(CR) Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries)

[Kanon]

I didn't expect all the cases from this cour to be connected. The plot to kill Jinshi seems extremely convoluted right now. I know he's royalty, but he spends most of his time incognito with very little guards, feels like there were plenty of easier options to kill him. But right now I'm guessing it was important to make it look like an accident and it's not just about getting away with it.

Maomao went pretty far to save Jinshi (without knowing it was him) and got badly hurt. I know he has to maintain his dignity, but man, ask someone to fetch a doctor instead of just walking extremely slowly. She was bleeding pretty badly.

[Wandering Soul]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Maomao went pretty far to save Jinshi (without knowing it was him) and got badly hurt. I know he has to maintain his dignity, but man, ask someone to fetch a doctor instead of just walking extremely slowly. She was bleeding pretty badly.

I was thinking the same thing. I get they have to an emotional walking scene, but the poor girl is probably leaving an entire trail of blood while Jinshi takes his sweet time.

[Tenzen12]

He spends most of his time incognito in rear palace. Killing him there would be difficult and getting away even more so.

Well, it certainly is very convoluted way to kill someone, but it sort of make sense to me. Killing Jinshi in rear palace is basically impossible and outside he well guarded, but as we could see there is lot of stuff that can be done outside without directly involving themselves with Jinshi.

[Kazu-kun]

It's not just a matter of killing him. They probably wanted to make it look like an accident. That takes more work than a simple assassination plot.

[frubam]

Not gonna lie; when Lakan showed up, I immediately thought that all of this was a plot to get Mao to the hidden palace. His timing was far too impeccable to just be a mere coincidence, but his face after Jinshi came out shows he knew nothing about the plot. When the camera was panned on him, I was juuuust waiting for him to crack that miniature grin, the all-fabled "just as planned" grin, but seeing him stay in complete shock was very surprising. On a different note, being that he has this devious, scummy aura around him that makes him feel like he can't be trusted, I thought it was endearing, even cool, how he put fear of buddha into that guard that hit her with the same stare Mao showed Jinshi last episode.

Originally Posted by Wandering Soul

I was thinking the same thing. I get they have to an emotional walking scene, but the poor girl is probably leaving an entire trail of blood while Jinshi takes his sweet time.

Lol, came here to say the same thing . I'm surprised he is even strong enough to carry her like this. I don't think he gets any exercises or training, so I can't imagine him even being strong enough to carry her THAT far effortlessly in ceremonial clothes.

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

He spends most of his time incognito in rear palace. Killing him there would be difficult and getting away even more so.

Well, it certainly is very convoluted way to kill someone, but it sort of make sense to me. Killing Jinshi in rear palace is basically impossible and outside he well guarded, but as we could see there is lot of stuff that can be done outside without directly involving themselves with Jinshi.

It makes me wonder though; why? I thought he was just the emperor's son, though not officially due to the baby swap thing right? Why would someone want to off him? Especially since it seems like he is prescribed like some secretary forced to do work he doesn't want to do?

[Thor's Hammer]

Originally Posted by frubam

Not gonna lie; when Lakan showed up, I immediately thought that all of this was a plot to get Mao to the hidden palace. His timing was far too impeccable to just be a mere coincidence, but his face after Jinshi came out shows he knew nothing about the plot. When the camera was panned on him, I was juuuust waiting for him to crack that miniature grin, the all-fabled "just as planned" grin, but seeing him stay in complete shock was very surprising.

I don't believe that's the case. His shock was likely because Maomao was in even worse condition than he had last seen her before she entered the building. He was horrified because he put Maomao in harm's way. If Lakan had just publicly solved the case himself instead of wanting Maomao to get all the credit because in his words people with talent should be recognized, then Maomao wouldn't have been in such poor shape.

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by frubam

Lol, came here to say the same thing . I'm surprised he is even strong enough to carry her like this. I don't think he gets any exercises or training, so I can't imagine him even being strong enough to carry her THAT far effortlessly in ceremonial clothes.

