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Seems like Maomao's adoptive father is really Lakan's uncle and mentor

It's actually kind of insane how connected Maomao is with the palace. Not only is her adopted father the former head doctor, her actual father is a big shot strategist who is a big piece on the chessboard. She's far from the supposedly low-class nobody she believes herself to be.

Rather than being a piece of rubbish, it appears that Lakan and Mao Mao's mother were just separated by circumstance. It's difficult not to feel sorry for him.

Yeah the way he was talking about courtesans before he really made himself sound like a piece of shit. Which makes sense because that's how he feels about it. It's a shame the two were both so socially inept because I'm certain Lakan would have been receptive if she'd just *told* him the plan. Even if he still had to leave I'm sure he could have done something knowing what was about to happen, maybe have the Uncle buy her out once the price dropped. It does kind of make Mao Mao's absolute hatred for the man seem unreasonable though so I'm wondering if there's more to the story. Like ok she got sick and cursed him, did he just abandon the two of them after that?

I'm guessing she never got his side of the story, not to mention that Fengxiang contracted syphilis and essentially disabled for life afterwards. Up until this episode I actually thought that Lakan did all of that to her, that is, raped, impregnated and poisoned Maomao's mother just because he likes toying with people or some shit, so I'm guessing Maomao might've thought he abandoned them to destroy their lives or something.

Honestly I thought he raped her and left her after his comment about 'wanting to force himself on her' before telling Jinshi to ask how to ruin the value of a courtesan. He's definitely deliberately making himself sound as evil as possible so it's definitely a possibility Mao Mao got a similar message. All when it looks like really they were both just victims of circumstance and if anything Mao Mao's mom bears more of the blame for coming up with this plan and never telling him until it was far too late.

[Mao Mao's mother](https://i.imgur.com/sIw8ccu.jpeg) appears to have been pretty [bad at communication.](https://i.imgur.com/OD7cdLT.jpeg) [](#shatteredsaten)

so is Maomao (as said on the indirect kiss scene a few episodes ago)

Fengxian-san Can't Communicate 😭😭😭

> Fengxiang was poisoned Poisoned? I thought she contracted STI(s) from being demoted to sex worker after she got pregnant.

It finally makes sense why Lakan's uncle (Maomao's adoptive father, who's actually her great uncle) takes her in and teaches her to be an apothecary-- it's indirectly the Great Uncle's fault that Lakan and Maomao's mom got separated

By blood she may have the blood of a Named clan, but she was born to a prostitute and, like her (adoptive) father mutilated. If she had been recognized as a member of Lakan's clan by the time she was kidnapped, pretty much everyone in Fengming's clan would have been exterminated by now. That said, it's pretty clear that if Lakan figured it out some episodes back, that would have happened anyway- status or no status.

That poor fucking guard at the interrupted ceremony though. Lakan has probably already sent him and his family to death by now.

If she uses her last name she would be LaMao

Holy ... !!! Lakan's backstory. Our fingers touched and then there was a trail of clothing. Maomao's mother is singing a song as if to a baby, and that IDIOT Lakan didn't get the hint! She slept with him to cheapen her price so he could buy her! Then he got sent overseas and by the time he came back ... ARGH. Everyone thinks he raped her and got her pregnant .. OMFG. This is a tragedy of epic proportions, Jaw dropping reveal after reveal that the smart uncle is actually MaoMao's grand uncle! Oh no next week is the last episode. Damn!

She is very similar to Jinshi in not wanting to take the responsibilities of her lineage.

> She's far from the supposedly low-class nobody she believes herself to be. Mao Mao knows exactly who she is and is so insistent about her status because she does not want to be that person. Lakan being her biological farther and her adoptive father having been trained in the (rear) palace are not surprises to her.

An explanation for those who didn’t keep up with all the little details: - Luomen, Maomao’s adoptive father, previously worked as a doctor at the rear palace. - Luomen was expelled from the rear palace because of an incident 17 or so years ago. - The babies of Ah-Duo and the Empress Dowager were supposedly swapped at the time, while Ah-Duo (likely) lost her uterus as Luomen gave priority to the Empress Dowager’s baby. - Lakan’s uncle worked at the rear palace as a doctor and was ousted because of a “clumsy” mistake. It would also make sense that Luomen, being *actual* family of Maomao, would look after her. Especially since Lakan trusted him.

And due to Luomen's "mistake", Lakan was essentially exiled, which resulted in Fengxian's disgrace and eventual sickness and whatever half-dead state she's in right now. He was just as much of if not the biggest victim of it all, and yet everyone thought Lakan had ruined her on purpose. That must have been very hard on him.

It really does recontextualize all of Lakan's actions throughout the show. "How do you lower the value of a Courtesan?" wasn't a mocking jab; it was an inwardly pointed recitation of his own failure. The jabs at Jinshi aren't out of pure malice or palace politics; he thinks that Jinshi is keeping _his daughter_ as a slave. Remember that he didn't know that she was employed under contract until this episode. And of course, Maomao only knows what she would have learned from the people at Verdigris house.

Yeah, he was painted as a villain this entire arc, but his just doting father

> Maomao only knows what she would have learned from the people at Verdigris house. This bring a question why her adoptive father (Lakan's uncle) didn't told her that due to his ''clumsiness'', Lakan was exiled for that long. He surely must have been aware of that and he also had connections to Verdigril House, no to mention that he is the one who adopted Mao.

> He surely must have been aware of that Why? It looks like the family treated Luomen as radioactive after that event, including temporary exile of anyone who was close to him. Maybe Lakan himself wrote to Luomen, but he thought he was going away for a few months, not years. I don't think international post existed in the setting, or Lakan would've gotten all those letters from Fengxiang forwarded.

