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

[Kraco]

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.

[shinta|hikari]

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.

[Ryllharu]

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.

[Kraco]

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

Tsundere old hag?

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 18

--------------



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.

[Kraco]

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.

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

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

[Ryllharu]

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

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!

[Kraco]

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!

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.

[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.

[Kraco]

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.

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.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 19

-----------------





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.

[neflight86]

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

[Ryllharu]

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.

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.

[shinta|hikari]

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

[David75]

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

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?

[Buffalobiian]

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

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).

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.

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.

[Ryllharu]

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.

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.

[Buffalobiian]

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.

[Kraco]

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.

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?"

[David75]

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...