PHARMACIST REACTS to Apothecary Diaries Episode 12 | The Courtesan and the Eunuch

[@DefinitivelyZach]

To be clear, I'm not trying to argue with anyone. I'm just trying to state the facts as they're laid out, what we're told, what we know, and what we don't know. In pharmacy and other medical fields, we don't rule out possibilities until we're given objective information to make that decision. The second you're not considering other options is the second your patient dies because you overlooked it. It's very important to be thorough when it comes diagnosing and treating a patient. That being said, this episode was a nice break from that and just getting to spend time to develop Mao Mao and Jinshi's relationship was very needed. Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate. 🥰🥰🎅🎄🎄❄❄

[@especedelapin]

you presented good point especially since they definitively didn't know about the invisible to the eyes stuff (virus, bacteria, etc) at this time period.

[@Zeon081]

Xiaomao is a nickname. Xiao - means small. It's kinda like putting -chan at the end of a name in Japanese. For example the daughter of Gyokuyo is called Lingling, but you can also hear them calling her Xiaoling sometimes.

[@gohhong9919]

Jinshi gives Mao Mao Ginseng medicine why she is so happy that medicine is expensive in China

[@especedelapin]

@@gohhong9919 they said it's a plant that grow from dead insect, I think it is a chordiceps instead

[@licas3214]

So to clear your confusion on the family tree, Ah duo is not the late emperor concubine, she is the current emperor concubine when the current emperor is still a prince. So the late emperor empress is giving birth at the same time as the Ah duo ( when the emperor is still the prince, and fun fact actually the current emperor is in love with Ah duo, in the light novel and manga). Also concubine li shu is the late emperor concubine and not ah duo. So concubine li shu (the 14 year old concubine) is the late emperor and current emperor concubine

[@adamjenkins7653]

The miscommunication at 13:30 is the result of a difference in status. As a commoner Maomao CANNOT ask for what she wants. Jinshi didn't clarify that he wanted her to "Speak freely" and even if he did, Maomao still would have to dance around the point carefully or her head could (literally) roll. Jinshi, in this situation is the more at fault for the miscommunication, as he forgot his place. He stands above her and thus his "Request" is her "Order". That said Maomao is hard for others to read excepting when she is excited, and struggles to put her feelings in words. She was being a little too circumspect, but it is still Jinshi who had to ask what she would prefer, not her. Regarding Courtesans, Lower mid, to low Courtesans are the ones that sell their bodies first. Upper mid to high Courtesans sell their time for more than the average mans yearly wage. For so long as their beauty lasts. They will get brought out, get thrown out (particularly for the lower ones) or if they are skilled wind up like the old lady and running the show. Li or Lu (The country, I can't remember the exact name off the top of my head) is patriarchal in nature. Even Verdigris house is officially ran by a man, the old lady just manages it.

[@deadline6149]

i understand your point but i kind of disagree, Maomao is terrible at comunication, period. It's not the first or last time we see this. Jinshi did not want to put any kind of pressure on her, he just doesn't know how to do it.

[@Arc_Nix]

Ah Duo was never in relationship with the previous emperor. The concubine of both emperors is Lishu. Ah Duo was a childhood friend of the current emperor, and, assumingly, the mother of Jinshi. Now if Maomao was correct with her theory, the previous emperor's son died and Jinshi was moved from the status of the current emperor's son and heir to the position of his younger brother. And then he somehow wound up in the inner palace as a fake(?) eunuch.

[@sakuracoy1990]

The family flowchart was emphasized in episode 6 where it was discussed that Lady Lishu (girl with allergies) was the former concubine of the late emperor who died and was given to his son (the current emperor). In episode 11, it was shown that Lady Ah Duo was already married and had a child when the current emperor was still a prince back then. Lady Ah Duo had a child at the same time with the empress dowager. The babies were switched as a speculation from Maomao. below is somehow a spoiler . . . . . . . . . . And this was a theory that was not still not shown in the anime that Jinshi disguised himself as eunuch but he was know as the current emperor's brother but in reality he is the son. Jinshi is the prince and yet to be confirmed in the manga. It was later proven from the light novel.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Ah yes sorry. If you ignore the line about them being in a relationship then the chart is accurate

[@gprovidakes]

I agree Ah-Duo was too old then, 16-18 yrs old and the previous pediphile Emperor liked them 8-10 years old eeeeewwwww

[@zuziiice8907]

@@gprovidakes this does not suprise me since we are talking about history, far nastier stuff happened in the past which is more taboo in today's society given the facts of today's science where the more you go in the family the more messed up the genes get and when you have a kid with a kid on the way the birthing process gets veeery complicated to the point where the carrier will likely die from giving birth. Back then they did not have much studying on that as well as people did die young so they'd go for the younger women to make many kids to offset the deathrate so there would at the least be 1-2 that survive through childhood to some form of adulthood.. sadly for the women anywhere back then they'd be wed off to other men as a form of dealmaking with the woman as the trade offer for money or a part of the business. Rewards for wives differed from place to place as well as marriage age.

