PHARMACIST REACTS to Apothecary Diaries Episode 11 | Hysterectomy

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[@PredatoryQQmber]

The craziest part is that she cries about how 'she *accidentally* took the most precious thing from her master' yet has no problem *purposefully* taking 'the second most precious thing', her foster daughter.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

This is EXTREMELY telling about how blind Fengming was to Ah Duo's true feelings. She viewed her more as a goddess and didn't truly understand her.

[@popstel2286]

@@DefinitivelyZach omg this all the way

[@Kuroro2345]

@DefinitivelyZach As Bleach antagonist, Aizen, once said: "Admiration is the furthest thing from understanding".

[@godleydemon]

I guess they really didn't do the adaptation justice in explaining it, but it's very heavily suggested that Ah Dou knew everything. When Mao Mao left after talking to Fengming, it shows the back of Ah Dou watching her leave. She knew what Mao Mao was there for and what she was doing. Ah Dou has been in the palace longer than any other concubine, and her son is the one practically in charge of all investigations. She is fully aware of who Mao Mao was working for while being in her residence and why. When she talks about the young maid who committed suicide, she talks about the maid being stupid for taking her own life to try and take the heat off of Ah Dou. Even if Ah Dou had nothing to do with it, because it was Fengming who did it, she was afraid her mistress would also get in trouble. She was also aware that it was not her son from the very beginning. Though she was heartbroken when he died and mourned the loss of her own son, who now had to grow up as the empresses. He could not call her mother, nor could she call him son. Even if it was discovered later, the other boy was already dead and the swap had already been in place for to long. This is why Mao Mao's father was punished and removed, 1. to hide the secret and 2. to punish someone for the young prince's death and the swap.

[@SuperiorPosterior]

Honestly, I think this was all pretty clear if you pay attention to subtext and what's implied. Look underneath the underneath!

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I definitely agree that this is all hard to make out. I am not an expert when it comes to family trees. My eyes/ears glaze over when I start hearing about somebody's brother's mom's dead son. I need the full chart haha! Thank you for explaining.

[@hohens7118]

@@DefinitivelyZach They actually did show a chart for Ah-Duo / Lishu / the former emperor / the current emperor back in episode 6 :)

[@DefinitivelyZach]

@@hohens7118 I saw it, I need the updated chart.

[@EironKyle]

I thought Jinshi was the one outside Fengming's place lmao. Everything just suddenly clicked better for me now🤣.

[@Kuroro2345]

It wasn't mentioned in this episode, but in the manga - when Lishu told Maomao about how she was close to Lady Ah-Duo as a child - Maomao is seen thinking how Lishu spending so much time with Ah-Duo as a child may have played a role in protecting her from the late Emperor's creepy advances.

[@AoAstar]

i hate when manga readers say stuff about the future story- but this was the context i needed GREATLY i love this and thank you

[@Kuroro2345]

@AoAstar You're welcome! In that manga scene, Maomao also surmised that, aside from Ah-Duo enjoying the nine year old Lishu's company (and seeing her as a daughter-figure), Ah-Duo also spent time with Lishu to protect her from the late Emperor's advances!

[@Its_Dave_Just_Dave]

Feng Ming's extended family probably had something to do with Maomao's kidnapping and sale, that was a record of it on the wooden tablet at the end. Alot of plots all converging this episode.

[@SukacitaYeremia]

My thought was on Feng Ming's family name linked to Mao Mao because Imperial China had punishments dealt to entire family lineages and adjacent elements for crimes done by one perpetrator. But yeah, yours made more sense considering what I've read up to in the manga.

[@amystreasuresdesign]

A bit of clarification. The previous Emperor was a pedophile (I think it's been hinted or mentioned by now) so he never touched Ah-Duo. Ah-Duo was the prince's concubine, she happened to give birth as the same time as the previous Empress ( who gave birth to the the current Emperor when she was 11). The whole, who slept with whom and sired who gets confusing. 😂

[@DefinitivelyZach]

The family tree is so convoluted, it really is hard for me to make out. I'm a pharmacist not a genealogist!

[@Quinton_ovo_]

​@@DefinitivelyZach LMAO it definitely is difficult to understand, but i like it. It does vibe as something royal families did get into back then 😂 but without a guide I'd prob be confused as well

[@KebusuNiisan]

@@DefinitivelyZach welcome to the complicated world of royal genealogy.

