The Other Canon Ships: Reference List and Appreciation Post (Romances, Friendships, Family, etc.)
I'd like to celebrate all the canon ships in Apothecary Diaries/Kusuriya no Hitorigoto other than the big juggernaut one (Jinshi/Maomao). I like and support that ship, of course, but I am the kind of person who gravitates to the underrated romantic and platonic ships in fandoms and this series is chock-full of well-written characters and relationships I feel deserve more love in general. I already went on specifically about Maomao's Friendships in another post (because they're the ones I love the most), so I figured I may as well complete the spectrum by covering the rest: romances, friendships, family relationships, and any other significant relationships.
This is certainly not meant to be a deep analysis of each one, in part because there's so many that the post would be too long if that were the case. Each description is like a brief overview with some examples at most, plus some appreciation for each. I like writing about these characters in posts and fics, so I made this mainly as a comprehensive reference list of significant relationships in the story (in romance, friendship, family, and other types of relationships) that I and hopefully other people can use to recall and show some love to other great relationships in the series.
Major light novel spoilers ahead up to LN15, as a majority of the relationships listed are from later volumes in the light novel. This whole post is around 5000 words btw, but feel free to skim because this is largely meant to be a reference list, after all.
Setup Notes
Within each section, ships are listed roughly (emphasis on "roughly") in chronological order of appearance in the series. All romantic relationships are listed as "Character X/Character Y" and platonic ones are "Character X & Character Y," same convention as AO3.
Hate-based relationships are not included here e.g. Chue & Hulan, Sanfan & Yao, etc. This is mainly about relationships with at least some degree of positive affection from at least one side, even if it's not the same type or amount of affection. Thus, one-sided romances are allowed. And finally, this is only about ships that have had significant presence and evidence supporting its existence in the canon light novels and side stories, so popular non-canon ships aren't included here. But I do respect those.
Romances
Lihaku/Pairin - Lihaku's career aspirations are, at this point, built around his desire to buy out Pairin someday. Meanwhile, Pairin seems to appreciate him but willingly stays in the Verdigris House because she likes her job (and I don't even think Lihaku is even aware of her already having enough money to just leave on her own). This ship has very much just been slow burning in the background, but Maomao certainly does expect Pairin to leave someday (in LN14, she lamented the era of the Three Princesses eventually coming to an end)
Fengxian/Lakan - A tragic case of miscommunication that ultimately ended in something resembling a sweet ending. One thing I can't deny at least is Lakan absolutely loves her. Ship is currently over on account on Fengxian being dead as of LN6. Notably, this is currently the most popular romantic ship on AO3 that doesn't involve Maomao or Jinshi.
(One-Sided) Shishou/Shenmei - An absolute disaster of a romance. So much love and devotion poured into the well of spite known as Shenmei, and a lot of people paid for it. An excellently written doomed ship, and a great mirror to Chue's Father/Chue's Mother (see a little later)
Basen/Lishu - This one is sooo cute!! It's like a classic young romance story in the midst of a more complex period drama with a lot of messy relationships. The lonely girl who feels like nobody cares for her, the determined bullheaded boy who makes her feel seen and saves her from death (twice!). The chapters with Basen and Lishu reuniting in the village with the ducks and his resolution to her was so adorable (and funny 'cuz they're still so young and awkward) and one of my favorites in the series. The Verdigris House princesses would eat up a novelization of their story. Anime-only watchers will surely love this once it finally gets adapted.
(One-Sided) Emperor/Ah-Duo - A one-sided love impactful enough that it, by mandate of the fallible Heavens, chained Ah-Duo to the palace and country for the rest of her days. Even now, Ah-Duo remains the Emperor's only love, meanwhile she harbors some resentment for what he did to her (enough to bicker with him even when he's supposed to be the Emperor) while caring deeply for him still. Notably a tragic mirror to Jinshi/Maomao, showing what could've happened if Maomao didn't genuinely love Jinshi back (she does, of course)
(One-Sided) Yao/En'en - Technically, it's never outright said that En'en has romantic feelings for Yao, but I mean, I think it's a pretty sound conclusion based on her intense devotion and the fact she literally suffers "Yao deprivation" without her. An important one-sided ship because En'en shedding this unhealthy obsession will help both Yao and En'en grow as characters. But in the meantime, it is a pretty fun comedic device and I think they would make excellent friends once all is said and done.
