julietcpulet

[julietcpulet]

𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘪 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮'𝘴 70𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺

[julietcpulet]

what do you think would be the most satisfying ending for jinmao?

i'm so conflicted about them because while i do not want jinshi to ascend the throne, i have to admit a part of me thinks renouncing his true position would be a waste. i mean, he's a damn pretty good leader and sometimes i enjoy imagining him and maomao being a power couple together. but then i'm always like damn they both canonically wouldn't like that </3 (so, thank the lord for fanfics, right?)

anyway, an unhappy jinmao is hardly a satisfying ending. but then i also wouldn't want them to be commoners because, again, it'd be a waste. as for the "faking their death" ending, it sounds really romantic but i feel like it's too cowardly and ooc for them. they'd never back down from a challenge after all.

so yeah i don't know how natsu-hyuga will conclude their romance. maybe the ending will just be them finally getting together? like the ending of the kaguya-sama movie where the last shot focused on the two main leads' interlocking hands, and then boom, the end credits. that would be an open ending (and i think that's what natsu was intending from the start), but is that satisfying? i'm not sure. just wanted to know your thoughts!

Love this question! And so sweet of you to be interested in my input 💕. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on each possible ending and my personal speculation on an ending I like. Of course I have no idea what Hyuuga is really planning but just going on general direction and how things could play out if these were the proposed endings. (Spoilers below)

Emperor and Empress ending - I agree that this isn't the ideal nor the likely ending. To me, although there are factions pushing for Jinshi to be Emperor, it all feels like a mis-direct to the final outcome. Both Jinshi and Maomao are opposed to him becoming Emperor and he knows she would be miserable as a woman at the head of the nation, holding scorn from the other women.

Jinshi felt it was something close to a miracle that he had met a woman like Maomao. That was why he didn’t want to let her go. He’d gone so far as to press a brand into his own side, all to keep her.

He has struggled a lot to make it clear Maomao is the only woman he wants, he doesn't want to be the Emperor and also just is not the right person for the job. I don't believe these plot points are in vain only to be reversed later by a realization of avoidance and Jinshi wanting to accept his position out of familial obligation or maturity, nor do I think the plot is moving the characters in that direction. If anything it's continually showing that Maomao and Jinshi have to be willing to assert their own wishes against that of others despite what may be expected of them. And while Jinshi does have excellent leadership qualities, as Maomao easily points out, his kindness often brings him to overwork himself and struggle with dealing out harsh punishments or having necessary and uncomfortable entanglements an Emperor would have to have.

Jinshi was watching the pitiful family closely. He didn't seem to be thinking of how to punish them, but rather how to connect this to whatever came next. As he watched the family, Maomao silently watched him.

Romeo and Juliet ending - This was a favorite of mine previously and I still think there's the smallest possibility for it to happen but it's unlikely. I liked it simply because it brings back the resurrection drug which was a recurring theme for so long with Maomao wanting to obtain it and also the potential for a callback to the beginning of the novels with Shisui somehow making an appearance since she is the only character to disappear successfully and not be found. The downfall of considering this ending is two-fold. One is that Maomao and Jinshi do have some connections with people they may miss if they faked their deaths and disappeared. Her father Luomen might be able to come but Basen, Mrs. Chue, Lihaku and anyone else would never be able to see them again. Secondly, Maomao herself has said she sees death as a cop-out for escaping the fallout to problems you have caused.

"I hate it when people think everything's over just because they're dead!" It was as good as refusing to face the consequences of whatever you had done.

This to me is the biggest indicator this likely won't be the ending. It's interesting to consider and could bring back some fun appearances from early novel plots but I agree that given Maomao and Jinshi's character they're not much for disappearing and leaving others to handle the mess.

Grand Commandant and Court Physician ending - This is personally the most satisfying end for Jinmao I can imagine right now. Basically if Jinshi renounces his title as Moon Prince and Maomao accepts her role in the La Clan then they go on to get married with Jinshi being brought into the family, he could take on her clan name. From there, Lakan could step down as Grand Commandant and have Jinshi take the role. This would be optimal for both as Lakan appears to enjoy the strategy involved in military affairs but often delegates the rest of his work to his aids. He has found Jinshi interesting and should like to have a son-in-law who will take his position so he can retire to play Go games which is what I imagine.

