If I’ve learned anything in following this series for five months, it’s to not let its moods deceive me. Light-hearted eps usually end up heavy and dark, and seemingly random developments usually turn out to be plot-critical. Even knowing this intellectually, it’s hard not to slip. I certainly found myself musing on how the recent serious tone had given way to this amusing side story about Lihaku and his (probably hopeless) obsession with Pairin. But there are no coincidences in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, to the point where it stretches credulity (which is doubly interesting given that the series itself addresses the matter of coincidence).
We start out with an even more side-y story, with Maomao helping (well, forcing) the quack doctor to clean the apothecary. He’s as close to a pure comic relief character as the show has had so far, a seemingly quite benign if hapless figure. We learn far more about him than we ever had before, namely that his family is in the paper business and lost most of their wealth when the previous emperor forbade the cutting of trees (really?). He volunteered to come to the palace (in his older sister’s wake) and become a eunuch so as to spare his younger sister from being sold into service – a rather noble act it must be said, much to Maomao’s surprise.
Chekov rules the roost with The Apothecary Diaries, so this whole paper thing will almost certainly reveal its significance beyond this detour sooner or later. Maomao actually tries to help Q.D. figure out the reason why his family’s business is in trouble himself (thinking of his pride), but in the end she basically has to spell it out for him. Basically an altruistic act for her, which is somewhat of a rarity, though again I do expect it will have some deeper import eventually.
The main thrust of the episode is the rumor (teased last week) that one of Verdigris’ three princesses is about to be bought out. Lihaku is madly in love with Pairin as we know, and (incorrectly) worries that it could be her. He comes to Xiaomao for help, starting with the simple question of just how much it would cost to do that. It’s a lot – at least 10,000 silver, which is roughly ten times Lihaku’s salary. Beyond that is the matter of whether she’d even entertain the idea, and that’s where things get genuinely silly. Nevertheless I don’t doubt Xiaomao’s sincerity in trying to figure out if Big Sis would go for this guy, and then trying to grease the wheels when she decides she might.
Maomao’s total blind spot about anything Jinshi-related is slightly irritating for me at this point, as it really stretches credulity. To depict her as both impossibly smart about everything else and impossibly dumb about him is a bit much for me. She of course has no clue of why he’s upset at walking in on her checking out Lihaku’s near-naked form (and asking him to remove the “near”). If Xiaomao has any genuine interest in matters erotic – as in, ever feels actual attraction to anyone male or female – she’s revealed no hints of it. But she does love Pairin (and apparently remembers being nursed by her as a baby – not the only infant memory she has), and figures the well-placed and earnest (and hunky) Lihaku might be a good match.
Jinshi offering the lad 20K silver for his bid was certainly interesting. He obviously has ulterior motives, which we can certainly speculate on. Lihaku reveals a good bit of integrity and more than a little smarts too in refusing the offer, which is incredibly sus in the first place. The whole buyout turns out to be a complete red herring where Pairin and Lihaku are concerned, which is the most Kusuriya thing ever. But the truth of it is (typically) more important to the plot, since Lakan is the one apparently making the offer (for Maomao’s dying mother?). We’ve finally teased out the confirmation that Lakan is Maomao’s father, but broadly speaking the mystery around him has probably dragged on too long – it’s time to take things to the next level with that character.
Nellie
March 3, 2024 at 4:44 pmThe topic of a courtesan’s value has been brought up a few times in the second half of the show- most recently in this episode. I wonder what it’s building up to.
By this point, I think the story has successfully convinced me that Maomao’s obliviousness to anything concerning Jinshi is deliberate facade. She’s not stupid or unobservant- she’s just wilfully ignorant. I reckon it’s her way of distancing herself from him.
Simone
March 4, 2024 at 12:33 amI mean, honestly if Lihaku and Pairin are serious and consenting the matter could be easily solved if he “accidentally” impregnated her during one of his visits, which supposedly would drop the price down quite a bit.
Vance
March 3, 2024 at 4:52 pmYeah, I reckon the courtesan that received a buyout offer was indeed Maomao’s mother. There’s just no way that Lakan ever gave up trying to buy Maomao’s mom after all these years. If anything is preventing that from happening, it’s probably the old granny refusing to let him do that since it’s been hinted that he raped Maomao’s mom.
Guardian Enzo
March 3, 2024 at 4:57 pmI must have missed that hint.
