With the show’s huge cast and an equally dizzying array of roles in the court, some are asking “Who are the concubines in The Apothecary Diaries?”.
The first season’s second half shifts Maomao to the outer court where she serves under Jinshi, meaning her investigations don’t concern the emperor’s consorts.
From the looks of it though, the concubines will play a bigger role once again in the anime’s new arc.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for The Apothecary Diaries, so proceed with caution.
The Role of Concubines in the Imperial Court, Explained
As The Apothecary Diaries is loosely based on Imperial China, concubines in the series’ story seem to be similar to their real-life historical counterparts.
In the context of the emperor, his high-ranking concubines (or consorts as they’re officially designated) are women with whom he has a relationship but are not his wives.
Concubines, at least the high-ranking ones, are expected to bear the emperor's children. As such, they are housed in the inner court and are served by attendants.
The emperor in The Apothecary Diaries has a lot of concubines, though most of these are middle consorts who do not get his attention.
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Who Are the Concubines in The Apothecary Diaries?
When talking about concubines in the series, the four highest-ranking imperial consorts are usually what fans have in mind. Each of these concubines has a unique title and residence.
Gyokuyou - The Precious Consort
The first is Gyokuyou, who resides in the Jade Pavilion. She should be familiar to fans as Maomao served as her official taster in the earlier part of the story.
Gyokuyou is noted to be beautiful, with long red hair. She has also proven to be kind and personable, as she can navigate the politics of the rear palace. This makes her one of the emperor’s favorites.
Lihua - The Pure Consort
Next is Lihua, whose residence is the Garnet Pavilion. Lihua was the center of an earlier arc as Maomao saved her from the poisonous powder that her lady-in-waiting continued applying to her.
Lihua has a more serious personality, though she does have a softer side to her, which the emperor admires.
Lishu - The Virtuous Consort
Then, there’s Lishu, who resides in the Diamond Pavilion. She is the youngest of the four high consorts, and as such, she isn’t visited by the emperor.
Lishu played a big role in one of the earlier arcs as someone tried to poison her. It was also revealed that she was formerly the consort of the previous emperor.
Loulan - The Wise Consort
Finally, Loulan is the current Wise Consort residing in the Crystal Pavilion. Loulan was introduced in the anime only in the second half.
She will play a bigger role in the story soon based on the light novel’s events, but for now, Loulan has only been shown to be rather aloof. This is based on Maomao’s special lesson for the consorts.
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Ah-Duo - The Former Wise Consort
Loulan is the second Wise Consort. The previous was Ah-Duo, the childhood friend of the emperor who was soon ousted from her position as she was unable to produce an heir.
Ah-Duo may not be in the court anymore, but she remains a central figure in one of the series’ biggest mysteries.
You’ll see more of the other concubines in the next Apothecary Diaries episode, which will be released next week.
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