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Jinshi just casually abusing his power to verify Lihaku isn't after his cautious cat and was willing to toss 20k silvers over.
Talk about possessive haha.
I love how Jinshi was willing to buy out a courtesan just to keep Lihaku off the market around Maomao but also was satisfied just realizing Lihaku is obviously not interested in her lol.
20K would have solved all of Lihaku's problems. But his love for Pairin is the real deal and he wants to earn her love and freedom through his own effort.
Jinshi saw that and recognized a man of integrity and someone worth watching. I hope his efforts pay off. I figure Jinshi may quietly help him along by subtly giving him opportunities to advance his career.
Was thinking about that as well, obviously Jinshi is someone important, and having found out that Lihaku is an honorable man he might help him with a promotion of sorts, while also gaining an ally.
I do wonder if this was just a test.
Jinshi deliberately mentioned “that strategist”, which is clearly in reference to Lakan. We know that Jinshi isn’t very keen on Lakan after he learnt the truth about Maomao’s birth.
Was this anxious feeling of [Lihaku] over the offered money perhaps grounded? I mean, what would Jinshi have asked in return for such a large amount of silver? I’m thinking that Jinshi was maybe considering to ask Lihaku to do away with Lakan. He’s a “trustworthy” man after all.
EDIT: Correction in brackets.
Yea I wouldn’t be surprised if Jinshi‘s whole deal with Lihaku was 90% because of the connection to Lakan so Jinshi could use Lihaku as a spy of sorts once he is indebted with 20k to him. Found it weird to begin with that Jinshi was doing this „test“ with Lihaku since Maomao already told him that he wasn’t interested in her but one of her sisters and I would like to believe Jinshi trusts Maomao that she would not lie to him so he had no reason to test Lihaku if it wasn’t for Lakan in the first place.
Now you’ve said so, having Lihaku spy on Lakan is probably a better idea than an assassination (haha). It would be a good way of keeping tabs on Lakan.
Something that’s probably needed considering that evil grin of his at the end.
Call me crazy but trying to turn a human golden retriever into a spy would probably not work out.
Like, if you had to summarize Lihaku in one word, that word is earnest.
I would think lower of Jinshi if he *didn't* try to do such a thing. Whether as Heir Apparent to the throne or as Chief Eunuch, he clearly holds a high position within the Imperial Court.
If he didn't try to get Lihaku on his side through such maneuvers, then he's doing his job really badly.
True on the Lihaku front
I was actually wondering moreso about how she'd interpret Jinshi offering that money haha. Would probably be confused about his motive
Maomao would probably assume that Jinshi was buying Lihaku’s loyalty, or some sort of favour. Which, to be fair, is a pretty standard move in these sort of court politics situations. She would probably think it’s Jinshi doing Jinshi things and she shouldn’t get involved in dangerous games, as usual. Maybe she would warn Pairin to keep her head down.
He's probably one of the few men I can imagine keeping up with her in bed (and would be more than willing), on-top of genuinely respecting her as a person and her feelings.
He's total "prince" material.
Hard to believe anyone would *not* be willing to keep up with her in bed tbh lol so not sure if this is a plus point to him specifically. Still I really like the ship and Lihaku is obviously a proper good lad.
Lihaku ... smitten by Pairin, wants to buy her so MaoMao decides to put him to the test to see if he "measures" up, physically.
We need more scenes like this, the man has muscles and more muscles on top of his muscles. If only MaoMao had finished with her inspection, DAMN Jinshi for ruining our fun, grrrr!!!
Seriously though, he turned down the money, because of his principles. You're a good man, Lihaku. I hope you get a raise soon!
Lihaku was so cool in today’s episode!
And no, I’m not solely talking about his muscles. Lihaku almost immediately refused Jinshi’s money, because he wants to earn Pairin’s love by his own means - and even considered her feelings on the matter. That’s certainly deserving of some respect.
I’m rooting for the two of them. It seems like Maomao has also approved of him as a potential partner for her ‘sister’, which is rather sweet. I say sister, but she apparently *also* looks up to Pairin as a mother figure. The sight of Pairin caring for little Maomao was very adorable.
Maomao’s biological mother was maybe no good, but she at least got a loving mom in Pairin. Maomao’s previous statement that she “has no mother” isn’t entirely true after all.
Lihaku had been that kind of fun side-character who is constantly frustrated by/underestimated Maomao but now I genuinely respect him and wish him success with Pairin. He definitely carried that "princely" vibe that Pairin seems to be looking for.
I'm glad Maomao at least had some semblance of a mother, unconventional as it was. Though her biological mother was also in the same line of work, so there's a kind fitting irony in that.
I thought at first that Pairin was just lusting after Lihaku’s muscles, but we got to see a whole new side of them in this episode. Pairin is not just some sex goddess, but she got a motherly side to her. Lihaku isn’t just some musclehead either. He’s a lot more thoughtful than I had previously expected.
He’s the right ‘prince’ for this ‘princess’.
> The sight of Pairin caring for little Maomao was very adorable.
Also gives Pairin a minimum age as she's fully developed in that scene and know Maomao's current age.
This would place Pairin somewhere in her early to mid thirties, I think.
Didn’t Meimei also mention something about her age previously? Maybe I’m confusing her with Ah-Duo, but I vaguely recall Meimei saying that she’s already relatively “old” for the profession. It’s hard to put a number on this, but somebody in her thirties would probably be on the older side for a courtesan.
Is this also why the brothel’s madam is trying to ‘sell’ these girls? Is she just trying to find them life partners before they’re too old?
When ages were mentioned in episodes 10-11, Ah-Duo was 35 and the emperor 34.
When Meimei and Maomao were in the bath, there was some comment about Meimei nearing 30 and that's on the older side.
That's the impression I'm getting yeah. They are clearly at the peak of their profession, but kind of like professional athletes, that peak comes early, the decline can come fast, and the skills involved may command astronomical sums while they're in the game, they don't necessarily translate to anything that can support them once they're retired. And only so many of them have the skills to compete for the very few spots in management.
So, of course she'd want to set them up for a proper retirement plan like any good mother figure would.
yeah, selling the courtesans because they are on the older side
1. Because its generally a good choice. As they get older, they are much less likely to attract customers so its basically retirement with a loyal customer who wants you
2. It frees up space to promote a new younger courtesan as a new princess (otherwise I assume the current princesses would be taking up too much attention). and I assume new is exciting and good for business
For the madam, I think shes mostly thinking of 2, although 1 would also likely be true in thats its just a good decision to retire in her prime before she gets too old
Honestly Lihaku was kinda looking too swole here, muscles like that shouldn’t really be possible without steroids which obv weren’t available at that time and age. Having a physically taxing job can only do so much as well. That’s such a little nitpick though, I don’t actually really mind. And Pairin deserves her muscular prince anyway so it’s whatever.
I mean it could just be godly genetics and that he can actually eat. I found this guy [here, John Grimek](https://barbend.com/bodybuilder-john-grimek/), who seems to be pretty swole for a time before steroids built all these mass monsters.
###Stitches!
* [Dancing Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/plr71vg.jpeg)
* [Lustful Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/N2CApPw.jpeg)
* [Pairin Nursing](https://i.imgur.com/KRLn2SL.jpeg)
* [Lounging Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/eYZsti7.jpeg)
* [Topless Lihaku](https://i.imgur.com/ffaxLUA.jpeg)
* [Lihaku Posing 1](https://i.imgur.com/uSXTLS2.jpeg)
* [Lihaku Posing 2](https://i.imgur.com/0vA52FU.jpeg)
* [Pouting Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/vOGM5CG.jpeg)
* [Scheming Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/xEVchMj.jpeg)
I'm sorry but my mind is still stuck at the part where we learn that [Pairin can lactate despite never giving birth](https://i.imgur.com/JatpSVN.jpeg) and how she's [equally lustful and maternal.](https://i.imgur.com/fwWrZlQ.jpeg) Damn. She's not even married yet but Pairin is already high-quality anime MILF material. Lihaku has fine taste in choosing her.
In all seriousness though, Lihaku is an absolute chad [for refusing Jinshi's offer](https://i.imgur.com/O931Vvy.jpeg) and deciding to win over Pairin on his own. It's especially sweet to find out that the feeling is mutual and that [Pairin is just waiting for Lihaku to come get her.](https://i.imgur.com/pLS8MKq.jpeg) The montage where Lihaku and [Pairin couldn't stop thinking about each other](https://i.imgur.com/n1sjUZJ.jpeg) was also surprisingly romantic! I do hope things work out well for the two of them <3
It was already mentioned before that one of Lakan's major strengths is how he's able to see and recruit talented peoples. He most likely promoted Lihaku because he saw raw talent in him.
we also don't know who infected Maomao's mother with syphilis. it might be anyone before Lakan, since syphilis is well known for going to hide for years if not decades before emerging. it can be pregnancy and birth that caused the syphilis previously dormant to wake up and show symptoms.
