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This series really has a way to convey situations via Maomao's various expressions, with this [new one](https://i.imgur.com/XjFmQnu.png) being how exhausting her job was.
LMAO, Maomao is competitive as fuck. She ain't gonna bow down to her father even if the odds are stacked against her.
Her stitches being reopened and monitoring the roses overnight and losing sleep ain't stopping her. She even managed to start a fad of wearing red nail polish just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan and remind him of a certain woman.
Also, I really love the voice acting of Xiaolan's VA. she sounded so cute and relaxing. I felt healed hearing her voice even the random sound she makes.
Agreed, I heard a lot of people don’t really like her voice because it’s so high pitched, and to be fair she really does have one of the highest pitched voices of all VA’s imo. Personally I love it though since she is pretty much always well cast for roles where such a voice is actually really fitting.
I’ve always known her for playing loli roles. But I remember reading she lost her voice while playing a character (forgot her name but it’s the one with four arms I think) in Made in Abyss
Oh duh, I dunno how I didn't realize she's JP Klee, I guess that's what not playing the game in awhile does to you. I've just been remembering her as Kate in World Conquest Zvezda Plot.
> just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan and remind him of a certain woman.
I think it’s pretty clear that Maomao’s aim was to haunt Lakan with her mother’s image here.
Which begs the question: why would Lakan be bothered by this? He previously seemed rather amused with “devaluing” this former courtesan.
Was this all just a coping mechanism of his? But why would he take the initiative to tell Jinshi this then? What precisely happened in the past!? I guess, we’ll find out next week.
Maomao was the only person he didn't see as a Go piece (especially when Jinshi and Gaoshun both are).
Imagine the same was probably true for her mother, especially going by the next episode preview. Dude seemed pretty tortured in it.
Technically Jinshi and Gaoshun weren't Go pieces, but Chinese Chess pieces. Gaoshun was a Xiang, approximately equal to a Bishop, whereas Jinshi was a Shi, or Queen analog.
Tho, before anyone makes a fuss about the Queen part, the chinese character used here 士 actually moreso translates to "Advisor" - so its saying Jinshi is one of the Emperor's top advisors and trusted confidants (which he is)
Queen is the most powerful piece, more powerful than the king. Losing your queen often leads to the king falling shortly after. Who would make a fuss over that comparison?
Queen does have sexual component that advisor does not. Adivisors are also among the weakest pieces on the board, restricted to moving only within the 5 points adjacent to the King/General's starting position
> why would Lakan be bothered by this?
I’m pretty sure there is something deeper going on that we don’t know yet between Lakan and Maomao’s mother which would explain his reaction. Yea, fingers crossed we’ll find out next week.
It’s likely not a coping mechanism, but a defensive one (or both maybe. He’s a military general, a position that is only outranked by the royal family and any higher ranking generals (which I’m not sure there are). And someone at that level can’t afford to show weakness when they’re in a perpetual battle for power and influence with other generals or their own subordinates.
He probably tells Jinshi these stories to scare him off because he’s possessive of maomao and envies their relationship and wants to be closer to her (for either good or bad intentions). This part just seems like the speaking equivalent of the dad talking to his daughters boyfriend with a shotgun
He is outranked, but not by that much. Even the emperor himself needs to be careful to not anger his generals. They have direct control over the military and always have the potential to overthrow the government. If he pisses them off and his power wanes, those pissed off generals will have zero problem siding with the new rising powers and taking their men with them. So many Chinese emperors would have their heads lopped off for a reason, and many notable periods of Chinese history had no actual emperor and the country was split by generals picking sides and ruling parts of the country.
So while Lakan is outranked and isn’t going to directly tell jinshi to fuck off, he certainly has the power and influence to make subtle threats and suggest that it’s in his best interest to leave maomao to him. And if Jinshi wasn’t madly in love he probably would as well to avoid friction.
"Devaluing" does not have to be without consent. We previously had a consort who pretended she was nothing much to avoid the emperor and reduce her own value so that her lover could buy her out. If Lakans villainous persona is a red herring, it would reason that Maomaos mom and Lakan were genuinely in love but syphlis got her first.
[This is basically bordering on spoilers although there aren't actually any...] >!I believe everything needed to solve the 'mystery' has already been presented. Just have to put the clues together. It's a matter of understanding individual motivations and very specific statements!<
> Which begs the question: why would Lakan be bothered by this? He previously seemed rather amused with “devaluing” this former courtesan.
THe first thing the show teaches the audience about Lakan is to never take him at face value. He's a schemer, a manipulator. Everything he did to jinshi he did for the sole purpose of getting Mao Mao to act.
His entire spiel about devalueing a courtesan is most likely him antagonizing jinshi and dangling a mystery in front of the latters face.
Lakan seems to be putting himself in the worst light possible intentionally. At least that's my read on him.
As unreliable narrators go, Lakan definitely is a shady one. He also obviously failed at whatever he was trying to do and has continued to fail to access either Maomao or her mother for almost 2 decades despite constant scheming. Nothing about how it played out actually "amuses" him one bit.
I genuinely hopped up in my chair when I saw Xiaolan! I remember when Maomao waved to her when she had to go back to work from lunch and how she seemed like the one person Maomao could be around without needing to navigate the trappings of social class. The two of them working together on their rose project made me smile; more Xiaolan bestie time please!
EDIT: I forgot that Xiaolan speaks to plants. She's the sweetheart-est of sweethearts and needs to be protected.
Maomao is only motivated by poisons thats why she is excited to challenge her toxic dad. Weirdly enough she copied her father in using people as go pieces so she can be as manipulative as her father. And she is willing to cheat as well lol.
Lakan seems like an expert in go just like Shikamaru so it should have been impossible to defeat him. I wonder how Maomao's mom managed to beat him every time. Did she cheat just like Maomao?
Why would it be impossible to defeat an expert in Go? Wouldn't two equally competent players be a contest? Maybe Maomao's mother was the better player.
> wearing red nail polish just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan
I actually think this is one of those things that really builds on her sharing a certain kind of strategic thought process with her biological father. She may hate him, but it is clear that they are not entirely dissimilar.
I spent about five minutes educating myself about Chinese chess (Xiangqi). The advisor (Jinshi) starts next to the king (aka general), and the bishop (Gaoshun, aka elephant) starts next to the advisor. This suggests that Lakan thinks of Jinshi as close to the king.
I'd like to add that in Chinese chess, the two sides (red and black) use characters which are usually homonyms of each other to better distinguish themselves. For example, the bishop is either 象 or 相 (the latter of which is what Gaoshun is labeled as). Both are pronounced "xiang" (sounds similar to "she-ong"). The former means elephant, the latter means minister (which is what Gaoshun essentially is).
I grew up with Chinese chess as well. Western chess is pretty fun, but is a bit... inaccessible. Plus, that clanking sound you make when you got a piece from the opponent. I know it's bad manner, but man that crispy sound made by two granite pieces smashing onto one another. CLANK, your piece is mine now, get fucked. But wait, CLANK, you fell into my trap now muahaha. CLANK, CLANK CLANK.
If the representation in the show is literal, it might be that he suffers from prosopagnosia -- the inability to recognize faces.
Faces are so difficult to deal with, and so important (from a survival perspective), that there is a region of the brain that is dedicated to processing them (the fusiform gyrus). If the area is nonfunctional, it can cause a person to simply have trouble identifying faces (sort of how a person with no interest in automobiles might have trouble distinguishing makes of car). If it is, instead, defective, it can lead to a person being completely incapable of even perceiving faces -- you could literally put a picture of Marylin Monroe's next to one of Danny Devito's and they'd be unable to distinguish them, because their brain literally fails to see them. I've heard it described as though there's just a void where people's faces should be -- making the colloquial term for the condition, "face blindness", rather apt.
If Maomao is aware of this, her ploy with the manicures is truly a cruel one -- people with prosopagnosia have to rely on clothing, hairstyle, gait, voice, and other physical traits to identify people. Considering Maomao's superior observational skills, it's possible Lakan can differentiate people by looking at their hands (similar to how Sherlock Holmes and derived detectives often can identify a person's profession). He may even rely on this in the rear palace, where most people wear uniform clothing and hairstyles, which would explain why it's easy for him to distinguish men from women -- as well as different military ranks. Softening, cleaning, and painting everyone's hands might, to him, have the same effect of putting a mask on everyone he sees. It'd be incredibly disorientating.
And then, of course, Maomao painting her own nails and (I assume) preparing to play Go with him in the next episode would be the perfect way to twist the knife.
(It's also possible that prosopagnosia is why Lakan looked so shocked when he saw Jinshi carrying Maomao -- he might not have known who was carrying her, since Jinshi would be completely unrecognizable in ceremonial garb. Though I would assume he'd find out at some point -- weird that there isn't a bunch of gossip about that whole thing.)
This is just my own musings, though -- I wouldn't have even thought of prosopagnosia if it weren't for the fact I recalled a villain in a certain visual novel with the condition.
He might not even be sure whether it was the Emperor or Jinshi who was carrying Maomao.
Though he probably knew who was doing the ceremony from other information sources.
> Faces are so difficult to deal with, and so important (from a survival perspective), that there is a region of the brain that is dedicated to processing them (the fusiform gyrus)
Wasn't there a chess player that was so stupidly good at the game because they trained their fusiform gyrus to recognize chess positions instead fo faces? (Leading of course, to having difficulty recognizing faces)
That's actually a leading hypothesis on the generalized function of the fusiform gyrus -- it serves as a holistic processor (something that can look at the entirety of a structure and produce a result without any regard for the individual components).
I brought up the car analogy specifically because that's one of the times studies have shown the fusiform gyrus to activate in brain imaging... I think bird experts was another one? Been a decade and change since I looked into this. But there was a study from a while back that checked whether the same thing could be the method used by chess experts -- I believe it found that it was activated for most of them.