Baryou/Chue - If I was ordering these romantic ships by how much I personally love them, this would be on top. A perfect weird pairing of a reclusive, fragile man and a hyperactive, cheerful woman who found a mutual understanding. Baryou literally started out thinking he'd never learn to live with this woman, but they figured something out. Then there's Chue believing she can't be loved and worrying Baryou would divorce her without one of her arms. The Ma Clan is just full of phenomenal pairs. Speaking of which…
Gaoshun/Taomei - The scene where Maomao caught the two being affectionate (only for Taomei to push him into the water) was enough proof the two love each other dearly, even if Taomei feels she has her reputation to uphold. And of course, Gaoshun's love and fear for his wife has been confirmed many times, Vol. 15 even calls him a "henpecked husband" in those exact words (English translation). Multiple times, it's mentioned that the two are so busy with their respective jobs that they hardly have enough time for each other, but they do savor what time they do get. Love these two
The Sanfan, Yao, and Lahan Love Triangle - Featuring both (One-Sided) Sanfan/Lahan and (One-Sided) Yao/Lahan, with Lahan being completely oblivious to all this crap. A pretty funny situation because A. it revolves around Lahan of all people, B. Maomao's incredulous reaction to Sanfan's clear maidenly devotion is hilarious, and C. Maomao and En'en's confusion as to how Lahan could have these two ladies fighting over him is hilarious. Sanfan's developed maidenly love for the first person who allowed her to live by herself and now she's getting ultra-defensive over it, meanwhile Yao wants Lahan to see her as competent as she tries to figure out her own place in the world. Personally, I can only hope that some reasonable person steps in to set Yao straight 'cuz I don't think Lahan will help her at all lol.
(One-Sided) Chue's Father/Chue's Mother - Another case like Shishou/Shenmei where the father's devotion to an uncaring mother resulted in the daughter (daughters, in the case of Shishou/Shenmei) paying the price.
Friendships
Maomao's Friendships
She's the main character and has amassed a lot of these, so she gets her own section. I already covered all these at considerable length in the Maomao's Friendships Appreciation Post, but they're worth bringing up again in condensed form because they're awesome.
Maomao & Xiaolan - Cute, adorable, Maomao's first real friend and insulated from all the political noise Maomao endures. Love the scene where Xiaolan hugs Maomao dearly, plus Maomao's pride in her learning to read. She was such an important stepping stone for her
Maomao & Yinghua + Maomao & Yinghua & Ailan & Guiyuan - Maomao's time in the Jade Pavilion was also big for her. These three practically treated her like a new little sister, hell they even showed concern based on her arm scars thinking she was abused. And of course, Yinghua is the most significant. She invited her to the ghost story and even had to sleep next to Maomao because she was so scared from the night, and she was the one who talked one-on-one with Maomao when she came back.
Maomao & Lihaku - They respect each other's talents and intelligence and morals, Maomao introduced Lihaku to Pairin, and Jinshi trusted Lihaku enough to assign him as Maomao's bodyguard in the return to Western capital arc (As he put it: “I’ve assigned an old friend of yours as the master physician’s bodyguard. One Lihaku”). Best male friend one can have
Maomao & Shisui - I could go on and on about this one, tied for my favorite friendship with Maomao & Chue and it's actually the doomed friendship that drew me further into the fandom. Both nerds bonding over weird hobbies/interests, Maomao felt relaxed around her, Shisui had a job to do but did her best to protect her to the very end. Shisui stands as a morally gray figure who betrayed her and was lost to an ambiguous fate, overall leaving an emotional scar on Maomao deep enough that she keeps having recurring thoughts of her post-LN4. The possibility of seeing the hairpin again remains in the back of her mind.
Maomao & Xiaolan & Shisui - Worth mentioning them as a cohesive unit because both Xiaolan and Shisui represented a lost era in time for Maomao. Xiaolan's letter to her was enough to make her shed a tear long after she learned crying did no good. And on the side of Shisui, Xiaolan was a completely innocent, unrelated player in the grand scheme of things but it's clear Shisui enjoyed her time with her, it's one of the few times she really got to be a kid. Before it all fell down, she even helped Xiaolan move up in her career with the massage tips at (IIRC) no significant benefit to her plans apart from continuing to grow her relationship with Maomao.
