The Apothecary Diaries

Episode 7

There's nothing quite like coming home after you've been gone for a while. Maomao's body language this week is a triumph of showing that feeling: she's jittery and open in the carriage, she's delighted to see the madame of Verdigris House, and she's more relaxed than we've ever seen her when she finally gets into her house. Compare the scenes of her lying in the large, luxurious bed at Gyokuyou's to curling up under a thin blanket at her father's – she's so much softer in her expression and the way she's holding herself in the latter that it makes it more than clear how much she's missed being at home. Sure, Jinshi and Lihaku get some good moments with their posture and gestures, but they pale in comparison to seeing Maomao back where she's truly happy and at ease.

Not that Jinshi would be pleased to see it, judging by his expression when he learns that Maomao's left the inner palace for three days. She seems to have become his happy place, and her (temporary) departure tells him two very unwelcome things: she's taken the first opportunity offered to leave, and she got a hairpin from another man. Whether he has romantic feelings for her or not isn't even really the question here, although I'd say it looks at least a little bit like he does. (She, on the other hand, I feel safe saying has none, for anyone.) Maomao has turned into the break he needs for the rest of his life, at least part of which is revealed to be an act this week. Hyper-competent Jinshi appears to be a front he puts up to maintain order in the inner palace, much to Gaoshun's exasperation, and Maomao's unpredictability may be the first truly interesting thing he's encountered in a long time.

His outward demeanor may not be the only thing Jinshi is hiding. His red-and-gold hairpin, which we get a good, long look at, apparently risks revealing some major truth about him, according to Gaoshun, who isn't pleased that Jinshi has forgotten to take it off. Maomao already noted that the older man was seated in a very prominent position at the banquet, and there have been a few other small hints that Jinshi may be more than just a very pretty administrator. Not that Maomao is all that interested in finding out; she spares him maybe one passing thought once she gets out of the palace, and it's not necessarily a flattering one.

That seems sure to delight Gyokuyou, who either has a wicked sense of humor or would be tickled to watch the world burn. Although we don't know much about the other consorts yet, it seems clear why the emperor would be particularly drawn to her – sizeable bosom aside, she's got an active mind and a gift for seeing the world as she'd like to, which in this case is in a humorous light. Lihua and Lishu both take things much more seriously, the one because of her personality and the other due to her youth and unusual circumstances. And given the way that Lishu's ladies-in-waiting treat her, simply spending time in her pavilion could be exhausting, even if the emperor didn't prefer his ladies busty. As Maomao outlines to Gaoshun, the poisoning is merely a symptom of the way that she's treated by her ladies: Lishu's ill-coordinated outfit and her ladies' reaction to both her presence and the reprimands from Ah-duo's ladies speak of a definite resentment present in Lishu's household. Maomao theorizes that it's because Lishu was in the inner palaces of both father and son, and that may be the case. But it feels like there's something cattier behind their behavior. Do they resent serving a younger woman? Was she chosen over them? Is she the least-favored of the consorts and that offends them? Or is there a deeper political issue – after all, ladies-in-waiting are often (if not always) high-ranking ladies themselves, and perhaps Lishu's family's rise came at the expense of one of theirs? Their ire seems to be confined to Lishu, although it doesn't necessarily help with the question of who poisoned Gyokuyou's soup.

But that's a problem Maomao can wait a few days to tackle. She's home, she's done Lihaku a better turn than he perhaps deserves (although the madame is set to make sure that doesn't end well for him), and now she can rest.

Probably.

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