The Apothecary Diaries

An apothecary in the pleasure district is kidnapped and forced to serve in the inner palace. One day, she hears about a curse on the emperor's heirs.

Maomao becomes Gyokuyou's food taster, but her sympathetic fellow servants don't let her do other work. Jinshi asks her to make a certain stimulant.

The inner palace is abuzz with rumors of a ghostly woman seen dancing atop the castle walls. Maomao, Jinshi and his assistant set out to investigate.

Ordered by the emperor to heal his concubine Lady Lihua, Maomao prepares special meals for her, but the ladies-in-waiting keep Maomao away.

Maomao treats a mysterious rash on a terrified eunuch's hands. Later, Gyokuyou's servants excitedly prepare for the emperor's garden party.

During the garden party, Maomao confidently performs her food-tasting duties but suspects something is wrong when she sees Lady Lishu looking afraid.

Maomao carefully inspects the bowl of poisoned soup. Later, she learns the hairpins she received can be used to leave the palace grounds.

An apprentice girl comes to Maomao's home and hurriedly takes her to a brothel, where a courtesan and her customer have drunk some poison.

A high-ranking bureaucrat dies from drinking too much, but Jinshi is suspicious of the cause of death. Later, a maid is found drowned in a moat.

Wondering why the drowned woman would poison Lady Lishu, Jinshi asks Maomao to go help at the Garnet Pavilion, where the woman worked as a maid.