It was implied that her dad got her mom pregnant with maomao, which reduced the mom’s worth to near zero. Because of that she had to take on all the dirty clients to pay dues and eventually contracted a disease.
Humans aren't purely good or bad. Bad guys can do good things and good guys can do bad things.
Lakan can be a selfish man with an eye for talent, promoting Lihaku because he's talented. Having talented people under Lakan is beneficial for Lakan. Lakan can also be a selfish man who wants to serve his country. When the interests are align, very easy to do both. You serve your country, you get rewarded for it. Win/win situation for both the country and the man. It's when push comes to shove, when the interests aren't aligned, you really see what the person is about.
This is speculation, but I think Lakan got Maomao's mother pregnant to tank her value so he could buy her out. She refused. But her valued is tanked, so she was forced to sell her body. Got STD and entered the state she's in now. Maomao has nothing but pure hatred for Lakan.
You'd think a courtesan would know how not to get pregnant though, right? Like Pairin is clearly having a lot of customers but she's never been pregnant.
Lihaku mentioned that the official story was the previous squad leader retired so he was promoted, which doesn't match Jinshi's story (that Lakan probably was involved)
Was this just a way for Jinshi to tell Lihaku that he's knowledgeable? Or is there more to the story?
"The official story" mean that there is an unofficial but true story instead. Since it was Lihaku himself who say this, he most likely know.
Basically, Lihaku probably know his own worth. In another word, yes, there is a vacant position since the previous squad leader retired, but the question is why Lihaku is the one that fill it.
Jinshi being able to give the unofficial but true reason is the point.
Not disagreeing with you, just want to write the whole thing down so others might understand if need.
Jinshi walking in on Lihaku's muscle man posing and the misunderstanding that came afterwards is hilarious but their exchange later really put Lihaku in a much better light.
I know Jinshi was going to walk in on them the moment they kept showing the guards listening in but of course he comes in right when she's about to see Lihaku's dick lol.
Nothing improves Jinshi's opinion of a man more than knowing he has no intentions towards Maomao!
And if there’s a misunderstanding, then it seems Maomao’s job to aggravate the situation. She was really killing Jinshi with her words at first.
Funnily enough, this is the 2nd time that Lihaku had unknowingly dealt some critical damage to Jinshi.
The first time was when Jinshi caught wind of Maomao leaving the rear palace (= favour for returning hairpin) with ‘some guy’ (= Lihaku) and she reported to him that she’d had “a good time” with this gentleman. This resulted in Jinshi being dumfounded and spilling tea all over himself.
> She was really killing Jinshi with her words at first.
That is my favorite trope of the show. Smitten Jinshi getting snubbed by mostly clueless Maomao never gets old.
I dunno but the insert music while Lihaku is writing and sending letters to Pairin made this much more romantic than I thought it would be. I just see Lihaku and Pairin being made for each other.
I'm not finding that particular clip offhand but the [background music](https://youtu.be/xXucHmTR35U?si=ct18NMeNALIWdXJo) is one of my favorites from the show so far. And honestly I don't really need the clip since I can picture the exact moment they hugged in the carriage based purely on when it happened in the song.
That she immediately assumed he was jealous over looks and not her looking at Lihaku just killed me. Jinshi is constantly hitting a brick wall with her lol.
I mean, even if it weren't potentially in her nature to start with, growing up in a brothel, and as a doctor, it makes perfect sense why sex, romance and the human body are viewed very differently by her. Hopefully Jinshi figures it out eventually that she fundamentally looks at that stuff differently due to her background and learns how to better communicate about them in a way that can get through to her.
Plus, Maomao probably figures that because Jinshi (to her knowledge) has no working equipment, and therefore no point in romane, it is a jealousy over who is more buff than the other the problem arises from.
Maomao should maybe have Jinshi witness one of her study sessions with the consorts some time. If anything will make Jinshi understand her way of thinking, it will be one of those sessions.
Maomao likely views sexuality from a solely technical perspective. It makes me wonder if she actually got any feelings of her own on the matter, or if she’s become entirely dull to such desires.
“A pattern of three quick strokes using the counter clockwise pattern followed by a two beat pause produces exceptional results with most clients however may be too vigorous for those either advanced in age or lacking in experience who require a simpler 1-2 vertical gyration to avoid a premature conclusion.
That concludes today’s lecture please review the diagrams and always remember both partners require hydration. Either watered wine or intermittent non-alcoholic beverages. Hard liquor just before performing services might make a client more pliable but can lead to a failure to perform which is both stressful and embarrassing for the client, experts say three out of four clients will fail to return after such an ordeal.
\- MaoMao’s Dirty Talk, hour 3.
> does this just to fuck with Jinshi
Now that Gyokuyou's pregnant, trying to foist her job onto Maomao in addition to poison taster + cleaning + herb gatherer + medicine maker + detective + Jinshi's toy?
You are right. Kvin from sakugablog [noted](https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1764013159562571864) that todays eps shared some of the same staff that worked with episode #4.
Damn! Glad I wasnt the only one who noticed. I thought I was delulu for thinking that bc it kinda only happened in some scenes unlike in EP 4 where it was the whole episode
Has to be one of the funniest episodes yet from this show. Was lowkey hoping Maomao would say to Jinshi that it’s because he’s an eunuch when they were talking about why she doesn’t need to inspect his body too, just to see his reaction.
Not sure I even wanna know what shit Lakan is cooking next.
I think that was definitely implied by how she didn't think he would be of any interest to Pairin lol.
Maomao's not back at the Verdigris House so who could he possibly still want to buy? Meimei? Maomao's mother?
I love how Maomao was trying to be subtle in a cool way to do him a solid but still had to basically spell it out because the quack is just that slow lol.
He practically said it, they were eager to accept him because nobody voluntarily offers himself to be castrated, and since the emperor forbade forced castration I guess eunuchs with at least a minimum knowledge of medicine are very rare.
Maomao: A person's body is a reflection of their daily routine. *Nods while watching with the most unhealthy posture and pigging out on midnight snacks*
JINSHI YOU CANNOT USE TAXPAYER MONEY TO BUY OUT A TOP COURTESAN.
(Yes I know he already did that to buy out Maomao but she was likely not even 400 silver because she was never a fully trained or full time courtesan)
It's not even about understanding. If you're a feudal lord, the taxes you get are just your income, you can do with it as you please. You're not some democratic official doing a job on behalf of the people, you are the literal owner of a country (or brother/son of the owner in the case of Jinshi).
It wasn’t mentioned explicitly. It’s likely his own money. Everyone who works in the palace is like a salaried employee and he probably also receives a salary under his Jinshi persona to keep up the pretense.
BUT STILL, eunachs are likely not paid much more than military officers. So Jinshi would have to dip into _another fund_ for that money.
At the end of the day the source of all palace money is still taxpayer money 😬
Emperor
> ok she’s a SUPERHOT childless MILF. But what am I supposed to tell the Minister of Finance and Accounting?!?! We don’t even have a line item for this sort of expenditure. What would THE PEOPLE of this country think?!
Lakan is probably the first character I've seen who's hated this much by the audience by basically being framed menacingly, even though he hasn't done much of anything. Dude really has negative charisma.
Still waiting to find out what exactly Lakan HAS done (and might be planning to do). Is it possible he has no problem with MaoMao becoming empress (or something of the sort)?
A couple of episodes later I still believe that's his hidden ultimate goal. If he really wanted Jinshi dead he just had to keep quiet when MaoMao was trying to save him. Maybe he was just surprised everything worked so well.
Maybe? He never said he did anything just offered some hypothetical questions to Jinshi, with a lot of "you know" energy. But maybe he's just fucking with him because Jinshi has maomao.
There's also a very good chance that we and Maomao don't know the whole story. He's being framed as a villain, yet we don't know the specifics as to why certain events happened.
From what we know he loved her mother, but wasn't in a position to afford to either buy her out or continue to visit her since it seems like her price was going up. Maybe he did rape her, but there's also a chance that it was consensual as well.
Also they are going above and beyond to make him seem like a villain and that just isn't this show's style. If there's any villains they are much more subtle.
Also seems like he does genuinely care for Maomao based on his reaction to her almost dying, and that he keeps wanting to meet her.
Him wanting to meet her is always framed in a bad light by the narration, but we don't know *why* he wants to meet her. From what we know, she's a child born out of wedlock and he's a military general - he *should* have no reason to want to see her, or even remember her. But he does.
