid if not for having a low opinion of many important people due to what she kept seeing in the brothel and because she's so obsessed with her own interests that she occasionally forgets everything else.

Episode 19

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That was tense.

Lakan seems to know about everything, including that Jinshi could have been killed or seriously injured today. I suppose if Jinshi died then Maomao doesn't have to be his retainer. In that case however, he has no business in helping her pass through today.

All this was Suirei's doing though, technically - so either she serves him, or she did this and he's happy to just observe for whatever reason (including the above).

Suirei would have also had to try to sabotage the new tool (presumably the apparatus holding the banners up) to weaken their strength somehow.

edit: ah, and this confirms that Jinshi is royalty. No one gets away with wearing a golden dragon unless they're royalty.

Very tense episode, indeed. I look forward to next week's explanation.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

All this was Suirei's doing though, technically - so either she serves him, or she did this and he's happy to just observe for whatever reason (including the above).

Suirei would have also had to try to sabotage the new tool (presumably the apparatus holding the banners up) to weaken their strength somehow.

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Suirei didn't have to, Maomao solved the mystery that allowed the technique of fabricating an alloy that melts at super low temperatures (i.e. candles) to be replicated. What's not clear is if the father made the deliberately faulty parts before he died or if the three sons did. Given the timelines involved on the other schemes, we should probably assume Suirei ordered the deliberately faulty components from their father. After that, we got open confirmation that she was the one that orchestrated an opportunity to swap them. We should also assume that given Suirei's medical knowledge, she was the primary actor in the other murders related to getting officials capable of blocking the main plan with their superior oversight.

She set up the weakness in personnel, then swiftly executed the swap. This plan was in the works for at the minimum, a year.

Suirei has long been set up as Maomao's Moriarty. She knows the same skills of herbalism (she has been planting rare herbs for a year or more), she is in an equivalent position in the Court (military instead of administrative), and she's been setting up or executing the same schemes that Maomao has been unraveling. She also wears very heavy makeup, so she can disguise herself in both directions (much like Maomao dowdies her own appearance).

They're perfect opposites.

And Maomao just circumvented up her carefully laid plan the same day it all fell in place.

Lakan's role in all this is unclear at this point. He ultimately set Maomao off on solving several of the mysteries related to this. Is he shocked to see years of work fall apart, or is he shocked to see how close it was? Could be both.

Why was everyone shook that Jinshi walked out with Maomao in his arms?

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

Why was everyone shook that Jinshi walked out with Maomao in his arms?

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A semi God taking care of a lowly servant in that fashion instead of go on with the ceremony and not caring for that insignificant life?

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

Why was everyone shook that Jinshi walked out with Maomao in his arms?

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I'm not sure.

For Lakan, it depends on whether he was shocked that:
-Maomao's unconcious.
-Maomoa was being carried by Jinshi.
-That Jinshi was royalty (Lakan already knows he's a bigshot - so he'd only be surprised if he underestimated how big of a deal Jinshi actually is. Less likely based on previous dialogue)
-That Jinshi would show himself in public.

Lakan was the only one that was visibly shocked. Everyone else was bowing. They all recognise his status at least. I'm not sure if they all knew before the ceremony that this was Jinshi (and his status) because it's supposed to be a secret. It's hard to keep a secret with so many people knowing (the rear palace had no idea apparently, and rumours spread), and it's knowledge that someone in Lakan's position isn't supposed to know (yet he's important enough to make the guards shit themselves).

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Originally Posted by Ryll

Suirei didn't have to, Maomao solved the mystery that allowed the technique of fabricating an alloy that melts at super low temperatures (i.e. candles) to be replicated. What's not clear is if the father made the deliberately faulty parts before he died or if the three sons did. Given the timelines involved on the other schemes, we should probably assume Suirei ordered the deliberately faulty components from their father. After that, we got open confirmation that she was the one that orchestrated an opportunity to swap them. We should also assume that given Suirei's medical knowledge, she was the primary actor in the other murders related to getting officials capable of blocking the main plan with their superior oversight.

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So you think that the blacksmiths made a faulty part ages ago?

What it sounds like to me, is that:
-the fire happened.
-parts were stolen
-parts are now discovered to be missing, hence Lihaku is on the case.
-Parts are fabricated - either deliberately with a low melting point by blacksmiths, or a normal replacement was sabotaged.
-Parts fitted to the banner.
-Ceremony, parts fail.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

So you think that the blacksmiths made a faulty part ages ago?