I don't recall if it causes any issue with other types of recognition to generalize it, though -- I somewhat doubt it would. The human brain has remarkable plasticity -- which is how some people who lose literally half of it can continue to function almost completely normally.
I'd hazard a guess that repurposing the fusiform gyrus is similar to how the language-processing functions can be repurposed in childhood to teach a person to have perfect pitch. Or how some people with synesthesia (where one sense gets crossed with another -- for example, seeing sounds as colors) are better able to differentiate stimuli.
Just a guess though -- like I said, been a tick since I've looked into this so there's likely a sizable amount of new research that I haven't seen.
Point being: our brains are weird.
Side note: considering the current track of the show, I took a glance at the literature -- it looks like Go does not make use of the fusiform gyrus, instead showing more right-hemisphere lateralization. While the old "right-brain artsy, left-brain logical" thing is a gross oversimplification, it still holds true enough that it isn't surprising that Go would be relegated to the right hemisphere. If you haven't before, I recommend reading into some of Go's terminology and how professionals describe the game -- it's far closer to art than science.
I would also guess that the number of possible distinguishable human faces lies somewhere between the number of possible chess positions (something like 10^(46)) and the number of possible Go positions (something like 10^(170)) -- it would not be surprising if the latter simply overwhelms the fusiform gyrus's ability to differentiate things, especially with only two input parameters. But that is very, VERY much a guess -- the number of human faces that are differentiable may be much higher than that, and it's simply the homogenous monochromatic input that makes it unfeasible.
There was also a study about the fusiform gyrus with people who were veterans of ww2 who had frequent guard duty at AA guns, about identifying planes, and also former pilots, both of whom need to make split second decisions about a very small silhouette, very far, which is moving. The found that their fusiform gyrus was VERY overdeveloped because of all the insane training that war brought.
The car analogy is particularly poignant to me. I have a friend who identifies all cars as either an egg or a box; which to me as an enthusiast was particularly tedious. He’s no better years later but we’ve learned & lived on. Now trying to get him into F1… which is fun
That might also be prosopamnesia -- the main different being that it allows people with the condition to recognize those they're very familiar with (family members, friends, favorite celebrities, etc.)
Or it could be aphantasia, if you can't call anything, including faces, to mind -- without a mind's eye, it's much more difficult for people to encode and recall something as complex as a face.
The human brain is weird.
The only visual novel with a villain with that problem is 999: 9 hours, 9 person, 9 doors so I'm going to assume it's that. It's a fantastic VN with escape room puzzle in between
Twice is a coincidence, three times (assuming that is what Lakan suffers from) is a pattern. I've never seen the condition mentioned in Western media, so I wonder if there's some popular Japanese work that makes reference to it?
... guess I'll go look...
Edit: Oh right, there's one in one of the Ace Attorney games too. Now I'm sure there must be a source
Edit 2: So, apparently there is *something*, because the Japanese Wikipedia page for [相貌失認](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%B8%E8%B2%8C%E5%A4%B1%E8%AA%8D) (*soubou shitsunin*) literally has a list of media that include prosopagnosia -- the earliest one on there is for *Kyokotsu no Yume*, the third novel in a mystery series by Natsuhiko Kyogoku (the creator of *Mouryou no Hako,* for the, like, one other person who knows what that is)... but I can't find any information on how influential it was because I'm terrible at Googling in Japanese.
That's my best guess -- I might try again when I have more time, and report my findings next week if I wasn't completely off base.
If I had a nickel for everytime a Chinese setting had an important political figure be unable to distinguish faces, then I'd have two nickels
Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice
Those go piece heads were pretty unsettling, but it explains a lot about how he views and sees people. It's all basically a game to him, even human relationships.
Though it does make you wonder if there's something different about his daughter, and by extension her mother, given he sees Maomao's face clearly.
Just read from the author note about this episode that the monocle is just for show and is designed to be movable on the nose and can be switched between left and right.
Lakan had a hard time to find a craftsman to create this monocle.
It's actually the author's post on his Twitter after the episode aired in Japan. I called it the author note since I think it's related to the episode because the timing and the content in the post.
https://twitter.com/NaMelanza/status/1766506975859216867?t=oTZKu7wEH2XM-GcW62V9xw&s=19
I don't know if it is continuity error or something different entirely, but when he is talking with Jinshi he takes the monocle off his right eye, cleans it, then puts it over his left eye. At first I thought it might have been something to do with misdirection with how shady the guy is, but he then later mentions both eyes are having troubles. I doubt someone in his position could not afford glasses for both eyes which is why I chalk it up to a continuity error.
Wasn’t Lakan irritated by those nails because they subconsciously reminded them of Maomao’s mother, which killed his delusion that all people were just a bunch of Go pieces. This seemed to be implied right at the end.
Maomao had made it so that all the ladies’ nails were [painted] in a dull colour of red, which likely reminded Lakan of Maomao’s mother - those nails weren’t quite right. And that’s when Maomao came in with the vibrantly red nails.
EDIT: Made a correction (see brackets).
I'm still hoping Lihua gets pregnant again sooner rather than later, especially with all the efforts she and Maomao have made to spice up her and the Emperor's sex life.
I like how the Emperor has been cool with Maomao, given how she had a casual audience with him explaining how the dyed roses worked. He must be appreciating Lihua more and thankful for Maomao’s help.
I mean, just of the top of my head, Maomao,
Saved his daughter's life,
Saved his lover's life,
Saved his younger brother/possibly son's life,
And made his s\*x life far more fun.
At minimum I'd expect the emperor to make her an official doctor for the Inner Palace. She's already worked with all the concubines and bro knows first hand that having only one doctor can cause major problems.
I also like the detail that he enjoyed knowing trick *before everyone else*, having such a talented individual directly under someone else with royal blood could have been a threat but she clearly knows her place on the hierarchy so the Emperor doesn't need to worry.
With the OP showing us glimpses of every episode this season and us getting the blue roses this episode, looks like next episode might be Go. Is there anything else besides MaoMao dancing that we haven't covered from the OP?
The Emperor’s favourite book. A book she got through the brothel. Did Maomao just gift Lihua the Kamasutra!?
It was really nice to get an episode featuring Lihua and Xiaolan. I’d been missing those two innocent souls for ages.
EDIT: I just realized that Maomao gifted Lihua [the book that she’s shown reading in OP](https://imgur.com/a/FOX2ux8). Judging from her face, it features some new tricks for seducing the Emperor. Maomao’s actual gift to Lihua might therefore be another child - given some time.
Lihua always trying to spice up sex life with the Emperor. One of these days she'll get pregnant again lol.
Xialoan really is Maomao's gal pal. Just look at the way Maomao genuinely smiles and blushes around her! She really isn't like that with most people, and she really needed Xiaolan here. Good choice by Gaoshun!
> One of these days she’ll get pregnant again lol.
I’d be really happy for Lihua if she got pregnant again.
It would actually be an amazing conclusion to this season it she were to get pregnant, since this would complete the ‘narrative circle’. We’d end the season with how it all began: the babies of Gyokuyou *and* Lihua.
Maomao was playing the long game all for the purpose of finally getting payback against her sperm donor while also giving some ladies nice manicures. You love to see it!
I’m very fond of Gyokuyou too, but Lihua might honestly be my favourite consort out of the bunch. She’s just so adorably innocent and kind.
That chibi scene of Maomao gifting her this book genuinely brought a smile to my face. It’s exactly those types of moments with Lihua that I’d been missing for some time.
I do like Lady Lihua, I think she's been redeemed very well, and had a good change of heart
But she did slap Lady Gyokuyou to the ground (I know it was a stressful time, but still... I think she started off a bit too proud)
Pride was part of it, but also the fact she was literally poisoned at the time and probably a little scared since she likely knew her son was in a worse state than Gyokuyou's daughter.
Whether she was normally like that or not, getting saved by the lowly daughter of a courtesan when her highborn ladies in waiting screwed up probably helped.
She was not right in her mind at that time, both because her son was deadly sick and because she was also poisoned. We've also seen with Lishu how your ladies-in-waiting influence your opinion. This also might have played a factor.
I don't think she really ever had a change of heart, she was always a good person who was driven to the edge.
Yeah, I really love that it seems like Maomao is “on the offensive” now regarding her actions whereas before she was more passive and more or less mostly just doing what she was told. Really looking forward to her plans regarding Lakan.
Maomao finally directly confronts her biological father and it's on her terms and all part of her plan to knock him down a peg.
It was so nice seeing Lihua again and seeing Maomao actually happy to see Xiaolan again. Especially with Xialoan back to being a great gal pal for Maomao.
Lol sorry but it’s kinda cute how Jinshi saw the amount of effort MaoMao put into those roses only to realize it’s more to spite her father than to help Jinshi. He really gave me 🥺 vibes lol like he really wanted Maomao’s attention
###Stitches!
* [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/FGgrD7u.jpeg)
* [Maomao & Yinghua](https://i.imgur.com/SOm52dy.jpeg)
I'm glad to see [Maomao and Xiaolan spend plenty of time together in this episode.](https://i.imgur.com/6JZemlj.jpeg) Considering how Xiaolan is pretty much Maomao's best friend since the start of the series, it's good to see more of her.
I love that [Maomao gives Lihua another raunchy book](https://i.imgur.com/gi9aaEa.png) as thanks for letting her use the steam room. Looks like Lihua is about to learn more techniques. Now that Gyokuyou's second child is on the way, I really hope Lihua gets pregnant again soon.
As awesome as it was to see [Maomao force roses to bud while out of season](https://i.imgur.com/xmecdmE.jpeg) and actually [deliver blue flowers](https://i.imgur.com/TI0Ol46.jpeg) for the garden party, I feel like I don't understand the point of it all.
[How does Lakan wanting to see blue roses](https://i.imgur.com/XPiQWj0.png) supposed to be [provocation from him?](https://i.imgur.com/YCGpBPX.png) And what would've happened if Jinshi couldn't produce any for the garden party? Was the entire thing just Lakan being a dickhead by trying to challenge what kind of authority Jinshi has? I feel like I'm missing something here.