Vance
March 3, 2024 at 6:12 pmLakan said that there were two wealthy people who endlessly outbid the other to buy Maomao’s mother, and he said that because of that he played a dirty trick on her to lower her purchasing price. When Jinshi asked Maomao what one can do to lower a courtesan’s price at Lakan’s suggestion, Maomao said getting her pregnant would lower a courtesan’s value to close to 0. Maybe I misinterpreted the situation, but I thought the implication of all of that was that Lakan raped Maomao’s mom.
Vance
March 3, 2024 at 6:38 pmMaybe it was misdirection, but Lakan clearly he meant for Jinshi to interpret what he had said as indicating he is Maomao’s father. If it turns out he didn’t rape Maomao’s mother and is actually a redeemable character, that would be a welcome development for me.
Guardian Enzo
March 3, 2024 at 7:03 pmI don’t think there’s any question he’s Maomao’s father but I see nothing that would convince me he raped her mother,
MFF
March 3, 2024 at 7:36 pmIf i have my timeline right mentally, it probably happened at around the time the house’s stock was already low so having an ‘in demand’ courtesan fall pregnant during that time would certainly not have improved their reputation.
Collectr
March 3, 2024 at 11:37 pmAlthough Maomao is very observant and smart, her field of expertise, both in life and medically, is women, because of where she was raised. The audience knows that (a) Jinshi is not a real eunuch, (b) he’s younger than he’s claiming (19 vs 24), and (c) he’s related to the royal family, but Maomao has only cottoned onto (c), at least consciously, and that’s already enough to scare her considerably.
Besides, if the tension (romantic and otherwise) between Jinshi and Maomao is resolved, the series is over. Not gonna happen any time soon, if only for commercial reasons.
Simone
March 4, 2024 at 12:35 amI assumed the bit about cutting trees referred to those trees they were using to make paper specifically, like maybe they’re some particularly precious and old ones? It could make sense to forbid cutting them for a relatively cheap purpose as making paper. As it is the sentence makes little sense – obviously a late medieval/early modern style civilization could really really not somehow do without cutting trees, with wood being not just an important construction material but also a key energy source for things like steelmaking.
Snowball
March 4, 2024 at 7:36 amI know it’s a bit late to complain about historical inaccuracies, but being caught with a naked man out of wedlock by a high ranking official would have resulted in Maomao and Lihaku getting executed. The former (and Lihaku) should have known better considering how she is always trying to avoid getting into scandals. That seen was quite dumb and juvenile. Maomao being oblivious to Jinshi’s feelings is played for laughs but got old quite fast.
Nicc
March 5, 2024 at 7:59 amIt did feel like something of a filler episode. Maybe it was just me, but the character art also looked a little off in some places. Being back to the rear palace means that Maomao gets to interact with the quack doctor again. It starts about cleaning up the place, which is always necessary. Then, we get some history about the doc and his family. As you said, their family deals in paper and that business is in peril because cutting down trees has been forbidden. In a different series, he wouldn’t be a doctor and he’s selling paper instead. That affects a whole lot of things and not just paper production. He then volunteered himself to join the rear palace so that his sisters won’t have to. She does help him out with trying to improve the quality of the paper, which we won’t see the results of until later, it seems.
That takes us to the meat of the episode featuring Lihaku. He’s heard the rumors that one fo the Three Princesses of the Verdigris House might be bought out and worries that it could be Pairin. He summons Maomao for some help and to give an appraisal on how much it would cost to buy out one of the princesses. She estimates that the cost should be at least 10,000 silver, which is a lot more coin than he’s got. The appraisal doesn’t stop there and Maomao also wants to see his physical compatibility with Pairin and so off goes the clothes! It’s difficult to tell when he’s wearing the loose robes, but the man is jacked. I remember that muscular men are Pairin’s type and he’s got the stamina to keep up with her too. Well, there are no issues on that end, at least. Maomao also appreciates that he accepts Pairin as who she is and is an earnest guy. Okay, there are two more Princesses left and so maybe Maomao can work with Basen next, eh?
And, of course that’s when Jinshi and Gaoshun walks in on them when the dude is nearly naked. As some others have said, it’s just willful ignorance at this point on Maomao’s part. She’s just checking out the goods on Lihaku; nothing wrong with that, right? Then, Jinshi summons Lihaku later to test him with that large bribe. It turns out the rumor of Pairin being sold or retiring was just that, but there was a basis for that. It seems that Lakan is making some kind of move that involves the Verdigis House. Right, I’m thinking that it has something to do with Maomao’s mom. With just a few more episodes left, it’s time for him to be highlighted. Even the earlier episode that was named after him wasn’t really about him.