[@serenitysilvermoon]

@@DefinitivelyZach Welcome to every royal family tree ever

[@NicheXCC]

​@@DefinitivelyZachChinese families are known for being incredibly big and comboluted, especialy doring the dinasty era.

[@LeeLee007]

Ah-Duo’s baby was the child of the current emperor. Her baby just so happened to be born while the previous emperor was still alive, and the current emperor was still a prince.

[@janewow77]

18:06 Current emperor and Ah Duo are milk siblings as Ah Duo's mother was the wetnurse of current emperor. She became concubine because of this but her family's background is not as high as other concubines. When current emperor was still a prince, Ah Duo was the only concubine. Before becoming concubine, they were friends because they grew up together as milk siblings. That's why she said they 'return' as friends as she is leaving the rear palace. The current emperor (then prince) only had her as the only concubine but he had to get more concubines as she can't bear children anymore. One of Emperor's duty is to produce heir. Even though she has Jinshi, officially she lost her son and in public she didn't produce heir. She lost her influence. Adding with the position "she was just a nurse's daughter", her position is risky but she was there in rear palace for as long as possible. About the babies' swapping, more later... need the story from the empress dowager's pov. I feel sad for Lishu. She's just a kid but forced to be in these kinds of situations. Ah Duo was like her mom in the rear palace but that was even taken from her because of honey. Her family... later about that. I couldn't reveal too much because some of those may be shown in later stories anyway 🙊

[@kellyyuu4914]

Doesn't that means jinshi's biological parents are 'siblings' then?? Umm

[@quantranminh4553]

@@kellyyuu4914 "milk siblings" as Ah Duo's mother was the Emperor's nanny and wetnurse. They grow up from the same milk source hence milk siblings. Not actual blood siblings.

[@mariaocean2165]

I've read about it before, after giving birth to the baby, , in some rare occasions women also expell their womb inside out with afterbirth still attached- and skilled midwife can put it back it or sometimes have to preform an hysterectomy to save the woman from bleeding to death .

[@DefinitivelyZach]

This is likely what happened to Ah Duo. Thanks for the insightful comment.

[@dnidaz2553]

Is it something similar to a prolapsed anus?

[@wymarsane7305]

Ah Duo had that baby with the _current_ emperor. Dude got it going quite early.

[@Astravall]

It might have been botulism ... but here in this show it is implied that the honey contained nectar from poisonous flowers. Maomao and Jinshi even suck on these flowers and Jinshi mentions that it is sweet, but Maomao replies that it is poisonous though, but not deadly for him. Maomao had the same flower in the box next to the bottle with honey. So it is implied that the honey Fengming gave the baby contained that poisonous nectar which may be harmless to an adult, but could kill a baby.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Azalea are part of Rhododendron family, so this is entirely possible. Maomao did mentioon the flowers being poisonous and honey being given to the baby but failed to connect the two together and give a definite COD, causing the confusion.

[@paritybit7830]

@@DefinitivelyZach Lol. I thought the implications were pretty heavy-handed.... but OTOH, never change, because definitely want my pharmacist to be meticulously literal and not make any wild guesses when filling my prescriptions!

[@Shinekage]

Reminder that Ahduo was concubine of the prince at first. And only after losing her uterus was she still made a royal high consort "out of pity" after current emperor took the throne. It's hard to misunderstand, basically she didn't like emperor keeping her as his consort when she was "useless as a woman". Emperor was in actuality very devoted to his love for Ahduo until certain youngster convinced him to bang other consorts.

[@Compucles]

As for why she stayed for so long, it was so she could be around and watch her real son, Jinshi, grow up.

[@roribeedm]

A little something: If Jinshi is the emperor's actual son....there's no way he would be a Eunuch. But at the same time, he's being hidden in the rear palace as a Eunuch because? Since he was raised as the previous emperor's second son and is currently next in line to the throne, it would be very awkward to reveal that he's actually the current emperor's son and not his brother. This could even lead to a major conflict if it is ever revealed. At the moment there are no other heirs to the current emperor, but if any of the concubines ever have a son that survives it could lead to a succession crisis. Various factions will form that will support either Jinshi or his siblings and it could lead to a civil war. This is why the rumor is that the Emperor's brother is actually sick and why he's never seen. His "Brother" could be made to disappear and Jinshi revealed as a secret son should the need ever arise for an immediate heir. For example if the Emperor was assassinated.