To his surprise the eccentric strategist was there, lying on a couch and drinking from a gourd. To all appearances he was quite at his ease, but a secretary placed some paperwork sheet by sheet on a table and gave Lakan a stamp to press on them.

Being Grand Commandant would also give Jinshi the ability to back up the Emperor's son with Gyokuyou while not being his enemy. Jinshi has had a clear interest in the military from having the training, to when he stormed the Shi clan stronghold himself and then has wanted to boost the ranks of the military but been denied given that his current position is mostly in name and he has to go through others to do the things he wishes in the government. It also removes Lakan as such the fearsome threat against the Emperor and puts his son in the position whom he trusts.

When the younger brother had at last appeared, though, it turned out that he was as beautiful and as gossamer as a celestial nymph-and that he was also a hale young man as skilled in the military arts as the administrative.

As for Maomao, her accepting her place in the La Clan is integral to both her and Jinshi potentially being free from the grip of Imperial politics. Ironically this whole time Jinshi has been taking the burden on himself to find ways of removing the obstacles for both of them by getting himself taken out of the line of succession. It would prove to me to be funny if it turns out that Maomao accepting a noble position is the key to both of them finding actual freedom.

From my perspective if she becomes the La Princess not just in others recognizing she is outwardly but taking on the Clan name and what comes with it, I think it could open other possibilities for her and Jinshi. Like I said above she and he could get married if he was no longer royalty and he could take on her clan name, as we've seen that men can be welcomed into a wife's family and become the head of that family.

The position itself would bring her a noble status, which she could then use to work in the circles Jinshi would be in as Grand Commandant. For instance, if he is no longer considered a threat to the Emperor, he could also put forward more initiatives like he used to in the rear palace like helping the women read but along the lines of potentially having female physicians. I think the Emperor would accept without a problem, he merely needed someone who was respected with in the Imperial Court and who could make a reasoned argument for it to present the idea.

If Maomao then becomes a Court Physician in her own right she can still see Empress Gyokuyou and treat her as a doctor without having to be her lady-in-waiting or her servant and not being able to have a connection to Jinshi. She could be friends with the Empress again because she has her own established position which finally removes her biggest fear that has driven so much of Jinshi's efforts to remove himself as a potential successor.

Finally, I find this possible ending to be the most satisfying because what Maomao and Jinshi want most is to help people. And a place they can be where they have the best ability to help people is where they would thrive the best.

"You're only human, Master Jinshi. You're not some mythical immortal who can save everyone." She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. "You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human."

Being Emperor and Empress would only stifle them because as we see with the current sovereigns there is a lot they cannot do and their hands are tied by relations with foreign nations and keeping friendly terms in the palace itself. Being commoners wouldn't work either because as we have seen with Maomao, having to constantly work and scrape for very little causes a defeatism of feeling like you're not able to do much for others or improve life for yourself.

Sadly but truthfully, Luomen won't be around forever and to me Maomao will find happiness taking over for him as Court Physician and working with the Quack in the Medical Office where she's comfortable and able to help the ladies and others, plus she'll always have access to the best medicines and can visit her Verdigris House family at any time. This ending also brings back the feeling of the early novels where Jinshi can peek in on her in the medical office after he's finished his paperwork as Commandant but this time they're able to go get chicken skewers together and have the freedom as husband and wife.

He wished he could have gotten her tucked into bed sooner, with a nice, soft blanket around her. She hadn’t been able to resist her first sleep in days, and she looked as comfortable as if she were in a pleasant bath.

Here they're both able to work, doing something they enjoy but freed from troublesome entanglements, all the while finding new ways to improve the lives of others. That's a happy ending to me.