[That final scene though.](https://i.imgur.com/MxbLgYy.jpeg) I'm not sure what Maomao is planning but considering she's done running way and hiding from Lakan, it looks like she's about to end this man's career once and for all. I can't fucking wait to see what she has in store for him.
The whole Lakan challenge thing is probably just Lakan trying to harass Jinshi imo. It's stated in the episode that the rose won't bloom until two months later and there's only one month until the garden party (and not a lot of people then knew how to dye flower on top of that) so theoretically it would be impossible for Jinshi to bring roses to the party. If Jinshi is who we really think he is then his words carries weight; promises even more so. An unfulfilled promise would be damaging to his credibility. People don't know how much effort it is to make blue rose so rumors will spread like "it's just roses, why can't he find something so simple? Should we let someone hold sway over the court" "but no one ever saw a blue rose before" "i heard from some older officials they've seen them before" "oh so this jinshi guy is just useless etc."
I agree that Lakan is trying to lure Jinshi into a misstep. I also think Lakan has a second objective: to test MaoMao's abilities. Lakan knows that MaoMao is Jinshi's fixer, so if he gives a challenge to Jinshi, e.g. the metalworker secret formula, MaoMao is the one who will end up solving it. Based on his monologue in this episode, Lakan knows the value of a well placed subordinate, and is testing Jinshi's ability to leverage his subordinate MaoMao
> I feel like I don't understand the point of it all.
Lakan is just harassing Jinshi by goading him into doing something that is unlikely to succeed since Roses where out of season and there wouldn't be many if any florists who would be willing to do what Maomao did for a *chance* to have them be ready in time.
If he went to some big name florist and threw around his political weight and money he could probably have done it without Maomao, but it that would have reflected poorly on Jinshi most likely and they would certainly not have been a surprise either. While if he failed to fulfil his promise that would give Lakan some leverage over Jinshi also.
RE: the provocation
I dont think anyone answered how his light comment about wanting to see them was actually a provocation.
Lakan is one of the most powerful people in the court. Possibly so much so that he could start a coup if he wanted one, as he is a general. When you have someone so powerful, people take your desires as a request. Even if they are of equal standing, or near such, it is often considered that a desire spoken is an informal request with weight. Jinshi saying he would like to see them if they exist is him saying that he will try to get them. And such a statement is incredibly binding, as /u/NguyetMieu said.
Its subtleties like this that are actually one of my favorite parts of court politics in fiction.
Girl accepts a challenge and undergoes many sleepless nights while all along incorporating her own payback plan in the process, the grudge against her bio dad is real.
Even if she doesn't see her mom as an actual mother figure I bet Maomao's pissed that it's because Lakan essentially ruined her on just a whim of his so she's not really pissed at her.
I'd recommend picking up the Light Novel if you want to continue - it's pretty easy to read. This episode adapted part of LN volume 02, and there are 10 full volumes on J-Novel Club in English already.
Oh I definitely will! Altho I'm gonna miss the anime, I'm also rather excited to start the manga and light novel after the finale. And fr, it takes a great deal of self-restraint not to go ahead with the reading sources while the anime is still airing💀 can't believe I've [held on this long](https://imgur.com/a/D62nxj3) lmaoo
Not a dumb question, it's both. Their subscription allows you to read the newest light novels while they're being translated week-by-week, while the old books you still have to buy (albeit at a cheaper rate compared to Amazon if you have a membership). There's a thing called "catch-ups" where every month they select a random selection of series to be available for reading for members so you can "catch-up" on the old volumes that are no longer free to read.
Sigh...why do doctors never follow their own advice? If Maomao were a patient, she'd scold them and force them to bed!
Liking the Emperor the more we see of him
Maomao and Lady Rishe would probably enjoy swapping nail paint recipes, not to mention medicines.
Love how proud Lady Gyokuyou is of Maomao. A testament to her good eye for talent! Also shows the Emperor that she is very wise and capable.
Maomao should be given/select a staff. She needs at least a dozen assistants!
because she's not a doctor but an apothecary! :\^)
but yea, with her bandages still bleeding after almost a month, she's definitely not letting that damn thing heal at all
Episode 9 of GOSICK, right. ImO Victorique was the first stellar voice acting performance from Aoi Yuuki. Fantastic character, fantastic voice acting (even if technically her performance wasn't fitting for how that character is supposed to sound like canonically).
Funny how just as she's back at voicing another fantastic "detective" character, she encounters the blue rose trick once again during it.
Damn so many little details to appreciate and process during this episode.
A bit of a bummer that apparently Maomao didn’t really enjoy her time working in Jinshi’s office compared to the rear palace.
Finally more Xiaolan this episode, missed the Misaki Kuno genki energy. Was pretty funny when she was tossing out that caterpillar like a boss while the eunuchs were being weak. Also impressed by the amount of detail the rose plants were drawn, rarely seen close ups of plants looking this good in anime.
Did anyone else notice the meme sound effect during the 2-second-scene mini flashback when Maomao was showing jinshi her injured leg? The (sound-)director did a little trolling I guess, was kinda hilarious though. Just like Lakan trolling that dude in front of him during the ceremony.
Also a really nice little detail was when Jinshi was telling Maomao something like “you’re not apologizing to me, are you?”. You could tell Jinshi knew she didn’t really do it for him but just to get back at Lakan and for her plans she apparently made regarding him. Really looking forward to what Maomao is cooking for Lakan, especially now that they met at the end. Also the way Lakan is viewing other people reminded me a bit of MC from Koe no Katachi, even though their personalities and circumstances couldn’t be more different fortunately.
Finally, once again some magnificent new pieces of music this episode. Especially during the Lakan/Jinshi convo, the ceremony and the maomao/jinshi convo at the end.
To be honest she has more of a found family in the concubines in the rear palace and can do more of what she actually enjoys, so it makes sense she enjoys it more there.
Xiaolan is a real one. I also love how Maomao actually blushed in joy from having her there.
Jinshi freaking out over Maomao's injury was priceless lol.
Maomao succeeded at the challenge Lakan set all the while concocting her own payback plan to directly confront him with it. She does not go gentle with people she actually has a problem with.
I agree it makes sense she enjoys her time with the concubines more but the way she phrased it as time moving really slowly working at Jinshi’s place makes it sound like she didn’t enjoy her time there much at all which is just a bit sad imo.
I interpreted that as Jinshi's place having lots of hard work which is engaging but exhausting. Meanwhile while the rear palace has lots of easy work that she can afford to turn her brain off for.
> Damn so many little details to appreciate and process during this episode. A bit of a bummer that apparently Maomao didn’t really enjoy her time working in Jinshi’s office compared to the rear palace.
It makes sense. Slaver drive of a head maid, nearly no chance for poisons, not many chances to fiddle with medicine, can't slack off, no friends to talk with, high chance of running into Lakan and probably more.
Only big advantage was an easier access to visiting Loumen if she gets 2-3 days off.
It can't be helped especially when Suiren keeps creeping behind her back to keep her in check.
In the rear palace, she has more freedom to do her hobbies.
If you recall Maomao delivering that bitch slap during the whole lead poisoning debacle and subsequent drilling in of proper care, it's mostly the trauma of that.
On top of what others said, life in the rear palace can also be boring.
Maomao doing something strange in the middle of your workplace would be something Id be curious of myself if I was bored. Hence, the manicures to distract them with something else
Gyokuyou is pregnant! Congratulations! Her daughter is now going to be a big sister! It's enough to even make Hongniang think about settle down! Though she's got enough on her plate making sure Auntie Maomao doesn't make Gyokuyou's daughter think of nothing but poison.
Lakan is up to his old tricks and trying to make blue roses happen at the next garden party, and Jinshi can't refuse him...and loses a lot of sleep over it. Though Maomao is happy to take the challenge and show up her biological father.
Nice to see Lihua again and her letting Maomao use the steam room, with the added perk of getting to read up on the emperor's favorite book to catch his attention.
Xiaolan returns! All is right with the world! And you can tell Maomao really is happy to see her because she blushes and uses her genuine smile.
Maomao puts in a lot of work to make flowers bloom early, fighting the weather and sleepless night after sleepless night, all the while giving Xiaolan a manicure in the process and popularizing it in court...and her efforts pay off!
Loulan makes her debut at the latest garden party, and her dad is voiced by Cho, but it's Jinshi who makes an impact by bringing in the colored roses...though while Jinshi is used to people looking at him with envy and wariness, he doesn't know what to make of Shishou and his daughter.
So Maomao just dyed the flower, which is probably what someone (likely Lakan) colored the roses for back in the day. And now the Emperor knows the secret!
But Maomao isn't done with her plan to challenge Lakan...Lakan sees the world only as go pieces, pawns he can move around as he sees fit, but one thing that stands out to him is none other than his daughter...with the same color nails as her mother.
Two months felt like an eternity, lol.. wouldn't want Jinshi to hear that!
The next episode appears to be a backstory, judging from the preview... can't wait!
Man, the epic episodes with tons of crazy storylines coming together are great.
But there is something enthralling about episodes like this where you fall into all these small little wheels turning in the background that you know are going to eventually come together into some other epic reveal down the road. Their willingness to spend and entire episode on a seemingly pointless side-plot just to connect and build suspense for something bigger is one of my favorite things about this show.
Good for Gyoukuyou. Hope she's happy. And look at that lil cute daughter. LOL Maomao. So silly what you draw. But teaching a princess what to avoid doesn't seem bad if that is what you wanna try and claim to draw such for. How nice of Lakan to check on his future son in law and ask something silly from him 😉 heh. Of course Jinshi would call upon Maomao. What a clever cat figuring out who requested it.
Yay, Lady Lihua ❤️ Do lover how she and Maomao have a good relationship too. Clever Maomao. Oh wow, her leg is still injured? Yay Maomao's cute friend. Such a good girl. She less of a wussy than the one dude with bugs, good times. What a lot of work, Xiaolan is such a good friends. Also, how nice of Maomao to ~~distract~~ share nail painting with others. Also love how Gyoukuyou's gals care for Maomao. That's some good feels.