What it sounds like to me, is that:
-the fire happened.
-parts were stolen
-parts are now discovered to be missing, hence Lihaku is on the case.
-Parts are fabricated - either deliberately with a low melting point by blacksmiths, or a normal replacement was sabotaged.
-Parts fitted to the banner.
-Ceremony, parts fail.

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There's no question that the fitting was replaced with the low-temperature melting alloy in the middle. The anime skipped over (edited for time no doubt) Maomao's thoughts when the bookkeeper guy was showing her the modified plans that were made after the "traditional" two officials were murdered/coma'd so someone else wouldn't interfere with any changes to the ceremony.

The new plans were submitted, and the arrangement was "changed slightly" to move the fittings directly over the candles. Maomao noted that the candles were underneath the fitting, but that shouldn't be an issue for properly made components since the log is held up by all metal components. That's when everything slams into place for her and she runs off.

The anime did show that the fitting melted and the wire pulled out. It was ordered that way. Suirei either stole the normal ones (which means the sons made them) or stole something else to cover it and swapped in the faulty ones she had premade (which means their dead father made them in advance of the swap). That never gets detailed, so it isn't clear whether the deceased father or the sons made the part.

It makes sense for her to have stolen the original ones, in order for a fabricated to be made for this ceremony specifically. The blacksmiths would have to be blissfully oblivious to fabricate something that is obviously a weight-bearing structure out of a low melting alloy - and that's the part that confuses me.

Suirei would have had to lie big time - Yeah, they're supposed to melt and break. It's by design. Sure, it's not impossible to make up a story like that, but still strange that they'd believe one. The melting point would also be super super low since I can't imagine much heat being given off those candles. I doubt it would even be hot enough to make someone unbearably uncomfortable.

Anyway, maybe I'm thinking about this with modern standards where I expect a level of duty of care from the blacksmiths instead of "Oh, you want something structurally strong but melty? No problems". This is especially the case if the piece was stolen and thus the smiths were tasked with fabricating this specifically for ceremonial purposes.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Anyway, maybe I'm thinking about this with modern standards where I expect a level of duty of care from the blacksmiths instead of "Oh, you want something structurally strong but melty? No problems". This is especially the case if the piece was stolen and thus the smiths were tasked with fabricating this specifically for ceremonial purposes.

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You have the answer right there in the episode. The empire is already so stuck in time and degenerate that it goes without saying nobody questions anything, or they will risk facing the consequences, like the recordkeeper, who got demoted simply by asking a relevant question. Because you aren't supposed to ask questions. When Jinshi barely escaped death, all those people in the ceremonial hall simply kept standing still, as if nothing had happened, showing barely any reaction. They would only move when it's their turn to move, according to the manual of the ceremony. When Jinshi walked out carrying a wounded person, nobody, again, did absolutely anything to help him. Because the ceremony instructions don't tell them to step out and help.

So, yeah, if a blacksmith gets an order from an important person presenting themselves to be from the palace (no matter if they actually are, as long as they are convincing enough), the blacksmith will absolutely ask no questions whatsoever, apart from perhaps: "When does sir/madam need it done?"

For the melty structural piece: it's possible to order one for a show or ceremony that needs a spectacular effect. The purpose is murder here, in the context of that ceremony.
But it's possible to order under the pretext you want to create a show for a party.

I couldn't see where Lakan's surprise came from. Now I have more ideas to play with.
I'm a little surprised we haven't seen Gaoshu. I suppose he was one of the eunuchs in formal attire and as stated here, couldn't move because of the protocol...

E21

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Okay, so Maomao was apparently 17 when she was kidnapped, and she was sucking on Pairin as an infant. If Pairin was 20 then, she's 37 now. If she was 15 then, she's 32 now.

Pairin is in her undefined 30s. Kamuro seem to start when they're 8-10, so I assume lower end. Pairin implies that she's still plenty fertile.

It's nice to see Maomao vetting potential suitors for her 'sisters,' and Jinshi is testing to see if people orbiting Maomao are trustworthy. If Lihaku took the loan, he probably would have been expelled from imperial service. The episode mostly served to prove to the audience that Lihaku is a good man and an honorable one who doesn't have an ounce of subterfuge to him.