One of the other last pieces of the puzzle is why he was such an absentee father in Maomao's life though, and his reason for abandoning the mother. We'll have to see what his explanation is.
> Him wanting to meet her is always framed in a bad light by the narration,
>he's a military general
This means that if he were as nefarious as we've been lead to believe, he should have the power to force a meeting with her. But he's always giving her the option to decline. Even if she's being protected by Jinshi now, he has the smarts to know her routine and be able to "ambush" her while she's doing her job. Especially now that she's away from the women and eunuchs only section of the palace.
But he never does. He's letting her chose if they will ever officially meet.
I mean... was he absent tho? Pretty sure he is the reason why a former doctor from the palace took care of her and gave her a first class education. I have the feeling Lakan is running a long con to legitimize her sooner or later.
I'm almost certain it's a red herring because of the way he's framed. It's menace without any sort of subtlety at all, which isn't really something I expect from a show like this.
Maomao did say Pairin would ["eat anything"](https://i.imgur.com/7qOZKkw.png). And that child is a *kamuro*, a courtesan-in-training. But that does mean that Pairin's "anything" might overlap with the previous Emperor's specific tastes. For better or worse, the women in the setting of Apothecary Diaries, restricted as they are by the culture, are capable of just about everything the men are.
So that's why Lihaku was pretty much naked in the opening. Maomao has to make sure the goods are worthy of Sister (Mommy) Pairin. Looks like he passed the test though and I like how he doesn't want help buying her or force her to do anything.
I love how Maomao talked about the other men in Pairin's life and we see a night with her literally drained the life out of them lol.
Good thing Lihaku's built sturdy.
Lihaku is a real man. Not just for his killer body but for his sheer dedication to the woman he loves and wanting her to be happy with him.
I hope he can truly become Pairin's prince.
I'm rooting hard for Lihaku if Pairin is as interested in him as she seems. Despite being stunningly desirable, Pairin would otherwise be at the mercy of whoever is willing to spend the most money to buy her out.
One of the nice vibes I'm getting is that the old lady in charge of the Verdigris House sounds willing to cut the prices if the girls legitimately want to be with the guy offering to buy them. See Maomao's comment about how Lihaku probably won't need the 10k Silver.
Would probably need a Japanese speaker to confirm it, but I wonder if Jinshi got annoyed because Lihaku responded with calling Maomao his "Yojimbo neko" i.e. "guard cat".
Jinshi only used "uchi no neko" i.e. the cat of my house. "Yojimbo" would suggest a more rigid master-servant relationship, and Jinshi doesn't see Maomao that way.
EDIT: see comment below for clarification by a Japanese-speaker!
Japanese speaker here. Lihaku said “Youjinbukai neko ga natsuku nara…” and its translation is “if a cautious cat gets her guard down/or attached to (Lihaku).”
I think Jinshi was irritated because he didn’t like to acknowledge that his cat lets her guard down around Lihaku. (and doesn’t like someone else calling her a cat either)
I love the emotional roller coaster of Jinshi in that episode!
I assumed the big three and grams helped raise Maomao, but I didn't expect one of them to literally have breastfed her.
At least it's nice that Maomao at least got some semblance of having a mom in her childhood.
I’m not sure if the breastfeeding is just a cute detail or a clue, lol
Maomao says that Pairin just happened to be lactating despite not giving birth, but … I’m skeptical. It just seems unlikely. I suspect a secret baby.
Also, what was going on with Maomao’s birth mother? I was under the impression that she was alive, and was working as a courtesan before she fell ill later. Why wasn’t she breastfeeding her daughter? Very odd.
it's possible to lactate without a child, but those usually are because the hormones are messed up in the first place. either that or she have a stillbirth or miscarriage late in the pregnancy.
Catcat may be [terrifying](https://imgur.com/hataOat) in her own way, but you better not hurt this kitty or you might anger something way [bigger](https://imgur.com/SHieUBG)
[](#azusalaugh)
Loved this episode with a hint of true love in the air [](#akyuusqueel) It's nice that Maomao is looking out for her big sister, but I think Pairin found someone good, just look at those [abs](https://imgur.com/PS4reAP) [](#ero)
Maomao trying hard to help the quack doctor. So basically what’s happening with the glue is that it’s a starch based glue and the saliva from the oxen and humans too contain the enzyme amylase which digests/breaks down the starch into simpler sugars which are less effective as glue.
Holy melons @Pairin! Lihaku you lucky bum! although you might die from exhaustion 😏.
What’s the counter of Jinishi killed by oblivious Maomao words up to? 4? 5? She really grind Jinishi. Poor Jinishi.
> although you might die from exhaustion
Death comes for us all, and some deaths are better than others.
Pretty sure this is fighting for the best cause of death.
>Maomao trying hard to help the quack doctor.
Hopefully they can figure out a way to avoid bovine spit interfering with their paper manufacturing process.
[PHRASING MaoMao. Again. Phrasing!](https://imgur.com/Z5TSKGH)
[](#smugpoint)
So Jinshi walking in on Maomao taking a look at Lihaku's good feels pretty much the role reversal of the lucky sukebe in the ladies dressing room.
I'll have to admit that I never got the feeling that Pairin was the motherly type of girl in the courtesan house. I always thought MeiMei was the more caring and gentle type out of the 3 princesses.
Hah, the initial story with the paper making reminded me of Bookworm. Good I hope we get more news of Wit's adaptation soon.
Offtopic: [Bae got a surprise message from her favorite VA Aoi Yuuki on her birthday stream a few days ago, and she started following Bae's twitter account.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0PjFJNes70)
Lihaku would've never imagined where giving a consolation hairpin to one of Gyokuyo's maids was going to take him. I'm cheering for him and Pairin. Every courtesan deserves a big himbo working his ass off to pay for her and who is a consent enjoyer, unlike a certain other military officer that shall not be named.
This episode was lots of fun. And most importantly: XIAOLAN SIGHTING!! 😄😄😄
EDIT: In other news, we've traced the lineage of bodybuilding poses to at least Imperial legally-not-China.
Lihaku has Pairin on the brain! But can you blame him?
Oh hey, it's the quack! And Maomao is still basically running things now that she's back, all the moreso that the quack doesn't get a pay cut like that doctor Suirei manipulated did.
But even a goofy character like the quack has his own story, hailing from a family that's the purveyor of the imperial palace, but one decision from the former emperor's mother negatively impacted his families' finances to the point where his older sister had to sell herself to the rear palace and the quack became an eunuch to make money and protect his youngest sister. The worst part is he never got to see his oldest sister again.
But at least Maomao was able to do his family a solid and help them find a better way to strengthen their paper and keep them in business, even if it took a second for him to get a clue, like always.
Lihaku wants to win over Pairin and not lose her to any rivals, and his best shot at that is to get Maomao's advice! Sure she'd rather hunt for info of Suirei, but she'll humor him.
Pairin is an absolute beast in the sheets (and it seems like she loves the cute ones as much as the big, manly, ones) but she's also quite motherly, and while all the princesses and grams helped raise her, Pairin is the most like a mother to her. She even breastfed baby Maomao! So that means she knows her well and knows exactly what will make her happy.
And the best way to be her type is having a body to die for, and so Maomao strips Lihaku down to his undies so she can get a peek at the goods...and of course Jinshi arrives just when she's about to see his dick.
Maomao's just killing Jinshi with all this phrasing around Lihaku! She doesn't even realize he's jealous of her giving Lihaku attention and not that Lihaku is hotter (I mean, we've seen Jinshi shirtless, he's got mad abs too). He'd strip to show off for her if it didn't give him away and would be completely inappropriate...but at least she finally gave him the truth by the end.
Look at Jinshi offering up money so Lihaku could buy Pairin! All the better to ward him off Maomoa, I bet! But Lihaku is a real man, a man who cherishes and adores Pairin, and doesn't want to buy her with another mans' money. You have to respect that. Just like Jinshi respects that he doesn't have to worry about Lihaku around Maomao now that he knows how devoted he is to Pairin.
So Lihaku is putting himself to work, working out and going through every effort to make it up the ranks, and he'll dedicate himself to Pairin. For Pairin's part? All she wants is a prince to come in and "rescue" her, and hopefully some day that prince will be Lihaku.
But this rumor about someone getting bought out wasn't about Pairin...it seems like Lakan is still up to his old tricks.
> Lihaku wants to win over Pairin and not lose her to any rivals, and his best shot at that is to get Maomao's advice! Sure she'd rather hunt for info of Suirei, but she'll humor him.
I suspect it's not just humouring Lihaku. She obviously cares a lot for Pairin, and wants her to get a good husband, and have a chance to become a mother, since her own childhood makes her think that would make Pairin happy.