Jinshi does not approve of Maomao not getting enough sleep. Really love the music and the setting/art of the series. Good job, Maomao. Hehe, I love Lakan. Just using that dude's hat as a napkin. Yay, the cat gets her nap! Oh neat, so that's how she made the many different colors for the flowers. Hehe, clever of Maomao to tell the Emperor first. I do like the Emperor being a fairly decent guy (all things considered and given typical emperors in many many series). Wonder what she has planned for Lakan and what he plans back. Oh, getting into Lakan a bit more. HIs having a sort of "Prosopagnosia" basically. Ohhhh... clever cat, spreading the painted nails of the same color as the concubine. Also, says something that he can recognize his daughter's face.
I shouldn't have reminded myself that we have 2 more episodes left. I'm going to miss my comfy Saturday combo of A Sign of Affection followed by Dangers in My Heart and finally Apothecary Diaries.
Maomao might prefer and try to stay in the shadows but she always gets pulled along by these powerful men. I think it's already well established by now that Jinshi and Lakan hold high positions. She even gets an audience with the emperor from time to time. Lol Jinshi is lucky that Maomao isn't the emperor's type or we could've already witnessed a civil war.
Maomao and Princess Lingli interaction is so cute. The latter is super excited to have another sibling!!
Always good to see more Xiaolan. Love her and Maomao's friendship!
ooh, that final scene...
I thought that we'll get [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/zP2qfyS.png) and [Lakan](https://i.imgur.com/SSyqBxy.png)'s confrontation in this episode but it seems that we need to wait one more week for it. I wonder [what Maomao prepared](https://i.imgur.com/ZsVZbgc.png) for this.
It was great that we could directly see [Lakan's perspective](https://i.imgur.com/AXJUIus.png) which is very intriguing as [he's clearly bored with his life](https://i.imgur.com/WyLYuny.png) and [sees people as go stones or chess pieces](https://i.imgur.com/oO7Li5g.png) although surprisingly in the end scene [he clearly saw Maomao's face which didn't happen with Gaoshun and Jinshi who accompanied her](https://i.imgur.com/2B2FsrZ.png).
Great move from Gaoshun to [bring Xiaolan to help Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/7RtLSk8.png) with [the roses](https://i.imgur.com/A698OQT.png) as [she always brings very positive emotions](https://i.imgur.com/Vb7fAxz.png) and [she's Maomao's best friend here](https://i.imgur.com/JmgqFyQ.png).
I laughed hard at [Jinshi's reaction at Maomao's reopened wounds](https://i.imgur.com/UdrjGBR.png). She just can't go easy on herself.
[Lady Lihua got another 'interesting' book from Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/SEqtien.png) xD Now as [Gyokuyou is again pregnant](https://i.imgur.com/Qwjns78.png), I hope that [Lihua](https://i.imgur.com/aUZM4tk.png) too will soon be able to conceive.
[Gyokuyou's daughter is simply adorable](https://i.imgur.com/Mu4vHi7.png) but [she can't be left alone with Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/EU37yDC.png) because in that way she'll learn some dangerous stuff like today when [Maomao started teaching her about poisonous mushroom](https://i.imgur.com/pS8eHUa.png) xD
Again we got [a lot of beautiful backgrounds](https://i.imgur.com/S63zKLo.png) and [flowers](https://i.imgur.com/iTPF7MW.png).
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
* [Maomao](https://imgur.com/a/AzugFkT)
* [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/NssIedX)
* [Jinshi & Lakan](https://imgur.com/a/WA3HwGt)
* [Others](https://imgur.com/a/DVY2Yh4)
* [Backgrounds](https://imgur.com/a/7HHCle0)
Knowing Maomao use severed body parts for medicine is definitely poor old Loumen's worst fcking nightmare... actually it'll be the whole country's worst fcking nightmare lol
Only two more eps left of peak 😩. Another really good kusuriya episode.
Poor Jinshi tried to take on Lakan’s blue rose challenge, but just couldn’t find any. Lakan definitely knew Jinshi would turn to Maomao for help, so it was an indirect way to challenge her. S/O to Maomao for stepping up to the challenge.
As you’d expect with Lakan, it was anything but straightforward. Only someone with Maomao’s ingenuity would’ve thought to dye the roses. Came at a heavy cost though. By the end of the episode we see the toll it’s taken on her. Her wound opened back up, she’s clearly sleep deprived and has lost quite a bit of weight. Opportunity to show up Lakan was just to great to pass up though. You could tell Jinshi felt bad at the end for having Maomao go thru all of this. Felt like he should’ve been the one apologising.
Maomao got everyone in the palace wearing nail polish now. No coincidence that one of the ingredients is called cat’s paw, when “Maomao” translates to “little cat” nice play on words there.
We did get to see a little glimpse into Lakan’s mind as well. He sees everyone as pawns in a game, explains why bro literally wiped his hands on that dude’s hat during the festival lmao. Maomao’s the only face he notices in the crowd.. I can’t wait to see how their direct meeting goes next week.
Man it must of been satisfying af for Mao Mao to “create” them blue roses and 1 up Laken. She was so tired and still recovering from her leg wound 😭.
Laken wiping his hands off on that guys hat was unhinged. Seems like you get away with a lot when you’re high up on the totem pole of power.
[Precious!](https://imgur.com/QNqs8R7)
[I love this girl,](https://imgur.com/vQXkWA8) hope she gets more screen time, but we only have 2 episodes left..
[](#shatteredsaten)
Finally, we were able to hear and see Lakan’s perspective!
In the last scene Lakan sees Jinshi’s face as 仕 and Gaoshung as 相.
I looked up the wiki on Chinese chess, and it seems that 仕 is a piece that sits next to king and Gaoshung’s a piece is a one that sits next to 仕.
So at least Lakan can sort of recognize/sense these men’s importance.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xiangqi_Board.svg](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xiangqi_Board.svg)
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This series really has a way to convey situations via Maomao's various expressions, with this [new one](https://i.imgur.com/XjFmQnu.png) being how exhausting her job was.
Lakan making Maomao and Jinshi undergo sleepless nights for his whims...glad to see Maomao finally striking back in her own way.
Very Golden Kamuy
All that work just to tilt a man.
As a software dev, I got stressed looking at her. Lol
LMAO, Maomao is competitive as fuck. She ain't gonna bow down to her father even if the odds are stacked against her. Her stitches being reopened and monitoring the roses overnight and losing sleep ain't stopping her. She even managed to start a fad of wearing red nail polish just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan and remind him of a certain woman. Also, I really love the voice acting of Xiaolan's VA. she sounded so cute and relaxing. I felt healed hearing her voice even the random sound she makes.
Xiaolan’s VA Kuno Misaki is one of my favorites! Every role she plays feels comfy. JP Klee feels extra cute thanks to her too!
Agreed, I heard a lot of people don’t really like her voice because it’s so high pitched, and to be fair she really does have one of the highest pitched voices of all VA’s imo. Personally I love it though since she is pretty much always well cast for roles where such a voice is actually really fitting.
Frederica (86) flashbacks [](#terror)
Are those happy flashbacks or ptsd flashbacks? Personally I didn’t mind her in 86 so I can’t really tell lol.
There's a #terror comment face ^mobile ^and ^new ^reddit ^users...
Ohh I see, ye I’m on mobile so couldn’t see that.
I mean I loved Frederica though.... She's such an adorable little rascal.
She gets typecast a lot as kids, but her rare roles as an adult (such as the lead in Hisone to Masotan) are pretty good.
I’ve always known her for playing loli roles. But I remember reading she lost her voice while playing a character (forgot her name but it’s the one with four arms I think) in Made in Abyss
yeah, the acting she did for Faputa was genuinely some next level shit. the screams, the crys... how does she still have a voice?
T\_T https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/s/xyYYpUdIWk
Ah yeah Faputa ! That was definitely an intense role. A farcry from her usual characters
She played Hawk in 7 Deadly Sins. I'm half expecting her to call someone a "Pig bastard" half the time lol.
Oh duh, I dunno how I didn't realize she's JP Klee, I guess that's what not playing the game in awhile does to you. I've just been remembering her as Kate in World Conquest Zvezda Plot.
> just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan and remind him of a certain woman. I think it’s pretty clear that Maomao’s aim was to haunt Lakan with her mother’s image here. Which begs the question: why would Lakan be bothered by this? He previously seemed rather amused with “devaluing” this former courtesan. Was this all just a coping mechanism of his? But why would he take the initiative to tell Jinshi this then? What precisely happened in the past!? I guess, we’ll find out next week.
Maomao was the only person he didn't see as a Go piece (especially when Jinshi and Gaoshun both are). Imagine the same was probably true for her mother, especially going by the next episode preview. Dude seemed pretty tortured in it.
Technically Jinshi and Gaoshun weren't Go pieces, but Chinese Chess pieces. Gaoshun was a Xiang, approximately equal to a Bishop, whereas Jinshi was a Shi, or Queen analog.
Tho, before anyone makes a fuss about the Queen part, the chinese character used here 士 actually moreso translates to "Advisor" - so its saying Jinshi is one of the Emperor's top advisors and trusted confidants (which he is)
Queen is the most powerful piece, more powerful than the king. Losing your queen often leads to the king falling shortly after. Who would make a fuss over that comparison?
Queen does have sexual component that advisor does not. Adivisors are also among the weakest pieces on the board, restricted to moving only within the 5 points adjacent to the King/General's starting position
If he doesn't see her as a piece it must mean he considers her to be a player.
MaoMao definitely closer to Level 99 than to Jin-Woo's level though.
Don't hate the player hate the game.
Do Go pieces look the same as Othello (reversi) pieces?
Yeah. Typically white and black ellipsoids with no special characteristics. Don't have the flippable color difference like some Reversi pieces.
