The Apothecary Diaries Episode 27 Review - Poison Mushrooms
Ace detective Maomao is back to solve even more mysterious cases. This time, it’s about a strange stench that Shisui has mentioned in the previous episode. It’s revolved around mushrooms, so Maomao is definitely thrilled.
I feel like this case is the stepping stone of an overarching one. This one doesn’t solve who is trying to poison the high consorts, but rather finding a cause of one of possible sources so Gyokuyou doesn’t get a miscarriage. At least she was able to solve the mysterious disappearances of a few palace women. One of the sources was mushrooms as fungus can grow around corpses. However, it is unknown if the mushrooms Maomao foraged are safe, hence why it was taken away—but come on, she solved the case, so give the mad apothecary her shrooms. Still, mushrooms can be used as tea, so it’s best to be careful just in case one person accidentally poisons the consorts.
Because there are over 2,000 women in the palace, the drama can get intense. The whole debacle with Lady Jin, Lady Sou and Tao was especially crazy when Lady Jin herself was a misogynist and did not like the idea of women lower than her being educated. Also, she was going crazy over the fact that the Emperor did not visit her despite also being a consort. However, the reason why Sou and Tao’s hair loss and blisters are still unknown, but they did touch something, but it probably wasn’t a mushroom. The red mushroom, the Poison Fire Coral, is a red herring of sorts, warning Jinshi and other palace people that touching highly poisonous plants can be as dangerous as consuming them. Just what could those blisters be?
Speaking of women, the popularity of novels amongst the palace women has caused Jinshi to want to open up an education facility for the servant girls in hopes of them being able to get them educated. Even Maomao is in agreement with the idea as she thinks it’s ideal for women to be able to learn how to be literate once they finish their term in the palace. The way Jinshi and Gaoshun were shocked that Maomao was for the idea was hilarious, but also kind of odd because why would they think Maomao be against it? She’s always been for the girls, until she snaps and b*tch slaps one; she doesn’t support all women, because some of them are dumb.
It was nice to see some palace drama that doesn’t revolve around the high consorts, but the ones lower than them. Because there are so many people, there are internal dramas that don’t reach the limelight, so it’s fascinating to see what sort of beef some people have with another. It also shows how cruel the palace system can be with so many people working within the walls, yet so little compensation. Hopefully, life will start getting better for the women. Also, notice how Shisui isn’t among the servant girls when Maomao came to visit, but there was a shot of Loulan in the episode. I am still for the idea that Shisui and Loulan are the same person. What are your thoughts on the episode?