Lastly, I don't see it having them be together and fade-to-black, I think we'll know some of what their future holds. To me the idea of being open-ended is more, the possibility for further adventures to be had. So we can see them get married, have jobs and be happy but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more, there just wouldn't be at the time we leave them because they've achieved a certain peace for the moment.

That was longer than I intended it to be 😂 but fun to write and explore the different endings. Thanks so much for the question!

[julietcpulet]

There’s a few times like that in the novels. Like when they talk about cat Maomao’s feet and say “toe beans” I doubt if they’d use that term historically 😂 not sure if it’s translation error or the author trying to show it’s more alternate history than actual history because this isn’t directly historical China. Because Maomao does curse like a modern woman in a way I wouldn’t expect a woman of that time to either.

Okay this feels a bit weird right ? Like, I don't know if this is the translation or the original but talking about geeking out in alternate historical setting is weird right ?

[julietcpulet]

I know that some British people take umbrage at Americans calling the Great British Bake Off relaxing, but it's just because GBBO is such a different kind of stressful from American baking shows.

American baking shows will be called something like "Cupcake Knife Fight", there's horror movie lighting everywhere and dramatic stings every 5 seconds. All of the contestants are shit talking each other and fist fighting over the one single deep fryer provided by production. It will show the judges all whispering to each other at their super villain table overlooking the whole kitchen, and one will be like, "Oh my god. Everyone look at Brenda right now. She's straight tanking it." And it will cut to Brenda, who is running around covered in flour and crying and also bleeding for some reason. Then you get a clip from an interview with one of the contestants, and they're like, "I really need to win this. Without this award money, I'm gonna need to close my restaurant, sell my dad, and live out of my car. AGAIN." Then the giant digital doomsday clock overhead lets out a horrid klaxon, the judges tell half of them that their cupcakes taste disgusting, and one of them gets eliminated and sent to walk down the dramatically-lit shame hallway never to be seen again.

Meanwhile GBBO is in a lovely, brightly colored tent, there are delightful and friendly hosts/jesters there to keep everyone entertained, and all of the B Roll is of like... a bumblebee going into a flower, or a lamb running in a field. And yes, there will be moments where someone will mess up their timing or something, and they'll be looking at their bake through the oven door like, "oh gosh I don't think this will rise in time!" Then they stand up to find Paul Hollywood directly behind them ominously. His creepy whitewalker eyes will glow white, and he'll say something like "the 12th of June. 2035. Drowning." And his eyes will go back to normal and he'll walk away. Then the baker gives a playful grimace to the camera and says "that didnt sound great, did it?". Cut to a sweet looking older woman sipping tea on a stool and she says "oo I do hope that Prue enjoys the taste of my sugary, sticky baps!". Then, at the end, someone gets a gold star for doing good, and the loser of the episode gets in the middle of a giant group hug. You see all of them at the end of the series at a giant carnival with their families and the post credits informs you that all of the contestants have become a Partridge Family-style traveling band and stayed friends forever.

[julietcpulet]

[julietcpulet]

Into the mist of Mt. Rainier

elliothawkey

[julietcpulet]

(Spoilers) “I am her knight…now and forever!” Sir Louis 🥹. I was a little disappointed he wasn’t doing much for most of the episode but having him come in last minute to rescue Sophia like that, even when he’s already so busted up, loved it.

The finale was cute and I liked the resolution to the overall plot but for me Louis and Sophia were the highlight for me. Them discussing their futures and wanting to stay by each other’s side is so sweet 💕 it was simply refreshing to see a couple portrayed as equally committed to one another without constant indecision.

I don’t expect this to have a season 2 but that’s ok, this was just a cozy, fun anime and ended up being a surprise favorite from this season.