[@martianunlimited]

Spoiler: . . . . Jinshi being in the inner palace was from a bet with the emperor, if Jinshi lost, the emperor would have made Jinshi (as the "younger brother of the emperor") the heir to the throne. However, Jinshi won and was allowed to pretend to be an eunuch, (with the tacit approval to mess around with any of the concubines or the handmaidens with the exception of the 4 main concubines). It is unconfirmed whether the emperor knows that Jinshi is his son, but Maomao suspects that he knows.

[@laurenevers8644]

Spoiler: The current emperor doesn't know that Jinshi is his son, he thinks Jinshi is his younger brother just like everyone else, including Jinshi himself. The only people who ever knew about the swap were Ah-duo, the empress dowager, and Maomao's dad.

[@Compucles]

@@laurenevers8644 No, Maomao's speculation (which is to be taken as correct) is that the swap was *discovered* and then Maomao's dad was punished and expelled for not noticing it himself. That means at least one person higher up, probably including the current Emperor, also knows the truth. Otherwise, there would've been no one to order the punishment and exile of the doctor for not noticing. However, Maomao herself does not *know* anything about the swap. She correctly guessed it but dismissed the idea. This was necessary so that they can keep milking the comedy behind Maomao not knowing Jinshi's identity and mistaking him as a eunuch. Also, Maomao herself stated herself early on why Jinshi is allowed in the rear palace without becoming a eunuch: The Emperor's "brother" is the only other exception besides the Emperor himself to the usual rule.

[@GreatChicken2]

Its implied that one of the honey incidents - probably what traumatized Lishu, because Ah Duo's deceased child was young enough to fall foul of honey botulism - may be because of high concentration rohenderon honey (usually produced by accident from azalea flowers). If I recognize how they're drawn, Maomao and Jinshi were doing the schoolyard nectar drinking trick with azalea, and Maomao is correct. :X

[@chuuu4610]

Jinshi is the implied child of Ahduo and the current emperor when they were teenagers. She was his childhood friend, and they nursed together. Her pregnancy was why she was made a concubine. He was born around the same time as the empress dowager’s (of now) child. The empress dowager is young, similar in age to Ahduo bc the current emperor’s father was an infamous lolicon. Ahduo stuck in the position so long because she wanted to see that her son grew up enough to be able to protect himself. It’s implied she knew the whole time.

[@janewow77]

Ah Duo is a year older than current emperor so she is around 10 years younger than current empress dowager, so Ah Duo is not really similar age with empress dowager but not too far

[@chuuu4610]

That is true but a difference of just about 10 years is incredibly small when you consider that the empress dowager is her husband’s mother.@@janewow77

[@jangjangjangjong]

I'm pretty sure that Ah Duo was the one who did the actual baby swapping, so she would know for sure. The question would then be, who else knows? Maomao's dad learned of it after the prince died. The empress dowager too, maybe? Btw, dowager is pronounced "dao-wehjur", not "doh-wah-jur"

[@yustinocta1374]

The Empress dowager and ah duo both agree to swap their baby

[@roribeedm]

Keep in mind, Ah-Duo said "My baby has followed the will of the heavens". In Chinese culture, the Emperor was believed to be descended from the gods, so the Emperor's will is the will of the heavens. Ah-duo was basically saying "The Emperor took my baby away from me." Her knowing would explain why she was never shown being close to the baby. Even Lihua was close to her baby when they were both dying of lead poisoning, so the whole "She was too weak" excuse doesn't really fly. Ah-Duo never actually says HER baby died, only that he left or she lost him.

[@yustinocta1374]

@@roribeedm in the novel it is said that the Empress dowager agree with ah duo to swap their baby so yeah that's what i read,,

[@roribeedm]

@@yustinocta1374 An interesting choice of words then, because from the way it is phrased it should have been the Emperor's suggestion rather than the Empress'. I suppose it's possible that there's a misunderstanding of Chinese culture on the part of the writer, or it's possible that in their mind the Emperor suggested it to the Empress Dowager and it was just never written down. Just an odd choice of wording.

[@yustinocta1374]

@@roribeedm the Empress dowager don't want to see her own baby because she hate her husband that is the reason why she agree to swap her baby

[@Ozai75]

Basically its implied that Fengmeng's family was involved in trafficking girls, so that's why MaoMao's name was on the wood. Also in Ancient China if you were convicted of a capital crime (like FM) not only you but most (if not all) of your immediate family were executed as well.