Ugh, we literally saw his chiseled body like two episodes ago. And, I'm pretty sure we saw him sword training some time in the first half. Well, the sword training I might be misremembering, but either way Jinshi's plenty strong.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by frubam

Not gonna lie; when Lakan showed up, I immediately thought that all of this was a plot to get Mao to the hidden palace. His timing was far too impeccable to just be a mere coincidence, but his face after Jinshi came out shows he knew nothing about the plot. When the camera was panned on him, I was juuuust waiting for him to crack that miniature grin, the all-fabled "just as planned" grin, but seeing him stay in complete shock was very surprising. On a different note, being that he has this devious, scummy aura around him that makes him feel like he can't be trusted, I thought it was endearing, even cool, how he put fear of buddha into that guard that hit her with the same stare Mao showed Jinshi last episode.

I think Lakan had a good grasp of the plot (maybe faster than Maomao did) he just didn't expect her to get hurt like that. Or Jinshi to act that way with her.

It makes me wonder though; why? I thought he was just the emperor's son, though not officially due to the baby swap thing right? Why would someone want to off him? Especially since it seems like he is prescribed like some secretary forced to do work he doesn't want to do?

Until the Emperor has a male heir, Jinshi is effectively the crown prince and the heir apparent even as his brother (despite legitimately being the crown prince by birth).

Originally Posted by Cloudedmind

Ugh, we literally saw his chiseled body like two episodes ago. And, I'm pretty sure we saw him sword training some time in the first half. Well, the sword training I might be misremembering, but either way Jinshi's plenty strong.

The ED is literally showing him shirtless .

(Plus I don't think Maomao weighs much).

[Xiyon]

Originally Posted by Thor's Hammer

I don't believe that's the case. His shock was likely because Maomao was in even worse condition than he had last seen her before she entered the building. He was horrified because he put Maomao in harm's way. If Lakan had just publicly solved the case himself instead of wanting Maomao to get all the credit because in his words people with talent should be recognized, then Maomao wouldn't have been in such poor shape.

Originally Posted by Frontier

I think Lakan had a good grasp of the plot (maybe faster than Maomao did) he just didn't expect her to get hurt like that. Or Jinshi to act that way with her.

Pretty much how I saw it as well. Lakan went from "yay, my daughter's doing well!" to, "oh crap, I almost got my daughter killed". For all his manipulation and scumminess, it's all but confirmed now he's the red herring-- and not part of this season-long assassination attempt / mastermind (to kill the emperor?).

Originally Posted by Frontier

Until the Emperor has a male heir, Jinshi is effectively the crown prince and the heir apparent even as his brother (despite legitimately being the crown prince by birth).

That's... a very good point. Still makes one wonder why someone would try to assassinate the Emperor's son / "brother", given that there are no male heirs available...

Wait-- I just had a thought.

Maybe the mastermind is the new consort or someone connected to her?

Kill the other possible heir / Jinshi (and maybe even Lihua's son?), sire an heir, kill the emperor, and take the throne?

Man, if true, that's some next level writing right there! And here I was just enjoying Maomao's adventures!

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by Xiyon

and not part of this season-long assassination attempt / mastermind (to kill the emperor?).

[snip]

Kill the other possible heir / Jinshi (and maybe even Lihua's son?), sire an heir, kill the emperor, and take the throne?

Medium ceremonies don't require the Emperor (those are the high ceremonies). It was always going to be a family member further down the succession or even a high ranking official (Jinshin could count as either role).

[nojay]

Originally Posted by Xiyon

F
That's... a very good point. Still makes one wonder why someone would try to assassinate the Emperor's son / "brother", given that there are no male heirs available...

Getting rid of Jinshi BEFORE aiming for the Emperor is the smart thing to do. That leaves the Lotus Throne vacant with no legitimate heir such as Jinshi to step into the position giving an opportunity to cause havoc in the chaos.

I'd expect there are plots against the Emperor himself running in parallel but this story is focussed around Jinshi and MaoMao so we haven't been shown any of their details. That may change, assuming we get a second season.

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by Frontier

The ED is literally showing him shirtless .

(Plus I don't think Maomao weighs much).

Yeah, I skip the OP and ED. Maybe I'll have to watch the ED at least now.

[Ghosty 404]

That guard that lost his temper may lose a whole lot more thanks to Jinshi and Lakan. But that's all speculation. We'll have to wait if he's dealt with farther in to the story.