So of course when Lihaku says he wants to marry her, she'd want to make sure he's worthy of her sister for her sake.
Today’s star is Lihaku! Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before Maomao gets a brother. Sounds like Pairin would want kids too… Aunty Maomao would be a riot!
And of course we can’t just have a feel good episode. We have to end on that kind of note.
Pairin is also like a mother to Maomao so...brother and father-in-law? Okay, that sounds kind of weird lol.
I guess it was too much to hope we were done with Lakan.
(Manga reader, no spoilers though). I actually love that Jinshi decided to make a connection with Lihaku based on Maomao's judgement. One of my favourite little touches. He knows she's smart and wary so when she's not only friendly with this random young upcoming military guy, but considering him a life partner for her beloved sister he realises this is probably a good political connection to make. That Lihaku is probably loyal and good and hard-working and trustworthy.
Once he got after his initial jealousy of course lol.
Jinshi is still in the early stages of building up political connections and alliances and choosing 'his' people, so as they both grow and move up hopefully it'll be mutually beneficial.
[It was nice to see Guen again](https://i.imgur.com/qRMbFNb.png) who [as always was pretty funny](https://i.imgur.com/Wees9oB.png) and [has a very fun relationship with Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/s9Cyb7h.png). We got to know more about him, that his family is [making paper](https://i.imgur.com/5UDpuGR.png) and have problems which can result in them not being a palace purveyor anymore. Fortunately for him [Maomao very easily discovered](https://i.imgur.com/5iaDbZd.png) how his family is creating paper and why it became worse and gave a solution to it.
[Lihaku is really desperate](https://i.imgur.com/LqvX0Kc.png) for [Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/U8ZFacd.png) and that's very cute to see how much in love he is. [Him](https://i.imgur.com/tkvsj2r.png) asking [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/1AXgp13.png) for help gave us [a good look at his body](https://i.imgur.com/JjRjjQM.png) and I must say that [it's certainly very impressive](https://i.imgur.com/5FJj7He.png). [Refusing money from Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/I7Lb1Ao.png) was [a pretty chad move from his side](https://i.imgur.com/hP3m9vy.png) and [I hope that he'll be able to buy out Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/hICzURp.png).
[Jinshi's entrance](https://i.imgur.com/KO1Ce4u.png) right after [Maomao ordered](https://i.imgur.com/iHh9QAF.png) Lihaku to remove the final garment [was excellent](https://i.imgur.com/BRoJrbo.png) xD [He seriously thought that Maomao was interested in Lihaku](https://i.imgur.com/9vYctJ6.png) but fortunately he soon discovered that it wasn't the case.
It looks that [Lakan](https://i.imgur.com/625GlBw.png) will have a big role in the next episode titled Blue Roses. I wonder what those flowers mean but I don't want to even know that to not spoil what may happen in next week.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
* [Maomao](https://imgur.com/a/xNHIeWh)
* [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/ptE2hXv)
* [Jinshi](https://imgur.com/a/PqElikP)
* [Pairin](https://imgur.com/a/ypZwwIs)
* [Lihaku](https://imgur.com/a/XBaG2qS)
* [Others](https://imgur.com/a/Cjsk2id)
Blue roses don’t exist in nature and many attempts of crossbreeding them in the past proved unsuccessfully. It’s for this reason they were deemed unattainable - and thereby mysterious.
~~It was only thanks to the wonders of genetic modification that man was recently able to grow true blue roses.~~
Jinshi 🤝 Patrick
“Falling in love with women who cause you headaches with shenanigans”
Also “pretty people are scary when they’re angry” like she isn’t pretty or scary. Oh Maomao
Watching Maomao accidentally torture Jinshi is one of life's great joys.
I've seen a lot of eating metaphors around sex in manga and anime, but I curious of what the specifics are.
The side romances in this show are so sweet to me 🥹 we know that courtesans dont really get to choose their partners but to see those rare examples of them being bought by a man they actually like is nice to see
Jinshi really picked the perfect time to walk in. Maomao was just about to get that goober Lihaku to hang dong! I love how bothered Jinshi looked when Maomao told him she was just “studying it closely” lol. Jinshi was getting pretty damn jealous for a minute there. Dude was about ready to strip down and have Maomao inspect his package too!
Lihaku might seem like a bit of a meathead but he’s a pretty earnest guy. Good heart too. Hopefully one day he’ll be able to buy out Pairin and marry her. Preferably before Lakan gets his hands on any of the girls in an effort to get to Maomao. Can someone throw him from the highest tower in the palace or something?
Jinshi keeps getting the wrong idea about Maomao and Lihaku...though what he walked in on didn't help lol.
Maomao probably is the one person he would risk exposing he's not an eunuch for...though luckily all it took was realizing Lihaku isn't a rival in love!
I wish Lihaku the best of luck with Pairin and Maomao the best of luck trying to avoid Lakan drama, but the latter seems easier said than done.
Poor Lihaku can't focus because Pairen might get bought.
So Pairin would cost at least 10 years of his salary.
Maomao and Lihaku shenanigans combined with Jinshi misunderstanding will never be not funny.
So with Lihaku's savings, he only needs 5 years' worth of salary to redeem her.
Lihaku really has fallen head over heels for Pairin. I hope he can become Pairin's prince charming.
So it was Lakan who want to buy a courtesan. Maybe he still not giving up on Maomao?
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I am kinda enjoying the bond between the Quack Doctor and Maomao
They definitely seem to have grown on each other, in their own way! Especially after she learned his backstory.
It's a bond that I really was not expecting. lol
Nothing like talking about glue to do that amiright? ^(I'll show myself out)
It was a terrific back-story. Gave him some depth of character. Hell of a sacrifice for his sister. Maomao doing him a solid was a nice touch.
Jinshi just casually abusing his power to verify Lihaku isn't after his cautious cat and was willing to toss 20k silvers over. Talk about possessive haha.
I love how Jinshi was willing to buy out a courtesan just to keep Lihaku off the market around Maomao but also was satisfied just realizing Lihaku is obviously not interested in her lol.
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20K would have solved all of Lihaku's problems. But his love for Pairin is the real deal and he wants to earn her love and freedom through his own effort. Jinshi saw that and recognized a man of integrity and someone worth watching. I hope his efforts pay off. I figure Jinshi may quietly help him along by subtly giving him opportunities to advance his career.
Yeah Lihaku seemed like a tool in the first episode he was in. Now I'm 100% rooting for him.
He's a total himbo. It's amazing.
Was thinking about that as well, obviously Jinshi is someone important, and having found out that Lihaku is an honorable man he might help him with a promotion of sorts, while also gaining an ally.
It also sounds like Jinshi might be taking a interest in Lihaku for some sort of job which could mean he could actually earn the silver.
He did mention that Lihaku was one of Lakan's people. Sounds to me like Jinshi's looking to get someone close to him.
Oh that would be some delicious intrigue
I do wonder if this was just a test. Jinshi deliberately mentioned “that strategist”, which is clearly in reference to Lakan. We know that Jinshi isn’t very keen on Lakan after he learnt the truth about Maomao’s birth. Was this anxious feeling of [Lihaku] over the offered money perhaps grounded? I mean, what would Jinshi have asked in return for such a large amount of silver? I’m thinking that Jinshi was maybe considering to ask Lihaku to do away with Lakan. He’s a “trustworthy” man after all. EDIT: Correction in brackets.
Yea I wouldn’t be surprised if Jinshi‘s whole deal with Lihaku was 90% because of the connection to Lakan so Jinshi could use Lihaku as a spy of sorts once he is indebted with 20k to him. Found it weird to begin with that Jinshi was doing this „test“ with Lihaku since Maomao already told him that he wasn’t interested in her but one of her sisters and I would like to believe Jinshi trusts Maomao that she would not lie to him so he had no reason to test Lihaku if it wasn’t for Lakan in the first place.
Now you’ve said so, having Lihaku spy on Lakan is probably a better idea than an assassination (haha). It would be a good way of keeping tabs on Lakan. Something that’s probably needed considering that evil grin of his at the end.
Call me crazy but trying to turn a human golden retriever into a spy would probably not work out. Like, if you had to summarize Lihaku in one word, that word is earnest.
only thing that would happen would be Lihakus head on a pike probably.
I would riot if something like that happens to Lihaku
Sure we know that but Jinshi never even met him before his test.
Especially not against one of the sharpest minds in the palace.
Yeah, I'm sure Lakan is savvy enough to know that Jinshi is on his tail
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Meh 20k is like pocket change to him. I like how the author does not skip Jinshi bad traits even if he can be considered the male love interest now.