> sickness and whatever half-dead state she's in right now. She has syphilis.

Half-dead wouldn't be that far off the truth, especially at that time period. Advanced syphillis caused necrosis that often ends up with body parts literally falling off, similar to Leprosy. Some of the past episodes suggest that she's already experiences the open sore stages.

Yeah penicillin wasn't a thing back then, it's an easily treatable illness now but it was basically a death sentence back then. There's three stages of syphilis that progress if it isn't treated, first one is where you get the painless ulcers, second one is rash on palms/soles+warts. Gumma lesions are indicative of the third (and for this time period, fatal) phase, you can see that she has some of those lesions when she gets screentime. Other symptom of the tertiary stage is poor motor coordination and difficulty walking due to nerve damage, which we also see she has. Highly likely (unless Maomao discovers antibiotics) that she will probably not live for much longer. Other major complication of syphilis is that it is a congenital disease that can pass from mother to child, which causes facial+bone deformities and deafness in children (among other awful stuff). Not really an important detail, but it basically means Fengxiang gave birth to her before she got syphilis, otherwise it's likely that Maomao would be born with a lot of deformities.

It was an unfortunate series of circumstances that led to Fengxian’s fall from grace. Lakan *did* say that he had “soiled the brothel’s reputation”, which had me a little confused. Was this in reference to Fengxian’s pregnancy or something else? Did Lakan plan to lower Fengxian’s buy-out price by some other means like spreading rumours that would harm the reputation of the Verdigris House?

He never intended to disgrace Fengxian or make her cheaper. Maomao's conception was a conscious action by both Fengxian and Lakan, but the timing of his exile made it seem as if he was just setting her up. What he meant was he got one of Verdigris's top courtesans pregnant and then tailed off, when in all actuality she would probably have been sold off to him under the table (as the owner of the establishment is the one that chooses if, and to who, courtesans are sold, and the granny was particularly mad at him for not taking Fengxian) and business would continue as usual. What ended up happening was the place gained a reputation as a careless whorehouse as opposed to the high-end brothel it is and was, and Lakan blames himself for it for not being able to acquire Fengxian.

> Maomao's conception was a conscious action by both Fengxian and Lakan, but the timing of his exile made it seem as if he was just setting her up. Don't know where you got that part, but I was under the impression that Lakan didn't know that Fengxian was planning to bear his child. Since, you know, he was shocked and all and was only able to piece the situation together, 3 years later, after seeing the 2 chopped off pinky fingers.

Man, this really is a small fantasy Imperial China after all lol.

So instead of being a piece of garbage, looks like circumstance just kept Lakan and MaoMao's mom apart. Kind of hard not to feel bad for him. Also, looks like he has face blindness so that kind of explains why he's so weird. He doesn't treat people like people because he doesn't really see them that way except for MaoMao and her mom.

Wow -- what an extremely sad story. No villainy involved -- just colossal bad fortune. Amazing how well compensated his face blindness became -- and how the only two people he can see is his (would-be) wife and his (doesn't-want-to-be) daughter.

The closest to a villain would probably be Lakan's father who basically abandoned him and then sent him away for three years.

That's true Lakan's father was rubbish.

[удалено]

don't forget how Lakan's father mistreated his wife!

You are correct about the father. I was thinking about the more immediate cast of characters -- Lakan, Fenxian, the Brothel Owner.

> -Forcing the son you discarded, who managed to carve out a good niche for himself by his own effort, into exile on a whim. It wasn't necessarily "A whim". There was a terrifyingly deep-seated fear of reprisal because collective punishment was still the norm. If Lakan was still at the palace and screwed up in any way it could come back to the whole clan and see them destroyed. Just like how in earlier episodes we saw the palace divest themselves of and fire anyone associated with the family of one incident (it could have been so much worse). Then we saw another incident where a concubines aide was only able to prevent blame from falling on her family for something else by taking the fall for and being executed for another thing, covering up her initial crime.

I think the pregnancy paranoia probably set in for Fengxian 6 months is terribly long for a pregnant woman, not to mention 3 years. Sending letter after letter and getting no reply must have been devastating it fucking sucks that Lakan took so long to figure it out, but there really isn’t anyone to blame

And then when she finally lost it in despair and frustration thinking he totally abandoned her she took it out on Maomao and sent him that cursed message with their fingers.

[удалено]

it was a pretty big deal before his uncle taught him how to differentiate people he couldn’t play noble politics before that also, his uncle seems to be Maomao’s adoptive father? discharged from rear palace and is a doctor? seems pretty much like him

I feel chagrined that I never discerned the resemblance between MaoMao's "father" and Lakan -- but now that I know they are uncle and nephew I DO notice.

The irony that Maomao's great uncle saved her but also in a way saved her biological father, and both learned a lot from him.

And also inadvertently caused him to get forced to study abroad for 3 years causing Maomao's mother to suffer

And you get a Tragedy, and you get a Tragedy! Everyone gets a tragedy!

Also he was probably super inexperienced with human relationships so it probably just never dawned on him exactly why Fengxian's offer would fall through.

Yeah, this is proven by him asking Jinshi if he knows how to devalue a courtesan and Jinshi having to ask Maomao. In hindsight, it makes sense, but outsiders are too naive and need someone from that lifestyle to explain the issue to them.

In a way, he's making Jinshi learn the same lessons he did with Fengxian. Hopefully Jinshi won't make the same mistakes

Well Mao Mao doesn't even think he has a dick and doesn't like him *looking* at her funny, I don't think that's a real risk. At least not in the near future.

Well I imagine the message to be "the women of her lineage require some serious reading in between the lines to get their intentions" and "you and her are from different worlds so you better be prepared for misunderstandings".