[@alsinakiria]

​@@zuziiice8907the people in the country and palace really didn't like the previous emperor. They thought his preferences were gross. Didn't stop Lishu's family from selling her off to him or the Empress dowager's family from doing the same thing. Anything for money or power. Outside the rear palace nobody gave him any real authority. The empress regnant, his mother, ran the administrative affairs. Everyone knew the late emperor couldn't be trusted. Maomao likes the current emperor quite a bit since she's gotten yo know him fairly well at the Jade Pavillion but admits that the guy didn't have to clear a high bar. The old one lowered it into the mud.

[@randomchannel9473]

In terms of flower language, the key bit is that MaoMao's name translates to yellow wood sorrel, which is the yellow flower that blooms in the intro after the other flowers die. It's embedded in the middle of the flower bouquet you paused on, conveying that MaoMao was being embraced by the other flowers (her big sisters).

[@AnnePackrat]

Essentially if the switch did occur, and Ah Duo’s kid is Jinshi then he would be the oldest prince, and thus would be the one to inherit the throne. If this becomes known this would not only become a royal scandal because of the fact that the switch happened in the first place, but it could cause factions to arise supporting various heirs and it could destabilize the royal’s power base and maybe even lead to a civil war down the line. It’s safest to have him be the “sickly younger brother” of the current emperor.

[@firemaiden029]

Jinshi being the younger brother will still have people rally behind him if they want to overthrow the current emperor, thats why he is the "sickly younger brother" to avoid that, they gain nothing to put a sickly man that may die soon in the throne. Him being the son of the current emperor also doesnt count as him being his eldest, since the emperor had him while he was a crown prince. Unless the current emperor announces him as heir. Jinshi is basically a back up in case the emperor doesnt produce a male heir.

[@Quinton_ovo_]

​@@firemaiden029some factions might actually like the fact that the man they're backing is sickly. That means they can try to get as much power as they can while the man is alive and not have to worry about killing them down the line

[@firemaiden029]

​​@@Quinton_ovo_A "sickly man" may not be possible to produce an heir himself, its not like anyone can be heir, it has to be a child of whoever the emperor is, they cant just toss that to the next most powerful person in the empire..this is an asian empire not a european monarchy.

[@Quinton_ovo_]

@@firemaiden029 they actually can. I can recommend you a video from a lady dictating Chinese history about one of the oldest emperor's life and how adoption came into play. Some parties would actually WANT the emperor not to have a child. So they also wouldn't have to bother ending the next in line. They could insert a puppet figure themselves. Ask the sickly emperor to present it as his own. Etc etc.

[@Quinton_ovo_]

@@firemaiden029 I've no idea what European monarchy has to do with it. I'm not familiar with Europe and all its politics

[@a.singgih7182]

About the Xiao Mao. Gao Shun once called her Mao Mao sama but she isn't comfortable with -sama as Gao Shun technically ranked higher than her so she asked him to drop -sama. After that he called her Xiao Mao, a cuter and more not polite way to address

[@roribeedm]

Xiao literally translates to Little, which is why she asked "Little Mao?" in her head after he said it. Xiao is also used by Gyokuyou sometimes when she's talking about or to Lingli (the baby princess) when she calls her XiaoLing

[@KebusuNiisan]

Maomao in the Outer Court is like your company firing you then hired you back and gave you a higher position and a bigger paycheck.

[@Ozai75]

MaoMao's dance is hilarious because she matches the old woman almost perfectly. They both just happen to love different things, but you can tell the impact she's had on MaoMao growing up. Haha.

[@randomchannel9473]

Absolutely burst out laughing the moment you said 'at least they're going to have a conversation about it's 😂😂😂. These clowns? Communicating? Your optimism is too sweet.

[@aizukiwiart]

For your questions about Shao-Mao vs Maomao, Maomao is her real name, but adding the Shao prefix is the equivalent of Japanese adding -chan. Makes it cuter xD but also conveys familiarity, which is when when he first switched from a polite honorific to Shaomao, she was like “well that was fast” Editing to add about courtesans; high level courtesans would only sleep with clients VERY rarely - it made them incredibly valuable, because men wanted to be (ick) the one to “conquer” them as such. They would be trained as dancers, singers, musicians, as well as conversation, parlour tricks and board games, other social art forms. Those who showed promise would see clients less to up the intrigue and their price, those who sucked would end up being the prostitutes that sold their bodies instead of their talents.