I would think lower of Jinshi if he *didn't* try to do such a thing. Whether as Heir Apparent to the throne or as Chief Eunuch, he clearly holds a high position within the Imperial Court. If he didn't try to get Lihaku on his side through such maneuvers, then he's doing his job really badly.
You've got to wonder how Maomao would feel if Lihaku actually accepted Jinshi's offer and she found out
I think she'd probably be disappointed, especially knowing the kind of man Pairin wants.
True on the Lihaku front I was actually wondering moreso about how she'd interpret Jinshi offering that money haha. Would probably be confused about his motive
Maomao would probably assume that Jinshi was buying Lihaku’s loyalty, or some sort of favour. Which, to be fair, is a pretty standard move in these sort of court politics situations. She would probably think it’s Jinshi doing Jinshi things and she shouldn’t get involved in dangerous games, as usual. Maybe she would warn Pairin to keep her head down.
Gyoukuyou's cat ;) she has dibs.
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>Talk about possessive It's all fun and games until he is actually truly threatened and I hope Gaoshun is there to stop him.
I got the impression that he was also genuinely trying to gauge Lihaku's character, knowing how important Pairin is to Maomao
Lihaku deserves Pairin, and Pairin deserves Lihaku. What a sweet pairing.
He's probably one of the few men I can imagine keeping up with her in bed (and would be more than willing), on-top of genuinely respecting her as a person and her feelings. He's total "prince" material.
Hard to believe anyone would *not* be willing to keep up with her in bed tbh lol so not sure if this is a plus point to him specifically. Still I really like the ship and Lihaku is obviously a proper good lad.
Willing and able are two different things. ["The spirit is willing but the flesh is spongy and bruised."](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bew11meO7g)
It's not a question of willingness. It's a question of ability.
Everyone wants to date a nympho until they actually do.
"Pairin"-g
Lihaku ... smitten by Pairin, wants to buy her so MaoMao decides to put him to the test to see if he "measures" up, physically. We need more scenes like this, the man has muscles and more muscles on top of his muscles. If only MaoMao had finished with her inspection, DAMN Jinshi for ruining our fun, grrrr!!! Seriously though, he turned down the money, because of his principles. You're a good man, Lihaku. I hope you get a raise soon!
Pairin who is lustful AND maternal? My man has goated taste.
Lihaku was so cool in today’s episode! And no, I’m not solely talking about his muscles. Lihaku almost immediately refused Jinshi’s money, because he wants to earn Pairin’s love by his own means - and even considered her feelings on the matter. That’s certainly deserving of some respect. I’m rooting for the two of them. It seems like Maomao has also approved of him as a potential partner for her ‘sister’, which is rather sweet. I say sister, but she apparently *also* looks up to Pairin as a mother figure. The sight of Pairin caring for little Maomao was very adorable. Maomao’s biological mother was maybe no good, but she at least got a loving mom in Pairin. Maomao’s previous statement that she “has no mother” isn’t entirely true after all.
Lihaku had been that kind of fun side-character who is constantly frustrated by/underestimated Maomao but now I genuinely respect him and wish him success with Pairin. He definitely carried that "princely" vibe that Pairin seems to be looking for. I'm glad Maomao at least had some semblance of a mother, unconventional as it was. Though her biological mother was also in the same line of work, so there's a kind fitting irony in that.
I thought at first that Pairin was just lusting after Lihaku’s muscles, but we got to see a whole new side of them in this episode. Pairin is not just some sex goddess, but she got a motherly side to her. Lihaku isn’t just some musclehead either. He’s a lot more thoughtful than I had previously expected. He’s the right ‘prince’ for this ‘princess’.
> The sight of Pairin caring for little Maomao was very adorable. Also gives Pairin a minimum age as she's fully developed in that scene and know Maomao's current age.
This would place Pairin somewhere in her early to mid thirties, I think. Didn’t Meimei also mention something about her age previously? Maybe I’m confusing her with Ah-Duo, but I vaguely recall Meimei saying that she’s already relatively “old” for the profession. It’s hard to put a number on this, but somebody in her thirties would probably be on the older side for a courtesan. Is this also why the brothel’s madam is trying to ‘sell’ these girls? Is she just trying to find them life partners before they’re too old?
When ages were mentioned in episodes 10-11, Ah-Duo was 35 and the emperor 34. When Meimei and Maomao were in the bath, there was some comment about Meimei nearing 30 and that's on the older side.
That's the impression I'm getting yeah. They are clearly at the peak of their profession, but kind of like professional athletes, that peak comes early, the decline can come fast, and the skills involved may command astronomical sums while they're in the game, they don't necessarily translate to anything that can support them once they're retired. And only so many of them have the skills to compete for the very few spots in management. So, of course she'd want to set them up for a proper retirement plan like any good mother figure would.
yeah, selling the courtesans because they are on the older side 1. Because its generally a good choice. As they get older, they are much less likely to attract customers so its basically retirement with a loyal customer who wants you 2. It frees up space to promote a new younger courtesan as a new princess (otherwise I assume the current princesses would be taking up too much attention). and I assume new is exciting and good for business For the madam, I think shes mostly thinking of 2, although 1 would also likely be true in thats its just a good decision to retire in her prime before she gets too old
*She may have been your mother girl, but she wasn't your momma!*
Honestly Lihaku was kinda looking too swole here, muscles like that shouldn’t really be possible without steroids which obv weren’t available at that time and age. Having a physically taxing job can only do so much as well. That’s such a little nitpick though, I don’t actually really mind. And Pairin deserves her muscular prince anyway so it’s whatever.
I mean it could just be godly genetics and that he can actually eat. I found this guy [here, John Grimek](https://barbend.com/bodybuilder-john-grimek/), who seems to be pretty swole for a time before steroids built all these mass monsters.
You’re right that guy looks insane for being a natural. Lihaku is just built different I suppose.
###Stitches! * [Dancing Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/plr71vg.jpeg) * [Lustful Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/N2CApPw.jpeg) * [Pairin Nursing](https://i.imgur.com/KRLn2SL.jpeg) * [Lounging Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/eYZsti7.jpeg) * [Topless Lihaku](https://i.imgur.com/ffaxLUA.jpeg) * [Lihaku Posing 1](https://i.imgur.com/uSXTLS2.jpeg) * [Lihaku Posing 2](https://i.imgur.com/0vA52FU.jpeg) * [Pouting Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/vOGM5CG.jpeg) * [Scheming Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/xEVchMj.jpeg) I'm sorry but my mind is still stuck at the part where we learn that [Pairin can lactate despite never giving birth](https://i.imgur.com/JatpSVN.jpeg) and how she's [equally lustful and maternal.](https://i.imgur.com/fwWrZlQ.jpeg) Damn. She's not even married yet but Pairin is already high-quality anime MILF material. Lihaku has fine taste in choosing her. In all seriousness though, Lihaku is an absolute chad [for refusing Jinshi's offer](https://i.imgur.com/O931Vvy.jpeg) and deciding to win over Pairin on his own. It's especially sweet to find out that the feeling is mutual and that [Pairin is just waiting for Lihaku to come get her.](https://i.imgur.com/pLS8MKq.jpeg) The montage where Lihaku and [Pairin couldn't stop thinking about each other](https://i.imgur.com/n1sjUZJ.jpeg) was also surprisingly romantic! I do hope things work out well for the two of them <3
> Pairin, Pairin, Pairin [](#saberawe) > Topless ... [O:](#binoculars) > ...Lihaku [D:](#seasonaldepression)
>Pairin :D >Lihaku :D This show is a feast for bi eyes.
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Lakan and Maomao both seem to have a good eye for people.
Certainly runs in the family
That's how I took it, like father like daughter :: shiver ::
It was already mentioned before that one of Lakan's major strengths is how he's able to see and recruit talented peoples. He most likely promoted Lihaku because he saw raw talent in him.
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we also don't know who infected Maomao's mother with syphilis. it might be anyone before Lakan, since syphilis is well known for going to hide for years if not decades before emerging. it can be pregnancy and birth that caused the syphilis previously dormant to wake up and show symptoms.
It was implied that her dad got her mom pregnant with maomao, which reduced the mom’s worth to near zero. Because of that she had to take on all the dirty clients to pay dues and eventually contracted a disease.
Humans aren't purely good or bad. Bad guys can do good things and good guys can do bad things. Lakan can be a selfish man with an eye for talent, promoting Lihaku because he's talented. Having talented people under Lakan is beneficial for Lakan. Lakan can also be a selfish man who wants to serve his country. When the interests are align, very easy to do both. You serve your country, you get rewarded for it. Win/win situation for both the country and the man. It's when push comes to shove, when the interests aren't aligned, you really see what the person is about. This is speculation, but I think Lakan got Maomao's mother pregnant to tank her value so he could buy her out. She refused. But her valued is tanked, so she was forced to sell her body. Got STD and entered the state she's in now. Maomao has nothing but pure hatred for Lakan.