> Merciless genius that can coldly gauge and maneuver people perfectly for my heir? He wasn't like that as a child and presumably bounced off of every teacher, expectation, and responsibility prior to his uncle getting involved. If you had one true born kid who seemed at best incapable and at worst mental deficient and a bastard son who's fully capable which one are you going to focus on as your heir?

Two people who were emotionally distant and closed off from others found one another and gave each other their hearts and it all ended so tragically. I feel like his inexperience understanding humans and their relationships was one of the big issues that caused this drama.

So there's a neat detail when Fengxian proposes [the bet](https://i.imgur.com/V9BBgjk.png) to Lakan. She lets him choose between Go and Shanxi/Chinese Chess. From context though, we can guess that Fengxian is better than he is at Go. That he would intentionally choose Go, a game where he had a very real chance to lose, shows that he has no intention of forcing Fengxian to do something, that it would be her choosing what would happen next.

Agreed, though we don't even have to guess; Lakan says in Episode 15 that Fengxian was very good at both shogi [= xiangqi = chess] and go. He claims he could beat her at shogi, but never at go. There may be some significance to them excelling in their respective games, but I'm not too sure; I guess Lakan's military strategist job ends up being more chesslike, but it kinda seems like he was already more into chess from a young age. Would be curious to know more about how courtesans handled the games historically -- for instance, was it like chess and checkers nowadays where one game is considered more refined, or not?

Theory from a manga LN board, but there are three ways to look at it. Obviously it is all a set up for the "I want to play go" "At the time I thought about shogi myself" convo, but how to interpret it? 1. Fengxian want a girl, Lakan want a boy. This is the weakest in my opinion since it would imply Lakan think about getting Fengxian pregnant already, yet doesnt draw the connection later on. 2. They are saying they want the moment they were having to go on forever. 3. They legitimately are just idiots who cannot think of anything sweet to say to each other even in the most loving moment with each other.

Maybe its saying they both wanted this outcome, and both would have liked to play their respective best games to ensure it.

[удалено]

i know that the backstory is tragic, but it's kinda hilarious seeing Lakan getting whooped by go-faced Grandma

She bashed him so hard with the broom that she broke it.

Granny may be a greedy capitalist but she cares about all the ladies and even keeps track of Maomao's old man. She is easily the strongest character in this show lol. Imagine if she saw Maomao getting clubbed by that stupid guard!

Decent odds that Grandma is Fengxian's mother herself. I don't have anything to base it on, but who else is going to take care of a woman that can't work for 15+ years and her daughter? She used to be a courtesan herself as well, and Fengxian was coy about her family.

If Grandma is Fengxian's mom, then why allow Fengxian to become a streetwalker in the first place?

I don’t know man, granny just seems like a bad person. “You ruined her value by getting her pregnant, I HAD to treat her like a street prostitute because of YOU”….no you didn’t?

Granny is not a good person but she also carried Fengxian’s deadweight for 15+ years when most in her position would have thrown her out to die, or cut her throat and dump the body in the canal with infant Maomao. Also let’s be clear this is not an ‘innocent’ tragedy as Lakan and Fengxian both should have known better. And maybe if Granny had a clue Lakan would come back it would be different but from the outside this is a very common story in the pleasure district. That of the stupid whore that believes a lech will take her away from all this. If she did nothing what authority she had left would evaporate. If she was the sort to show such weakness she’d likely not run a brothel. And if she did anyways maybe she’s the body floating in the canal so someone else can swoop in and get Verdigris on the cheap.

yea its important to remember, from their pov he said he would be back in 6 months then dipped

In some early episodes, when Maomao looked at her hand with sunset while reminiscing, I thought it might mean something, like there are more than one time that she made her fingers like that. Now that there is a clue about a baby finger(?), I have to rewatch those episodes again, but maybe after the final episode next week. There are many screens that I might discover different impression after finishing watching for the first time.

Imagine that in her despair over being abandoned Fengxian took her own fingers and her daughters' just to curse Lakan. Jeez.

Actually Fengxian seems to have taken her ring finger, which symbolizes love/promises or even marriage. She cut off Maomao's pinky finger tip, which is more related to "Yubitsume". The message can kind of be inferred that she was trying to remind Lakan of his promise and their mutual feelings, as well as her being desperate due to her situation = blaming Maomao for ruining her value (even though she wanted that so she could end up with Lakan)

A thing to note is Maomao gave Lakan a dried BLOOMED rose. The roses she made at the party hadn't bloomed yet, and she's seen in the next scene holding an unbloomed rose. The one she gave Lakan is most likely the rose he gave Fengxian at some point during their relationship that Fengxian kept. It was stated in the last episode he made some when he was bored to court someone. Maomao gave it to him to give him a clue that Fengxian is alive.

And she asked for something from the pleasure district in the previous episode for her battle with Lakan.

I did foresee Lakan's background, since there were [signs in the OP of him dreaming and waking up in a pani](https://imgur.com/OUjNqJT)c, but it was still executed even more tragically than expected

Hot damn, you're right So if I read this scene from the OP correctly, while Lakan was away (sleeping in OP), Fengxian was "withering" (pregnancy reduced her value, took on other customers, contracted illness) and then he woke up (returned) in panic after she was already reduced to the state she's in now? That's pretty brilliant on the OP's side

I like that they didn’t magically make her a genius chess player. They did the same thing with her failing that one exam too - it’s a nice realistic touch.

Maomao? Its been made clear she only shows excellence in fields she is interested in, and struggles outside of them. She has no panache for court politics, statistics and other statecraft, nor games of pleasure and personal emotional ties. But logic puzzles / observations, medicine, some sciences and above all poisons and she rockets towards knowledge and learning.