[@dragon12234]

To expand on it, essentially, in both China and Japan, a large part of the whole Courtesan/Client Relationship, especially higher class ones, was the "Girlfriend Experience". The Courteseans were supposed to act like lovers, a fantasy romance, not just someone to have sex with

[@roribeedm]

The term used is Xiao which literally translates to "Little". It is also used by Gyokuyou when she talks about Lingli sometimes when she calls her XiaoLing. This is why in episode 3, when Maomao tells Gaoshun not to call her Lady Maomao and he initially suggests he call her XiaoMao, Maomao's response to it is "Little Mao? That's a sharp turn."

[@MedusaLegend]

Well, don’t worry, the anime will explain it soon enough.

[@katerinakucerova2937]

Xiao in chinese also means “little” So he basically calls her little Mao.

[@caliithildae8500]

Xaiomao is Gaushun's nickname for Mao Mao. Since Mao means cat, XaioMao means little cat, or kitten.

[@theyhaventfedmesince]

Gaoshun is a certified discord mod

[@petraleong]

@@theyhaventfedmesince LOL

[@tic857]

The scene cuts away from the 3 Older sisters with MaoMao in the center. Each flower represents each older woman, Plum/apricot blossoms, white Lily, and Chrysanthemum, three very important flowers in Chinese culture. "Fair, beautiful and noble", "unity of spirits " and "Longevity, and cooling of hot energy". All very much cultivated. But the small yellow flower is likely a wild herb, in the show they have woodsorrel, which has a lemony taste and was used in medicine, but its not native to China, but Androsace bisulca and St Johnswort also have a similar look and are both native to China and have been used in medicines.

[@nicholasboudreau543]

Former emperor had a 2nd child with the then empress. At the same time, the crown princes wife Ah-Duo was also giving birth. Maomao's step father, Luomen (he is a eunuch and can not have children), was the attending royal physician. He was pulled to the empresses side and ah-duo was left to bear her child alone. Resulting in her having complications and the loss of her ability to have children. Which is part of why she is a concubine and not empress. The other reason is her "son" died, so no "heir" to the throne. The children were switched, so Jinshi is the son of the now emperor and ah-duo. But as his grandmother and grandfather raised him as their own. He is considered the brother of the current emperor. For failing to notice the princes were switched and for failing to save the life of the baby. Luomen was punished with disfigurement (knee bone removed in one leg) his family was punished (you will find out more of that in the next 12 episodes) and he was expelled from the palace. What happened to Lishu, she was a concubine to the former emperor (nothing happened), got sent home and then brought back for the current emperor (nothing happened). She has her own issues that they may never get to without further seasons (this one looks to cover books 1 and 2 of the novel). She knew what caused the death of ah-duo's "child". So the head lady in waiting was trying to take her out. The head lady in waiting was killed, then guilt for the family and then guilt by association was carried out. Because the men that kidnapped Maomao are associated with the head lady in waiting's family. Maomao is guilty by association as well. Thus she needs to be removed from the palace harem along with the other 79 people. Hope that helps clear it up for you a bit.

[@hohens7118]

The brief misunderstanding Maomao had about Lishu/Ah-Duo with the former emperor in episode 6 must have really confused Zach...

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I tried! Just ignore that part and the chart is good to go

[@anyathepanther7977]

I relate with Maomao, we both have Trouble with Communication 😅 The Thing about Asian Courtesans is that they are more of an Entertainer than simply selling their Bodys. A higher Rank costumer has more Interest in Conversation than simple boinking.

[@GreatChicken2]

Note for the end of this episode, what Jinshi gave to redeem Maomao is a box full of cordyceps-infested dead insects. You'll know the Cordyceps fungus from the video game The Last Of Us, its an invasive species that normally grows on ants and caterpillars*. In traditional chinese medicine its extract is supposed to be good for the natural immune system. *This is a different thing from the parasitical disease that makes animals lose their sense of self-preservation, whose name I cannot remember. So relax, we're not going to get The Last Of Us happening anytime soon.

[@Liquessen]

Toxoplasmosis?

[@GreatChicken2]

@@Liquessen ah yes, that's the one, thanks

[@shaitan7ddd]

It is likely cordyceps militaris. It takes over the nervous systems of its hosts and eventually causes them to climb up plants where the spores can better disperse. It is used in cooking, as well and medicine.

[@Liquessen]

@@shaitan7ddd Why on earth is it used in cooking??

[@shaitan7ddd]

@@Liquessen apparently it is a tasty mushroom. It has been eaten and used for medicine for thousands of years.

[@sds4846]

For the flowers in the vase at 21:33, if you look well you get 3 very important and beautiful flowers (peony, ume blossoms and what perhaps is magnolia?) and 1 small field flower right at the centre scene. To me it represents the 3 princesses of verdigris and their little sister Maomao, who doesn't really want to catch anyone's eye, as the flowers mirror the previous scene where Maomao is hugged and questioned lovingly by her sisters.