Bottom line, Pairin can probably buy herself out at any time. Same with the other two princesses. Maomao didn't share that with Jinshi or Lihaku. They seem to make a lot more money than any other courtesan in the entire district by a wide margin, and the old hag treats them like family more than her other charges. Pairin is just waiting for someone who can satisfy her needs and also fulfill her fantasy of being carried out like a princess.

The whole pricing part is weird, in that they also calculate their earning potential - so it's not the usual "I bought this slave for 1k, that's how much it'd cost to sell them" type of deal.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

The whole pricing part is weird, in that they also calculate their earning potential - so it's not the usual "I bought this slave for 1k, that's how much it'd cost to sell them" type of deal.

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I imagine any skills and fame the courtesan has developed during their career are counted as being sponsored by the employer. Which is not entirely wrong either, of course. That being said, a courtesan already in their late 30s shouldn't be evaluated as being able to produce a lot of profit in the future anymore.

The messed up pricing calculation was the *2 part. Why would it be (earning potential+profit)*2?

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

The messed up pricing calculation was the *2 part. Why would it be (earning potential+profit)*2?

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If there's someone willing to pay, the madam would obviously charge as much as possible. That being said, even if a "random" calculation was used, it ought to be just the starting point for negotiations. That's far more reasonable than, for example, Apple's prices, which are calculated with a formula just as unrealistic, but aren't negotiable. Yet since there are millions of people willing to sell a kidney to afford Apple products, the prices work.

Just watched all of this that's out so far.

Really enjoying it. But the constant "Oh well, it's none of my business..." every time she's about to uncover plot has become infuriating at this point.

For a story that's otherwise so well written, it just feels like an incredibly contrived way to draw out the main mysteries.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

Just watched all of this that's out so far.

Really enjoying it. But the constant "Oh well, it's none of my business..." every time she's about to uncover plot has become infuriating at this point.

For a story that's otherwise so well written, it just feels like an incredibly contrived way to draw out the main mysteries.

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It's absolutely critical. While it's unrealistic that Maomao somehow ends up involved in some many things, otherwise there would be no story, but that desire to stay out of any business that's not her business is something people in such a setting would need to have to stay alive. Back in the day, a person's life was super cheap. Maomao's old man, as well, was doing his best, but was punishned nonetheless. I reckon Maomao would have been taught that attitude also by the people in the red lights district. It would have all sorts of customers, including important officials and other aristocracy, so the employees there really should mind their own business, lest heads start rolling.

So am I the only one that thought Suirei was actually Maomao's mother?

Lakan implied that he got the woman he fancied pregnant so her price would come down, so he could buy her. Which, if he did, she would be with him, and not sick in the back of a brothel.

He's a military strategist. She's a Court Lady working in the military section of the castle.

Lacan described his lady as someone who looked down on everyone condescendingly. Which describes Suirei's personality.

She has a ton of apothecary knowledge. Which she could have if she used to spend a lot of time with Maomao's dad.

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Originally Posted by Kraco

that desire to stay out of any business that's not her business is something people in such a setting would need to have to stay alive.

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But it's NOT not her business. The fact that anytime the subject of "My boss, who's always doting on me, seems like he might be more important than I keep assuming" she's just like "eh, whatever" get's ridiculous the 10th or so time our amazing detective character goes, "Is he actually some kind of bigshot?"

I could accept that as being "not her business" when she was working for the concubine. But when she's working directly for him, it's silly.

Isn't it even more important when working for Jinshi? The more comfortable (relatively speaking) she gets in his company, the easier it would be for her to make a mistake. She very much suspects already he's far more important than he should be, which might make the consequences of any mistake she makes that much greater. Plus the mightier a person is, the less valuable they'd evaluate a commoner's life. I don't believe Maomao believes Jinshi likes her or anything. In fact she couldn't care less about romantic thoughts. She only cares about poison, medicine, rare food, and occasionally mysteries.

I agree that Maomao has the density of a neutron star. She behaves with these assumptions in mind:

1. No one would ever see her as a romantic interest, much less a eunuch who has no bits.
2. She must avoid trouble as much as she can.

She generally ignores anything not directly related to her job and medicine/poisons.

