The Apothecary Diaries S2 Ep 12

Finally the long awaited “frog” shenanigans! I was cracking up so much when Maomao was unknowingly touching and feeling up Jinshi’s frog because she couldn’t wrap her head around why an eunuch still had one in the first place. Meanwhile the poor guy was trying his best to keep cool while she was touching him!

Of course classic Maomao, not wanting to know secrets that she knows would further complicate their relationships and her involved in things she’d rather not get into was absolutely dead-set on trying to convince Jinshi to get on the same page as her. Unfortunately for her, Jinshi had the exact opposite priorities. He wants her to know, preferably sooner than later. But amazingly to Maomao’s credit, she did manage to find a way to put off officially hearing the one thing she really doesn’t want to acknowledge: Jinshi’s true identity as the Crown (Moon) Prince, which we later learn from Gaoshun that his true name is Ka Zuigetsu.

Unfortunately for Jinshi, despite being placed in circumstances that gave them some alone time, he wasn’t able to share with Maomao who he really is. And in that respect, I do feel bad for him because it’s something that’s been heavily weighing on his mind. But while he wasn’t able to straight up say it himself, I think it’s fair to say Maomao already subconsciously knows his true status. After-all, why else is there a special exception being made for him to be roaming and managing the Rear Palace without being an eunuch? At this point she’s just publicly feigning ignorance for the sake of drawing the line and maintaining the relationship the two of them share at this time.

That said, it is important to note that both Maomao and Jinshi made some big mistakes to each other today…

In Maomao’s case: It was the stubborn refusal to hear Jinshi out, all because it’s more convenient and comfortable for her to knowingly keep herself in the dark about these things. Maomao knows all too well the dangers and responsibilities that comes with knowing too much. So it’s generally better to keep your head down and lay low on the radar, (though we all know the way she tends to stick her nose into affairs that catches her interest does the exact opposite, but I digress.) That’s why she pivoted so hard with insisting what she touched was a frog, be because that was the only excuse she could think of as a legitimate way out. Needless to say, the only thing she can do is delay it a little bit longer. The fact of the matter is, eventually she will inevitably have to acknowledge his status.

Though it’s worth noting, another interesting tidbit we did get from Maomao was how difficult it is for her to fully understand how one feels towards her, both in a good, and bad way. And because of that, it’s difficult for her to know what to say in these types of situations when tensions forms between her and Jinshi. Fortunately she did manage to find the right words, as she did offer him the reassurance that no matter what, she will always see him as Master Jinshi, and those words were very comforting to him. Though she had me laughing out loud really hard when she added, “Whether he has his balls or not has nothing to do with me, since it’s not like I’m going to see them'”, followed with later, if his secret gets out and it gets her into trouble, she’ll make him into an eunuch for real– MAOMAO PLEASE!!!

However, Maomao didn’t fully apologize for the errors of her ways. She only acknowledged her wrong-doing of provoking him, by referring to his manhood as a frog, and suggesting it’s only somewhat large. What she did not acknowledge was weaseling out of hearing the truth- and in fact she managed to continue doing just that, though with the help of Jinshi’s (unfortunate) timing yet again, of presenting her the promised Ox Bezoars. As one could expect, Maomao was absolutely over the moon about it. She medicines of her dreams is finally in her hands, and that’s all she was going to focus on for the rest of the night.

As for Jinshi: He messed up when he lost his cool and put Maomao in a very compromised position that no one wants nor should be put in against their choosing. Thankfully the dog showed up on time to stop him from doing anything he would regret and potentially ruin their current relationship. Jinshi later apologized to Maomao for his actions, and gave her the long awaited Ox Bezoars he had promised her months ago.

But perhaps the saddest thing out of the whole drive to know Jinshi’s true identity is the burden that comes with it. Jinshi is undoubtedly aware of that, which is why he had put it off for as long as he has. But at the same time, it genuinely bothers him that he can’t be honest about it, and things are rapidly evolving to a point where it would be better for Maomao to be in the loop. Meanwhile, you have people like Gaoshun, who wants Maomao to finally know the truth because he sees her as an intelligent pawn to have on their side. Of course for Jinshi that certainly a part of what kicked off their relationship in the first place, as he has had her go around and take care of things, but we have seen that his feelings towards her has evolved from seeing her as a mere pawn, to a more towards a cherished person. That’s why it was comforting for him to hear from her that no matter who he is, he will always be Master Jinshi to her.

Speaking of “Jinshi”, we also got clarification this week that the reason why Gaoshun was a guest in the first place was because he was attending as Master Jinshi’s surrogate, all while Jinshi attended Shishou’s invitation as the Crown Prince.

Another tidbit we learned this week was the reason why Jinshi, as the Crown Prince wears a mask in public. It’s not just to maintain the secret that he and ever popular and beautiful eunuch is one and the same person, it’s also to uphold the story they’ve crafted behind to conceal his character. Not much is known about the Crown Prince, for he who is said to hide away in his room and cover his face with a face mask because of a nasty burn scar on his face. But it’s because of those rumours that he has the officials questioning whether he’s suitable as the successor to the throne– and we saw today how they are willing to go as far as trying to kill him off…

And finally, in regards the attempted assassination. While they managed to capture the culprits thanks to the dog sniffing them out (thanks to the gun powder smell), ultimately the whole incident was ‘written off’ as Jinshi having gone off roaming, and the culprits were taken away. However while it was resolved, they are left with far too many unanswered questions. Where did they get the feifas? Why are they trying to kill Jinshi? What is their ultimate objective?

The only thing Maomao was able to do was piece together some puzzling parts of previous cases she has been involved in. Such as Gaoshun’s story about the twins sneaking out (aka, she assumes was really about the the two special envoys from the West), but it the uncertainty of it all still leaves her feeling uneasy. But hey, there’s nothing like having the best distraction to gush about Ox Bezoar in the mean time!

With that we’re finished the first half of the season! They dropped a new trailer for the second half, basically recapping all the important things leading up the epic climax of this arc, as well as the teaser to what’s to come! Heehee~ Enjoy!