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<\/a>It\u2019s awfully cruel to have no episode so close to the end of an arc and season, but that\u2019s the case next week with Kusuriya no Hitorigoto<\/em>. Instead a \u201cspecial broadcast\u201d with the seiyuu will air, pushing Episode 47 to June 27th and the finale to July 4th. I have no idea if this was planned, but it seems very unlikely \u2013 that\u2019s not where you\u2019re going to hiatus a season normally. On the other hand there are no visible signs of a production in crisis mode either, so who knows. Either way, it kind of sucks.<\/p>\n<\/a>If one was hoping we\u2019d get most of the hanging chads from last week resolved, they left this ep disappointed. But there was some fanservice to tide us over, no doubt. Most of the A-part belonged to Shisui, who had Maomao on the back foot in a way we rarely see her. Maomao in fact seems almost sentimental \u2013 both over the bodies of the children and Loulan\u2019s seeming intent to sacrifice herself. She even gives her Jinshi\u2019s hairpin<\/a> (uh-oh) with a \u201creturn it the next time you see me\u201d benediction. There are practical reasons why any member of the Shi Clan is going to be challenged to survive the next 24 hours, but that\u2019s not the real issue with any of them surviving.<\/p>\n<\/a>It\u2019s pretty clear from this \u201cinsects don\u2019t survive the winter\u201d exchange that the children aren\u2019t dead \u2013 I almost felt like Groucho Marx was going to drop down and give Loulan $100 every time she said \u201cnot breathing\u201d. Suirei survived the resurrection potion, and Shisui clearly brought Maomao here to try and repeat that with the children. We already know that\u2019s not easy but Xiaomao accepts this as her role in the drama, clearly. What happens then is another question \u2013 Kyou-u and the others would be condemned to execution without even the slightest doubt \u2013 but I suppose that\u2019s a problem for later.<\/p>\n<\/a>As this is playing out the Royal Guard is approaching, with Jinshi now exposed as (former) crown prince (Gyokuyou had a son) and marching at their head. Lakan is still struggling to contain his dad rage as Lahan endeavors to keep him from doing something he\u2019ll regret<\/a>. Lahan\u2019s intelligence is good \u2013 he knows Shishou has had access to saltpeter and sulphur, the essential components of gunpowder. This means the Royal Guard will be facing advanced weaponry \u2013 not feifas, Lakan assures him, but cannons. The master strategist has hatched a plan, however \u2013 attack the strongholds gunpowder stores to render their artillery impotent before the main assault.<\/p>\n<\/a>There\u2019s a problem with this however, as Gaushun interjects. The Royal Guard would be expected to fight \u201chonorably\u201d \u2013 frontal assaults only, not sneak attacks and stratagems like this. It\u2019s a bit of an acid test for Jinshi, really \u2013 does he defer to expectations at the cost of heavy casualties, or prioritize the lives of his soldiers? He chooses to do the latter, to his credit \u2013 though his disinterest in pressing his claim for power makes this an easier decision for him. Lakan of course is very good at his job, and uses the means at his disposal to cause an avalanche which buries the gunpowder reserves<\/a> (most of which Loulan destroyed anyway, though he wasn\u2019t to know that).<\/p>\n<\/a>Loulan\u2019s endgame here is the big wild card. She rebels against her mother and shames her father (and Kyou-u\u2019s mother<\/a>) for allowing himself to be steamrolled by Shenmei for all these years. But who is she trying to save, and how \u2013 and what is the \u201ctanuki trick\u201d she urges Shishou to employ? The assault comes, sooner than expected, and the defenders are clearly taken by surprise. Maomao is holed up with the kids, hoping that whoever discovers her doesn\u2019t slash first and ask questions later. But she has a couple strokes of good fortune, the first of which is that it\u2019s Jinshi who breaks down the door and finds her. Spotting him on the battlefield her formidable sense of denial took one last stand, but it finally crumbles when she sees Jinshii face to face.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cSorry to trouble you, but could you protect me, Jinshi-sama?\u201d<\/a> may not be the most romantic of phrases, but it certainly ushers in a new phase in their relationship. Maomao\u2019s second lucky break is Lihaku being the one Jinshi assigns to get her out safely<\/a>. Lihaku is a thoroughly decent fellow, and doesn\u2019t summarily dismiss Maomao\u2019s request to have the Shi children laid to rest rather than be left to rot. Lihaku asks Maomao to curry favor for him if this gets him in trouble \u2013 perhaps by calling Lakan \u201cPapa\u201d. He quickly rescinds the request but truth be told, that\u2019s the least she could do given the risk Lihaku is taking for her.<\/p>\n