TBH, if she stopped wasting her time with her usual duties and went full time helping others proactively, she would do so much more good. Unfortunately, she is not interested in that at all.

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Originally Posted by Kraco

Isn't it even more important when working for Jinshi? The more comfortable (relatively speaking) she gets in his company, the easier it would be for her to make a mistake.

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Knowledge of who the people around her are and what they do would make it easier for her to avoid mistakes.

She's extremely intelligent and makes excellent decisions...when she's in possession of the necessary information. Her intentionally avoiding that information only leads to her making bad, and potentially dangerous, decisions.


On that note, I LOVED that she wore body armor when she went to accuse that murderess on her own. It drives me crazy when murder mysteries do that.

Maomao is a woman of ignoble birth (everyone in power knows her father is Lakan, but he hasn't claimed her, so she isn't even a military family daughter) in 18th-19th century China. Getting the shit kicked out of her by a guard is exactly what she can normally expect to get for being impertinent. She's always hiding her face with her sleeves to nearly everyone. That's the position she's in. She's not a Court Lady. She's not a concubine of any ranking. She's not a senior servant. Officially, she's one single step above her friend in Laundry Duty. She grew up in an area just outside the palace where getting raped by syphilitic rejected customers and pedophiles is common.

She's displaying the correct abundance of caution to stay out of the crosshairs of the Inner Court, and out of the inner court with things that will get her beheaded. Jinshi is disappointed that she's rarely showing her true self, but that's because he's pretty sheltered. Gaoshun and all the head concubines know that Maomao is acting appropriately for her station.

Suirei is way too young to be Maomao's mother. She's very tall, but she's not much older than Maomao. Suirei is the same age as Gyokuyou. Looks are deceiving in this series. Everyone is younger than you'd think because it is more accurate to the period than most series.

Maomao snooping around would easily land her dead like all the recent deaths/mishappenings that she's been investigating recently.

She's also not wrong when she told Jinshi very early on that her life is cheap so she doesn't try to give anyone a reason to off her.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Maomao snooping around would easily land her dead like all the recent deaths/mishappenings that she's been investigating recently.

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Again though, she doesn't have that same level of caution when pursuing other investigations. Only the ones that would actually, ya know, advance her own plot.

It's pure contrivance. She draws conclusions all the time, but any time it's metaplot related, she always has that "Don't voice assumptions" line from her dad. It's as if the writer is literally reaching down and going "Stop trying to solve the series."

Her turning to Gaoshun and being like "So what is Jinshi's actual job?" is hardly snooping.

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

I think it was explicitly stated that he is a fake eunuch.

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It's not really fake though. He's just chemically castrated instead of surgically castrated. Meaning it can be undone if he stops taking the drug if he ever stops working in the Rear Palace.

A eunuch would have to be physically castrated. Temporary and reversible impotence does not make a eunuch. I was not using the term figuratively, and neither does the show.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

It's pure contrivance. She draws conclusions all the time, but any time it's metaplot related, she always has that "Don't voice assumptions" line from her dad. It's as if the writer is literally reaching down and going "Stop trying to solve the series."

Her turning to Gaoshun and being like "So what is Jinshi's actual job?" is hardly snooping.

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She's already put all the pieces together. She's willfully denying what she's already learned. Maomao doesn't know if Jinshi knows or not. She doesn't know who knows at all. But she knows if she provides any hints that she knows the truth, there's a high likelihood it is being kept secret on purpose, and she will be killed to keep it that way.

Only we the audience know that Jinshi has no solid proof or any firm intention of pursuing them either. Only suspicions he lacks the proof of, and he's certainly not going to ask Ah Duo outright about it. We don't really know if he has any intention of acting on it either. We know that Ah Duo knows, Maomao's adoptive father possibly knows, that Maomao figured it out, and that's the extent. Everyone else we know of who knew is dead. We don't know if the Emperor knows, if the Empress Dowager knows, or anyone else is holding it as a secret.

That's worse than position Maomao is in. She has no idea who is would be than happy to kill her to ensure that knowledge doesn't spread. She's exactly the type to push it down and pretend she never learned it, because that's the society she lives in.

Of course this is all intentional by the author. It creates tension. There is a looming threat now that someone is going to find out Maomao knows a very grave secret. Or that Maomao slips up. Or that someone asks her and she fails to hide it in her expression (just like Jinshi figured out she can read with a trap set just for her).