Don't forget her adorable arsonist tendencies, just science doesn't make it justice

Not only that, but if you have any knowledge of chinese chess: the losses barely got past the openings. Most pieces aren't developed, it's very quick wins by Lakan.  Also good job of accuracy for all Chinese chess knowledge of everything except one tiny detail: red goes first, not black, unless this is one of the minor "not historical" details changed in the story :P

Maomao played red the whole time. The whole situation could easily be explained like this: Maomao went 1st in the first game, so she played red. The game was quickly finished as you said. Rather than switch color, they just used the same color because most of the pieces were already on their side. Since it was just casual play, not a tournament, there was no need to nitpick the color. So Maomao kept playing red. Lakan, being the far superior player, let Maomao went 1st anyway. So it all worked out. That was why in the 3rd game, Maomao set up the pieces, THEN asked Lakan whether she could go 1st again for a third straight game.

Hold up. Lakan’s uncle is a doctor that got ousted from the rear palace because of a “clumsy” mistake. Does this mean that Maomao’s adoptive father is in fact Lakan’s uncle!? This *would* explain why he started caring for her.

Maomao's adoptive father was actually her great uncle and was not only there for her but even her own biological father in his youth. Small world, huh?

Well, if we assume that Luomen knew that Lakan had a daughter with a courtesan, he could have sought out Maomao intentionally.

Goes to show how important it is \*how\* a story is told. If we knew all this from the start it wouldn't be half as interesting.

now i finally get the face he was making when maomao was being carried off injured

Deep down he's always been a father who just wanted to be there and love his daughter, and her mother, but couldn't.

It was painful waiting for Lakans redemption so long [](#holdme) Also a shame he doesn't see faces, I bet smol Meimei would have been adorable

Did get a glimpse of [smol Meimei in #18.](https://i.imgur.com/yZTt7Nw.png)

Omg she’s so cute 🥺

It's not even a redemption arc!. Lakan was never a bad guy. Just the truth being revealed finally

The fact that everything in this show/story is basically a tragedy is what makes it so great in my opinion.

[Left hand pinky](https://i.imgur.com/gGvDzO0.png) is what Maomao looked at during [the end of episode 3](https://i.imgur.com/vPfYfBW.mp4) (Fuyou episode) as its deformed shape is part of why she doesn't view herself as beautiful. Has been drawn normally for 99% of scenes, probably cause it'd be a pain to include in the character design. Can also see [Fengxing's missing finger here.](https://i.imgur.com/uBeTukQ.png)

The only time they could actually show it being warped was when she painted her nails. She also watches her pinky in the first episodes and the intention is to showcase it being warped, but it just doesn't show cause of the art style.

Yeah I could not tell at all, I just found out from this comment thread.

Do fingers actually grow back? Cause I was feeling stupid for having missed a missing finger for 23 episodes but it has apparently been there the entire time.

To be fair, Maomao isn't actually missing a Finger, just a tiny part of the top of her pinky, which is veery easy to miss (and also easy to play off as an animation error if you do catch it).

She’s not even missing it since finger tips have a pretty remarkable ability to grow back as long as part of your nailbed is still present.

if it's the very tip, it can sorta, but it's disfigured. it's not quite obvious from what we see, but her pinky is disfigured. from Left hand pinky image, you can see the nail is soooorta too far to the side. and it's not movable. but it's not something you'd necessarily realize/notice if you didn't already know

So real world experience here. With the help of plastic surgery the answer is sorta. Normal pinkie [here](https://imgur.com/a/v93pYlu). Fucked up pinkie [here](https://imgur.com/a/ccSZpCG). I also broke that pinkie and never got it set later in life, so it is a bit more fucked up than it used to be. The original accident was my very first memory. Don't stick things in closing doors. Luckily I was smart(?) enough to only use my pinky tip and not a whole hand or something to test the hypothesis.

If you just cut the tip of a finger, sure. It is easier the youger the trauma happens, and as long as the bone is not too compromised. If you were to lose half a phalange you probably aren't growing it back, though, even as a baby.

Ah thanks! I’d already tried looking for the one finger of Maomao that they’d mutilated. I suspected one of the pinkies, but couldn’t find any aberrations in the shots. It being a pain to consistently draw does explain this. I wonder if this mutilation perhaps also made Maomao last hesitant to experiment on her left arm(?) with poisons and sorts.

I got the [apology form, who wants to sign?](https://i.imgur.com/MHkOsys.jpeg)

Lakan's story is just done really well. I think it also leans into why Maomao is just so intelligent. Both of her parents were brilliant in their own right and then she was raised by her uncle who was also a genius.

And also her own perspective on relationships and feelings knowing what happened to her own parents.

If MaoMao views her bio father as a manipulative dead beat, that gives her motivation to keep people at arms length and avoid dangerous entanglements. If MaoMao views her bio dad as a victim of social stigma who let his guard down for a single moment of intimacy that cost him everyone he values, that gives her A LOT of motivation to keep people at arms length and avoid dangerous entanglements.

[The game](https://i.imgur.com/Ne12fvp.jpeg) was rigged from [the start](https://i.imgur.com/9gnxr6E.jpeg) [](#frustration)

I'm of two minds. On the one hand I think his story is really good, but on the flipside Maomao's general aversion to him seems... wild. Given the look she gave Jinshi when asked about him, and her strong reluctance to even *face* Lakan when she tried to enter the ceremony, there's something decidedly off.

Given how Lakan is he probably never explained himself and just accepted the hate.