[julietcpulet]

spring beauty 🐈 🌸

[julietcpulet]

Can we PLEASE talk about Maomao giving Jinshi MIXED SIGNALS instead of flat out rejecting his advances? Jinshi is under fire constantly for forcing his advances on Maomao but I don't think Maomao has ever said NO to his face. Now, one could argue that this isn't befitting of her status as Jinshi is an Imperial member, so saying no would be disrespectful... but SHE knows who Jinshi is. She knows Jinshi would NEVER force her if he knew she didn't want it, so then why is she hiding behind her "I'm a commoner" excuse? Why not just tell him that she isn't interested? Instead of saying some vague shit like "it could NEVER work between us!" when she knows DAMN WELL, Jinshi will do ANYTHING to achieve his goals. She has witnessed firsthand in the rear palace how committed he is to see things through the end, so it doesn't really make sense for her to do all this unless a part of her secretly wants Jinshi to try. Not to mention the amount of times she's actually shown care for him PUBLICLY. Jinshi is just as confused as everyone else, so why is he getting flamed for trying to pursue the woman he likes who's done nothing but constantly give him hope?

Whew, putting me on the spot with this one 😅

I’m not sure if you’ve read the light novels so I’m going to just address this kind of broadly without trying to spoil anything or without light novel quotations. I’ll take it that you’ve at least seen the anime so I’ll use some moments from there and hopefully be able to address everything with that.

So, about Maomao sending mixed signals, it actually fits in perfectly with her characterization as an unreliable narrator. Basically, this means we can’t always trust what she’s saying because she often deliberately deceives herself, acts as if she knows nothing when she does or has no feelings when the opposite is true. This makes watching her behavior all that more important than listening to the words she says. This factors in to her relationship with Jinshi immensely as she never truly puts off his advances because as she begins to know who he truly is underneath the masks, she does develop feelings for him. Her actions speak louder than her words do. Her accepting more of Jjnshi’s touch, looking calm in his presence, seeking out his help with problems like Lishu’s ghost. She goes to and thinks about him without much realizing it and that is the telling factor in the honesty of her feelings beneath what she may say. If people take Maomao at face value they miss the genuineness of her character underneath and the beauty of her developing relationship with Jinshi.

You’re right that Maomao doesn’t ever come out and tell Jinshi no to his pursuit of her affection. To me there are several progressive reasons for this:

1. In the beginning Maomao deceives herself he couldn’t be interested in her to that degree due to their separation in status. Also, she does have deep seated insecurities related to her looks and being a servant so Jinshi’s interest merely doesn’t seem realistic to her, as such she doesn’t feel the need to turn him down. Even when they are in the cave together and have become so much closer she continues to make statements about them having a “master / servant” relationship when they have gone past that. She doesn’t entertain he could see her any other way so to her his feelings can be dismissed.

2. As things progress she sees his advances as his “childish behavior” which is a part of him she grows to know as his true self. This in turn brings her to develop genuine affection and feelings. However due to her own denial she cannot voice said feelings aloud or express them in a normal way but neither does she want to reject what to her has become a connection she feels safe and familiar with in Jinshi. This means she isn’t going to reject him outright and her outward actions such as not moving away when he touches her or making faces shows her growing comfort with him. As in the last episode she says she “missed this atmosphere” she had only when Jinshi is with her.

3. Finally, a part of Maomao at this point in the narrative (if you’re only at the Shi clan part of the anime) is starting to develop feelings but lacks understanding of herself enough to grasp the depth of them or how to express that at all. Due to her rough upbringing with her parents history and being raised by sisters who loved her in their own way but didn’t know how to fully meet her needs, she’s had to suppress much of her emotions her whole life. As such she lacks the ability yet to be clear about what she wants, needs or feels about a given person or situation. Even though it was clear she was beginning to understand Jinshi was royalty for some time, she dismissed it purposefully. She does the same thing with her own emotions. She won’t say no to his feelings because at this point she’s come to have her own kind of appreciation for being on the receiving end of them but lacks the capacity still to reciprocate, even if her affection is growing.

For Maomao it isn’t about her secretly hiding behind excuses or wanting Jinshi to fight for her like women who expect men to win their affections. In her case it’s that both she and Jinshi have a distorted sense of what love is and are learning together at the same time. She’s not keeping her feelings from him on purpose, she doesn’t understand them herself and ironically, it’s Jinshi’s unfailing pursuit of her that helps her open up to a better understanding of her own emotions to where eventually she can stop running and confront what she feels for him.