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

She's already put all the pieces together. She's willfully denying what she's already learned. Maomao doesn't know if Jinshi knows or not. She doesn't know who knows at all. But she knows if she provides any hints that she knows the truth, there's a high likelihood it is being kept secret on purpose, and she will be killed to keep it that way.

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I'm not talking about the secret of his parentage. I'm literally talking about what his actual job is.

At first, she thought he was just the manager of the Rear Palace. But it's obvious at this point his job is WAY more important than that.

And considering she's constantly being asked to help him with his work, you would think it'd be in her best interest to know what his job actually IS. Because that relates directly to HER work.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

I'm not talking about the secret of his parentage. I'm literally talking about what his actual job is.

At first, she thought he was just the manager of the Rear Palace. But it's obvious at this point his job is WAY more important than that.

And considering she's constantly being asked to help him with his work, you would think it'd be in her best interest to know what his job actually IS. Because that relates directly to HER work.

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Except it doesn't relate to her work, she failed the Court Lady exam. She's a general laborer. Jinshi and Lakan and most of the four head concubines just happen to know she's very capable as a generalist and knowledgeable about medicines, poisons, biology, and botany. She's officially cleaning staff or poison taster, neither of which are particularly involved in the actual daily productivity of the court or its occupants.

She knows his true position. 100% without question. It went unsaid because it was linked to finding out he was presiding over the ceremony that nearly got him killed. It also immediately relates to the secret she's not supposed to know.

He was watching over a Medium Ceremony. If you know enough Imperial Court lingo, it's a huge reveal for her. Medium ceremonies don't require the Emperor (those are the High ceremonies). It was always going to be a family member further down the succession or even an extremely high ranking official (Jinshi could count as either role). Pair this with the Spring Party and the empty seat for the Emperor's brother by the time she entered the tents, and Maomao knows exactly who he is supposed to be (if Jinshi was anyone else as highly ranked and therefore qualified to run a Medium ceremony, he would have been seated in the two rows at the center suffering in the cold instead).

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

and Maomao knows exactly who he is supposed to be

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That does not at all line up with her internal dialog. If she does know, she's refusing to admit it even to herself.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

That does not at all line up with her internal dialog. If she does know, she's refusing to admit it even to herself.

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I'm not as certain she knows exactly as much as Ryll suggests, but I'm of the opinion she knows far too much. She's trying with her full willpower to pretend not to know. It's far easier to keep pretending if you convince yourself you don't know. It ought to be a way of life for her already. Kind of like the regular people in organised crime neighbourhoods never see anything when asked by the police. They may not be afraid of the police, but they are afraid of the mob even suspecting they said a single word too much to the police or behaved strangely in the presence of the coppers.

Episode 22


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That was a whole lot of work for the sake of one party. As expected of the imperial court. At least Maomao seemed to get something in return.

The strategist is a damn nasty man. Who knows how he's still alive. He should have plenty of enemies and few people who would actually miss him.

Given that he seems to be able to read the flow of people well, I think he normally picks his battles. I think he's being particularly provocative here given that he's interested in Maomao and that he is leveraging the fact that he knows Jinshi's status. (Honestly Jinshi could just outright ignore him if this wasn't the case).

I'm guessing that by "My provocation was unsuccessful" he means that he wasn't able to make Jinshi/Maomao fail and have them approach him for the answer or something.

It's not clear, but the one Lakan is trying to provoke is Loulan to a small degree, but particularly provoke/challenge her father.

Like Lishu's family installing her under two successive Emperors, Loulan's father is very powerful politically, and still retains a lot of his influence from the dead former Empress Dowager who watched over her pedo Emperor son.

(The current dowager Empress is who gave birth to the current Emperor)

E23

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Okay, that was just outright sad, even though I've been spoiled about that part of the story. The delivery still hit hard.

Interesting that Loumen is actually Lakan's uncle, and they're actually all one family.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Interesting that Loumen is actually Lakan's uncle, and they're actually all one family.

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If Fengxian was born into Verdigris House...I guess Maomao's whole biological family tree can be guessed at (or at least the likelihood increases dramatically). If true, suddenly a lot of things snap into place about how and why Maomao gets away with the things she did for so long without being expelled to the streets.