Maomao & Suirei - Both intellectual peers with deep medical knowledge and Shi clan-related memories, though their introverted natures prevent them from really getting any closer without someone else to bridge them (Suirei denies Maomao is a friend, for one, in contrast to how much they end up talking in LN15). They had some great scenes in the first Western capital arc then later in LN15 when Maomao came to Suirei for help with thornapple. Tragic but I hope Suirei gets some more time to shine
Maomao & Yao & En'en - The first set of new medical peers Maomao got to bond with as she moved up in her career, even if it was a rocky start. As LN8 puts it (in Maomao's very roundabout, distant way), she spends a lot of time with Yao and En'en outside work, "sharing meals, going out together, or just chatting. Those were things that could arguably be classified as activities one did with friends" (Ch. 10).
Maomao & Yao - I will always cheer for this friendship, as flawed as Yao can be (such as how she takes advantage of the La clan connection to stay with Lahan, plus her general immaturity). It's like a more serious, advanced version of Maomao & Xiaolan's dynamic where Maomao is looking after an aspiring medical professional who may one day become her equal. Maomao cares enough about her to bluntly warn her "this is a bloodsoaked profession" and some people may not want to spend their life with a girl like her, but Yao remains committed anyway. They bonded over solving Luomen's riddle, Maomao seeing Yao at her lowest after she got poisoned and ostracized in LN7, and Yao trying to give Maomao a gift in LN9.
Maomao & En'en - There's still a lot of progress to be made here, but when En'en actually focuses up and uses her brain she's sharp, observant, and a great complement to Maomao. She'll never be La clan-level brilliant, but when she's not Yao-brained, she and Maomao have a good intellectual rapport. Also love how Maomao loves En'en's cooking and recognizes it as a gold standard
Maomao & Chue - Tied with Maomao & Shisui as my favorite Maomao friendship. The cute "Miss Maomao!"/"Miss Chue!" interactions, the way they feel relaxed around each other and respect each other's talents, how they've seen each other at their worst and put themselves on the line for each other (Chue defending Maomao as the lady biaoshi, Maomao tending to Chue at near death). Maomao's "I love you" to Chue was one of the best moments in the series, and Chue's "To be loved" was one of the most bleeding-heart vulnerable lines in the series and it was delivered to Maomao. The true BFF, plus Chue is the ultimate Jinmao shipper so she's certainly helping her find happiness on that front.
Other Friendships
Jinshi & Basen - Jinshi, due to his exalted status, is doomed not to have very many friendships in the first place. Even Basen is technically more like a servant, but as his close milk sibling, he may as well be the closest thing he's got to a friend (since Maomao is a romantic partner). And as everyone knows, you know you're BFFs with someone when you clumsily practice having sex with them only for your drunk mom (who you don't even know is your mom) to walk in on you
Rikuson & Lahan - A little faint, but due to their connection working for the La clan, they've had some good time together as coworkers. It's confirmed in Vol. 9 Ch. 13 that Rikuson sees Lahan as a friend more than a colleague, but laments they only talk about work.
Dr. Liu & Luomen - Fellow travelers and students of western medicine, and Dr. Liu saved Luomen from death when he attempted to dissect a woman's corpse. Dr. Liu is hard on Maomao in part due to their relation. Both of them are still alive and even got to work together on the operation to save the Emperor's life. Potentially the oldest relationship on this list, though Gaoshun/Taomei might be close.
Basen & Lihaku - Vol. 14 Ch. 14 is literally called "Two Good Friends" and it's centered around these two, who were sparring with each other for practice and showed pretty good rapport. Lihaku tossing the rice cracker into Basen's mouth was also a cute moment. Both strong, loyal, virtuous bros
Family & Other
Family
The definition of "family" is a little flexible here, doesn't have to be blood-related to count.
