EPIC episode!

If Lakan had any plans to kill Jinshi he would have taken Maomao away, not let her go in... obviously if you think about it it makes no sense. He's been feeding Jinshi's side information all along, hints to help himself survive. Lakan's face doesn't scream upset, it's shock and IMO it's not that he survived... it's that the royal heir would carry a servant girl himself. Not to mention that Jinshi is disguised as an eunuch, here he's wearing royal clothes, in front of the entire palace... he cares more about Maomao. Any father would be shocked.

The reason Lakan is so surprised is that this is Jinshi, we now know a member of the royal family, carrying a lowborn servant girl out in public with care and affection. It's highly scandalous and could have severe implications for Jinshi.

The look Lakan is giving that guard while he says "She's hurt"... Yeah, that guard ain't living much longer.

That guard is 100% getting executed

The way Jinshi held her face and the worry in his voice, you can really hear how concerned he was for her. Maomao definitely deserves her oz bezoar reward after all this 😭

My headcannon is that Lakan came to the same conclusion Maomao did, just a lot sooner than her. I think he was testing Maomao and was waiting to see if she would come to the same answer that he did. The only problem: He was not expecting her to get _this_ caught up in it. also, i don't believe lakan was the instigator or the creator of such a situation. if you remember in the warehouse explosion episode, lakan was at the scene investigating and then decided that it was best to leave the evidence there. lakan is much smarter than whoever did this.

Crazy how those seemingly episodic events led to a bigger plot to assassinate Jinshi🤯

I feel like I just experienced all emotions in a single episode that I was NOT prepared at all. And I really love how this anime continues to deliver compelling arcs one after another. This series is amazing

Fun Fact: According to the author, after this whole thing, Lakan had that guard beaten and tormented for awhile because of what he did to Maomao. (I don't think it was ever mentioned in the books so the author tweeted this back in 2021 LOL) He also apparently gets promoted 2 years later because he was a hard-working guard at heart and was only doing his duty faithfully during the ritual ceremony accident

Maomao might not look like her dad but they both got that mean glare😂

I think Lakan definitely knows everything about it, but I doubt he was the one behind it all, I think his reaction was that he wasn't expecting someone of a ranking as high as jinshi would've done this for maomao... I could be wrong though I haven't read the LN 😂😂

Maomao saving royalty like another day in the office. Ngl I didn't expect Jinshi just walking out, I kinda expected him to run out and call for medical help but I guess he knew she wasn't going to die from the injuries.

The guard that hit Maomao just earned a transfer to the afterlife.

Ayo Jinshi walk FASTER!!!!

Everyone I've seen react to this episode always assumes that Lakan had planned that out, or wanted Jinshi dead, and the way his face looked at the end was him knowing his plan failed. I fully believe that's a look of shock on his face. He sees his daughter get full on laid out hard, sends her inside to follow her investigation through, hears a ground shaking boom, and out walks Jinshi holding what looks like a critically injured or dead Maomao. That's not a plan has failed face, that's a my daughter is hurt face.

This was hands down the best episode. Maomao the 🐐

😂 Ya’ll are full Succession and Game of Thrones with your theories, Lakan wanting Maomao to witness Jinshi’s death is wild

Lakan was never plotting this, he just figured it out and left the clues there, so MaoMao could too, as a test, he found the pipe at the scene first, but left it there, he told Jinshi about Kounen and the blacksmith with the three sons too, he could have prevented it himself, but did not care if Jinshi died, but the shock on his face says it all, not only his daughter is in terrible conditions, but he finally sees that Jinshi actually cares for her, not just as a toy, because a noble/royal would not be carrying a servant girl on their own otherwise

I don't get why people think Lakan is behind this. As a master strategist he wouldn't drop clues everywhere regarding the plan.

The look on Lakan's face 😂 I wouldnt be surprised if that soldier will be offscreened oof just finished watching the whole reaction and I'm not gonna spoil anything, I'll just wait everything to unfold in the anime lol

Lakan: "What about my words, then?" Maomao: "Oh, this is a SETUP, setup."

Bro, the Lakan slander from reactors has been insane this episode. His daughter is unconscious, grievously injured, and being carried away by one of the highest-ranking officials in Tang China. It's a lot to process.