[@gprovidakes]

The current Emperor has Ah-Duo as a friend, then Concubine, and now a friend again. I suspect Ah-Duo and the Emperor agreed it was time for her to be free and escape the Palace and she will be in a new Palace. So I don’t think Ah-Dou is unhappy. I think the episode conclusion is that Jinshi was the son of the current Emperor and Ah-Duo. There was a baby swap and Fengming accidentally killed the previous Emperor’s son. The Doctor, Maomao Dad, was the attending physician and so knows the truth. He was punished but unclear why, knowledge or Ah-Duo’s uterus loss. Maomao is not sure but this will need to be sorted out in future episodes as we learn about the previous Emperor (and family) and Maomao backstory. Given how poisonous the Pleasure District and the Rear Palace are, Ah-Duo may have a much happier outcome with her escape like Fuyu, not romantic but happy.

[@roribeedm]

The two main reasons Luomen (Maomao's dad) was removed from the palace: 1) His "failure" to detect the baby swap. As the palace doctor he of anyone was expected to know the babies by sight. But knowing what we know about him, did he really not know? 2) His failure to prevent the real prince's death. The baby swap was most likely done to hide the real prince. It was common for factions to attempt to eliminate other potential heirs from the line of succession. As the dead prince would have been second in line, it's entirely possible that a faction supporting the crown prince would attempt to have the baby eliminated to ensure their chosen heir took the throne. So by swapping Ah-duo's child for the real prince and having a consort raise the real prince in secret, it ensured the Emperor's second heir was "Safe". Unfortunately, Fengming screwed that up and since Luomen didn't save the baby he got blamed. He could have been executed, but he was instead simply exiled from the palace in dishonor with a bone removed from his knee to basically cripple him. This is why he works as an apothecary in the red light district instead of as a real doctor somewhere else. As for whether Ah-duo knew about the swap....she never says her baby died. Only that she "Lost" him. Choice of words is very important. Also, consider what it would mean about Jinshi's position if he was the first born son of the current Emperor. There's a specific term for that.

[@roribeedm]

And to clarify something: "My baby followed the will of the heavens", the Emperor in ancient China was considered to be a descendant of the gods and therefore the Emperor's will was the will of the heavens. Ah-duo was crying for the dead baby, but she knew that it wasn't hers at the time because hers had been taken away by the Emperor.

[@vallar57]

It's not about botulism. It's about honey made from the nectar of mildly poisonous flowers. Not dangerous to adults in small amounts, but to infants in large amounts - deadly.

[@Matekothesmall]

Honey is generaly dangerous to newborn and infants.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Azalea are part of Rhododendron family, so this is entirely possible. Maomao did mentioon the flowers being poisonous and honey being given to the baby but I feel that the show failed to connect the two together and give a definite COD, causing the confusion.

[@storyjumper]

I'm not sure about this. Maomao points out that the lady in waiting knew some honey was poison, but she didn't know all of it was unsafe for newborn. One of the many tidbits that got dumped on me after getting married was don't feed babies any kind of honey, even nowadays. I don't know the medical why, just that doctors agree on that.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

@@storyjumper Well I explained one of the reasons in the last two videos.

[@Compucles]

@@DefinitivelyZach The show did connect the two together quite well. It was you who simply ignored the explanation due to thinking your theory of botulism from your previous video just had to be correct. They repeatedly mentioned poison while referencing the flower used to make the honey without ever mentioning botulism.

[@taryth.]

Spoilers: What I think happened was that Ah Dou and the old Empress (Empress Dowager) gave birth at the same time. Since the Empress was prioritized by the doctor, Ah Dou lost her uterus. The new born babies were then swapped by Ah Dou, since she knew that way, her real son (Jinshi) would then be treated much better. Fengming then fed honey to the swapped baby, who died. Later on, the baby swap was found out, and covered up by expelling the doctor (Maomaos adoptive father). Lishu almost dies to honey as a baby. Fengming finds out and realizes she killed the baby back then. To hide the story, she decided to drive away Lishu and kill her. The plan was to try and poison Lishu at the garden party, but Lishu's maids wanted to bully her and swapped her food with Lady Gyokuyou, which lead to Maomao tasting the poison instead. Since the poisoning failed, the servant that did the poisoning decided to commit (assisted) suicide, to not let the failed plan impact Ah Dou. The servant had bound feet and needed help to commit suicide, which was provided by Fengming. Fengming then gets caught by Maomao, who recommends that Fengming can die in a way that hides her true motives. Fengming was executed for trying to poison Lishu to help preserve Ah Dou's spot as a concubine, instead of trying to kill Lishu to spare Ah Dou the pain of learning how exactly "her baby" was killed.