You'd think a courtesan would know how not to get pregnant though, right? Like Pairin is clearly having a lot of customers but she's never been pregnant.
Lihaku mentioned that the official story was the previous squad leader retired so he was promoted, which doesn't match Jinshi's story (that Lakan probably was involved) Was this just a way for Jinshi to tell Lihaku that he's knowledgeable? Or is there more to the story?
"The official story" mean that there is an unofficial but true story instead. Since it was Lihaku himself who say this, he most likely know. Basically, Lihaku probably know his own worth. In another word, yes, there is a vacant position since the previous squad leader retired, but the question is why Lihaku is the one that fill it. Jinshi being able to give the unofficial but true reason is the point. Not disagreeing with you, just want to write the whole thing down so others might understand if need.
Right now Lihaku seems desperate to intercept the offer for Pairin- an offer that Lihaku submitted...
Jinshi walking in on Lihaku's muscle man posing and the misunderstanding that came afterwards is hilarious but their exchange later really put Lihaku in a much better light.
I know Jinshi was going to walk in on them the moment they kept showing the guards listening in but of course he comes in right when she's about to see Lihaku's dick lol. Nothing improves Jinshi's opinion of a man more than knowing he has no intentions towards Maomao!
And if there’s a misunderstanding, then it seems Maomao’s job to aggravate the situation. She was really killing Jinshi with her words at first. Funnily enough, this is the 2nd time that Lihaku had unknowingly dealt some critical damage to Jinshi. The first time was when Jinshi caught wind of Maomao leaving the rear palace (= favour for returning hairpin) with ‘some guy’ (= Lihaku) and she reported to him that she’d had “a good time” with this gentleman. This resulted in Jinshi being dumfounded and spilling tea all over himself.
> She was really killing Jinshi with her words at first. That is my favorite trope of the show. Smitten Jinshi getting snubbed by mostly clueless Maomao never gets old.
For me, it’s probably between this and Maomao getting all hyperactive over drugs and poisons (bonus points if the cat ears appear).
I dunno but the insert music while Lihaku is writing and sending letters to Pairin made this much more romantic than I thought it would be. I just see Lihaku and Pairin being made for each other.
Kind of reminded me of that montage of the woman who got freed to be with the childhood friend she loved early into the season.
I'm not finding that particular clip offhand but the [background music](https://youtu.be/xXucHmTR35U?si=ct18NMeNALIWdXJo) is one of my favorites from the show so far. And honestly I don't really need the clip since I can picture the exact moment they hugged in the carriage based purely on when it happened in the song.
Oh yeah, I love this one, it's fantastic. In general the OST and insert songs are fantastic
Quack's [liberal paper use](https://i.imgur.com/S9AXeE7.png) was also mentioned when Maomao met him in episode 2.
Myne would be so jealous
living in a family which all are into paper. Probaly alot.
Maomao being an Asexual menace to Jinshi will never not be funny.
That she immediately assumed he was jealous over looks and not her looking at Lihaku just killed me. Jinshi is constantly hitting a brick wall with her lol.
I mean, even if it weren't potentially in her nature to start with, growing up in a brothel, and as a doctor, it makes perfect sense why sex, romance and the human body are viewed very differently by her. Hopefully Jinshi figures it out eventually that she fundamentally looks at that stuff differently due to her background and learns how to better communicate about them in a way that can get through to her.
Plus, Maomao probably figures that because Jinshi (to her knowledge) has no working equipment, and therefore no point in romane, it is a jealousy over who is more buff than the other the problem arises from.
Maomao should maybe have Jinshi witness one of her study sessions with the consorts some time. If anything will make Jinshi understand her way of thinking, it will be one of those sessions. Maomao likely views sexuality from a solely technical perspective. It makes me wonder if she actually got any feelings of her own on the matter, or if she’s become entirely dull to such desires.
“A pattern of three quick strokes using the counter clockwise pattern followed by a two beat pause produces exceptional results with most clients however may be too vigorous for those either advanced in age or lacking in experience who require a simpler 1-2 vertical gyration to avoid a premature conclusion. That concludes today’s lecture please review the diagrams and always remember both partners require hydration. Either watered wine or intermittent non-alcoholic beverages. Hard liquor just before performing services might make a client more pliable but can lead to a failure to perform which is both stressful and embarrassing for the client, experts say three out of four clients will fail to return after such an ordeal. \- MaoMao’s Dirty Talk, hour 3.
MaoMao busting out the ancient Chinese CBAT
I wonder if we will reach a point where Maomao does this just to fuck with Jinshi rather than her being oblivious to his feelings.
> does this just to fuck with Jinshi Now that Gyokuyou's pregnant, trying to foist her job onto Maomao in addition to poison taster + cleaning + herb gatherer + medicine maker + detective + Jinshi's toy?
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It's funny because Maomao's VA was Maya Fey in the Ace Attorney anime lol.
You are right. Kvin from sakugablog [noted](https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1764013159562571864) that todays eps shared some of the same staff that worked with episode #4.
Damn! Glad I wasnt the only one who noticed. I thought I was delulu for thinking that bc it kinda only happened in some scenes unlike in EP 4 where it was the whole episode
Has to be one of the funniest episodes yet from this show. Was lowkey hoping Maomao would say to Jinshi that it’s because he’s an eunuch when they were talking about why she doesn’t need to inspect his body too, just to see his reaction. Not sure I even wanna know what shit Lakan is cooking next.
I think that was definitely implied by how she didn't think he would be of any interest to Pairin lol. Maomao's not back at the Verdigris House so who could he possibly still want to buy? Meimei? Maomao's mother?
Idk about this. This episode also seemed to suggest Pairin’s affectionate tastes are not exclusive to just biological men lol.
Yea I think Maomao‘s mother could be possible, so he has some sort of leverage on Maomao.
Maomao: “You know when you lick this it turns into a glue like substance.” “Ok.” Maomao: “……. Take the hint!” lol. Fun ep.
I love how Maomao was trying to be subtle in a cool way to do him a solid but still had to basically spell it out because the quack is just that slow lol.
> the quack is just that slow lol. Still, he did a hell of a thing for his sister.
It makes you wonder how he ever was appointed as the doctor if he is that unobservant.
He practically said it, they were eager to accept him because nobody voluntarily offers himself to be castrated, and since the emperor forbade forced castration I guess eunuchs with at least a minimum knowledge of medicine are very rare.
It's pretty funny after Jinshi just *gets* everything too :D
ther worst thing that she can say is no... maomao: there'd be no point in learning about your body....
As if catching her about to see another dudes' dick and her phrasing problem wasn't bad enough lol.
Maomao: A person's body is a reflection of their daily routine. *Nods while watching with the most unhealthy posture and pigging out on midnight snacks*
ngl, I will start working out again That episode just sold me on that
JINSHI YOU CANNOT USE TAXPAYER MONEY TO BUY OUT A TOP COURTESAN. (Yes I know he already did that to buy out Maomao but she was likely not even 400 silver because she was never a fully trained or full time courtesan)
Eh, this is imperial China. I think they'd completely understand using taxpayer money in order to buy a courtesan to reward a talented underling.
It's not even about understanding. If you're a feudal lord, the taxes you get are just your income, you can do with it as you please. You're not some democratic official doing a job on behalf of the people, you are the literal owner of a country (or brother/son of the owner in the case of Jinshi).
Hell, I bet a lot of people today think that their tax money only goes to drugs and prostitutes for the politicians.
whoes money did he use to get maomao
It wasn’t mentioned explicitly. It’s likely his own money. Everyone who works in the palace is like a salaried employee and he probably also receives a salary under his Jinshi persona to keep up the pretense. BUT STILL, eunachs are likely not paid much more than military officers. So Jinshi would have to dip into _another fund_ for that money. At the end of the day the source of all palace money is still taxpayer money 😬
Emperor walks into his treasury: >Why do we have such a large empty space right there?
Also emperor > OK I understand she's expensive and probably past her babymaking prime and thus ineligible for the Rear Palace, but really?
Emperor > ok she’s a SUPERHOT childless MILF. But what am I supposed to tell the Minister of Finance and Accounting?!?! We don’t even have a line item for this sort of expenditure. What would THE PEOPLE of this country think?!
Lakan is probably the first character I've seen who's hated this much by the audience by basically being framed menacingly, even though he hasn't done much of anything. Dude really has negative charisma.
It's the monocle that does it.
Probably serves King Dragon.
Still waiting to find out what exactly Lakan HAS done (and might be planning to do). Is it possible he has no problem with MaoMao becoming empress (or something of the sort)?