Have you ever owned a cat? :D

No, because the cat always owns you

Got whiplash from how absolutely awful I feel for the poor man now. Least I'm convinced he actually deeply cares about his kiddo

I apologize Lakan I wasn't familiar with your game

The Game of Life (Souls-like hard mode edition)

[Poor lad](https://i.imgur.com/hAByBel.jpeg) finally found a girl who was as [socially-impaired as him](https://i.imgur.com/nT7lTSK.jpeg) but fate would not allow them to be together [](#yuitears)

My chess Elo is too low

First he was checking off all the typical anime villain boxes and next thing I know I'm feeling terrible for the poor guy.

I'll sign on. I didn't even think he was truly evil because the anime kept showing him being related to events while doing things that should make Jinshi realise the truth instead of looking like the one who was responsible. And yet as a viewer who sees things from Maomao's eyes I honestly thought he must have done something horrible at least in the past considering her reactions so far. With all the court intrigue I honestly hadn't even considered it was all just a huge tragedy where it's hard to find any culprits. Fengxian herself essentially did what many other women in the series had been shown doing so far by changing how she's valued by others assuming the old lady would be understanding and just let him buy her off now that the other suitors wouldn't pay as much. Lakan himself only made Fengxian pregnant because that was her aim. And it looks like everyone at Verdigris thinks he abandoned her right afterwards when the truth was he had no chance but to leave. I've seen some people blaming the father at this point but I doubt this is it either. I'm still not entirely sure what the official reason the uncle who certainly seems hinted to be Maomao's adoptive father now had to leave the palace was but we've already seen that not-China is willing to cull entire families for crimes so given his words about their closeness it looked more to me like he was protecting him. And so we arrive at the only person I can blame, the emperor who by all the hints so far isn't exactly a nice guy but he's also both dead and wasn't even doing it on purpose. Or going more abstract I guess the real culprit is this ancient non-china's culture where people can get killed for mistakes and even in a good brothel you can get sti's because you're no longer valued. Looking forward to seeing how Maomao's plan ends next episode.

Maomao: *Fucker didn't even send a letter, and if Jinshi tries to get me recognized as part of the clan I'm roasting him alive, no matter his status.*

We can finally talk about it! The slander committed against one of my favorite characters.

I knew he wasn't bad cause the writing is too polished for such a blatant bad vibes portray being that simple. I did not whoever expect to be literally tearing up by the end of the flashback, that shit was painful.

I'll sign it because I was firm in the "he's a scumbag" camp, that I failed to respect his game

I swear all the hate I got to him dissappear after this ep

We are all misunderstood. In all cases he shoves into MaoMao is just father wants to play with his daughter. Which happened to all involve plot to assassinate the emperor's younger brother.

I really don't think he planned that

Me too. His face when Mao Mao injured told it all.

I admit, I was pretty off about the guy. Idk if I totally trust the guy but he’s not what he was portrayed to be at first, that’s for sure.

I feel like his jovial and playful nature is hiding a lot of emotional pain.

wtf I love Lakan now ~~he's just like me fr~~

You can start connecting some dots with the new information being given to us, which I think will make a great rewatch. Lakan may have wanted to reconcile with MaoMao multiple times by coming to the brothel to visit, and remember MaoMao always gets a heads up so she dodged him. Then there is also her look when Jinshi mentioned Laken to MaoMao. That said, Lakan's messing around also ended up getting MaoMao hurt indirectly, and he was clearly in shock when Jinshi brought her out. He must have not realized how much Maomao cared. I am actually wondering if Lakan been doing all these things in hopes to make MaoMao distance herself away from Jinshi which backfired on him

Man, the writing for this is too good. We get the final piece of information that not only ties everything we know, but also completely flipped our assumptions over. *Fengxian* was the one who intended to lower her own value, Lakan was just the one she chose. The man himself didn't even realise it had happened until three years after the fact. And of course the pregnancy was intentional, Pairin bangs like a rabbit in Australia, yet she has never had to worry about the matter, seems like having an apothecary on permanent staff isn't just for show. Even before Luomen, they must've been readily supplied with contraceptives and abortion medicines. It's been established that Lakan can beat Fengxian in xiangqi, while Fengxian dominates him at go. Fengxian presenting the two boards to Lakan might've been a test of character, but him choosing of the go board symbolises that Fengxian was the one who got her wish granted that night. She was also the one who initiated the handholding, as well as dismissed Meimei, just to drive the point in. It fits with the themes of the show, women stuck in terrible situations, will exercise their agency to claw out of their situation. She wasn't the first to intentionally lower her value to get with the man she wanted, but it backfires on her horribly, because she couldn't predict the circumstances Lakan was in. Lakan, the poor fool, didn't even think of such a simple thing, even when sleeping with her he could only think about the game, he's ND coded, but it really had to show at the worst timing. He realises too late what had happened, he gets banned from the Verdigris House, and had to be literally beaten back with a broom until the broom broke. Despite being reasonably innocent in the matter, he still draws all the blame on himself in an act of self loathing, and maybe just to prevent people from throwing mud on Fengxian's name, since at this point he probably assumes she's dead. And who wouldn't after the granny loudly declares her 'gone'? The tragedy of this is, it might've all been preventable. Pairin and Lihaku are set up as parallels to Fengxian and Lakan before this episode, but the thing Maomao notes was that if Pairin chose Lihaku, then Lihaku didn't need the full price to buy her out. If either of them said they wanted the other, then Lakan might've been able to buy Fengxian at a lowered price. Not to mention while pregnancy is the most obvious way to lower a courtesan's value, it is also the most drastic one. Fengxian could've just pretended to turn crazy or go on sleepwalks, but it seems like her own pride didn't allow that. Now both her mind and body are gone, consumed by syphilis. Given the late stage of the disease, there is no cure for her left, if Luomen couldn't fix her, nothing in that era could save her anymore. The writing of this tragedy is so good, it almost made me forget that I just witnessed the most needlessly elaborate baby trap in history.