As for people being upset with Jinshi’s pursuit of her despite how uninterested she may seem, that is due to a lack of comprehension regarding the nuance of their dynamic. We see time and time again that Maomao has no problem with the ways in which Jinshi treats her despite her protests. This is further evidence of her ability to say one thing and mean another. She will talk of being put off by Jinshi involving her in his buisness, yet she’s the one going ten times as hard to solve the problems once involved, also sometimes making her own problems and involving him afterward. If people do not grasp that Maomao has a knack for self-deception than they will miss all the important aspects of how she relates to people in the plot.

Also, due to modern sentiments, people take things too much at face value with Jinshi seeming like the typical man who won’t take a hint and Maomao the exasperated woman getting hit on by a guy she has no interest in. This isn’t the case at all between them pretty early on. Maomao is put-off by him more at first due to his sparkly persona as the palace nymph because she discerns how fake it is quickly and doesn’t like it when he acts that way. He continues to pursue her because she’s the one woman who notices his beauty but also sees the person beneath any mask he puts on and sees his value beyond how he looks. So anyone who speaks badly of Jinshi is usually looking at his actions through a basic modern lense and not taking the time to see the depth woven into the story.

Overall Maomao isn’t trying to lead Jinshi on and he knows this. It’s why she’s often frustrated with him because he can read her so well. So his pursuit of her isn’t unfounded. What is seen as her initial resistance quickly turns into a soft affection which is where the anime is at currently. Hope this answers some of your questions and clears up Maomao’s feelings towards Jinshi a bit 😄

[julietcpulet]

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season (The Apothecary Diaries Season 2) - June Visual

[julietcpulet]

[julietcpulet]

What do u think is the difference between the Apothecary diaries world and our current world's reality? Is the modern world we live in now, capitalistic as a primary? What do you think Jinshi and Maomao's position would be in our world? Given that our world would be more technologically dependant for AI revolution, after 5 years.

These are some interesting questions! I’ll try my best to answer but Ill admit I’m not the best at in-world to modern stuff as I tend to do speculations on in-world plots most. (Spoilers below)

Our world is based in capitalism and I would argue that the world of Apothecary Diaries is also. Even though they have an agricultural system and the Imperial Dynasty holds relationships with other nations through trade, there is still the capitalist mindset in the often everyday dealings of the populace. Take for instance how Maomao often seeks to find ways to make a profit herself. Like when she receives all of the Go books from Lakan in LN 8 and makes a deal with En’en to find the best way to increase supply and demand to turn a profit. The same goes for her stall at the Verdigris House where she doesn’t just give away free medical services. Also Maomao mentions how the madam of the House finds ways to turn her own profit by increasing the value of a deal through Maomao or bargaining for the best with other merchants, something Maomao herself does when she’s seen to go about her purchasing. These are all evidences of a capitalist mindset even if the society itself in the novels may be more trade oriented as a whole.

People want to say having that completion in a capitalist society or private ownership is a bad thing but I don’t agree, even for the world of the novels, without competition there would be no push to make a better product for the populace. Again in LN 8 when Maomao takes Yao to a store where she can purchase makeup and discovers that there are shelves empty due to the risk of toxic face powder, this woman’s business has succeeed without it because she makes superior product. It’s said that others are still selling the poisoned product because either they lack money or are unscrupulous but without the competition for better people wouldn’t have been pushed to stop using what may have been harmful to turn a profit, instead they had to come up with newer and better solutions which only happened because of the capitalist system. In this way I think Apothecary Diaries shows a good mix of our modern world and the historical one since there is still a basis in the government setting prices based on agricultural yield while at the same time the people have no problems using supply and demand along with private holding of products to increase the value of their own goods.