Maomao & Luomen - Maomao has nothing but immense respect for Luomen, even if she also very much acknowledges his flaw of being too kind to his own detriment. She calls him Pops (even in professional settings before getting reprimanded), desires his approval, and Luomen loves her back and teaches her so much. Love them
(One-Sided) Maomao & Lakan - One-sided 'cuz Maomao outright refuses to see him as her dad, meanwhile Lakan just continues to shower affection on her no matter what she does. One of the funniest relationships in the series
Maomao & The Verdigris House Princesses - Love how Pairin, Meimei, and Joka look out for Maomao and treat her like a little sister, offering advice and such
Maomao & The Madam - Definitely a lot of tough love here on the grandma's part
The Royal Family in General - I just put this in as a catch-all to consider Anshi's relationships and Gyokuyou & Lingli but the biggest one here is Emperor & Jinshi. A "brotherly" relationship that's actually a secret father-son dynamic. Jinshi's defiant attitude to his brother-but-actually-father was enough to give him near-fatal health issues.
Gyokuyou & Jinshi - Notoriously acted like siblings teasing each other a lot early on. Jinshi is doing his best not to end up being her enemy and even branded himself with her symbol, to her great horror. With Gyokuyou being Empress Consort, they basically are related now
Suiren & Jinshi - Very protective and caring of Jinshi, also a hardcore Jinmao shipper
Shisui & Suirei - A very sweet sisterly relationship in the midst of a pretty awful situation. Shisui was the only person Suirei really had, which made it all the more tragic when she saw her (seemingly) die before her own eyes.
(One-Sided) Maomao & Lahan - The iconic duo with Miss Toe Crusher and Mister Abacus-Face. I'm not even 100% sure if Maomao sees Lahan in any redeeming light given all the things she said about him to Sanfan, and this is "one-sided" because Maomao refuses to see him as a brother. But it's clear Lahan does see Maomao as a sister (even if he's creepy about her getting pregnant) who he tries and fails to build an affinity with.
Ah-Duo & Lishu - As I said, definition of "family" is flexible here. Ah-Duo acts a lot like a mother to her and provides some comfort and solace for her throughout LN Vol. 5-6. And in her case, she has no reason to have an ulterior motive, that's just who she is. Would've loved to see some more of their talks
Basen & Maamei - This one is sooo cute. Maamei calls herself a "kind" older sister to Basen, which totally confounded him. But I see it! Even now, Maamei still looks out for him and respects that he's like her in that he also wants to choose a romantic partner for himself instead of having it assigned to him like Baryou and Taomei did. She's putting in the work just to get him and Lishu together, even though she acknowledges it's a strange pairing from a pragmatic perspective.
The Ma Clan in General - Ok as much as I love the La Clan's best members (Maomao, Lahan's Brother, and Luomen), the Ma Clan is my favorite as a family unit. The core group with Gaoshun, Taomei, Maamei, Baryou, Basen, and Chue all have such sweet dynamics with each other, it's clear they have a strong relationship as a whole even if we never get to see them all together. And I bet Bakin is awesome, too
Basen & Jofu - Basen considers Jofu a family member so yes, this counts and it's adorable. (“Nobody’s eating her! Jofu is family. Would you have me eat my own family member? The lowest cur wouldn’t do such a thing!”)
Basen & Chue - Chue has so much fun teasing Basen lol they are truly siblings
Jinshi & Ah-Duo - Jinshi doesn't even know she's his mom yet, but it doesn't matter. She cares for him immensely and some fan-content about these two is just so heartwarming (if bittersweet)
Maomao & Lahan's Brother - Lahan's Brother remains the only person Maomao acknowledges as a brother, and they have a very fun "snarking at each other" type relationship that has far more purity and good-natured humor to it than Maomao & Lahan. Maomao respects his skills, endurance, and, uh, kindness even if she acknowledges he's the type to be taken advantage of just like Luomen. At the thought of the La clan all being executed, Maomao is like, "Well I hope they can save Lahan's Brother"
The La Clan in General - A house of incredibly smart, eccentric obsessives who are notorious for not giving a fuck and generally being annoying as hell (largely because of Lakan). What a fun family
Rikuson & Haku-u & Koku-u & Seki-u - Rikuson's cousins with them, all connected by Gyoku-ou's injustices against them. I do wonder what a family reunion dinner would be like post-Gyoku-ou death.