[@Astravall]

@24:00 I think the flashback fits quite well here. Maomao is thinking about her life in the rear palace realizing she misses living there.

[@thehumus8688]

High ranked Courtesan, in Ancient China is educated in painting, poetry, and music some of the famous in History is Famous opera Singer, and Poet. one of the more that I find interesting was Gu Mei which host Literacy Salon, where her places is also gathering places for all Poet and artist also her "services" will cost you 28kg of silver - which maybe can give some perspective of how much money Mao Mao owe to verdigis grandma if it is in today currency, 1kg of silver is around 700Euro, so its cost 18K for 1 night (ofc silver is much more valuable back then)

[@pakboris2268]

21:35 This one just shows how a smoll Maomao is surrounded by big piles of flowers

[@han-ek8pm]

tbh at that time, she cant really talk freely to jinshi (theoretically) bcs of the difference of their 'status' so she could only say it ambiguously

[@relic5752]

That and Jinshi never clarified that he was asking for her opinion regardless of rank despite knowing that she is wary of their social standings. It's a nice mix of social and emotional insecurities that led to that mishap

[@igrok5843]

And that's really cool. Kind of a good use of the "they could just talk" trop. Maomao could not say because of placing great importance on the difference in status. And Jinshi become a victim of "confirmation bias". Because of this "they could (not) just talk".

[@roribeedm]

When Maomao was looking for Jinshi, he is shown to be standing in the entryway of an empty pavilion...that was Ah Duo's pavilion, based on the color and it being empty. We have actually seen Maomao's mother twice in the anime already. Meimei asked Maomao if she had gone to the Annex yet, and the next scene shows Maomao sitting in a dark room glaring at a sick woman lying in bed. That one is pretty explicit, the other one will be explained in the next few episodes, and it was just a brief flash that is very easy to miss if you don't know the context. The reason for the montages is that this episode is mostly an anime only filler. The first 11 episodes have covered the first volume of the Light Novel, and this is a break point basically that the anime is using as a light recap of everything thus far. Episode 13 will start volume 2. It is very common for 24 episode or 52 episode anime to have recap episodes and they frequently have an episode or two that aren't in the manga or light novel to pad out the series runtime. Dragonball Z was notorious for this with TONS of filler episodes. Something from the episode that a lot of people miss. Lihaku is implied to be the one who arranged the party with all three concubines. When Maomao was offering him a trip to the Verdigris house he said that time with one of the lesser courtesans would cost more than he made in a full year and time with one of the three princesses was more expensive than most nobles would be able to afford. There is no way he was able to afford a party with all 3 princesses and all the lesser courtesans who were there. Plus he wasn't a high ranking officer or powerful enough to be associated with nobles who could afford such a party.....other than a certain Eunuch who mentioned going to "the soldier" who has access to a very high ranking "eunuch's" pocketbook. I'm fairly certain that the big box of gold wasn't just for Maomao's debts, but also in part to pay for the party.

[@relic5752]

Has Gaoshun ever been confirmed to be an Eunuch?

[@roribeedm]

@@relic5752 Based on his clothing and role as Jinshi's assistant, plus the whole only the royal family and eunuch's being allowed in the rear palace, at this point in the anime we have to assume that he is a eunuch. Buuuuuut..... 🤫

[@LibeliumDragonfly]

The line between performers and prostitutes were very thin back in ancient China, super thin. They both had pretty low social status, and in many cases work on overlapping territories. There's a reason why the redlight district was also known as entertainments district, and high class prostitutes practice a lot of things, some of them were good at singing, some of them were literate, and some even quite highly educated. You also wouldn't go just purely for sex, there were many other reasons.

[@LibeliumDragonfly]

It's also pretty common for eunuchs to frequent these places as well. Sure they had their "equipment" taken away, but that doesn't mean they couldn't go as a status symbol. It's also not unheard of for eunuchs to have a family, buy a prostitute off as a wife, and adopt a kid from extended family.

[@ThePrincessCH]

14:20 "Xiao" likely is the Chinese word for small, so he's actually calling her little Mao. In Chinese culture, giving nicknames like this is a term of endearment, so he likely sees her as a daughter of sorts.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Also you can thank the same friend/fan who gave me the DefinitivelyZach white coat as a gift for the royal family tree used in the video!

[@DanA-zf8bt]

Absolutely love your reactions 🙌

[@Astravall]

@14:20 Maomao is her real name. Xiaomao is a nickname Gaoshun gave her. If i'm not mistaken "Xiao" means "little" and "mao" means "cat" ... so Xiaomao means "Little cat" or "kitten". It is just a nickname though.