[@Compucles]

These aren't spoilers. This is just a summary of exactly what was explained in the episode itself. I get that it was kind of confusing getting all these revelations one after the other, but it really wasn't that hard to piece all of this together.

[@vitoriadias7990]

Some of this episode’s facts to consider: >Maomao is seventeen years old. >Concubine Ah-Duo had a “son that died” seventeen years ago. The then empress, now empress dowager, had a son too at the same time and “he lived”. >Ah-Duo was the first concubine of the then crown prince, now emperor, and for a long time was the only one. > The current emperor has a younger brother. But if the swap theory is true, that’s actually his son. It’s unknown how many people are aware of that. But it’s implied that Ah-Duo knows and was the one to come up with the idea in the first place all in order to guarantee a safer life to her own child. >Maomao’s “father”, the former apothecary at the rear palace, was expelled at the time. Maomao: “Even the most beautiful flowers wilt over time.” The cold manner in which Maomao uttered these words really showed the harsh reality of the rear palace. Like a wilted flower, the concubines that start to show their age and can’t bear any heirs, will be tossed aside and replaced with new ones. It’s not a question if but when they’ll lose their position as one of the four consorts.

[@Compucles]

Another thing to note: Maomao and Jinshi are the same age of 17.

[@Heppoko_]

Not everything about Maomao will be told in the first season of the show. They must probably do a second season, so expect a sequel. 4:28 As a rule, men are not allowed to enter the rear palace. At that time, the trend of male domination was quite strong, and it was not very popular for women to be educated and independent. (It is also one of the reasons why Fengming respected Ah-Duo.) Naturally, it was very rare for even men to study the specialized field of medicine. * Maomao is a very special and rare example. Therefore, the doctor (not so much of a spoiler, but his real name is Guen) who is having tea with Maomao in the anime is often referred to as a quack by Maomao. Guen is also aware of his own inadequacies as a medical officer, as he asks Maomao to perform autopsies. And shockingly, Guen is the only medical officer in the palace at present. This must have been the case during Luomen's tenure. 6:56 Fengming was voiced by Noriko Hidaka. She is a veteran of about 40 years of voice acting, but her performance this time surprised many viewers again because most of her roles are played by cheerful and energetic women, and she does not have such an image of being in a dark mood. Recently, she also played Yuki Tsukumo in "Jujutsu Kaisen," and this image is more fitting. I was reminded once again that veteran voice actors are truly amazing. 15:20　Which do you think Zach is? Is it a drop of sake? Is it Ah-Duo's tears? It was intentionally hidden in the animation.

[@gprovidakes]

There are 24 episodes so plants of time. Also her real Dad is included in the next 12 episodes.

[@Heppoko_]

@@gprovidakes Oh, it's true. Thanks for letting me know! I mistakenly thought it was 12 episodes of 3 episodes per volume, since the Blu-ray being released was announced as 4 volumes. As you said, it looks like 24 episodes of 6 episodes per volume. I have read the original web story and the comic book version, so I know the story to some extent. However, I don't think Zach knows much about Maomao, so I'm not going to say anything about it until I see the anime.

[@FirstLast-uj9ud]

@@Heppoko_ They seem to be doing one light novel volume per cour. Episode 12 will cover the end of the first light novel volume.

[@elizabethalderman8749]

To explain the tablet with Maomao’s name - once Lady Fengming confesses to the murder of the baby, anyone connected to her is to be removed from the palace. Her relatives kidnapped Maomao and since they “gave” her to the palace, Maomao is deemed a suspicious person/spy so she is getting thrown out of the palace

[@DefinitivelyZach]

so this was actually explained in episode 12.... 😑😑

[@cmbc2210]

a bit of spoiler (but not a major one) trivia - ah-dou, lishu's mom (already dead) and the emperor were childhood friends.. they look at Lishu as a daughter.

[@CageNightwind]

Been enjoying these reactions while catching up myself. (Currently current and using your videos as copium while I wait for more episode releases..even if it is probably almost over.) You really did cook last episode and it's super satisfying to watch someone enjoy the show since currently nobody I know personally has watched this.