As for what Maomao and Jinshi would be in the modern world, this is just fun speculation or really fanfic cause speculation is more based in actual plot and this is just me making stuff up haha. I’m actually drawing from a Reddit post I saw awhile back and liked their idea so I’ll expand upon that. It started with Jinshi being the son of a hospital CEO and Maomao a nurse practitioner at the hospital. Given the general storyline Jinshi would be pushed into administration despite not wanting to take over as the CEO. Currently he’s working as a Resident in the hospital and is Maomao’s boss. She’s seeking to become a doctor and her adopted father, Luomen, is the owner of a holistic medicine facility where she learned a lot of her early medicine. Her mother is a terminal cancer patient she’s been treating on one of the lower floors in service to her grams who she isn’t related to but helped raise her along with her three “sisters”. They all work at a local drinking establishment and live in a series of connected apartments above it. Her biological father Lakan is the CEO of a pharmaceutical research facility and would like Maomao to come and work for him which she rejects but she does occasionally volunteer to be the test subject for the company’s latest drug trials. That’s as far as I get in modern AU speculation 😂 I don’t tend to do very good with fanfic so I hope that’s not terrible and some of what you were looking for haha.

As for their use of technology or AI, I think both would probably reject it. Maomao has always been such a hands on person. She doesn’t like to take shortcuts or feel like she hasn’t been thorough in examining every aspect of a case presented to her. Like in LN 7 when she suspected the shrine maiden was going to commit suicide, she put the poisoned spoon in her own mouth. We could argue this is her own funny proclivity to test the medicine because she wants to feel its effects but also I think it’s her desire to be sure of her own conclusions by testing the method herself vs just stating it without conclusive evidence. Technology wouldn’t give her the proof she’d always be looking for.

Jinshi is much the same way. Part of the reason he’s so overworked once he takes over his role as the Moon Prince is because he has a hard time delegating difficult tasks to subordinates and believes it inappropriate to do so. I don’t think he’d view it as ok to let AI do parts of his work or even certain technological advancements help him unless it’s only like spell check because he’d be too concerned about lives being at risk given the importance of his assignments due to his station. Jinshi wants to be assured that if he puts his name to something he’s done it right and been diligent in taking care of all aspects of the situation. I doubt technology would give him that sense and would probably make him feel as if he’d taken unnecessary shortcuts.

So overall no I don’t think Maomao or Jinshi would use much technology or AI given their personalities and commitment related to their work. They’re both simply too devoted to making sure they come to the right conclusions and don’t risk other people in the process. I feel they wouldn’t want to involve technology as it takes away that human element which allows for deeper reasoning and thoughtfulness vs easy answers.

Thanks for the thoughtful questions! Hopefully my answers covered the bases somewhat 😆

[julietcpulet]

(Spoilers) The story of Jinshi’s family only gets crazier when you think of how he and his father only have a 16 year age gap. Same goes for Ah-Duo. They’re both 36/37 and Jinshi is 20/21 (as of the latest light novel). So they would’ve been around 16 when the Emperor called her to his chamber and then she bore Jinshi. People get up in arms about Lishu being a baby in the beginning of the anime when she’s 14, Ah-Duo was only 2 years older when she had Jinshi. This makes it all the more tragic when you consider how Ah-Duo felt the Emperor disrespected her wishes and made her come to him though she only saw him as a friend. She felt he stole something from her and it changed their relationship forever but even she acknowledges that his freedom was taken away as well and he wanted comfort. Ultimately it’s a story of 3 young people who are thrust into a world of power and politics way too early, I think the difference here between Ah-Duo, the Emperor and Jinshi is that where they simply fell into their roles and have yet to figure a way to break them, Jinshi is fighting to remain his own person and not pull anyone else into the chaos that is the palace.

[julietcpulet]

she is beauty, she is grace

[julietcpulet]

what’s your “odd” comfort movie? a movie that isn’t stereotypically comforting but does comfort YOU? mine’s conclave (2024)

[julietcpulet]

Part of me is really rooting for the Romeo and Juliet ending but with success for them, it’s been hinted at a couple times and I could see Hyuuga pulling it off.