[@njajxvg]

the nickname's so cute dude

[@hohens7118]

To add on, "xiao" (小) is a general prefix modifier used as a term of affection, kinda like "-chan" in Japanese. Notice that Lady Gyokuyou calls her baby daughter Lingli as "Xiaoling".

[@TheLightbane]

I Literally just Watched this episode and you uploaded lol. 😂 Merry Christmas Zach

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Perfect timing then!

[@exoticcats6119]

She didn’t want to seem like she was begging?? Girl, he’s head over heels for you. Just ask.😭

[@DefinitivelyZach]

FR!!!

[@Hakitosama]

for the genealogy : Aduo wasn't the previous pedo emperor's concubine. She was always the CURRENT emperor's concubine. Lishu was given to Pedo emperor THEN passed to the current one.The "herb" Jinshi offered her was most likely a cordyceps fungus

[@NY-hB9teu6ue7]

I see where you confused. For the corrected family tree, please rewatch episode 6. Li-shuu is actually Ah-dua’s mother-in-law. Maomao actually had the same misunderstanding at first in the episode 6.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Trying to put it all together and missed that one thing haha

[@exia0616]

Main reason why the old lady is dead set on maomao to become a courtesan, without much spoilers is because maomao grew there (and MaoMao was breastfed by Pairin who for some reason was lactating even though she is not pregnant) before she was adopted by Luo men. In addition something was mentioned by MeiMei in episode 7 i think about asking MaoMao if she did visit the Annex building. More of MaoMao back story will be mentioned in the following episodes. Also a new face has been shown if you watched up to after the credits, a man with a monocle. Who will be one of major players in the 2nd half.

[@ItsTanuki0_Clock]

A little context on the courtesan job: courtesans in the ancient Japan weren't just mere prostitutes, if one had special talents for entertainment this would outstand among the rest, holding much more value and being an oiran. Oirans often had an actual education hence why they had knowledge and training of traditional entertainment skills, hence being quite exclusive for the upper classes as their value did not only include the sexual one

[@derzweite1205]

In the manga, the scene of Jinshi doing that indirect kiss made Jinshi way too lewd XD

[@mariapiccioni5974]

The buyout in general is pretty speedy in the manga, but I feel like they wanted the new arc to start cleanly in episode 13, and because of that they had to put filler here. For example the bath scene with the grandma is an anime original

[@hurricaneofcats]

The manga is based on a light novel so it's possible they're drawing scenes from the novel that weren't in the manga

[@wrongmouse1658]

I was wondering how they would do this chapter. The party was a little wilder in the LN, and they seemed to have pulled it off beautifully. We are officially at the end of the first volume of LNs. Now on to the next volume. LOL, he bought out Maomao, what a kick. Rewatch episode 11, the connection is plainly shown as her adopted father’s mistakes, which is why he was throwing out of the rear palace. The kidnappers are still a connection, that was only used as an excuse. As to why she did not talk to her father; well, that was something better left unsaid (again episode 11). Now we know where Maomao gets her happy dance.

[@KristineAvendano-td7lx]

Love that 3 princesses of verdrigis house especially Joka the one playing the Erhu

[@SaveMeAzathoth]

Whether the swap took place doesn’t really affect whether the imperial brother (implied to be Jinshi) is in the line of succession, but rather the specific line of succession. Basically, the emperor’s brother is currently first in the line of succession but would immediately fall behind any future princes that the emperor might produce (probably even grandchildren of the emperor). I don’t fully buy that revealing the swap would have resulted in a serious scandal since the main outcomes would be solidifying the current presumed heir’s claim to the throne and likely Ah-Duo ascending to empress as the mother of the first prince. Maomao presumably put the azalea in the message box simply to discretely produce the message “poison + honey” to get Fengming to speak with her, not to specifically imply that Fengming had given the baby honey made from poisonous flowers. The daughter of apiarists isn’t stupid enough to accidentally feed a baby honey that would also be harmful to *adults* and even if she hadn’t known beforehand this is an environment with poison testers - poison honey in the rear palace wouldn’t go unnoticed for so long. It’s the infant botulism that Fengming would most plausibly have been ignorant of and which wouldn’t affect a poison tester.

[@jadek1756]

This episode was so cute. xD I loved seeing the sisters tease maomao. You can tell Gaoshun arranged the whole thing. xD

[@0th_Law]

The Xiao prefix is… sorta like the Chan honorific, kinda. Basically, Gaoshun’s calling Maomao “Mao-chan.” Or something like that.

[@waranontwiwaha9385]

If anyone wonders, the golden "herb" on insects is actually the carcass of a caterpillar infected by cordyceps fungus (the fungus infected the caterpillar and killed it while it was hibernating, and develops the long strand of the fruiting body from the head). It's called "Chong Cao" in Chinese and is often regarded as a rare and expensive medical herb.