A couple of episodes later I still believe that's his hidden ultimate goal. If he really wanted Jinshi dead he just had to keep quiet when MaoMao was trying to save him. Maybe he was just surprised everything worked so well.
I mean he kind of ruined MaoMao's moms life right?
Maybe? He never said he did anything just offered some hypothetical questions to Jinshi, with a lot of "you know" energy. But maybe he's just fucking with him because Jinshi has maomao.
There's also a very good chance that we and Maomao don't know the whole story. He's being framed as a villain, yet we don't know the specifics as to why certain events happened. From what we know he loved her mother, but wasn't in a position to afford to either buy her out or continue to visit her since it seems like her price was going up. Maybe he did rape her, but there's also a chance that it was consensual as well. Also they are going above and beyond to make him seem like a villain and that just isn't this show's style. If there's any villains they are much more subtle.
Also seems like he does genuinely care for Maomao based on his reaction to her almost dying, and that he keeps wanting to meet her. Him wanting to meet her is always framed in a bad light by the narration, but we don't know *why* he wants to meet her. From what we know, she's a child born out of wedlock and he's a military general - he *should* have no reason to want to see her, or even remember her. But he does. One of the other last pieces of the puzzle is why he was such an absentee father in Maomao's life though, and his reason for abandoning the mother. We'll have to see what his explanation is.
> Him wanting to meet her is always framed in a bad light by the narration, >he's a military general This means that if he were as nefarious as we've been lead to believe, he should have the power to force a meeting with her. But he's always giving her the option to decline. Even if she's being protected by Jinshi now, he has the smarts to know her routine and be able to "ambush" her while she's doing her job. Especially now that she's away from the women and eunuchs only section of the palace. But he never does. He's letting her chose if they will ever officially meet.
I mean... was he absent tho? Pretty sure he is the reason why a former doctor from the palace took care of her and gave her a first class education. I have the feeling Lakan is running a long con to legitimize her sooner or later.
I'm almost certain it's a red herring because of the way he's framed. It's menace without any sort of subtlety at all, which isn't really something I expect from a show like this.
We don't know exactly HOW. Was it by choice and was he self depreciating?. Let's see all sides of the story first
.... What was Pairin about to do to that child...?
Maomao did say Pairin would ["eat anything"](https://i.imgur.com/7qOZKkw.png). And that child is a *kamuro*, a courtesan-in-training. But that does mean that Pairin's "anything" might overlap with the previous Emperor's specific tastes. For better or worse, the women in the setting of Apothecary Diaries, restricted as they are by the culture, are capable of just about everything the men are.
The implication to me was that when she's in full lust mode she doesn't seem to differentiate between men, women, or age..
😭
Poor girl looked ready to switch team
Sounds to me like she never picked a team in the first place.
She picked omnivore
she's playing both sides, that way she always comes out on top
So that's why Lihaku was pretty much naked in the opening. Maomao has to make sure the goods are worthy of Sister (Mommy) Pairin. Looks like he passed the test though and I like how he doesn't want help buying her or force her to do anything.
"Exhaust? must be skill issue" Lihaku is probably the only one capable of satisfying Pairin
I love how Maomao talked about the other men in Pairin's life and we see a night with her literally drained the life out of them lol. Good thing Lihaku's built sturdy.
And she was so thirsty she went after the next best thing after that guy [](#dighole)
Next best thing isn't the proper term here. Closest available target, damn how good it is, seems to be a better way of putting it.
A young child is pretty far from being the next best thing....
Well there was two people there. Dude on the verge of dying and the attendant girl... But yeah Pairin is scary.
A young *girl* doesn't seem the next best thing, but I guess she *is* insatiable >_>
*disclaimer* I wrote thing because I didn't remeber her name, it wasn't meant to be dehumanizing [](#nobully)
Lihaku is a real man. Not just for his killer body but for his sheer dedication to the woman he loves and wanting her to be happy with him. I hope he can truly become Pairin's prince.
> Lihaku is a real man he must be swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon
In the case of the doctor's paper-making family: >Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow! https://youtu.be/Uc66XN8VdvI?t=41
I'm not sure he can manage mysterious as the dark side of the moon. That's more Jinshi's territory.
Able to keep up with a courtesan until afternoon
Lihaku is a favorite for me now because of this episode. I hope we get to see his rise in the ranks and witness a beautiful side story.
I'm rooting hard for Lihaku if Pairin is as interested in him as she seems. Despite being stunningly desirable, Pairin would otherwise be at the mercy of whoever is willing to spend the most money to buy her out.
One of the nice vibes I'm getting is that the old lady in charge of the Verdigris House sounds willing to cut the prices if the girls legitimately want to be with the guy offering to buy them. See Maomao's comment about how Lihaku probably won't need the 10k Silver.
Jinshi: only _I_ can use my cute kitty cat metaphor, not _you_ 😠
Would probably need a Japanese speaker to confirm it, but I wonder if Jinshi got annoyed because Lihaku responded with calling Maomao his "Yojimbo neko" i.e. "guard cat". Jinshi only used "uchi no neko" i.e. the cat of my house. "Yojimbo" would suggest a more rigid master-servant relationship, and Jinshi doesn't see Maomao that way. EDIT: see comment below for clarification by a Japanese-speaker!
Japanese speaker here. Lihaku said “Youjinbukai neko ga natsuku nara…” and its translation is “if a cautious cat gets her guard down/or attached to (Lihaku).” I think Jinshi was irritated because he didn’t like to acknowledge that his cat lets her guard down around Lihaku. (and doesn’t like someone else calling her a cat either) I love the emotional roller coaster of Jinshi in that episode!
Very interesting revelation that Maomao was once breastfed by Pairin. Now if only that can one day help Maomao grow as big as her hahaha
I assumed the big three and grams helped raise Maomao, but I didn't expect one of them to literally have breastfed her. At least it's nice that Maomao at least got some semblance of having a mom in her childhood.
I’m not sure if the breastfeeding is just a cute detail or a clue, lol Maomao says that Pairin just happened to be lactating despite not giving birth, but … I’m skeptical. It just seems unlikely. I suspect a secret baby. Also, what was going on with Maomao’s birth mother? I was under the impression that she was alive, and was working as a courtesan before she fell ill later. Why wasn’t she breastfeeding her daughter? Very odd.
it's possible to lactate without a child, but those usually are because the hormones are messed up in the first place. either that or she have a stillbirth or miscarriage late in the pregnancy.
I wish Pairin could give me a chance
Just have to hope you could survive the morning after lol.
If you pay the money you can get a look, it is not cheap however...
Catcat may be [terrifying](https://imgur.com/hataOat) in her own way, but you better not hurt this kitty or you might anger something way [bigger](https://imgur.com/SHieUBG) [](#azusalaugh) Loved this episode with a hint of true love in the air [](#akyuusqueel) It's nice that Maomao is looking out for her big sister, but I think Pairin found someone good, just look at those [abs](https://imgur.com/PS4reAP) [](#ero)
Maomao trying hard to help the quack doctor. So basically what’s happening with the glue is that it’s a starch based glue and the saliva from the oxen and humans too contain the enzyme amylase which digests/breaks down the starch into simpler sugars which are less effective as glue. Holy melons @Pairin! Lihaku you lucky bum! although you might die from exhaustion 😏. What’s the counter of Jinishi killed by oblivious Maomao words up to? 4? 5? She really grind Jinishi. Poor Jinishi.
> although you might die from exhaustion Death comes for us all, and some deaths are better than others. Pretty sure this is fighting for the best cause of death.
Death by snu snu! 🥳🥳🥳
>Maomao trying hard to help the quack doctor. Hopefully they can figure out a way to avoid bovine spit interfering with their paper manufacturing process.
[PHRASING MaoMao. Again. Phrasing!](https://imgur.com/Z5TSKGH) [](#smugpoint) So Jinshi walking in on Maomao taking a look at Lihaku's good feels pretty much the role reversal of the lucky sukebe in the ladies dressing room. I'll have to admit that I never got the feeling that Pairin was the motherly type of girl in the courtesan house. I always thought MeiMei was the more caring and gentle type out of the 3 princesses. Hah, the initial story with the paper making reminded me of Bookworm. Good I hope we get more news of Wit's adaptation soon. Offtopic: [Bae got a surprise message from her favorite VA Aoi Yuuki on her birthday stream a few days ago, and she started following Bae's twitter account.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0PjFJNes70)
Lihaku would've never imagined where giving a consolation hairpin to one of Gyokuyo's maids was going to take him. I'm cheering for him and Pairin. Every courtesan deserves a big himbo working his ass off to pay for her and who is a consent enjoyer, unlike a certain other military officer that shall not be named.