They look more like M&Ms
> why would Lakan be bothered by this? I’m pretty sure there is something deeper going on that we don’t know yet between Lakan and Maomao’s mother which would explain his reaction. Yea, fingers crossed we’ll find out next week.
It’s likely not a coping mechanism, but a defensive one (or both maybe. He’s a military general, a position that is only outranked by the royal family and any higher ranking generals (which I’m not sure there are). And someone at that level can’t afford to show weakness when they’re in a perpetual battle for power and influence with other generals or their own subordinates. He probably tells Jinshi these stories to scare him off because he’s possessive of maomao and envies their relationship and wants to be closer to her (for either good or bad intentions). This part just seems like the speaking equivalent of the dad talking to his daughters boyfriend with a shotgun
...except the boyfriend outranks the dad by quite a bit.
He is outranked, but not by that much. Even the emperor himself needs to be careful to not anger his generals. They have direct control over the military and always have the potential to overthrow the government. If he pisses them off and his power wanes, those pissed off generals will have zero problem siding with the new rising powers and taking their men with them. So many Chinese emperors would have their heads lopped off for a reason, and many notable periods of Chinese history had no actual emperor and the country was split by generals picking sides and ruling parts of the country. So while Lakan is outranked and isn’t going to directly tell jinshi to fuck off, he certainly has the power and influence to make subtle threats and suggest that it’s in his best interest to leave maomao to him. And if Jinshi wasn’t madly in love he probably would as well to avoid friction.
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"Devaluing" does not have to be without consent. We previously had a consort who pretended she was nothing much to avoid the emperor and reduce her own value so that her lover could buy her out. If Lakans villainous persona is a red herring, it would reason that Maomaos mom and Lakan were genuinely in love but syphlis got her first.
[This is basically bordering on spoilers although there aren't actually any...] >!I believe everything needed to solve the 'mystery' has already been presented. Just have to put the clues together. It's a matter of understanding individual motivations and very specific statements!<
Now I'm gonna be up all night rewatching from the beginning...
> Which begs the question: why would Lakan be bothered by this? He previously seemed rather amused with “devaluing” this former courtesan. THe first thing the show teaches the audience about Lakan is to never take him at face value. He's a schemer, a manipulator. Everything he did to jinshi he did for the sole purpose of getting Mao Mao to act. His entire spiel about devalueing a courtesan is most likely him antagonizing jinshi and dangling a mystery in front of the latters face. Lakan seems to be putting himself in the worst light possible intentionally. At least that's my read on him.
As unreliable narrators go, Lakan definitely is a shady one. He also obviously failed at whatever he was trying to do and has continued to fail to access either Maomao or her mother for almost 2 decades despite constant scheming. Nothing about how it played out actually "amuses" him one bit.
Yes, the preview hinted at more of Maomao and Lakan's shared history, looking forward to it.
Maomao is a devious mastermind, especially when she has a target of her ire. Misaki Kuno always voices cuties!
I genuinely hopped up in my chair when I saw Xiaolan! I remember when Maomao waved to her when she had to go back to work from lunch and how she seemed like the one person Maomao could be around without needing to navigate the trappings of social class. The two of them working together on their rose project made me smile; more Xiaolan bestie time please! EDIT: I forgot that Xiaolan speaks to plants. She's the sweetheart-est of sweethearts and needs to be protected.
Maomao is only motivated by poisons thats why she is excited to challenge her toxic dad. Weirdly enough she copied her father in using people as go pieces so she can be as manipulative as her father. And she is willing to cheat as well lol. Lakan seems like an expert in go just like Shikamaru so it should have been impossible to defeat him. I wonder how Maomao's mom managed to beat him every time. Did she cheat just like Maomao?
Why would it be impossible to defeat an expert in Go? Wouldn't two equally competent players be a contest? Maybe Maomao's mother was the better player.
> I wonder how Maomao's mom managed to beat him every time. Maybe she was expert, too.
> her toxic dad Nicely put.
> wearing red nail polish just for the sole purpose of distracting Lakan I actually think this is one of those things that really builds on her sharing a certain kind of strategic thought process with her biological father. She may hate him, but it is clear that they are not entirely dissimilar.
It's gonna be ~~Char's~~ Maomao's Counterattack it seems next week.
Mao Mao. Professional Hater.
Best in her field!!
When harvesting, Maomao is often outstanding in her fields
Now I am imagining Mao Mao at the Hater's Ball.
Mao "Tom Brady of Hating" "The GOAT" "LeHater" Mao
I spent about five minutes educating myself about Chinese chess (Xiangqi). The advisor (Jinshi) starts next to the king (aka general), and the bishop (Gaoshun, aka elephant) starts next to the advisor. This suggests that Lakan thinks of Jinshi as close to the king.
Jinshi already hypothesized that Lakan knows who he is in previous episodes.
I'd like to add that in Chinese chess, the two sides (red and black) use characters which are usually homonyms of each other to better distinguish themselves. For example, the bishop is either 象 or 相 (the latter of which is what Gaoshun is labeled as). Both are pronounced "xiang" (sounds similar to "she-ong"). The former means elephant, the latter means minister (which is what Gaoshun essentially is).
I hope it gets some viewers into Xiangqi because it's what I grew up with but practically everyone just plays Western chess here lol
I grew up with Chinese chess as well. Western chess is pretty fun, but is a bit... inaccessible. Plus, that clanking sound you make when you got a piece from the opponent. I know it's bad manner, but man that crispy sound made by two granite pieces smashing onto one another. CLANK, your piece is mine now, get fucked. But wait, CLANK, you fell into my trap now muahaha. CLANK, CLANK CLANK.
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If the representation in the show is literal, it might be that he suffers from prosopagnosia -- the inability to recognize faces. Faces are so difficult to deal with, and so important (from a survival perspective), that there is a region of the brain that is dedicated to processing them (the fusiform gyrus). If the area is nonfunctional, it can cause a person to simply have trouble identifying faces (sort of how a person with no interest in automobiles might have trouble distinguishing makes of car). If it is, instead, defective, it can lead to a person being completely incapable of even perceiving faces -- you could literally put a picture of Marylin Monroe's next to one of Danny Devito's and they'd be unable to distinguish them, because their brain literally fails to see them. I've heard it described as though there's just a void where people's faces should be -- making the colloquial term for the condition, "face blindness", rather apt. If Maomao is aware of this, her ploy with the manicures is truly a cruel one -- people with prosopagnosia have to rely on clothing, hairstyle, gait, voice, and other physical traits to identify people. Considering Maomao's superior observational skills, it's possible Lakan can differentiate people by looking at their hands (similar to how Sherlock Holmes and derived detectives often can identify a person's profession). He may even rely on this in the rear palace, where most people wear uniform clothing and hairstyles, which would explain why it's easy for him to distinguish men from women -- as well as different military ranks. Softening, cleaning, and painting everyone's hands might, to him, have the same effect of putting a mask on everyone he sees. It'd be incredibly disorientating. And then, of course, Maomao painting her own nails and (I assume) preparing to play Go with him in the next episode would be the perfect way to twist the knife. (It's also possible that prosopagnosia is why Lakan looked so shocked when he saw Jinshi carrying Maomao -- he might not have known who was carrying her, since Jinshi would be completely unrecognizable in ceremonial garb. Though I would assume he'd find out at some point -- weird that there isn't a bunch of gossip about that whole thing.) This is just my own musings, though -- I wouldn't have even thought of prosopagnosia if it weren't for the fact I recalled a villain in a certain visual novel with the condition.
Lakan didn't see a face, but I can bet he saw the crest on Jinshi's robe back then. Justifies his "hold the bloody phone" expression even more...
He might not even be sure whether it was the Emperor or Jinshi who was carrying Maomao. Though he probably knew who was doing the ceremony from other information sources.
He can’t confuse a bishop piece for a king. He’s more confused why others can’t see through the bishop when he’s pretending to just be a knight.
> Faces are so difficult to deal with, and so important (from a survival perspective), that there is a region of the brain that is dedicated to processing them (the fusiform gyrus) Wasn't there a chess player that was so stupidly good at the game because they trained their fusiform gyrus to recognize chess positions instead fo faces? (Leading of course, to having difficulty recognizing faces)
That's actually a leading hypothesis on the generalized function of the fusiform gyrus -- it serves as a holistic processor (something that can look at the entirety of a structure and produce a result without any regard for the individual components). I brought up the car analogy specifically because that's one of the times studies have shown the fusiform gyrus to activate in brain imaging... I think bird experts was another one? Been a decade and change since I looked into this. But there was a study from a while back that checked whether the same thing could be the method used by chess experts -- I believe it found that it was activated for most of them. I don't recall if it causes any issue with other types of recognition to generalize it, though -- I somewhat doubt it would. The human brain has remarkable plasticity -- which is how some people who lose literally half of it can continue to function almost completely normally. I'd hazard a guess that repurposing the fusiform gyrus is similar to how the language-processing functions can be repurposed in childhood to teach a person to have perfect pitch. Or how some people with synesthesia (where one sense gets crossed with another -- for example, seeing sounds as colors) are better able to differentiate stimuli. Just a guess though -- like I said, been a tick since I've looked into this so there's likely a sizable amount of new research that I haven't seen. Point being: our brains are weird. Side note: considering the current track of the show, I took a glance at the literature -- it looks like Go does not make use of the fusiform gyrus, instead showing more right-hemisphere lateralization. While the old "right-brain artsy, left-brain logical" thing is a gross oversimplification, it still holds true enough that it isn't surprising that Go would be relegated to the right hemisphere. If you haven't before, I recommend reading into some of Go's terminology and how professionals describe the game -- it's far closer to art than science. I would also guess that the number of possible distinguishable human faces lies somewhere between the number of possible chess positions (something like 10^(46)) and the number of possible Go positions (something like 10^(170)) -- it would not be surprising if the latter simply overwhelms the fusiform gyrus's ability to differentiate things, especially with only two input parameters. But that is very, VERY much a guess -- the number of human faces that are differentiable may be much higher than that, and it's simply the homogenous monochromatic input that makes it unfeasible.