[@MarleeBby]

It’s been so much fun to watch this series & your reactions are always hilarious ✨

[@DefinitivelyZach]

Thanks so much!

[@nfrance999]

If I remember correctly, the emperor only lives (or generally only lives) in the inner area so I doubt Maomao would be interacting with him while she is in the outer palace.

[@stanhry]

Cordycep mushroom is the herd that grows off a caterpillar. Saw this in a comment thread on Crunchyroll.

[@arinaafanasieva4770]

10:54 literally everything makes things awkward for Jinshi

[@TheTenzen12]

That "help" last episode didn't seem to help a lot. Previous emperor was basically unrelated to Ah Duo. Lishu was his consort. Ah Duo was CURRENT Emperor concubine before he was actually emperor. As for Jinshi if Maomao theory is right it would mean he is CURRENT emperor son rised as PREVIOUS emperor son instead (ie as current emperor younger brother) Other things. Xiaomao is chinese version of "-chan" ie affcetionate way to call her. Maomao is real name Xaimao is nickname.

[@roribeedm]

Xiao translates to "Little". Meaning XiaoMao means Little Cat. It is also used by Gyokuyou when talking about or to her daughter (Lingli referred to as XiaoLing)

[@TheTenzen12]

@@roribeedm yep, that's the case.

[@angelalee6105]

the term courtesan back in the day had more meaning than the one you know now, they were also known as dancers, women who were well educated in poetry and the art not all of them were asked to give service It was also known as possible the only well paying job a low born woman could have

[@gprovidakes]

It’s not entirely clear all princesses do sex with their customers. Their value is much more than sex, but poetry, singing, dancing, music, conversation, ….though Parin is has quite the appetite. The princesses are entertained just like Gyokuyou and her ladies in waiting.

[@tsayarh]

I think [A mysterious herb growing from insect] is referred to [Cordyceps]. Not sure if they gonna mention this item again in the future episode but I'd like to know your medical opinion about them if they do. If the setting is old china, there could be more uncommon herbs and medicine. I wonder if something like Donkey-hide gelatin or Tiger foot might show up someday 😂

[@stanhry]

I saw others mention the same parasitic mushroom in the comments section on the Crunchyroll streaming site. Cordycep

[@klaudesens]

thanks for the reaction doc

[@SukacitaYeremia]

It's been a while since I read the manga. I did explain the punishment system last episode, but I don't even remember if I got that reference from reading the manga, or just from history videos I watch on youtube. Probably both and it reinforces my memory... I'll take note on that though!

[@MonographicSingleheaded]

Thanks buddy !

[@gprovidakes]

I think the flash back is a summary as we enter a new story arc.

[@Anggebug]

The wild sweater + doctor coat, crazy duo 😮😆 *OMG THAT SWEATER, ITS SOMETHING 🤣🤣😮*

[@gemstony85]

I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned this back when you were reacting to Campfire Cooking in Another World. There's an anime called Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" that you might really enjoy. In addition to it's focus on food, they show off beer quite a bit in this anime. The comedy and stories are pretty good, too. Each episode is essentially half the length, so reacting to it should be quite ideal.

[@theyhaventfedmesince]

Grandma was a master courtesan in her prime

[@han-ek8pm]

btw xiao means 'little' usually used by older to like younger person, xiaomao is like lil mao... if that make sense... its like "young miss" but informally

[@gprovidakes]

Jinshi or Gaoshun house. Clearly based on relationship with Jinshi (son of Emperor - he knows remember hairpin) and where he sat during Emperor dinner event. I don’t think a Eunich would be seated with Emperor or be seated so high.

[@nimathendup7912]

that insect is called yaksagumbu it is used for immunity boost found in foothills of Himalayas

[@juliabelchior2309]

YAY❤❤❤ ANOTHER VIDEO WOOHOOOO🎉🎉

[@calebjones7868]

I think the Montage fits as this is Half-way through the season and It's a nice recap before the second half begins next year

[@bensonjin8547]

Oh my god I need to stop eating when the red light girls show up. Zach gets bonked too much.

[@xxMapSyrxx]

I find it interesting you speculate Maomao may be getting a job in the outer palace as a pharmacy official/ government employee essentially. I won't say whether or not this will play out, but there is something of note. The quack doc inside the rear palace, whom Maomao saw very briefly while trying to locate Jinshi in this episode, is clearly less qualified than he should be looking after very important women who may bear offspring that will eventually become the emperor. One has to wonder why they cannot employ someone who is more qualified. It is definitely not money, the palace has plenty of that. But in order to enter the rear palace, a man has to become a eunuch. This drastically shrinks the pool of men who is willing to enter the rear palace under such premises. It is also a high risk position, if you do something wrong, or just following orders, you might get severe punishments like Maomao's adopted father. Therefore, lack of qualified personnel that persistently cannot save future emperors / empresses is a succession crisis in the making. Not something in the interest of the emperor or even the entire country. Additionally, there are a lot of women in the rear palace. One would imagine they can benefit from getting help from a female medical personnel. Yet, we do not see any female doctors who don't need to be castrated to enter the rear palace. You will find out why in the future (although it is not hard to figure out why considering the time period) as well as how Jinshi will try to address this more fundamental issue, after all, under the current premises, he oversees the entire place. He is responsible for the well-being of everyone inside the rear palace. We won't see it in the next cour, but we will see how this problem play out a few seasons down the road.