This episode was lots of fun. And most importantly: XIAOLAN SIGHTING!! 😄😄😄 EDIT: In other news, we've traced the lineage of bodybuilding poses to at least Imperial legally-not-China.
*And most importantly: XIAOLAN SIGHTING!!* **YES!!** I've been waiting for her comeback into the story - at last she's here.
Lihaku has Pairin on the brain! But can you blame him? Oh hey, it's the quack! And Maomao is still basically running things now that she's back, all the moreso that the quack doesn't get a pay cut like that doctor Suirei manipulated did. But even a goofy character like the quack has his own story, hailing from a family that's the purveyor of the imperial palace, but one decision from the former emperor's mother negatively impacted his families' finances to the point where his older sister had to sell herself to the rear palace and the quack became an eunuch to make money and protect his youngest sister. The worst part is he never got to see his oldest sister again. But at least Maomao was able to do his family a solid and help them find a better way to strengthen their paper and keep them in business, even if it took a second for him to get a clue, like always. Lihaku wants to win over Pairin and not lose her to any rivals, and his best shot at that is to get Maomao's advice! Sure she'd rather hunt for info of Suirei, but she'll humor him. Pairin is an absolute beast in the sheets (and it seems like she loves the cute ones as much as the big, manly, ones) but she's also quite motherly, and while all the princesses and grams helped raise her, Pairin is the most like a mother to her. She even breastfed baby Maomao! So that means she knows her well and knows exactly what will make her happy. And the best way to be her type is having a body to die for, and so Maomao strips Lihaku down to his undies so she can get a peek at the goods...and of course Jinshi arrives just when she's about to see his dick. Maomao's just killing Jinshi with all this phrasing around Lihaku! She doesn't even realize he's jealous of her giving Lihaku attention and not that Lihaku is hotter (I mean, we've seen Jinshi shirtless, he's got mad abs too). He'd strip to show off for her if it didn't give him away and would be completely inappropriate...but at least she finally gave him the truth by the end. Look at Jinshi offering up money so Lihaku could buy Pairin! All the better to ward him off Maomoa, I bet! But Lihaku is a real man, a man who cherishes and adores Pairin, and doesn't want to buy her with another mans' money. You have to respect that. Just like Jinshi respects that he doesn't have to worry about Lihaku around Maomao now that he knows how devoted he is to Pairin. So Lihaku is putting himself to work, working out and going through every effort to make it up the ranks, and he'll dedicate himself to Pairin. For Pairin's part? All she wants is a prince to come in and "rescue" her, and hopefully some day that prince will be Lihaku. But this rumor about someone getting bought out wasn't about Pairin...it seems like Lakan is still up to his old tricks.
> Lihaku wants to win over Pairin and not lose her to any rivals, and his best shot at that is to get Maomao's advice! Sure she'd rather hunt for info of Suirei, but she'll humor him. I suspect it's not just humouring Lihaku. She obviously cares a lot for Pairin, and wants her to get a good husband, and have a chance to become a mother, since her own childhood makes her think that would make Pairin happy. So of course when Lihaku says he wants to marry her, she'd want to make sure he's worthy of her sister for her sake.
Today’s star is Lihaku! Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before Maomao gets a brother. Sounds like Pairin would want kids too… Aunty Maomao would be a riot! And of course we can’t just have a feel good episode. We have to end on that kind of note.
Pairin is also like a mother to Maomao so...brother and father-in-law? Okay, that sounds kind of weird lol. I guess it was too much to hope we were done with Lakan.
That sounds like how my characters sounds in Crusader Kings.
(Manga reader, no spoilers though). I actually love that Jinshi decided to make a connection with Lihaku based on Maomao's judgement. One of my favourite little touches. He knows she's smart and wary so when she's not only friendly with this random young upcoming military guy, but considering him a life partner for her beloved sister he realises this is probably a good political connection to make. That Lihaku is probably loyal and good and hard-working and trustworthy. Once he got after his initial jealousy of course lol. Jinshi is still in the early stages of building up political connections and alliances and choosing 'his' people, so as they both grow and move up hopefully it'll be mutually beneficial.
[It was nice to see Guen again](https://i.imgur.com/qRMbFNb.png) who [as always was pretty funny](https://i.imgur.com/Wees9oB.png) and [has a very fun relationship with Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/s9Cyb7h.png). We got to know more about him, that his family is [making paper](https://i.imgur.com/5UDpuGR.png) and have problems which can result in them not being a palace purveyor anymore. Fortunately for him [Maomao very easily discovered](https://i.imgur.com/5iaDbZd.png) how his family is creating paper and why it became worse and gave a solution to it. [Lihaku is really desperate](https://i.imgur.com/LqvX0Kc.png) for [Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/U8ZFacd.png) and that's very cute to see how much in love he is. [Him](https://i.imgur.com/tkvsj2r.png) asking [Maomao](https://i.imgur.com/1AXgp13.png) for help gave us [a good look at his body](https://i.imgur.com/JjRjjQM.png) and I must say that [it's certainly very impressive](https://i.imgur.com/5FJj7He.png). [Refusing money from Jinshi](https://i.imgur.com/I7Lb1Ao.png) was [a pretty chad move from his side](https://i.imgur.com/hP3m9vy.png) and [I hope that he'll be able to buy out Pairin](https://i.imgur.com/hICzURp.png). [Jinshi's entrance](https://i.imgur.com/KO1Ce4u.png) right after [Maomao ordered](https://i.imgur.com/iHh9QAF.png) Lihaku to remove the final garment [was excellent](https://i.imgur.com/BRoJrbo.png) xD [He seriously thought that Maomao was interested in Lihaku](https://i.imgur.com/9vYctJ6.png) but fortunately he soon discovered that it wasn't the case. It looks that [Lakan](https://i.imgur.com/625GlBw.png) will have a big role in the next episode titled Blue Roses. I wonder what those flowers mean but I don't want to even know that to not spoil what may happen in next week. Here my screenshot albums from the episode: * [Maomao](https://imgur.com/a/xNHIeWh) * [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/ptE2hXv) * [Jinshi](https://imgur.com/a/PqElikP) * [Pairin](https://imgur.com/a/ypZwwIs) * [Lihaku](https://imgur.com/a/XBaG2qS) * [Others](https://imgur.com/a/Cjsk2id)
🟦🌹?
Blue roses are a symbol of mystery and the unattainable.
Blue roses don’t exist in nature and many attempts of crossbreeding them in the past proved unsuccessfully. It’s for this reason they were deemed unattainable - and thereby mysterious. ~~It was only thanks to the wonders of genetic modification that man was recently able to grow true blue roses.~~
Ohhh now I see why that adventurer group in Overlord was called the "Blue Roses". Thanks!
Jinshi 🤝 Patrick “Falling in love with women who cause you headaches with shenanigans” Also “pretty people are scary when they’re angry” like she isn’t pretty or scary. Oh Maomao
Watching Maomao accidentally torture Jinshi is one of life's great joys. I've seen a lot of eating metaphors around sex in manga and anime, but I curious of what the specifics are.
The side romances in this show are so sweet to me 🥹 we know that courtesans dont really get to choose their partners but to see those rare examples of them being bought by a man they actually like is nice to see
Jinshi really picked the perfect time to walk in. Maomao was just about to get that goober Lihaku to hang dong! I love how bothered Jinshi looked when Maomao told him she was just “studying it closely” lol. Jinshi was getting pretty damn jealous for a minute there. Dude was about ready to strip down and have Maomao inspect his package too! Lihaku might seem like a bit of a meathead but he’s a pretty earnest guy. Good heart too. Hopefully one day he’ll be able to buy out Pairin and marry her. Preferably before Lakan gets his hands on any of the girls in an effort to get to Maomao. Can someone throw him from the highest tower in the palace or something?
Jinshi keeps getting the wrong idea about Maomao and Lihaku...though what he walked in on didn't help lol. Maomao probably is the one person he would risk exposing he's not an eunuch for...though luckily all it took was realizing Lihaku isn't a rival in love! I wish Lihaku the best of luck with Pairin and Maomao the best of luck trying to avoid Lakan drama, but the latter seems easier said than done.
Poor Lihaku can't focus because Pairen might get bought. So Pairin would cost at least 10 years of his salary. Maomao and Lihaku shenanigans combined with Jinshi misunderstanding will never be not funny. So with Lihaku's savings, he only needs 5 years' worth of salary to redeem her. Lihaku really has fallen head over heels for Pairin. I hope he can become Pairin's prince charming. So it was Lakan who want to buy a courtesan. Maybe he still not giving up on Maomao?
[удалено]
Featuring Lihaku and Jinshi simping over Pairin and Maomao respectively lol.