Lakan also chose to lose to Fengxian, since they showed previously that she always beat him at Go, while he was renowned for chess. Just like he chose to lose to Maomao to make sure she wouldn't die right away (not that she ever would have with her plan). He also just took the beating from the Old Hag until she was completely satisfied getting our her anger and left him.

Guess he's not such a bad guy after all.

Love me some Kuwashima Houko voicing characters in a period series.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

Guess he's not such a bad guy after all.

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Seems like it.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

why Maomao gets away with the things she did for so long without being expelled to the streets.

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Like what? She's not doing anything strange to anyone but herself. Otherwise the Verdigris House depends on her skills, I suppose as an alternative to her old man. Other than that, she even arranges paying customers to the house.

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Originally Posted by Kraco

Like what? She's not doing anything strange to anyone but herself. Otherwise the Verdigris House depends on her skills, I suppose as an alternative to her old man. Other than that, she even arranges paying customers to the house.

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Poisoning/envemonating/burning herself repeatedly, bringing strange things into the brothel, etc.

E24

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-Oh, so Lakan didn't even know Fengxian was alive? It'd make sense that Granny would have just denied her existence the entire time.

-Maomao said that Lakan could see Loumen's face, but during the previous clips Lakan only saw Loumen as a rook - so an important piece. I doubt having been kicked out of the palace would have changed Loumen's status in Lakan's eyes, though being Maomao's adoptive father might have.

-Maomao washed her face to apply makeup, but kept her freckles That part didn't actually make much sense.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

-Oh, so Lakan didn't even know Fengxian was alive? It'd make sense that Granny would have just denied her existence the entire time.

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It still caused a lot of unnecessary grief.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

-Maomao said that Lakan could see Loumen's face, but during the previous clips Lakan only saw Loumen as a rook - so an important piece. I doubt having been kicked out of the palace would have changed Loumen's status in Lakan's eyes, though being Maomao's adoptive father might have.

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Maybe Loumen is the only one that appears as a Chariot to him. So even if he can't see his face, he's still able to recognize him.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

-Maomao washed her face to apply makeup, but kept her freckles That part didn't actually make much sense.

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She put them back on. Her face was clear after she washed it.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

Maybe Loumen is the only one that appears as a Chariot to him. So even if he can't see his face, he's still able to recognize him.

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That or their shared past was enough for Lakan to act as if he could see Loumen's face, leading Loumen to believe he can, incorrectly.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

She put them back on. Her face was clear after she washed it.

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That's weird. I don't see why she should do that. The last time she did makeup like this she didn't.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

That's weird. I don't see why she should do that. The last time she did makeup like this she didn't.

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Because there weren't four other maids, a head maid, and a high-ranked consort to stop her from putting them back on! Hahaha.

My guess is that Maomao has been doing it so long, she feels the most "herself" when she has the freckles on.

She didn't do it the time she went out with Jinshi because she was disguising herself as a higher-ranking lady.

She is also dancing around where she lives and works, so if people see her in her maximum pretty state, that may cause rumors about her not having freckles at all or her being really pretty, which would attract the attention she hates.

In fact, she was seen by someone who knows her and reported it to Jinshi.

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

She is also dancing around where she lives and works, so if people see her in her maximum pretty state, that may cause rumors about her not having freckles at all or her being really pretty, which would attract the attention she hates.

In fact, she was seen by someone who knows her and reported it to Jinshi.

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Now, would they have recognised her without her freckles? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

Now, would they have recognised her without her freckles? :rolleyes:

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Works like Clark Kent's glasses?

Watched this today and yesterday.

Great show, can't wait for season 2.
It's the right mix of mystery and comedy and I'm gonna be quite honest, I usually don't like the chinese/korean periods but this one was actually rather cool. It was actually quite interesting due to all the mannerism and customs shown and spoken about in great detail.

If I were to badmouth something, it would've been the start of the show (that kidnapping stuff was just way too abrupt and casual - no matter what) and the chess battle against her father, which was a huge letdown even if I actually liked the resolution of it all when he bought the courtesan.

edit: oh and I hope the "resurrection medicine" she is looking for actually has a meaning - I don't know/didn't get or understand for whom she wants it, but it would be boring if it's just for the "mad scientist" persona she inhabits.