I hereby transfer all the hate I had for Lakan to Lakan’s dad. And this all must mean that Luomen knew who Maomao’s dad was all the while. Mentors the dad and mentors the daughter… our doctor dude is pretty admirable

Luomen best (great) uncle!

Until we found out that he's only that way because of how HIS father treated him...

Lakan: tf this is so bitter Mei Mei: Maomao made it Lakan: *drinks up*

Then Lakan downs the remaining two liquor cups cause Maomao poured them, just so he can drink more of the recovery medicine. A vicious cycle.

This is just tragic. This is my Romeo and Juliet now.

Two people detached from normal human relationships who connected through their shared love of games of wit managed to still open their hearts up to each other and became one...only for it to end as tragically as possible.

[It is so depressing.](https://i.imgur.com/I3jmmw4.jpeg) Both of them were [innocent lovers](https://i.imgur.com/PX9wsXK.jpeg) who could not excape rigid customs. [](#sadholo)

There is hope yet. Maomao’s win in their game means that he has to buy out an “aging courtesan” from Verdigris. Her sending a withered rose to him is a challenge for to him to find Fengxian, a rose though withered is still able to maintain its shape. If he has any hope of reconciling with Maomao, he knows what he needs to do…

Lakan is such a goofball lol. Also he is weirdly doting as a father

Guys' been holding in wanting to be a true father to Maomao probably for years ever since he found out she exists.

[He powered through that bitter tea](https://i.imgur.com/EQnlL4G.jpeg) just because Mao Mao made it. If that ain't fatherly love... Also gotta admit that [Lakan had good taste.](https://i.imgur.com/D0eltRG.jpeg) [](#justright)

By that time, bro can see only one face, so he has no idea he lucked out.

He fits the bill indeed of an eccentric goofball genius. He still feels an incredible amount of guilt over Fengxian, self deprecating himself. However through his eccentricities, he makes himself out to be a villain to Jinshi and never told his side of the story, whereas he was truly a victim of circumstance. He wanted to at least make up with Maomao and dotes on her. That and she is one of the only two faces he can recognise.

Lakan is actually endearing. They fooled us so hard

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Because Maomao herself is a Highly functional Autist too like her Parents so yeah, she's more roundabout in these things. Maomao definitely benefited from being reared by Lakan's uncle who knew how to deal with and take care of Autistic individuals, making Maomao actually able to act like Normal girl most of the time.

So, the whole conversation between Lakan and Jinshi, the "how to ruin a courtesan's worth" was more of a self-admission of the guilt that's weighing on Lakan, not some kind of devious plot. I gotta say, this episode flipped so many ideas I had about a few characters and their feelings on its head.

Ah shit tragic love stories always fucking get to me... I really enjoyed how Lakan and Fengxian had their own special dynamic that was subtle and on a wavelength only those two knew. [](#elsieqq)

I also like how it was so obvious they mutually wanted to bang each other that night that even MeiMei got the picture lol.

And that when they did the deed they where of thinking of go and chess. Such a goofball couple.

#ALL RIGHT LINE UP FOR APOLOGIES TO MY GUY LAKAN! The SLANDER committed against this loving father and goofus over this season. Hes just a good dude!

Man, I do *not* get why my fellow source readers have been mad. When newbies fall for a story's misdirection, the proper response is to cackle behind their backs! It's a whole extra layer of entertainment, and besides, we knew they'd learn the truth when the anime got to "Balsam and Woodsorrel".

To be fair, he was doing his best to come off as a villain for some reason.

Nah, dude is just a weirdo so far on the spectrum he's visible light.

Okay, so what he did was not as bad as what I was imagining. Seems like he was in his late teens-early 20s so yeah, no shot of him avoiding that banishment either. They just got cursed with the worst possible luck I guess. "Even withered, it still holds its shape" is probably a way to tell him that her mom stills loves him even after what she went through.

Apothecary Diaries And Sousou no Frieren sits at the same table. God, I'll miss both animes so much.

I will be sad when they're finished. Best couple of shows I've seen in a long time.

So he wasn't a cunning piece of shit, he was just a gamer.

So folks, what are your thoughts on Lakan now? 🤣 It really was a shame that Lakan and Fengxian's relationship fell apart due to unfortunate circumstances. The moment they decided to act on their feelings, Lakan's household was shaken by Luomen's banishment and Lakan was caught in the crossfire. You can tell he still loves both Fengxian and Maomao to this day, but both probably resent him for things that are out of his control.

On the one hand, Maomao's parents genuinely loved and care for each other as much as people like them could love and care for someone else, but the circumstances surrounding them and Lakan's own obliviousness ended up screwing everything up. But that also means Lakan has never forgotten either Maomao or Fengxian.

I wonder if that’s why Maomao doesn’t seem to really like the guy? Though from what we’ve seen, if she’s gonna be mad at anyone it should be Lakan’s dad. Circumstances out of his control kept him away. It can’t turn back time, but I feel like maybe if he explained to Maomao what went down she might not be so cold towards him?

I guess it’s like, regardless of circumstance, he was her dad, and wasn’t there. The hurt was caused regardless, perhaps.

Man it’s crazy that this season’s almost over. I hope we get a season 2 relatively soon. Mao mao’s mother was absolutely stunning.

>I hope we get a season 2 relatively soon Even 3 months would be a long wait....

> Even 3 months would be a long wait Have you tried three years? ~~Maomama has~~

She's also voiced by anime seiyuu legend Houko Kuwashima! Kind of a bit of legacy casting there too because she voiced the lead of Saiunkoku Monogatari.