I think i said this before (or something similar) but I think the happiest ending Maomao and Jinshi could have would be them faking their deaths and living far away from the capital city (not like the western capital tho naybe somewhere south or west when they dont have trauma)

[julietcpulet]

Hi! It's me again 🤣

Thanks for the solid response! I appreciate it. It reminded me of what Joka said to Maomao in Volume 13, where she emphasized that Maomao shouldn't just be content with receiving in the relationship, but that she also had to become her best self. I believe Joka's words instigated Maomao's actions (as also seen in Volume 5). Maybe my interpretation of the situation is mistaken for taking her attitude toward her blood clan at face value. But to be fair, her dislike for nobility, status, and her clan has been consistent for the past 16 volumes, which is why it just felt so sudden to me that she started behaving like one out of nowhere. Especially when in Volume 14 she still states she does not consider herself part of the La clan.

I think the reason this strikes me as unfair is because Jinshi faces a similar predicament. Both of them dislike being forced into certain positions (the throne for Jinshi and the La Clan's Princess for Maomao), yet we root for them for different outcomes. We want Jinshi to be abdicated, so why do we want Maomao to accept her "rightful" place? I know it's essential for her growth and character, but something about this just seems to rub me the wrong way.

Then again, if they were to strip away their noble relations, they would simply become commoners, and I'm not really a fan of that ending. Maomao even brings this up with him in Volume 16, though my knowledge is based solely on leaks. This is why I agree with your point about them making compromises for their relationship. Part of me believes Maomao is willing to make this compromise only because Jinshi's love for her is overwhelming (for her), making her feel she has nothing else to offer in return (LN 12). But also because it comes with many benefits career-wise.

In fact, I think the next hurdle Maomao has to face is her communication with Jinshi. She's willing to take this risk and accept his feelings, but I don't think he's aware of how far Maomao is actually willing to go. He still doesn't want to inconvenience her, which is why he's willing to let her go if the worst-case scenario happens. Perhaps the answer to their problems will be the same: they'd get married, not as a royal nor a commoner, but somewhere in-between (still nobility). A compromise.

I am so sorry this became long but I really love reading your analysis for this series, so I just had to turn to you! I hope you don't mind.

Oh I don’t mind at all, so glad you liked the response! And don’t worry about long responses, as you can see I have no problem with writing haha, just may take me a bit to reply cause I want to be thorough 😄 (Spoilers below)

To me the reason there’s no unfairness in Maomao’s elevation vs Jinshi’s demotion is because of what each position does for the person. Where it’s been clearly shown that Jinshi will only be destroyed as the Emperor due to his kindness, like Maomao noticing he loses sleep and overworks himself, Maomao is elevated by being in the La clan, she thrives at being able to provide things for herself and to move amidst these higher ranks where before she couldn’t without having to seek out someone else’s assistance.

Also I think the reason we root for Jinshi to not be Emperor is because, while he has good leadership qualities, the palace is a source of constant strife and a lack of meaningful relationships for him. He doesn’t even know his true relationship to his parents and his once more friendly back and forth with Gyokuyou is now contentious because she wants Maomao back in her service but believes he’s making that difficult in pursuing her as a wife. And of course the biggest relationship hindrance between him and Maomao, where they’re unable to marry and have children because of the risks to her life and him being sucked into succession talks which has kept him from being as affectionate with her as he’d like to be out of respect. So we look at his situation and see only misery and obligation keeping him there where he is vs if he were to walk away or at least take a lesser position he could be free to be with the woman he loves and maybe surrounded by genuine friends and relationships.

For Maomao in contrast entering the clan comes with being surrounded by family who are welcoming to her even if it’s an odd dynamic. She and Lahan’s brother are on good terms, Lahan functions as a brother and they bicker like siblings even if she wants to act like she doesn’t like him all the time and Lakan is her father who is willing to dote on her despite not being best at understanding her, not to mention Luomen who would then officially become her family not just by adoption. I do also really see her rejection of the status as her personality quirk of continual denial when most of the time she’s already doing said thing she denies. Like knowing who Jinshi was when she kept saying she didn’t know. She already has functioned in her capacity with the La Clan several times just fine and is even developing a taste for the finer things yet continually says she doesn’t like it or is against being nobility. As I mentioned I think this is because there are more personal reasons why she wouldn’t want to accept, like feeling separated from the Verdigris House or what she’s become accustomed to than it is necessarily the position itself.