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Originally Posted by KrayZ33

edit: oh and I hope the "resurrection medicine" she is looking for actually has a meaning - I don't know/didn't get or understand for whom she wants it, but it would be boring if it's just for the "mad scientist" persona she inhabits.

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I think it is that simple. Maomao (and her adoptive and biological fathers by extension) were outclassed by Suirei. That means that there is someone out there with better knowledge of medicines and poisons and Maomao is now aware of them. It's either Suirei herself acting alone or Suirei's masters. Maomao wants to rip every ounce of knowledge out of them once she find them.

It's not something mythical. Suirei used it on herself to escape.

Maomao will not let stand the existence of someone who knows how to formulate something that lets you fake your own death and then "revive". She wants to learn the recipe from them before they get caught and killed. Nothing more or less than that. Maomao has remarkably straightforward ambitions, primarily the pursuit of knowledge.

Maomao knows part of the recipe is morning glories because Suirei told her, but she doesn't know the other ingredients, the proportions, or the proper administration of it to get the intended effect without killing yourself. Not knowing about something this fascinating is not a state that Maomao can tolerate.

watched this in a week, had tons of fun.
some differences from the manga which stood out to me, but mostly how much they cut the role of the laundry friend. I think they mixed up some other parts, but it's all minor.
really liked the flow of the animation, the colors, the set...

ready for next season.

The laundry friend did feel very minor. It felt like Mao Mao was just occasionally giving her food.

new season.

It's weird that the kitten was able to jump at the beginning, but then was super weak and docile. but it's nice how they sneaked in a small recap with Jinshi. I also think the time between the scene where MaoMao get's the books and when everybody else gets other books is too short, it doesn't feel like cause and effect.

25

Glad this is back!

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Originally Posted by Death BOO Z

new season.

It's weird that the kitten was able to jump at the beginning, but then was super weak and docile. but it's nice how they sneaked in a small recap with Jinshi. I also think the time between the scene where MaoMao get's the books and when everybody else gets other books is too short, it doesn't feel like cause and effect.

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Yeah, it went from being able to dodge Maomao to not surviving a bath.

I'd be entertained if the princess fails to distinguish Maomao (human) and Maomao (cat) as she learns to speak.

Like it never stopped airing. Breath of relief the same staff seems to be at the helm this season.

Maomao is sorta like a stereotypical cat, now that they point it out...

E26

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More setting up.

The feeling of the festival being mostly benign before turning into possible ploy was well conveyed.

I'm a little annoyed that Lihua's underlings complained about Maomao. I would have thought they'd know her a little better now.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

I'm a little annoyed that Lihua's underlings complained about Maomao. I would have thought they'd know her a little better now.

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The lady that complained seems involved in the plot. So she probably doesn't want her around.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

I'm a little annoyed that Lihua's underlings complained about Maomao. I would have thought they'd know her a little better now.

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Gyokuyou has so few because they're all fiercely loyal to her and all exceptionally trustworthy and capable. Contrast to Lishu where they're all just using her and only her poison taster has any loyalty to her. Loulan has an absolute ton, and no doubt several of them are just direct spies for her father to gain intel through.

As for Lihua, she has a good amount, so they're all varying degrees between the others. She has a "standard" set of them any varying personalities within, as we've seen before when Maomao has gone on a rampage over there.

E28

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Damn, granny was stacked back in the day.

So the whole moon fairy thing would require Maomao to lure in the specific species of insect that seem to glow while Jinshi dances. It's hilarious how Maomao calls him "technically" male.

E28

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Damn, granny was stacked back in the day.

So the whole moon fairy thing would require Maomao to lure in the specific species of insect that seem to glow while Jinshi dances. It's hilarious how Maomao calls him "technically" male.

Those mirrors seem sus.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

Those mirrors seem sus.

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I wondered about that, but hidden cameras can't think of anything obvious.

The whole "we want to trade so here's some goodwill" can work, assuming the concubine hold influence over that.

Mirrors that slowly release abortion substances may work, but that seems beyond the tech of the times.

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Originally Posted by Buffalobiian

I wondered about that, but hidden cameras can't think of anything obvious.

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They could just be poisoned.

Love that the old hag was always as mean and bitchy as she is today, but perfect at putting on an act.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

They could just be poisoned.

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The caravan was poisoned, but not really. I'd lean more towards this just being everyday shady statecraft of the era.