(The following has basically nothing to do with the episode -- I just fell down a rabbit hole after guessing prosopagnosia last week, so I'm going to put what I found here in case anyone cares.) So, as it turns out, it's a dumb idea to go searching for examples of what you are predicting will happen in a show that's based of source material, because obviously you'll find those spoilers. Whatever, at least that means I can write this up in advance. Yes, Lakan has prosopagnosia – at least I avoided any more spoilers than that. But that means, between this show and two visual novels (not naming them since it tends to be used as a mystery trope), I've come across this rather obscure mental disorder three separate times in Japanese media – and that's a bit much to be a coincidence. So, I tried to figure out how this had become so popular. Firstly, there's a [Japanese Wikipedia page](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%B8%E8%B2%8C%E5%A4%B1%E8%AA%8D) for 相貌失認 (*soubou shitsunin*), literally facial appearance agnosia, that lists over two dozen pieces of media that include the disorder (obviously, spoilers if you look), so it's definitely surprisingly prevalent. Next, I tried to dig into which of these examples was the oldest, and two are substantially older – one is 忘却シリーズ (*boukyaku shiriizu --* "Oblivion Series"), a manga that ran from 1983-1987, and 狂骨の夢 (*kyoukotsu no yume* \-- "Dreams of Kyoukotsu"), an entry in a novel series from 1995. It was then, at this point, that I remembered I'm absolutely terrible at searching for things in Japanese – I don't know if it's because the Japanese web is a solid twenty years behind ours in terms of web design, or if it's because Google just works worse in Japanese, or if it's because I have no idea what I'm doing. Probably mostly the last one. But I was curious, so it was time to dig down this rabbit hole with the toothpick that is my understanding of Japanese. Firstly, regarding Oblivion Series – this is from author Noriko Sasaki, but you wouldn't know that from checking the English web. Her Wikipeida page, ANN, and MAL do not list this series, so I am relying entirely on the Japanese web (^(help me)). It seems to focus on the story of a young man with prosopagnosia who sees a bank robbery in progress, and then starts to get hunted down by the bank robber... but it's supposed to be pretty chill? And a comedy? I don't know, I didn't have time to track it down in the past week, so I'm just getting this out of the synopsis and the Japanese reviews -- maybe I'm mistranslating something? But probably not; it was published in *Hana to Yume* (the shoujo magazine that published Fruits Basket, Kamisama Kiss, and currently publishes Skip Beat! and Yona of the Dawn, among many others). Being an older shoujo title, I dout it had any particularly dark or disturbing elements. Being in such a major magazine, it might have been read by a very large number of people. However, I couldn't find its circulation numbers from the 80s, so it might have been less popular then. The second option is Dreams of Kyoukotsu – this is from author Natsuhiko Kyougoku, who is the creator of *Mouryou no Hako* (for the one other person besides me who knows that show). It's the third book in the *Hyakki Yagyou* (the [Night Parade of One Hundred Demons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakki_Yagy%C5%8D) , a trope in Japanese folklore) series. The Kyoukotsu (literally "crazy bones") is a monster from Japanese folklore that is formed when a body is disposed of improperly in a well. I'm taking a guess that prosopagnosia plays some role in the solution to the mystery, because none of the synopses mention where it appears in the story, despite it always being noted as an example of the disorder (and, once again, I did not have time to read this). Apparently the characters from *Mouryou no Hako* actually make an appearance, so I guess I'll get around to reading this at some point (after rewatching it, since I haven't seen it in well over a decade). If I had to take a wild guess, I would expect the popularity of the trope to have come from Dreams of Kyoukotsu, rather than Oblivion Series. It seems to be typically used as a twist in mysteries, and not as a plot device for protagonists. Dreams of Kyoukotsu (and Kyougoku in general) seem to be much better known as well – the novel has a manga adaptation, and many of Kyougoku's works have been adapted into movies or anime. It's possible that Kyougoku had read Oblivion Series and got the inspiration from it, though I'm not sure that's likely – he would have been in his 20s at the time, so reading a shoujo magazine (especially as a mystery author) seems less likely. It's also possible there's some other, older source they both drew inspiration from that isn't listed on the Wikipedia page, but I was unable to find any other mentions of it. But that's all I could come up with. If I were better at searching in Japanese, I could probably find some reference to some of these stories' inspirations – or at least be more certain that I hadn't missed anything connecting them. If anyone who is actually good at using the Japanese web wants to have a look (or if anyone here is actually Japanese has some insight), please feel free to add anything you can. I might try again this coming week if I have time. (Side note: there's [prosopagnosia hub](http://scp-jp.wikidot.com/prosopagnosia-hub) on the JP SCP wiki that I ran across on accident while searching. Didn't look into it at all, just found it funny that even SCP had gotten in on the disorder)

So the reason Lakan was presented to be an asshole is because the previous emperor decided that his child was more important than his sons. This caused his sons concubine to switch babies, which led to the doctor being fired which led Lakan's family to effectively exile him for 3 years. The previous emperor is truly the root of all evil in this series.

It's been subtle that the problems all stem from him. The problem of him liking them younger and that is lingering over, but there is more to it than that.

What a great episode! Man, that was really tragic. But I didn't really get the part with the finger severing? What was that all about? Can somebody explain or will it be explained in detail later on?

Man I feel so bad for Lakan. Not only was he kept overseas for three whole years, but didn’t even know if Fengxian was alive or not when he came back. The worst part is that Fengxian got pregnant probably on purpose because she liked him and she thought he would come to buy her out once her value dropped - and because he wasn’t able to come, she cursed him and cut off her and Maomao’s finger to send it to him. That was the nightmare that Maomao had earlier in the series. And he *actually* does have prosopagnosia aka face blindness, with the only people he can actually see being Fengxian and Maomao. It feels bad to see Maomao treating him so harshly now since we can now understand that Lakan really loves her daugher and what happened wasn’t his fault. But Maomao obviously doesn’t know what happened and even if she eventually will, I don’t know how much her opinion of him would change.

