One (more) of my observations about The Apothecary Diaries<\/em> (I\u2019m Not only is Maomao missing, but Miaomiao too. Jinshi\u2019s struggle to remain calm and detached evidences just how smitten he is. Loumen is worried too of course, but the sly old fellow is the very picture of composed contemplation. He\u2019s a fascinating figure, this man. Behind that serene facade the wheels are always turning. Loumen obviously connects his daughter\u2019s disappearance with the cat\u2019s, even if he\u2019s not sure how. When Guen remarks that Miaomiao seemed very interested in Maomao, Loumen surmises that she might have been working with silvervine \u2013 a cousin of kiwi fruit with medicinal properties that also happens to be an even more potent cat stimulant<\/a> than catnip (though this seems not to have been known until the 20th Century \u2013 but that\u2019s never stopped Kusuriya<\/em> before).<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s a bit of a stretch that even Loumen \u2013 the smartest man in this world and the one who knows Xiaomao best \u2013 could have found the cat (and thus the clue Maomao left behind), But never mind, it is what it is. That clue is a hidden message left in alcohol with two kanji<\/a>, hurriedly written. One is \u201chokora\u201d \u2013 a type of small Shinto shrine. The other is a bit of a mystery given its sloppy nature, but eventually one of the triplets (Seki-u) realizes it\u2019s \u201cSui\u201d \u2013 emerald green or jade. She immediately connects this is Shishui, Maomao\u2019s odd servant friend who doesn\u2019t quite seem to\u00a0 make sense the closer you examine her existence.<\/p>\n From there, we turn to the apothecary in question and more mysteries reveal themselves. Whichever \u201cSui\u201d Maomao was referencing, they\u2019re both with her. On a ship \u2013 in fact three ships, which leads Xiaomao to include they\u2019re on a river. At first\u00a0 Shisui seems like a fellow captive but once they disembark and start trekking through a forest, it becomes clear that the two Suis know each other<\/a>. In fact once the cat is out of the bag Shishui refers to Suirei as \u201cNee-sama\u201d, though in theory that might not be meant in the genetic sense.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not quite sure what to make of this. My working assumption (and Maomao\u2019s suspicion) has been that Shisui is Loulan but there\u2019s nothing revealed here that would confirm that. Loulan being Suirei\u2019s sister is not impossible and in fact would be quite a fascinating twist, but could a top concubine disappear from the Rear Palace for days at a time without causing a stir? The trio wind up at some sort of onsen resort, with a very impressive inn (which may be a palace). There we meet Kyou-u<\/a> (Fujiwara Natsum<\/a>i<\/em>), who calls both<\/em> Sui Nee-sama, whether it\u2019s meant literally or not.<\/p>\n The village is getting ready for some sort of festival, and given the prevalence of Japanese lantern plants (hoozuki<\/em>), it seems very likely to be connected to Obon. As for Kyou-u he\u2019s clearly a noble or at least very rich, and he knows Suirei and Shisui well enough to treat them like sisters whether they are or not. Maomao notices the presence of the foreign envoy<\/a>, which certainly seems to tie that earlier thread back into the story. It\u2019s not certain what all this means but I still feel sure Shishou is connected directly to it. If there weren\u2019t enough going on, it seems Gyokuyou is in labor \u2013 which will be occupying Loumen\u2019s time and may make it impossible for Jinshi to leave the Rear Palace to personally search for Maomao.<\/p>\npretty<\/del> absolutely sure I\u2019ve written it) is that there are no coincidences with this series. Every red herring winds up on the serving platter in front of you eventually, or near enough. Yes, Chekov gets a full arsenal here \u2013 which can be exhausting, because you have to try and remember every detail no matter how trivial it seems at the time. It stretches credulity just as too many coincidences do (albeit in a totally different way), but it undeniably makes for an interesting story.<\/p>\n
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