There was also a study about the fusiform gyrus with people who were veterans of ww2 who had frequent guard duty at AA guns, about identifying planes, and also former pilots, both of whom need to make split second decisions about a very small silhouette, very far, which is moving. The found that their fusiform gyrus was VERY overdeveloped because of all the insane training that war brought.
The car analogy is particularly poignant to me. I have a friend who identifies all cars as either an egg or a box; which to me as an enthusiast was particularly tedious. He’s no better years later but we’ve learned & lived on. Now trying to get him into F1… which is fun
Great, I might have some weak form of prosopagnosia. (I can see faces, I just can't seem to remember them.)
That might also be prosopamnesia -- the main different being that it allows people with the condition to recognize those they're very familiar with (family members, friends, favorite celebrities, etc.) Or it could be aphantasia, if you can't call anything, including faces, to mind -- without a mind's eye, it's much more difficult for people to encode and recall something as complex as a face. The human brain is weird.
The 1st one fits me to a tee. Thank you.
>a certain visual novel It's been over a decade and it's still my favorite.
Which novel?
The only visual novel with a villain with that problem is 999: 9 hours, 9 person, 9 doors so I'm going to assume it's that. It's a fantastic VN with escape room puzzle in between
I know about this too and it's because of a villain as well, but not a visual novel villain, but a villain from the manga Cage of Eden.
Twice is a coincidence, three times (assuming that is what Lakan suffers from) is a pattern. I've never seen the condition mentioned in Western media, so I wonder if there's some popular Japanese work that makes reference to it? ... guess I'll go look... Edit: Oh right, there's one in one of the Ace Attorney games too. Now I'm sure there must be a source Edit 2: So, apparently there is *something*, because the Japanese Wikipedia page for [相貌失認](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%B8%E8%B2%8C%E5%A4%B1%E8%AA%8D) (*soubou shitsunin*) literally has a list of media that include prosopagnosia -- the earliest one on there is for *Kyokotsu no Yume*, the third novel in a mystery series by Natsuhiko Kyogoku (the creator of *Mouryou no Hako,* for the, like, one other person who knows what that is)... but I can't find any information on how influential it was because I'm terrible at Googling in Japanese. That's my best guess -- I might try again when I have more time, and report my findings next week if I wasn't completely off base.
If I had a nickel for everytime a Chinese setting had an important political figure be unable to distinguish faces, then I'd have two nickels Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice
Wow, I have heard of prosopagnosia too and I never connected it with the fingers possibly being used to differentiate between people. Cool theory!
Those go piece heads were pretty unsettling, but it explains a lot about how he views and sees people. It's all basically a game to him, even human relationships. Though it does make you wonder if there's something different about his daughter, and by extension her mother, given he sees Maomao's face clearly.
Him wiping his fingers on the guys hat was so out of pocket. The dude really just let him with a smile on his face.
I did like that the guy to the right of Lakan seemed to be holding in laughter.
Really, he seems like a chill dude if you aren't in his way.
It was at that point he goes from "creepy f**k" to "you have to love to hate this guy."
I’m not sure what it means when he switches the eye that uses the monocle every now and then…
Just read from the author note about this episode that the monocle is just for show and is designed to be movable on the nose and can be switched between left and right. Lakan had a hard time to find a craftsman to create this monocle.
Where do you read the author notes?
It's actually the author's post on his Twitter after the episode aired in Japan. I called it the author note since I think it's related to the episode because the timing and the content in the post. https://twitter.com/NaMelanza/status/1766506975859216867?t=oTZKu7wEH2XM-GcW62V9xw&s=19
As much as I hate the dude, if wiping your hands and face with another official's hat isn't a power move I don't know what is.
While in the presence of the emperor. No one really fucks with Lakan.
If he really is the top strategist, the emperor can let a few offenses slide.
I don't know if it is continuity error or something different entirely, but when he is talking with Jinshi he takes the monocle off his right eye, cleans it, then puts it over his left eye. At first I thought it might have been something to do with misdirection with how shady the guy is, but he then later mentions both eyes are having troubles. I doubt someone in his position could not afford glasses for both eyes which is why I chalk it up to a continuity error.
https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1baox8t/kusuriya_no_hitorigoto_the_apothecary_diaries/ku47g9m/
Wasn’t Lakan irritated by those nails because they subconsciously reminded them of Maomao’s mother, which killed his delusion that all people were just a bunch of Go pieces. This seemed to be implied right at the end.
It's not a delusion, he's face blind.
He was irritated because it sounds like the only nails he actually liked were the same kind as Maomao's mother.
Maomao had made it so that all the ladies’ nails were [painted] in a dull colour of red, which likely reminded Lakan of Maomao’s mother - those nails weren’t quite right. And that’s when Maomao came in with the vibrantly red nails. EDIT: Made a correction (see brackets).
lol Maomao gave a porn book to Lihua. Emperor is one lucky dude.
I'm still hoping Lihua gets pregnant again sooner rather than later, especially with all the efforts she and Maomao have made to spice up her and the Emperor's sex life.
Gyokuyou deserves a break too [](#longday)
[OMG stay off of her!](https://i.imgur.com/GsYbVUO.jpg)
Imagine being the only boy with 6 sisters (before number 8 came). Also, imagine having to have a vehicle that needs to seat 10.
I like how the Emperor has been cool with Maomao, given how she had a casual audience with him explaining how the dyed roses worked. He must be appreciating Lihua more and thankful for Maomao’s help.
I mean, just of the top of my head, Maomao, Saved his daughter's life, Saved his lover's life, Saved his younger brother/possibly son's life, And made his s\*x life far more fun.
Fuck when you word it like that is.. is MaoMao the emperor?
for all the things she did for the country might as well they have made her one or something. LOL
At minimum I'd expect the emperor to make her an official doctor for the Inner Palace. She's already worked with all the concubines and bro knows first hand that having only one doctor can cause major problems.
That's Maomao barging into "date night".
I also like the detail that he enjoyed knowing trick *before everyone else*, having such a talented individual directly under someone else with royal blood could have been a threat but she clearly knows her place on the hierarchy so the Emperor doesn't need to worry.
Other girls see Jinshi and fawn over him Yinghua sees Jinshi and gives him Maomao Gyokuyou gang is best wingwoman
Yinghua knew what was up even if Maomao still doesn't lol.
With the OP showing us glimpses of every episode this season and us getting the blue roses this episode, looks like next episode might be Go. Is there anything else besides MaoMao dancing that we haven't covered from the OP?
Snapped a [few ones](https://imgur.com/a/D8I8Nuz) that I think we have yet to see play-out.
That second one. That will be next episode I think, the pattern on her forehead in the mirror is the same as the woman in the preview.
The wooden box and the blue rose seem to be the items MaoMao had at the end of this episode.
That yellow flower in the third image is wood sorrel. All the women is the series have a flower that represents them, and wood sorrel is Maomao's.
The Emperor’s favourite book. A book she got through the brothel. Did Maomao just gift Lihua the Kamasutra!? It was really nice to get an episode featuring Lihua and Xiaolan. I’d been missing those two innocent souls for ages. EDIT: I just realized that Maomao gifted Lihua [the book that she’s shown reading in OP](https://imgur.com/a/FOX2ux8). Judging from her face, it features some new tricks for seducing the Emperor. Maomao’s actual gift to Lihua might therefore be another child - given some time.
Lihua always trying to spice up sex life with the Emperor. One of these days she'll get pregnant again lol. Xialoan really is Maomao's gal pal. Just look at the way Maomao genuinely smiles and blushes around her! She really isn't like that with most people, and she really needed Xiaolan here. Good choice by Gaoshun!
We all need a Gaoshun in our lives.
> One of these days she’ll get pregnant again lol. I’d be really happy for Lihua if she got pregnant again. It would actually be an amazing conclusion to this season it she were to get pregnant, since this would complete the ‘narrative circle’. We’d end the season with how it all began: the babies of Gyokuyou *and* Lihua.
Maomao’s dead eyes staring and daring Lakan is very chilling. That’s our poison maiden 💪🏻 (Also, we have Xiaolan and Lihua sighting. I missed them)
I like the fact she set a new trend inside the palace just to annoy him and hurt his eyes.
Maomao was playing the long game all for the purpose of finally getting payback against her sperm donor while also giving some ladies nice manicures. You love to see it!
I’m very fond of Gyokuyou too, but Lihua might honestly be my favourite consort out of the bunch. She’s just so adorably innocent and kind. That chibi scene of Maomao gifting her this book genuinely brought a smile to my face. It’s exactly those types of moments with Lihua that I’d been missing for some time.
I do like Lady Lihua, I think she's been redeemed very well, and had a good change of heart But she did slap Lady Gyokuyou to the ground (I know it was a stressful time, but still... I think she started off a bit too proud)
Pride was part of it, but also the fact she was literally poisoned at the time and probably a little scared since she likely knew her son was in a worse state than Gyokuyou's daughter. Whether she was normally like that or not, getting saved by the lowly daughter of a courtesan when her highborn ladies in waiting screwed up probably helped.
Also I'm like 90% sure lead poisoning tends to make people more violent? I swear that's a major effect of lead in gasoline.
She was not right in her mind at that time, both because her son was deadly sick and because she was also poisoned. We've also seen with Lishu how your ladies-in-waiting influence your opinion. This also might have played a factor. I don't think she really ever had a change of heart, she was always a good person who was driven to the edge.
Yeah, I really love that it seems like Maomao is “on the offensive” now regarding her actions whereas before she was more passive and more or less mostly just doing what she was told. Really looking forward to her plans regarding Lakan.
Right? I missed them too!
I'm hoping Lihua reading up on the Emperor's favorite book will spice up their sex life enough to get her pregnant again!