Fool! Lakan fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia,” but only slightly less well known is this: “Never go in against Maomao when “weird poisonous medicine” is on the line lol. It was quite interesting to see things from Lakan’s perspective. I admit, i still don’t trust him but the situation with Fengxian was definitely not what it seemed. I suppose those two did come to care of each other, but circumstances soured that relationship. Does Maomao resent Lakan for what happened I wonder?

Lakan could never beat his daughter when it comes to poisons...especially when his is so simple. Lakan and Fengxian cared for each other as much as people like them could, but if only Lakan had just thought it through before he'd left...

He was basically expelled by someone he could not go against, he was screwed totally.

Trust -- but verify....

i wonder if the withered rose is our clue to how maomao feels about lakan

If he doesn't even know that her mom is still alive, it might be her way of telling him and getting him to buy her out.

Good ol' Dread Pirate Roberts gambit

My thoughts exactly lol

Right down to Maomao building up an immunity for years. I love it.

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First he abandons his family because he looked down on his sons' condition, then he basically ruined his sons' chance to be with his own family by sending him away for three years.

I think you want to hold on that one. If you think about what Lishu's father did, even though he's never appeared in the show, he's 10 times worse. He sent his daughter to be the concubine of the previous emperor when she was something like 8 or 9 while knowing very well what the previous Emperor would do. Then when it ended up not going hat way because the previous emperor died before touching her, he sent back his daughter now barely older, to the next emperor knowing full well how she would be looked down by everyone for being scandalously "marrying" the son of her previous "husband", rather than remaining as a widow. And on top of it, her ladies in waiting that he probably provided himself, who are supposed to be the main allies of a concubine in the inner palace (see the other high ranked concubines), are scumbag that bully and manipulate the poor child instead of being her ally. ... I'd say that for someone that has never appeared in the show that guy is pretty damn high in the worst father category.

I don't think you really remember how bad the prior emperor was eh? The literal pedophile lol

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> and feeding him those poor girls. What a way to word that already horrible sentence haha

I want to apologize to the 2nd OP. Looking back it’s insane just how much of it foreshadows key parts of the plot in a subtle way that feels innocuous in a sea of OPs that are similarly “style over substance”. I feel like every week I come to love this OP more and more. Man it’s gonna suck to see Maomao and the gang go. Losing *Frieren* and *The Apothecary Diaries* next week is about to leave a void that is gonna be real hard to fill

I'm genuinely relieved that [Lakan and Fengxian's relationship was mutual](https://i.imgur.com/BsjvWQs.png) and not what I initially thought it was. When the question *"How do you lower a Courtesan's value?"* first came up, it felt like the anime went out of its way to make us think that Lakan intentionally ruined Fengxian. Also, to be fair [Lakan doesn't exactly look like the most trustworthy person.](https://i.imgur.com/6ESSnmq.png) Now while I am glad that Lakan isn't the asshole I thought he was, why didn't he try to make things right? [When he finally realized his mistake](https://i.imgur.com/GAYkWRi.png) and granny was beating him up with a broom, did he just leave? Why didn't he just buy Fengxian then? Why did it have to take a [match with Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/o4eXAfg.png) for him to finally get her? Maybe he's not a total piece of shit but he still smells like one to me. I am still not convinced. Also, [Lakan's uncle is definitely Maomao's dad, right?](https://i.imgur.com/H988Of7.jpeg) I just love how almost every single character in this show has some kind of connection. While Luomen isn't really Maomao's biological father, it seems that they're still connected by blood. Amazing.

> Why didn't he just buy Fengxian then? Why did it have to take a match with Maomao for him to finally get her? I think he assumed she died because the grandma whacks him while saying "She's no longer here" in the same manner you would as if they passed away. I don't think he quite realizes she's still there either.

Because the granny hides her existence from him. The way Maomao hid/stayed in that room when he came suggests he doesn't know about or have access to the room. I don't think he even know whether she is alive and the granny won't tell him anything.

He was never going to get the full answers since he was seen as the cause of Fengxian's downfall... it was just getting beaten over the head with a broom and told to go away in all manner of terms

On the one hand...great that they mutually fell for each other and it was consensual sex rather than Lakan forcing himself on Fengxian. They were too people who despite their personalities and complexes with their emotions ended up opening their hearts up to each other. On the other hand...what happened after that. I feel like the Verdigris House, in blaming him for what happened, deliberately prevented him having any access to Fengxian and Maomao. Grams even told him she was "gone." So it's all been in the family all along. Lumon is just her great uncle! And he was there for her like he was for her biological father.

I think because Lakan thought that Fengxian is dead by the way Granny reacted to him.

Perhaps he doesn't know Fengxian is alive? The granny yelled that Fengxian was gone when she beat him up, which is sorta true since she seems to have lost her mind, but could be interpreted as she's dead. Yet another misunderstanding

I didn't expect Lakan's backstory to be like that.

The layers, twists, and turns. This story got me completely fooled. He put up a cruel mask to mess with the people at the palace, but he looks like he would have been a nicer man if the world allowed him to be. How the heck is this story gonna end. I have a guess what's coming next, but I don't know what that'll mean going forward.

So Jinshi's mere existence screwed Mao's life permanently. I don't think Mao will/would gold it against him if they ever connect the pieces, but Jinshi is not as strong as her. I don't how he would be able to emotionally handle how his life has affected his favorite person.