Other
Friendly work relationships, mentorships, and so on
The Jade Pavilion in General - The most tight-knit and sweetest of all the pavilions we've seen by a pretty fair distance
Maomao & Gyokuyou + Maomao & Lihua + Maomao & Lishu + Maomao & Loulan + Maomao & Ah-Duo - Definitely worth mentioning her close affinity with ALL of the high consorts at some point, reaching close friendship with Loulan in particular without even realizing it. She helped ALL of them out in some significant way (saving Gyokuyou's child, saving Lihua's life, helping to protect Lishu from her awful ladies in waiting, saving the Shi clan kids and continuing to treat Loulan as Shisui even while talking to Loulan, helping to save the Emperor). Plus, she taught the first four the sacred techniques! Maomao and Ah-Duo also had a pretty good conversation where Ah-Duo realized she's not quite like her after all and she's willing to stick with Jinshi to the end.
Maomao & Gyokuyou (cont.) - And with Gyokuyou, Maomao had something almost resembling a familial relationship. That one, in particular, is interesting because while they were close once, Maomao now has to keep her at a distance due to politics. And she's doing her best to avoid the very real possibility of being rivals with her (hence her being prepared for abortion when Jinshi invited her to have sex, she does NOT want to potentially birth a competing prince).
Maomao & Guen (Quack Doctor) - Not really sure how to classify this exactly, but it is a pretty fun and sweet relationship. Even if Maomao spends a good lot of it mentally classifying him as the "Quack Doctor." She still helps him out (in her own way) in LN5 and is overall respectful in the second Western capital arc. Very funny that the sketch of her ideal man turned out to look a lot like him. And Guen himself seems to be good at pacifying La clan members given his interactions with Lakan in the Western capital (now let's see him with Lahan, make him 90% more relaxed please)
Gyokuyou & Emperor - Just a business relationship wrapped in politics, but Gyokuyou does care for and respect the man (compare that to the disaster of the previous guy lol).
Ah-Duo's House of Fugitives (Ah-Duo, Shi Clan Kids, Suirei, Shaoh Maiden) - Unofficial name, of course. I'm sure they're up to some fun group bonding activities in there like game night or something. Ok but really, it is interesting from a narrative perspective that Ah-Duo is just looking after the remaining Shi clan kids, Suirei, and the Shaoh maiden. I have to wonder what they do in there to pass the time and what the plans are when Ah-Duo passes (Maomao wonders as much when we last see them in Vol. 15 Ch. 9)
Maomao & Chou-u - A potential older sister-brother relationship muddied by post-LN5 Maomao having too much emotional baggage to really accommodate this kid and treat him better (that, in addition to just how she was raised herself). They're distant enough that as of recent novels, Chou-u avoids her and they're just not close (which I fear may come back to hurt her soon). A little tragic, especially as Maomao keeps developing her other relationships
Maomao & Sazen - A mentorship where Maomao teaches him the ways of being an apothecary. He's not brilliant, but he's good at following instructions and studying. She kinda treats him like Lahan's Brother but with much less comfort, she doesn't really take his whining and quipping very seriously
Sazen & Kokuyou - Apothecary coworkers who evidently bicker a lot, enough to get the Verdigris girls to ship them as romantic mates (see Honorable Mentions)
Maomao & Xiaohong - Had a very "fun" time together trying to stay alive in the Western capital with Maomao pretending to be a mother. Maomao certainly left enough of an impression on the little girl that Xiaohong (initially well-mannered) became much more assertive to the snotty Gyokujun. Lahan's Brother certainly noticed and called her out as the cause lol
The Medical Gang - Not an official name but this is how I classify them. Loosely, this would be characters like Maomao, Yao, En'en, Dr. Li, Tianyu, Yo, Changsha, Dr. Liu, Dr. You, Wang Wang, Luomen (now that he's re-employed), and some others. Guen might even count in a way. There's certainly some gremlins in this group (mainly Tianyu and Maomao, both sources of headaches for Dr. Liu), but overall, the medical professionals are pretty cool and I love seeing them as units. The way some of them worked together in the Western capital following the locust plague at the pop-up clinic. The medical office by the training grounds in LN Vol. 14 (helps that Dr. Li is cool). The drug trial groups in LN Vol. 15 (Maomao and Tall Senior/Wang Wang's friendship was cute). And Yo and Changsha are definitely rising in prominence themselves. Definitely a general group of characters I wanna see more from!