[@Petulant_Petrichor]

Maybe Lishu was poisoned by honey and that's why she survived and the prince got botulism. 🤣

[@ramaluminus]

I think Ah Duo knows what Fengming and the other maid does, I mean referencing to the scene with her and Maomao drinking on top of the gate and she says that everyone, including herself, is a fool.

[@Compucles]

She knows they tried to poison Lishu, but I don't think she knows the real reason beyond the official motive of jealousy.

[@jadek1756]

This episode was SO emotional... QwQ

[@reaperandyel]

Maomao liking poison and alcohol drinks is a reference to alcohol is poison.

[@hudsonball4702]

It wasn't explained very well in the anime but in the light novels it's explained that the current emperor and Ah-Duo were childhood best friends. Unfortunately given her lower status birth, when the emperor came of age to start having concubines, Ah-Duo would not have been allowed near him. So as to not have them separated the current emperor made Ah-Duo his first concubine. This is also why the emperor has moved Ah-Duo to the south palace instead of kicking her out of the palace outright. So they can still met with each other as friends.

[@jordancrawford7605]

Thay explained this better in the novel but the former emperor may have had bad genetics he had other kids but the current emporor was the only one that survived the other was sickly to so thay switched it with another baby with the same bloodline

[@alsinakiria]

The empress dowager was seen as a higher risk pregnancy because of her previous cesarean when she was 11 years old. Luomen couldn't risk the empress dying for a concubine.

[@eizy1010]

Finally one of my fav character Ah-Duo's secrets that I wanna told everyone after containing myself for few last previous episodes got revealed.

[@pinkpuppy1500]

I love watching your reactions to each episode it’s funny and entertaining 😂

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I'm so happy you like them! :)

[@Quinton_ovo_]

Oh my god a one day difference in reaction. I'm getting spoiled😂

[@tobiasaugustodeoliveiradia9417]

The honey was indeed poisonous, it was not bacteria, the flowers used to make that honey contained a weak poison, and the honey ended up harmful to infants. It was not botulism

[@DefinitivelyZach]

While she does mention the flowers I think the show does a poor job explaining the true COD.

[@hohens7118]

​@@DefinitivelyZach she placed the flower together with the honey in the box that she presented to Fengming. It's pretty clear -- at least, it was clear what *she* was insinuating. Nobody at the time would've known about botulism, so Maomao would assume that it was poisonous nectar instead. Nobody in the show could have determined the "true" COD, whatever it was.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

​@@hohens7118 Okay but that's what I'm saying. They didn't describe any symptoms the baby had. So how would we know exactly which it was?

[@deinonychus1948]

14:21 the chibi art makes it look like a 4 year old catgirl is asking for booze lol

[@laurenevers8644]

Not trying to sound like a smart-ass because this confused the hell out of me too for a while, but Ah-duo's son wasn't with the previous emperor, it was with the current emperor but back when he was the crown prince and already had her (and maybe others) as a concubine. The previous emperor had 2 sons almost 20 years apart in age; the current emperor, and the current emperor's much younger brother, who was born on the same day as the current emperor's son. Imagine having a little brother born on the exact same day as your own child! Haha Also, PLEASE look up "dowager" pronunciation, you're pronouncing it all completely wrong XDDD A dowager is a widowed woman whose husband left her with wealth and/or titles, so the term "empress dowager" means that her husband who was the emperor is dead. The previous emperor died 5 years ago when Maomao was about 13.

[@Compucles]

Have you seen "Father of the Bride: Part 2"?

[@clintcarpentier2424]

Ah-Duo was never with the previous emperor. Her infant was with the current emperor when he was still just the heir.

[@RaUkoLord]

Ah-duo was not the prev emperor woman but his sons woman

[@MrKhaos0001]

Sorry, but you got it wrong. It wasn't botulism, it was the flower. Azalea, as she points out, is poisonous, and that was the flower the bees were taking nectar from. The quantity of the poison that a honey made out of Azalea is minuscule, but for a baby eating lots of this stuff, is enough. It's better explained in the manga. And such poison has in the honey today, there's a regulated quantity, but better safe than sorry, so don't give lots of honey to babies.