[@waterforestcosplay2195]

I would love to see him react to Parallel World Pharmacy. It's a really good anime in my opinion. Sure it's only 12 episodes long but it would be in his field of expertise.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I already did! Lol

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I just realized I never actually linked that playlist for you when I meant to. Here you go: kzbin.info/aero/PLhrSMj10FlfRYoVvDQWxsSBenT42Ff3rq

[@SailorSetsuna7]

14:20 Xiaomao is a nickname because "xiao" in specific writings means "little". Take it as an equivalent of "-chan" usually appearing in anime but more gender neutral, since -chan is usually used for girls.

[@AmawaHibiki18]

the manga actually says what Maomao got from Jinshi. That 'herb growing from an insect' is ants infected with cordyceps fungus. You know the one from 'The Last of Us'.

[@amystreasuresdesign]

It's after 1 am as I watch this episode and am typing this. A couple quick things without giving any major spoilers.... 1, Maomao isn't a royal 2. Her story will be revealed soon. I looks like it will be in cour 2. I quickly read the manga after about the 3rd dubbed episode, so some of the story line's timeline is a bit mixed up in my swiss cheese memory right now.

[@Skywolfhd20]

my assumption of the flashback is that it's so the season ends on a good stopping point, you add a little filler in one episode to get the run time needed to end on something good

[@incontinentia3119]

If I remember correctly, "Xiao" is an endearing nickname. Like "Lil Mao"

[@zam023]

In Japan, Christmas is celebrated with Kentucky Freid Chicken (KFC). Nobody eats sushi for Christmas. So, your sweater should have a bucket of KFC instead of sushi... hahaha >_

[@Akashi505]

I almost wanted to ask who that lady on the bar was, but I just noticed that it was a painting

[@RaUkoLord]

jinshi is a son of current emperor and emperor know this, but Jinshi thinks he is his brother

[@Sayhitomimi]

Xiao = 小 = small/little So Gaoshun decided to call her this after maomao telling him to drop the honorific. "xiao" is similar to "-chan" in Japanes but in this case Gaoshun called her xiao-mao maybe because her name is mao (猫=cat) so he sees her as a little cat? Maybe lol

[@LibeliumDragonfly]

The thing about what happens to Fengming's family though, if you know a bit about the cultural context, it kind of isn't really a spoiler that her whole family would be punished. Not to say that spoilers are nice or anything, just saying that people might be able to tell what's gonna happen without actually knowing what happens later on, so they might not be fully blamed for that. If anything Fengming's punishment might be too lenient. What she did amounts to high treason, attempting on someone from the imperial family's life, and high treason in Ancient China was punished by death by a thousand cuts of the person, and at least beheading of immediate family, and either execution or deportation to far away lands for extended family and compatriots, depends on the closeness to the person. It won't just be hanging.

[@jordancrawford7605]

She will never escape him

[@kuroinova2056]

Mao Mao is the mc name, shao mao is what gao shun calls her because he thinks of her like his own child or someone younger than himself.

[@zangetsu1996]

remember zach, NO HORN!!

[@sarahgrellchen5687]

If Jinshi is Ah duos son, then he is the current emperors son but if he was switched with the baby brother of the current emperor that was born the same time, no one could know who he really is and that he has claim to the throne

[@gprovidakes]

Based on story to date: 1. Jinshi is son of Ah-Duo and the current Emperor 2. The previous emperor and current dowager’s son was switched with Jinshi and died as Ah-Duo’s son. The why of the switch, how the switch, and who knew remain open questions m

[@robinporter8481]

If the babies were changed, Jin would be the current emporers son, because the emporer was a prince at the time, which is also why Ah Doh got lesser treatment. As for Xiao, it means Young or Younger. Can loosely mean little in a sibling sense.

[@YECRED22]

I think you missed something in the episode when Maomao went home the first time. The courtesan she was bathing with, asked her if she went to the annex. In the next scene she is sitting on the floor next to an unconscious woman. She looks sad. You can miss it if you’re not paying attention. Possibly her mother??