• Carvan is loaded with "new" fashion designs where the waist is tighter than previous years, Maomao caught this one for Gyokuyou
• A wide variety of the items available are in combination, more likely to result in miscarriages
• Full-sized mirrors are extremely valuable and the empire would be stupid to turn them down. They're largely using polished copper for mirrors. The empire is currently not capable of replicating them like the Southern European countries
• Gaoshun's mystery to Maomao was clearly a faked story to get her deduction on current matters (much like Rakan would have been used). They toyed with the idea that it was Gaoshun asking about himself or a relative, but he's not that type of person from what we've seen. Two "daughters" close in age and look alike and enjoy Western countries' hobbies like embroidery. He easily accepted Maomao's absurd explanation that a full-sized mirror was likely used while she demonstrated with a round copper one
• The two envoys are cousins that look alike (and we've seen them in the opening, they're more like twins). They were shown many beautiful women the empire had to offer, but quickly scoffed and wanted to see the Moon Fairy, who is likely the very top of what the empire has to offer as beauties.
• Maomao pointed out the painting is likely considered to be embellished it came from, though the old hag knows it is relatively accurate.
• It is common knowledge that the Emperor likes well-endowed women.
• The envoys have big boobs.

Put all this stuff together:
Gaoshun was probing Maomao to see if there was a means for the envoys to separate and do spycraft/assassination, or perhaps more significantly, sneaking off to seduce the Emperor.
The country they're from is trying to figure out how many of the Emperor's consorts are pregnant, because they probably have poorly placed spies getting info from outside the Inner palace. The caravan was used to first verify if this was true, and potentially secondly softball in some miscarriages.
The envoys, either directed to or as a matter of their own pride, are trying to figure out if they actually have competition within the country, since their high-trade country results in high-ranked people becoming very beautiful over generations.

The shady statecraft they're after is very likely the same shit that Lishu and Loulan's families are after, installing them as consorts by political force to have a chance at becoming the Empress, or at the very least have tremendous influence within the palace.

It's also important to remember why Maomao's surrogate and biological father both warn her to not jump to conclusions that the things she sees are connected. They might all be one conspiracy like before, they might all be totally unrelated, or they might be two parallel and completely independent schemes going on that know nothing of the other. Maomao is more cautious now to avoid making those leaps when the evidence doesn't support a link yet.

Given the murder plot with the super-toxic fungus and the speculated motivation behind it, there's also a possibility the miscarriage compounds were an unrelated plot all internal to the palace. This is why Maomao is remembering her father's advice and keeping that hypothesis close.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

Put all this stuff together:
Gaoshun was probing Maomao to see if there was a means for the envoys to separate and do spycraft/assassination, or perhaps more significantly, sneaking off to seduce the Emperor.

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Ohhh.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

It's also important to remember why Maomao's surrogate and biological father both warn her to not jump to conclusions that the things she sees are connected. They might all be one conspiracy like before, they might all be totally unrelated, or they might be two parallel and completely independent schemes going on that know nothing of the other. Maomao is more cautious now to avoid making those leaps when the evidence doesn't support a link yet.

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Even though she's usually right. And half the time, if she'd actually voiced her thoughts instead of keeping them to herself, these issues would get resolved much quicker, because she wouldn't be the only person thinking along those lines, and other people have information she doesn't that they'd actually add to the conversation.

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Originally Posted by DarthEnderX

Even though she's usually right. And half the time, if she'd actually voiced her thoughts instead of keeping them to herself, these issues would get resolved much quicker, because she wouldn't be the only person thinking along those lines, and other people have information she doesn't that they'd actually add to the conversation.

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Given Maomao's rank (i.e. none), she can't risk making accusations without being absolutely sure. Jinshi trusts her, and Gyokuyou does too, but if she crosses the wrong people, no one but the Emperor can protect her, and not forever. That's what the warnings meant. Speculation, even when she is right, will only risk her life.

Gyokuyou and Jinshi don't really have that much influence tbh. The story is unlike other shoujo/seijou types where the male lead and female support are usually OP in hard and soft power.

Thanks for breaking down the twin sister's case as it relates to the envoys. I didn't make the connection.

How did the styles of dresses play into the intrigue? I didn't quite get that either?

29

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Lol, there's been a competent clinic there the whole time.