[@Dragon4eva]

Ah Duo's kid wasnt the child of the previous emperor - it was the previous crown prince aka the current emperor. Meaning If Jinshi is her kid, he's the real crown prince. However this is all conjecture, as "officially", he's the emperor's younger brother who was born at the same time as the emperor's first born son, and the reason the emperor's full born son (and ah duo) didn't get medical attention because MaoMao's dad was busy trying to get him delivered. Its a mess, and amazingly well written. All the possibilities!

[@Persona3Yukari]

yaaay I'm early~~ and you cooking from last one lol~

[@FlyingSnow1509]

Hehe I don’t want to bring a spoiler)) so you will see in the future episodes 🥹😅

[@dumbdave961]

17:40 Whoa, whoa, whoa, was he actually right about Jinshi last time? I'm really impressed with how much Zach figured out last episode. So many correct predictions 19:37 Wait, don't tell me the new concubine is...

[@storyjumper]

The Pure consort is actually pretty old (for a concubine), 35. I'm surprised the emperor kept her around for so long. I guess he was sentimental too.

[@feonaarabellaparaiso1786]

The emperor was in love with her (at least when they were young). To be honest, as I read the manga and now light novel… the emperor doesn’t seem like that bad of a guy. He’s pragmatic, yes… but he had to be because the former emperor (his dad) was a pedophile and a pathetic man who cowered at everything. It’s no wonder the emperor had to have a strong facade for the people’s sake after the f*ck-up his dad was.

[@hanin3128]

I think if the emperor wasn't heir to the throne I like to think he and Ah Duo would've had a relationship like lady Fuyuu and her childhood best friend, but sadly that wasn't their fate to be together, think they both knew that, honestly from what I heard from LN readers the emperor is a hilarious guy once you get to know him better

[@user-sy6tg1ol9e]

this episode was absolutely foul lol, very much recommended

[@Lixhealthyhair]

U finally posted ep 10 and 11 because i was wondering why u didnt post about the apothecary diaries yet😭

[@aizukiwiart]

He said in a post somewhere he was going away for a bit :)

[@KitsueMage]

Also remember that the previous Emperor liked his concubines... uh... young. So it'd make sense why Ah Duo had to wait a prolonged period of time.

[@panjipewe]

So ah dou is the only concubine from previous emperor... And ah dou is friend of the prince... And the prince is current emperor... But previous emperor never touch ah dou... Than who pregnant ah dou ? The prince ? The current emperor...!? They do swap baby... ah dou and emperor dowager... And the son of emperor dowager died cause fengming... And we know jinshi look alike ah dou... That mean... Jinshi is not brother of current emperor but his son... And make Jinshi entitled to be the next emperor...

[@vitoriadias7990]

Ah-Duo never was concubine to the previous emperor, that would be Lishu (the young one). She was the first concubine of the current emperor.

[@johnlydelcesar3589]

1st🎉

[@zam023]

People are forgetting the magic number 17. Jinshi is not 17, Maomao is. What if the child that Ah Duo lost was not her first child? That is my theory.

[@judith4646]

If I recall right she is 15y old Edit: my bad i recall her being younger

[@zam023]

@@judith4646 In the previous episode, Jinshi's aid specifically mentioned Maomao's age when he was in the library looking for the document.

[@roribeedm]

Maomao's mother, father, grandmother, cousin, and great-uncle have all been revealed in the manga and LN. We have seen 3 of those people in the anime, and the only ones who have/had any ties to the palace are her great-uncle and her father, and we haven't seen her actual father in the anime yet. Of the family ties, the only one that has been outright revealed in the series is when she called the matron at the Verdigris House "Obaa-san" which means Grandmother.

[@judith4646]

@@roribeedm The madame if Verdigris is called grand mother more like a nickname i think than real blood tie. But yeah, unless they change it in the anime Maomao parents havent been see on screen for now

[@roribeedm]

@@judith4646 In the manga and LN it's outright confirmed. The madam is Maomao's maternal grandmother. And I think her mother was shown onscreen briefly, but to specify where would be a spoiler for anyone who doesn't know who Maomao's mother actually is at this point.

[@marcinszostak8347]

I don't understand why Ah-duo thought that changing the baby would be beneficial for her son. The position of the eldest son of the future emperor is better than that of the younger brother. By switching children, she practically deprived her son of the chance to become emperor.

[@alsinakiria]

Ah Duo never believed her son would be emperor. She is not from a high ranking noble family. If another higher ranking family wanted their son to rule her son would be a liability. But if he was raised as the son of the empress he wouldn't be assassinated. She didn't want her son to rule. She just wanted him to live