The Apothecary Diaries

An interesting cloak points Maomao's imagination towards international politics.

A locust plague is looming, and mysteriously, a book on insects belonging to the Shi clan appears.

After the war, Jinshi's work piles up and Maomao returns to the pleasure district.

Jinshi and his forces infiltrate the stronghold, cornering the remaining Shi clan members.

The royal guard, led by Jinshi, arrives, sealing the Shi clan's fate. Maomao wants to save her friend, Shisui.

Maomao is accused of attempting to escape, and is tossed into an ancient method of torture and execution.

Maomao is taken to a mountain stronghold, where many of the secrets of the Shi clan are revealed to her.

The village holds a festival. Maomao attends, and Shisui introduces some of the village's history to her.

Maomao has been missing for ten days now. Jinshi's investigations lead him to a forgotten graveyard.

Suirei smuggles Maomao and Shisui out of the rear palace. Jinshi begins to search for Maomao.

Luomen returns to the rear palace. His observations trigger Maomao's curiosity.

Xiaolan accidentally ruins an expensive block of ice. Maomao comes up with a delicious backup plan.

Concubine Lishu reports sightings of a ghost in the baths in her pavilion. Maomao goes to investigate.

Xiaolan's term of service is almost up, so she must find a new job. Maomao and Shisui decide to help.

Maomao discovers Jinshi's secret. She wants nothing to do with whatever the politics behind it is.

Jinshi goes on a hunting trip, and brings Maomao along. He seems ready to share his secret with her.

Maomao joins some women exchanging scary stories on a hot summer night to provide chills.

Maomao's investigation of the "curse" reveals more about the late emperor than anticipated.

Maomao's reputation for resolving conflicts reaches the empress dowager, who will ask for her help to unravel a mystery that won't leave her mind.

Maomao directs her curiosity towards an old, oddly-shaped building.

The woman from the clinic finds out that Maomao knows a thing or two about medicine, and asks for her help.

In order to realize the seemingly impossible request from the foreign envoy, Maomao speaks to the “Moon Fairy” herself.

The special envoy from a foreign land gifts mirrors - a rarity in this country - to the high concubines. However, they bring mysteries as well.

A concubine passes away, and a woman goes missing. Jinshi sends Maomao to investigate - not these incidents, but mushrooms growing in the rear palace.

The caravan stirs up excitement in the inner palace. The merchants bring all kinds of goods. However, something gives Maomao a bad feeling.

The spring garden party concludes without incident. Maomao returns to her regular life as Concubine Gyokuyou’s taster. Meanwhile, novels become popular in the rear palace. Maomao wonders how this came to be, as novels were typically considered low-class. But behind the scenes lies Jinshi and his goals as manager of the rear palace.

Lakan must now choose a courtesan to buy out. As a high-ranking military official, he can afford to freely choose, even from one of the Three Princesses. Who will he choose? Who does Maomao really want him to choose?

No longer willing to keep running away from Lakan, Maomao decides to face off against him. She challenges him on his own turf, in a chess match.

Lakan challenges Jinshi to produce blue roses to present at the upcoming garden party, forcing Jinshi to turn once again to Maomao for her help.

Back to work at the rear palace, Maomao listens to Guen talk about his family's business. Meanwhile, Lihaku hears a rumor that whips him into action.

Maomao was able to stop the assassination attempt, but was heavily injured in the process. However, the injuries aren't enough to stop her curiosity, driving her to confront the culprit behind the incident.

A discussion with Lihaku about recent events leads Maomao to realize that the mysteries she's helped to solve are connected. As the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, she rushes to stop impending disaster.

Back at home, Maomao visits an annex building at the Verdigris House that hides one of the brothel's secrets. Lakan continues to antagonize Jinshi as his connection to Maomao becomes clear.

Covering up Jinshi's otherworldly beauty is no easy task, but after Maomao takes the challenge head-on, she's surprised when she's also asked to don the disguise of a noblewoman and escort "Jinka" outside the palace.

A shack, a chest of drawers, and a fishbowl are all that a talented metalworker leaves to his three sons upon his death. Maomao is assigned to investigate how these strange inheritances all fit together.

Gaoshun requests Maomao's help in solving an apparent poisoning case. Meanwhile, Jinshi deals with an unwelcome visitor who's taken to lingering in his office.

Ah-Duo's replacement has arrived in the rear palace, and Maomao is assigned to give a certain lecture to all four high concubines. Later, Maomao helps Lihaku investigate a warehouse explosion.

To Maomao's surprise, Jinshi brings her directly to his house instead of taking her back to the rear palace, and tells her she's to work in the outer court. Not only is there much to learn, it seems there's many eyes on her as the new hire.

Discovering that Maomao's kidnappers were connected to Fengming's family, Jinshi is faced with a choice between keeping Maomao in the rear palace where he can be near her or releasing her from her service.

Maomao confronts Fengming about the dark secret she's been hiding from her noble Lady Ah-Duo.