[Decel]

I gotta say I was confused by Lakan's face at the end. The theory that he's shocked that he got Maomao hurt further does seem plausible, but from the -dramatic- turn of events, there wasn't much of a margin of time to save Jinshi (or herself) from that pillar.

If that's the actual narrative, then talk about YOLO-ing his daughter

[Thor's Hammer]

Originally Posted by Decel

I gotta say I was confused by Lakan's face at the end. The theory that he's shocked that he got Maomao hurt further does seem plausible, but from the -dramatic- turn of events, there wasn't much of a margin of time to save Jinshi (or herself) from that pillar.

If that's the actual narrative, then talk about YOLO-ing his daughter

From my vantage point, call it hubris or overconfidence in his kin, he deliberately had Maomao solve the case since he knew it was within her ability and was horrified that it nearly cost him his daughter's life. Lihaku serves Lakan as seen from an earlier episode, so Lakan likely told Lihaku about the stolen ceremonial tools so that Lihaku would go and tell Maomao, leading to her solving the case.

I surmise that unfortunately, or fortunately based on how much of a close call it actually was, for Lakan, Maomao failed the test to be a court lady and was lacking some crucial information for her to solve the case promptly, leading to the perfect conditions for Maomao to save Jinshi just in time.

Lakan did say in the episode with the metalworking family that those with talent should be recognized, so it's clear he intended to put Maomao in the spotlight. He most likely got lucky that Maomao nearly got killed instead of outright killed, but at the same time he struck gold considering how it being such a close call probably means Maomao might get a hugeass reward aside from the ox bezoar, like being as close to untouchable as you can get for a servant girl.

[Huh...?]

Originally Posted by Xiyon

Wait, was it ever explicitly stated Lakan wanted to buy the mother? I thought he was trying to buy / see Maomao, given how much he was pressuring Jinshi.

You can't buy someone if they are not a Courtesan.

Maomao was never a Courtesan until she ended up with a Debt because of taking Lihaku to Verdigris House, and couldn't pay back the price of Pairin who served Lihaku (because she got fired from her Rear Palace job later on).

The Madam had tried to get Maomao to become a regular Courtesan for a long time (before her kidnapping) because she knew that once she became one, Lakan would come and buy her out, and the situation did occur. But before Lakan could buy her out, Jinshi came and did it.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Huh...?

You can't buy someone if they are not a Courtesan.

Maomao was never a Courtesan until she ended up with a Debt because of taking Lihaku to Verdigris House, and couldn't pay back the price of Pairin who served Lihaku (because she got fired from her Rear Palace job later on).

The Madam had tried to get Maomao to become a regular Courtesan for a long time (before her kidnapping) because she knew that once she became one, Lakan would come and buy her out, and the situation did occur. But before Lakan could buy her out, Jinshi came and did it.

Jinshi's pockets are deeper than Lakan's anyway, so the Madame was happy.

[Huh...?]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

It's not just a matter of killing him. They probably wanted to make it look like an accident. That takes more work than a simple assassination plot.

Technically, killing someone while making the situation look like an accident is also a form of Assassination, as the term itself means "killing someone suddenly or secretly".

[Tenzen12]

Originally Posted by Huh...?

You can't buy someone if they are not a Courtesan.

Maomao was never a Courtesan until she ended up with a Debt because of taking Lihaku to Verdigris House, and couldn't pay back the price of Pairin who served Lihaku (because she got fired from her Rear Palace job later on).

The Madam had tried to get Maomao to become a regular Courtesan for a long time (before her kidnapping) because she knew that once she became one, Lakan would come and buy her out, and the situation did occur. But before Lakan could buy her out, Jinshi came and did it.

I don't think so. Madame doesn't seem to like Lakan nor she show any desire let him even meet Maomao, less to make her go with him.

[Huh...?]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

I don't think so. Madame doesn't seem to like Lakan nor she show any desire let him even meet Maomao, less to make her go with him.

What i said was what Maomao herself said recently.

As for not allowing him to meet Maomao, well that's because Maomao doesn't like him, which ties with the fact that Maomao isn't a Courtesan, so Madam doesn't really have rights on who meets Maomao or not (Madam maybe greedy, but she does that within her business rules).