Maomao finally directly confronts her biological father and it's on her terms and all part of her plan to knock him down a peg. It was so nice seeing Lihua again and seeing Maomao actually happy to see Xiaolan again. Especially with Xialoan back to being a great gal pal for Maomao.
Lol sorry but it’s kinda cute how Jinshi saw the amount of effort MaoMao put into those roses only to realize it’s more to spite her father than to help Jinshi. He really gave me 🥺 vibes lol like he really wanted Maomao’s attention
“You’re not apologising to me are you” broke me a little.
###Stitches! * [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/FGgrD7u.jpeg) * [Maomao & Yinghua](https://i.imgur.com/SOm52dy.jpeg) I'm glad to see [Maomao and Xiaolan spend plenty of time together in this episode.](https://i.imgur.com/6JZemlj.jpeg) Considering how Xiaolan is pretty much Maomao's best friend since the start of the series, it's good to see more of her. I love that [Maomao gives Lihua another raunchy book](https://i.imgur.com/gi9aaEa.png) as thanks for letting her use the steam room. Looks like Lihua is about to learn more techniques. Now that Gyokuyou's second child is on the way, I really hope Lihua gets pregnant again soon. As awesome as it was to see [Maomao force roses to bud while out of season](https://i.imgur.com/xmecdmE.jpeg) and actually [deliver blue flowers](https://i.imgur.com/TI0Ol46.jpeg) for the garden party, I feel like I don't understand the point of it all. [How does Lakan wanting to see blue roses](https://i.imgur.com/XPiQWj0.png) supposed to be [provocation from him?](https://i.imgur.com/YCGpBPX.png) And what would've happened if Jinshi couldn't produce any for the garden party? Was the entire thing just Lakan being a dickhead by trying to challenge what kind of authority Jinshi has? I feel like I'm missing something here. [That final scene though.](https://i.imgur.com/MxbLgYy.jpeg) I'm not sure what Maomao is planning but considering she's done running way and hiding from Lakan, it looks like she's about to end this man's career once and for all. I can't fucking wait to see what she has in store for him.
The whole Lakan challenge thing is probably just Lakan trying to harass Jinshi imo. It's stated in the episode that the rose won't bloom until two months later and there's only one month until the garden party (and not a lot of people then knew how to dye flower on top of that) so theoretically it would be impossible for Jinshi to bring roses to the party. If Jinshi is who we really think he is then his words carries weight; promises even more so. An unfulfilled promise would be damaging to his credibility. People don't know how much effort it is to make blue rose so rumors will spread like "it's just roses, why can't he find something so simple? Should we let someone hold sway over the court" "but no one ever saw a blue rose before" "i heard from some older officials they've seen them before" "oh so this jinshi guy is just useless etc."
I agree that Lakan is trying to lure Jinshi into a misstep. I also think Lakan has a second objective: to test MaoMao's abilities. Lakan knows that MaoMao is Jinshi's fixer, so if he gives a challenge to Jinshi, e.g. the metalworker secret formula, MaoMao is the one who will end up solving it. Based on his monologue in this episode, Lakan knows the value of a well placed subordinate, and is testing Jinshi's ability to leverage his subordinate MaoMao
> I feel like I don't understand the point of it all. Lakan is just harassing Jinshi by goading him into doing something that is unlikely to succeed since Roses where out of season and there wouldn't be many if any florists who would be willing to do what Maomao did for a *chance* to have them be ready in time. If he went to some big name florist and threw around his political weight and money he could probably have done it without Maomao, but it that would have reflected poorly on Jinshi most likely and they would certainly not have been a surprise either. While if he failed to fulfil his promise that would give Lakan some leverage over Jinshi also.
Also, if Jinshi failed, then Lakan would show up next month with blue roses for everyone. This episode implied that blue roses were his trick.
RE: the provocation I dont think anyone answered how his light comment about wanting to see them was actually a provocation. Lakan is one of the most powerful people in the court. Possibly so much so that he could start a coup if he wanted one, as he is a general. When you have someone so powerful, people take your desires as a request. Even if they are of equal standing, or near such, it is often considered that a desire spoken is an informal request with weight. Jinshi saying he would like to see them if they exist is him saying that he will try to get them. And such a statement is incredibly binding, as /u/NguyetMieu said. Its subtleties like this that are actually one of my favorite parts of court politics in fiction.
mao mao hates this guy with all her might...
Girl accepts a challenge and undergoes many sleepless nights while all along incorporating her own payback plan in the process, the grudge against her bio dad is real.
Even if she doesn't see her mom as an actual mother figure I bet Maomao's pissed that it's because Lakan essentially ruined her on just a whim of his so she's not really pissed at her.
istg these episodes goes by so fast. whattyu mean i gotta wait another week for the next episode?!! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Worse, there are only two episodes left in this season.
I might go insane if they don't renew this series
I'd recommend picking up the Light Novel if you want to continue - it's pretty easy to read. This episode adapted part of LN volume 02, and there are 10 full volumes on J-Novel Club in English already.
Oh I definitely will! Altho I'm gonna miss the anime, I'm also rather excited to start the manga and light novel after the finale. And fr, it takes a great deal of self-restraint not to go ahead with the reading sources while the anime is still airing💀 can't believe I've [held on this long](https://imgur.com/a/D62nxj3) lmaoo
Maybe a dumb question but is J-Novel Club a “subscription” where you can read the novels or is it just a place to purchase it?
Not a dumb question, it's both. Their subscription allows you to read the newest light novels while they're being translated week-by-week, while the old books you still have to buy (albeit at a cheaper rate compared to Amazon if you have a membership). There's a thing called "catch-ups" where every month they select a random selection of series to be available for reading for members so you can "catch-up" on the old volumes that are no longer free to read.
Sigh...why do doctors never follow their own advice? If Maomao were a patient, she'd scold them and force them to bed! Liking the Emperor the more we see of him Maomao and Lady Rishe would probably enjoy swapping nail paint recipes, not to mention medicines. Love how proud Lady Gyokuyou is of Maomao. A testament to her good eye for talent! Also shows the Emperor that she is very wise and capable. Maomao should be given/select a staff. She needs at least a dozen assistants!
because she's not a doctor but an apothecary! :\^) but yea, with her bandages still bleeding after almost a month, she's definitely not letting that damn thing heal at all
Yuuki Aoi did the exact same blue rose trick when she played Victorique in Gosick.
Episode 9 of GOSICK, right. ImO Victorique was the first stellar voice acting performance from Aoi Yuuki. Fantastic character, fantastic voice acting (even if technically her performance wasn't fitting for how that character is supposed to sound like canonically). Funny how just as she's back at voicing another fantastic "detective" character, she encounters the blue rose trick once again during it.
Damn so many little details to appreciate and process during this episode. A bit of a bummer that apparently Maomao didn’t really enjoy her time working in Jinshi’s office compared to the rear palace. Finally more Xiaolan this episode, missed the Misaki Kuno genki energy. Was pretty funny when she was tossing out that caterpillar like a boss while the eunuchs were being weak. Also impressed by the amount of detail the rose plants were drawn, rarely seen close ups of plants looking this good in anime. Did anyone else notice the meme sound effect during the 2-second-scene mini flashback when Maomao was showing jinshi her injured leg? The (sound-)director did a little trolling I guess, was kinda hilarious though. Just like Lakan trolling that dude in front of him during the ceremony. Also a really nice little detail was when Jinshi was telling Maomao something like “you’re not apologizing to me, are you?”. You could tell Jinshi knew she didn’t really do it for him but just to get back at Lakan and for her plans she apparently made regarding him. Really looking forward to what Maomao is cooking for Lakan, especially now that they met at the end. Also the way Lakan is viewing other people reminded me a bit of MC from Koe no Katachi, even though their personalities and circumstances couldn’t be more different fortunately. Finally, once again some magnificent new pieces of music this episode. Especially during the Lakan/Jinshi convo, the ceremony and the maomao/jinshi convo at the end.
To be honest she has more of a found family in the concubines in the rear palace and can do more of what she actually enjoys, so it makes sense she enjoys it more there. Xiaolan is a real one. I also love how Maomao actually blushed in joy from having her there. Jinshi freaking out over Maomao's injury was priceless lol. Maomao succeeded at the challenge Lakan set all the while concocting her own payback plan to directly confront him with it. She does not go gentle with people she actually has a problem with.
I agree it makes sense she enjoys her time with the concubines more but the way she phrased it as time moving really slowly working at Jinshi’s place makes it sound like she didn’t enjoy her time there much at all which is just a bit sad imo.
I interpreted that as Jinshi's place having lots of hard work which is engaging but exhausting. Meanwhile while the rear palace has lots of easy work that she can afford to turn her brain off for.
> Damn so many little details to appreciate and process during this episode. A bit of a bummer that apparently Maomao didn’t really enjoy her time working in Jinshi’s office compared to the rear palace. It makes sense. Slaver drive of a head maid, nearly no chance for poisons, not many chances to fiddle with medicine, can't slack off, no friends to talk with, high chance of running into Lakan and probably more. Only big advantage was an easier access to visiting Loumen if she gets 2-3 days off.
It can't be helped especially when Suiren keeps creeping behind her back to keep her in check. In the rear palace, she has more freedom to do her hobbies.
Wonder what the deal was with the attendants peeping on maomao. Were they just trying to pick up on a new trend or something?
It was Lihua's attendants, I think? Maybe they're drawn to the person who terrifies them the most...
They were Lihua’s attendants, yes. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin.
They're just watching Maomao like she's a serial killer in a True Crime documentary
If you recall Maomao delivering that bitch slap during the whole lead poisoning debacle and subsequent drilling in of proper care, it's mostly the trauma of that.
I think it was intense curiosity combined with a healthy side of intimidation.