This is all speculation on my part of course and I don’t know what the author’s real intentions with the plots are but I also think this is one of those times where Apothecary Diaries does good flipping things on its head. Where we expect to see the man in power have all the enjoyment and privilege but he’s actually the most miserable and we want him to get out of that position due to his lack of freedom and ability to have fulfilling relationships. On the flip side we expect that the serving woman would have the saddest life with no possibilities but that isn’t the case. Maomao so far has been the most free of the two of them and the one with the possibility for advancement open to her so we want her to succeed and take those opportunities so she can have the life she wants. To me that’s the deeper aspect to this Jinshi leaving royalty and Maomao stepping in story is the underlying dynamic of really upending our expectations about who has real freedom and not taking everything at face value.

As for Maomao entering the La clan as a compromise because she sees Jinshi’s love as overwhelming compared to her own and she’s not sure what she can give, I do get that sentiment and I think if she could believe this were a compromise on her part to meet him where he’s trying to do so much for her and them to be together, that could be a good thing and not a bad one. It would show she’s willing to do something uncomfortable and put herself in a position she may not like as much for the sake of someone else who’s been doing the same for her for years at this point, which Jinshi has. The idea would be that in her doing this it could help them both find a way out that’s mutually beneficial. Love doesn’t always mean one side takes all the discomfort and the other all the ease, if both sides can bear some burden then it’s less stress for both. So if Maomao entering the La Clan would be a way for her to alleviate Jinshi’s struggles in the palace as they work towards a solution, I’m all for that. Obviously he doesn’t see her feelings as less in any way and so she doesn’t need to do anything to prove something to him but gestures can be meaningful whether the person needs them or not.

Overall, from a fairness point of view, I like this moment in LN 10 where it’s honest that between the two of them she’s the one less fair than Jinshi:

Jinshi was a man who could have had anything and everything he desired. And yet, he was such a straight shooter that it caused him to beat around the bush like this. He didn’t want to take the shortest route to what he wanted, but the one that would be best for the other person. Too bad that doesn’t exist here. So it was that Maomao pretended not to know, even though she did. Not fair of her at all.

He’s just wishing he could hold her here but dismisses it again out of not wanting to be inappropriate and she feigns ignorance when she really does know what he was looking for. It shows that their whole dynamic is centered around him working hard to do what’s right by her when he could’ve gotten things the easy way but chose not to. She respects that, even if it frustrates her at times his lack of openness about what he wants and she has a hard time finding ways to reciprocate until later. The story does good showing that there’s a balance between them that works for them but in these rare moments we can admit that Maomao is often on the better end of the deal than Jinshi is and he sacrifices a lot for her benefit. So if she in turn would choose to do the same at some point for him, say like joining the La Clan if she truly does consider it distasteful and isn’t simply being deflective, that just would go to show the kind of growth she’s gone through and how she’s emotionally developed to be even more selfless towards someone and reciprocate those feelings she was worried she could never feel, like love.

Completely agree on your last point about their relationship. I think once we see them truly communicate with each other on how far they’re actually willing to go for one another we might see the final conclusion be worked out then. Right now they’re both doing so much for each other but neither one knows it, ironically. But this has been their fatal flaw since day one, not being able to be upfront with each other, they dance around until finally one gets too tired, over the edge or blurts something out and then finally their feelings are revealed. Troubled pasts make for complicated futures. All in all though it’s sweet because they want the other to be happy and are working towards that end in such a selfless way without putting themselves first but it’s funny that if they’d just tell each other they might come to a solution good for both of them 😂 I agree though I don’t necessarily want them to be commoners in the end, somewhere in-between would be best for where they’ve gotten used to and could help people which is what they both seem to really want, not complete obscurity just normalcy.