Yo & Kokuyou - Both bonded by a terrible smallpox affliction, with Kokuyou trying to help Yo's village only for him to get chased out (but Kokuyou still managed to save Yo's family)
Chue & Ujun - Still developing, but Chue sees his potential and is training him to be the next Mi clan member so there could be some great narratives here!
Honorable Mentions
Canon
Unlike the previous sections, this is not ordered roughly chronologically and is just "however I felt like ordering it"
(One-Sided) Rikuson/Maomao - Obligated to mention this one because Rikuson's messing around was impactful enough to make Jinshi ultra-protective and become a grade-A hater. Maomao doesn't reciprocate, but it's a fun ship nonetheless. It's in honorable mentions instead of the main list of romances because that list only contains relationships I figured wouldn't cause riots when animated.
(One-Sided) Lahan's Brother/En'en - In honorable mentions because this is less of an actual ship and more of a comedic device to remind us that Lahan's Brother has no luck at all. Credit where it's due, En'en was the first person to actually call him by his real name, so yeah, can't blame LB I guess. But she's a lesbian and it's not happening, sorry Rivers Cuomo
(In-Universe) Sazen/Kokuyou - The relationship itself isn't actually canon but it is canon that the Verdigris House princesses ship the two, oblivious to either of them (See Vol. 7 Ch. 8).
(In-Universe) Yao/Lahan's Brother - This ship hasn't sailed in any sense that either of them have romantic affection, but it was proposed by both Maomao and Lahan as the solution to Lahan's problems with Yao. It was even teased only for it to shift to the hopelessly one-sided Lahan's Brother/En'en. Also worth noting that Yao herself noticed the fact that Lahan's Brother matched all of En'en's stringent requirements for an ideal master.
Maamei/Bakin - They just haven't had enough interactions to mention it up there but they have a pretty good relationship from what we've seen so far, and I bet it's just as sweet (if not overtly so) as the other Ma clan ships
Lishu & Kanan - The only lady-in-waiting Lishu was able to depend on, though they have since parted ways after Lishu was disgraced. According to Lishu, though, she asked the Emperor to arrange a good match for her, so hopefully she's living her best life now <3
Loulan & Sazen - The Sazen's Secret side story briefly has the two interact at a very critical moment, after Loulan barely escapes death in the snow. Sazen keeps her safe, helps her survive, and he vows to bring the research books to the capital that could help with the incoming locust crisis. Meanwhile, Loulan's words encouraged him to keep on living, too.
Lahan's Brother & Baryou - Ok this is so brief I think it's a stretch to even include it in Honorable Mentions but I still think it's funny
Chou-u & Zulin - Zulin follows him around a lot and Chou-u even calls her his "henchman" (and narration calls her his "loyal henchman" and even "lackey")
Chue & Vice Minister Lu - Vice Minister Lu took Chue in and trained her as a Mi clan member, but there doesn't seem to be much of a warm relationship between the two. Just a harsh teacher and student thing. At the very least, Lu keeps her around even after her arm is lost (though keep in mind, he admits he has no other choice)
Lahan's Brother & Kan Junjie - Awesome because Kan Junjie's admiration for Lahan's Brother as a role model indirectly got him stuck in the Western capital for a funny gag. I hope Kan Junjie someday learns Lahan's Brother's name. Maybe Lahan's Brother can be something like a brother to him
Joka & Tianyu - They have never interacted but I just think it's funny they are canonically related because I'm sure if Joka ever met Tianyu, he would only further affirm her hatred of men
(One-Sided) Tairan/Suirei - Suirei had to take advantage of people back in her scheming days and he got caught in the crossfire. Feel sorry for the dude
(One-Sided) Mister Love Letters/Yao - This is just here because this Mister Love Letters fool was pretty funny tbh, like c'mon dude. It was even better when he popped up again in the palace training grounds looking like even more of a fool
Not Canon But Should Be
This section is devoted to one thing and one thing only.
Hongniang/ANY (Good) PERSON - Please! (Gaoshun is taken though so it can't be him)
Anyway, this ended up being longer than expected. Hope you enjoyed going through it, and I hope you've found a new relationship to appreciate (or an old one to love further) 'cuz this series truly does have a lot to go around. It's bound to happen when you have this many well-written characters. If I missed any, feel free to mention them.