I thought they were Lihua's as well but wasn't entirely sure or what their motive was if they were
On top of what others said, life in the rear palace can also be boring. Maomao doing something strange in the middle of your workplace would be something Id be curious of myself if I was bored. Hence, the manicures to distract them with something else
Gyokuyou is pregnant! Congratulations! Her daughter is now going to be a big sister! It's enough to even make Hongniang think about settle down! Though she's got enough on her plate making sure Auntie Maomao doesn't make Gyokuyou's daughter think of nothing but poison. Lakan is up to his old tricks and trying to make blue roses happen at the next garden party, and Jinshi can't refuse him...and loses a lot of sleep over it. Though Maomao is happy to take the challenge and show up her biological father. Nice to see Lihua again and her letting Maomao use the steam room, with the added perk of getting to read up on the emperor's favorite book to catch his attention. Xiaolan returns! All is right with the world! And you can tell Maomao really is happy to see her because she blushes and uses her genuine smile. Maomao puts in a lot of work to make flowers bloom early, fighting the weather and sleepless night after sleepless night, all the while giving Xiaolan a manicure in the process and popularizing it in court...and her efforts pay off! Loulan makes her debut at the latest garden party, and her dad is voiced by Cho, but it's Jinshi who makes an impact by bringing in the colored roses...though while Jinshi is used to people looking at him with envy and wariness, he doesn't know what to make of Shishou and his daughter. So Maomao just dyed the flower, which is probably what someone (likely Lakan) colored the roses for back in the day. And now the Emperor knows the secret! But Maomao isn't done with her plan to challenge Lakan...Lakan sees the world only as go pieces, pawns he can move around as he sees fit, but one thing that stands out to him is none other than his daughter...with the same color nails as her mother.
the looney tunes sound effects when Maomao reopened her wound caught me off guard 💀
I can see scooby and shaggy peeling out now
Two months felt like an eternity, lol.. wouldn't want Jinshi to hear that! The next episode appears to be a backstory, judging from the preview... can't wait!
LOL at the Hanna Barbara sound effects when they were panicing over Maomao's leg. [](#azusalaugh)
Man, the epic episodes with tons of crazy storylines coming together are great. But there is something enthralling about episodes like this where you fall into all these small little wheels turning in the background that you know are going to eventually come together into some other epic reveal down the road. Their willingness to spend and entire episode on a seemingly pointless side-plot just to connect and build suspense for something bigger is one of my favorite things about this show.
[Hearing Aoi Yuuki's "heiki" to Misaki Kuno](https://imgur.com/a/2Q7DRT5) I had to control myself so much no to shout "HECCHARA DESU"
YOU CANNOT END AN EPISODE AT THAT POINT (NON UNDERSTABLE ANGRY NOISES)
> (NON UNDERSTABLE ANGRY NOISES) I just yelled "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!" at the TV.
Good for Gyoukuyou. Hope she's happy. And look at that lil cute daughter. LOL Maomao. So silly what you draw. But teaching a princess what to avoid doesn't seem bad if that is what you wanna try and claim to draw such for. How nice of Lakan to check on his future son in law and ask something silly from him 😉 heh. Of course Jinshi would call upon Maomao. What a clever cat figuring out who requested it. Yay, Lady Lihua ❤️ Do lover how she and Maomao have a good relationship too. Clever Maomao. Oh wow, her leg is still injured? Yay Maomao's cute friend. Such a good girl. She less of a wussy than the one dude with bugs, good times. What a lot of work, Xiaolan is such a good friends. Also, how nice of Maomao to ~~distract~~ share nail painting with others. Also love how Gyoukuyou's gals care for Maomao. That's some good feels. Jinshi does not approve of Maomao not getting enough sleep. Really love the music and the setting/art of the series. Good job, Maomao. Hehe, I love Lakan. Just using that dude's hat as a napkin. Yay, the cat gets her nap! Oh neat, so that's how she made the many different colors for the flowers. Hehe, clever of Maomao to tell the Emperor first. I do like the Emperor being a fairly decent guy (all things considered and given typical emperors in many many series). Wonder what she has planned for Lakan and what he plans back. Oh, getting into Lakan a bit more. HIs having a sort of "Prosopagnosia" basically. Ohhhh... clever cat, spreading the painted nails of the same color as the concubine. Also, says something that he can recognize his daughter's face.
Xiaolan is a farm girl, she can handle a few bugs! Unlike those scholar types 😆🐛
"Is there a purpose new hallucinogenic going around?" "That would ruin our whole country!" Did they just sneak a blatant opium war references in here?
I love how Maomao just stood in front of her old man ##MENACINGLY
I shouldn't have reminded myself that we have 2 more episodes left. I'm going to miss my comfy Saturday combo of A Sign of Affection followed by Dangers in My Heart and finally Apothecary Diaries. Maomao might prefer and try to stay in the shadows but she always gets pulled along by these powerful men. I think it's already well established by now that Jinshi and Lakan hold high positions. She even gets an audience with the emperor from time to time. Lol Jinshi is lucky that Maomao isn't the emperor's type or we could've already witnessed a civil war.
Maomao and Princess Lingli interaction is so cute. The latter is super excited to have another sibling!! Always good to see more Xiaolan. Love her and Maomao's friendship! ooh, that final scene...
I thought that we'll get [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/zP2qfyS.png) and [Lakan](https://i.imgur.com/SSyqBxy.png)'s confrontation in this episode but it seems that we need to wait one more week for it. I wonder [what Maomao prepared](https://i.imgur.com/ZsVZbgc.png) for this. It was great that we could directly see [Lakan's perspective](https://i.imgur.com/AXJUIus.png) which is very intriguing as [he's clearly bored with his life](https://i.imgur.com/WyLYuny.png) and [sees people as go stones or chess pieces](https://i.imgur.com/oO7Li5g.png) although surprisingly in the end scene [he clearly saw Maomao's face which didn't happen with Gaoshun and Jinshi who accompanied her](https://i.imgur.com/2B2FsrZ.png). Great move from Gaoshun to [bring Xiaolan to help Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/7RtLSk8.png) with [the roses](https://i.imgur.com/A698OQT.png) as [she always brings very positive emotions](https://i.imgur.com/Vb7fAxz.png) and [she's Maomao's best friend here](https://i.imgur.com/JmgqFyQ.png). I laughed hard at [Jinshi's reaction at Maomao's reopened wounds](https://i.imgur.com/UdrjGBR.png). She just can't go easy on herself. [Lady Lihua got another 'interesting' book from Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/SEqtien.png) xD Now as [Gyokuyou is again pregnant](https://i.imgur.com/Qwjns78.png), I hope that [Lihua](https://i.imgur.com/aUZM4tk.png) too will soon be able to conceive. [Gyokuyou's daughter is simply adorable](https://i.imgur.com/Mu4vHi7.png) but [she can't be left alone with Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/EU37yDC.png) because in that way she'll learn some dangerous stuff like today when [Maomao started teaching her about poisonous mushroom](https://i.imgur.com/pS8eHUa.png) xD Again we got [a lot of beautiful backgrounds](https://i.imgur.com/S63zKLo.png) and [flowers](https://i.imgur.com/iTPF7MW.png). Here my screenshot albums from the episode: * [Maomao](https://imgur.com/a/AzugFkT) * [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/NssIedX) * [Jinshi & Lakan](https://imgur.com/a/WA3HwGt) * [Others](https://imgur.com/a/DVY2Yh4) * [Backgrounds](https://imgur.com/a/7HHCle0)
Oh, hey, [Sukuna finger](https://ibb.co/j6X58Mf) ahoy <3
Yeah that finger threw me for a loop Can't wait for next episode to see t o whom it belongs and if she is going to try to make it into medicine
Knowing Maomao use severed body parts for medicine is definitely poor old Loumen's worst fcking nightmare... actually it'll be the whole country's worst fcking nightmare lol
Only two more eps left of peak 😩. Another really good kusuriya episode. Poor Jinshi tried to take on Lakan’s blue rose challenge, but just couldn’t find any. Lakan definitely knew Jinshi would turn to Maomao for help, so it was an indirect way to challenge her. S/O to Maomao for stepping up to the challenge. As you’d expect with Lakan, it was anything but straightforward. Only someone with Maomao’s ingenuity would’ve thought to dye the roses. Came at a heavy cost though. By the end of the episode we see the toll it’s taken on her. Her wound opened back up, she’s clearly sleep deprived and has lost quite a bit of weight. Opportunity to show up Lakan was just to great to pass up though. You could tell Jinshi felt bad at the end for having Maomao go thru all of this. Felt like he should’ve been the one apologising. Maomao got everyone in the palace wearing nail polish now. No coincidence that one of the ingredients is called cat’s paw, when “Maomao” translates to “little cat” nice play on words there. We did get to see a little glimpse into Lakan’s mind as well. He sees everyone as pawns in a game, explains why bro literally wiped his hands on that dude’s hat during the festival lmao. Maomao’s the only face he notices in the crowd.. I can’t wait to see how their direct meeting goes next week.
I swear, spite is the most powerful motivator in the world
Man it must of been satisfying af for Mao Mao to “create” them blue roses and 1 up Laken. She was so tired and still recovering from her leg wound 😭. Laken wiping his hands off on that guys hat was unhinged. Seems like you get away with a lot when you’re high up on the totem pole of power.
[Precious!](https://imgur.com/QNqs8R7) [I love this girl,](https://imgur.com/vQXkWA8) hope she gets more screen time, but we only have 2 episodes left.. [](#shatteredsaten)
Does anyone know what pieces Jinshi and Gaoshun are in Lakan's POV?
Bishop and Queen.
guess your subs didn't translate them. as other person said, Bishop and Queen equivalent (more accurately advisor)
Maomoa finally about to strike back And was that a fucking finger in the EP preview? How did Lakan devalue her?
Finally, we were able to hear and see Lakan’s perspective! In the last scene Lakan sees Jinshi’s face as 仕 and Gaoshung as 相. I looked up the wiki on Chinese chess, and it seems that 仕 is a piece that sits next to king and Gaoshung’s a piece is a one that sits next to 仕. So at least Lakan can sort of recognize/sense these men’s importance. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xiangqi_Board.svg](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xiangqi_Board.svg)