[@gprovidakes]

Maomao got the name from Gaoshun in Episode 3 Xiaomao when going to see Fuyou on the wall. The issue I have is who persuaded Lihaku to arrange the party, at whose home, and paid for it. Parin certainly like getting ahold of all those young men. Hhhhmmmm Gaoshun??

[@roribeedm]

Gaoshun did think he should talk to "The soldier" when Jinshi was melting into a pile of goo with mushrooms sprouting.

[@katerinakucerova2937]

Ok. Lets try to simplify it. Ah Duo was NEVER concubine of previous Emperor. She was always current Emperors concubine and she has been with him since he was only crown prince. So Jin Shi ´s identity is either current Emperors younger brother, if the babies weren ´t swapped or his oldest son, if the babies were swapped. I hope it´s clear now 😜

[@jsmith6599]

22:34 Fanservice time! 😁

[@ImperialElm]

xiao mao translates literally to kitty cat or little cat which is funny to me

[@vallar57]

Regarding Gaoshun calling her Xiao Mao - "Xiao" means "little" in Chinese and is often used as affectionate honorific for younger generations. Basically he calls her "Mao-chan". Regarding Maomao's bloodline: it will be revealed later, the rest is spoiler XD

[@noyoungsung]

The name of house "綠青館" means green and blue house~www And "青" means "青樓",too."青樓"means brothel.I am Taiwanese so I can realize Janpanese Kanji.

[@RaUkoLord]

XiaoMao - is a variant of MaoMaos name that can be used to little kid, and as soon as mao = cat, we get "little kitty" instead of usual "catcat"

[@gingercupcakesweeets4654]

There will be more reveled about Maomaos parents in the future ;)

[@mirafeder7992]

Gaoshun calls Maomao (her real name) Shaomao as a nickname, like Gyukuyou calling her daughter Linli Shaolin here and there. It's kind of like the -chan in japanese.

[@roribeedm]

The correct spelling is Xiao, which literally means "Little". So with Mao meaning Cat, Gaoshun is literally calling Maomao Little Cat or Kitten.

[@mirafeder7992]

@@roribeedm Thanks for adding... Some translations can be... "limited".

[@marcoftheninja6278]

14:22 My guess is... For names... Xiao- is the chinese version of -chan in japanese

[@roribeedm]

Xiao means Little in Chinese. Which is why Maomao thought "Little Mao?" the first time Gaoshun called her that in I think it was Episode 3.

[@adrian_shepherd4003]

Xiao is the chinese version of chan which is used for young children, close friends, babies, grandparents and sometimes female adolescents.

[@ehellstrom7127]

10:20 In case no one mentioned it in the other comments, Maomao's parentage will be answered in the next cour. Just be patient.

[@jessicasherman1583]

shoa moa is the nick name means little moa

[@LeafingThroughTheFrames]

I absolutely agree with you about the montages! So unnecessary and incredibly awkward. I wish they could've figured out a better way to fill in the time but I also think it comes down to budgeting hence why they resort to using old footage. Who knows. I also think Mamao's running scene lasted so long. That wasn't shown in the manga. It was a good scene but I felt was just a touch too long and animating something like that probably took a lot more time and money. i wish that time was spent more on MaoMao's and Jinshi's reunion b/c the panels were a bit more funnier and stylized than what we got, which, don't get me wrong, was still well done in the anime. Just felt they could've shot just a bit higher for such a big moment.

[@gingercupcakesweeets4654]

Shao Mao is the chinese version of the japanese chan. So a way of saying someone is cute, nice, little, respectful endearment. But usually only used for girls.

[@amandabernard8179]

Also there's 2 Mangas. The original author doesn't know why but if I'm not mistaken the art for the anime came from the one that won awards. So there might be a difference between the mangas

[@roribeedm]

The two manga move at different paces, condense or skip different parts, and have certain story points involving Maomao's family changed. Especially pertaining to her mother.

[@amandabernard8179]

@@roribeedm wow.

[@dustydave961]

I was really hoping Maomao could've stayed with Gyokuyou

[@ZaiexVASMR]

14:21 Disclaimer: I am not of Chinese descent or am claiming to be Chinese. From what I gather, one of the main reasons why Gaoshun calls MaoMao "Xiaomao" is because Xiao in Chinese is "Little or small" in English. It is also almost like an honorific for those with smaller status.

[@girlintheicysky]

3:40 Anyone saying the baby died because the honey was made from poisonous flowers must not have been paying very close attention. When she was confronting Fengming, Maomao specifically said Fengming was ignorant (at the time) regarding the dangers posed by “honey from nontoxic flowers.” She only brought the azalea along to get her foot in the door so she could speak to Fengming alone. Think about it: while it’s quite possible Fengming wouldn’t have known about a rare infection that only affects infants, there’s no way someone from a family of beekeepers wouldn’t grasp the fact that poisonous flowers create poisonous honey.