Lakan was shocked, I think he’s not expecting Maomao to get hurt so bad and Jinshi carried her..he kinda felt defeated by Jinshi

Unfortunately, it's not a surprise that the guard cracked MaoMao. You have to remember l, she's not only a girl, but technically a servant girl of lowly birth. She would likely be treated like a second class citizen. The only thing she has is her job title which is still technically a servant roll to jinshi

Mao Mao always expecting knife stabs and taking beatings like a boss, must have had a pretty crazy childhood

Daddy and dad are mad mad rip to that guard and everyone involved, maomao once again showed us why she's Best girl I had tears in my eyes when I saw her like that

So Jinshi taking Mao Mao like that was a big deal. No one moved because it was like Mao Mao said, they f'd up and people are going to die because it looks like they were all complicit in the attempted murder of a noble. The big reveal is that Jinshi isn't a regular noble, to conduct those religious rites he has to be close to the emperor. Something else that's good to note as well, is that Jinshi carried Mao Mao to his personal court, meaning that he went through several different districts. Each district is based off of rank/nobility and the lower ranks are not even allowed near the high ranked officials/courtesans. He purposefully showed his face/nobility to every person he passed, regardless of their social status and despite the importance of keeping his identity secret. Lakan didn't move not because he was afraid of punishment or that he was part of the plan, but because he also has a high enough position to punish the soldiers/eunuch's that hurt Mao Mao and he was pissed. He also had to maintain appearances because the ceremony was still ongoing, and the high ranking person (Jinshi) walked out before completing the ritual.

I don’t think lakan planned it. Why would he help maomao get in, when he knows she is planning to save him. Getting her to witness jinshis death wouldn’t be worth risking his whole plan failing

Jinshi carrying Maomao like that is a statement! As a royal, you're not supposed to be caring for your servant like that. This shows to all present just how much Maomao means to Jinshi

If Lakan wanted Jinshi's death, why pointing out these cases to be solved and helping Maomao entering the building? I don't think, Lakan is behind all of this... But he probably knows something about the culprits... My first suspect would be the guy, who demoted that clerk and sent him to the archives, when he pointed out his concerns about the pillars

I can't believe how many people are falling for the "Lakan is evil" theory. I thought at least Sheera, with her mythical eye, would catch the fact that he's not the culprit.

Yeah no I don't think Lakan was trying to kill Jinshi. There'd be no reason to let Maomao go otherwise. I think that Lakan was also investigating this and Maomao was just disturbed that he was here on cue when he, presumably, had fewer clues to go off of than Maomao.

This was an SSS tier episode

The Start: Jinshi finally figuring out how to motivate Maomao The End: Ooh noo

Lakan catching stray bullets from other people's issues:👁👄👁 spoilersish Meanwhile his intrusive thoughts: what's the name of those pasties

I really don't think it's Lakan behind this. Makes absolutely no sense for him to let MaoMao in and ask her to solve puzzles if he really wanted to kill Jinshi. He probably figured out there was something going on but couldn't put the pieces together and was hoping MaoMao would figure something out, but he couldn't ask her himself.

My speed when I saw this uploaded... Wow 👏👏👏

Jinshi “you ever see that one scene in Tokyo ghoul” *slowly carries maomao as she bleeding out*

Lakan's shocked face is more of a look of a concerned father.

Hey, it's not spoilers to say Lankan isn't the mastermind. 2 reasons for the shocked look. 1. He may not have realized just how highly ranked Jinshi is. I'm pretty sure the emblem on the chest signifies being in the line of succession or a member of the emperor's immediate family. 2. The injury to Maomao's leg might have been slightly censored in animation. To me it looked like the beam was going to crush her legs. Instead of just a cut needing stitches. It's possible her leg is actually a compound fractured, gruesome type of injury. Although that would make Jinshi slow walking a bit more puzzling.

Lakan catching strays just for helping

C-Drama viewers know that if royalty was carrying someone out like that, that person is of great importance to them. Jinshi is basically showing the world how much MaoMao means to him. Plus he is in ceremonial gear, instead of his usual eunuch disguise, showing that he doesn’t care who knows his real identity now. As for Lakan, like many others have said, I don’t think he’s the one the planned this assassination attempt, but was the first one to catch traces of foul play. His perceptiveness saw that there were too many random occurrences for it to be just accidents that happen to coincide. He probably came to that conclusion and was giving Jinshi clues which trickled to MaoMao so she can piece the puzzle herself. I think his shocked impression was at Jinshi willingly exposing his identity for the sake of his daughter. This was such a good episode, really excited to see what’s next

There has been a lot of commentary regarding the many mysteries being slightly interesting and primarily revealing Maomao’s skills. But like the foreshadowing, these incidents are connected revealing larger conspiracy or conspiracies. So we still await info on resurrection drug and morning glories. Did Lakan’s strategy mess up with Maomao being injured?

I'm pretty sure that in the novel, Lakan beat the sht out of the guard, because after all, Lakan does care for Maomao, also the face he makes after seeing Maomao like that is priceless, I thought he was a cold blooded guy, but it turns out, he can make that face too

Im still gonna 🤐 and wait till we get to that episode hahahaha but imma say, like father like daughter hahaha not just their intellect but also the way they get angry. They cant hide it in their faces 😂

To anyone who’s already read the manga or the LN, stop telling us we’re wrong in our assumptions. Let the show prove our conjectures incorrect. Having the show do that will endear me to it a lot more than some rando on the internet saying “well, actually 🤓👆”

not sure if others have already mentioned, but that insert song when jinshi walks away from the hall is exactly like a song you'd hear in a chinese historical drama

Really loved how all of the mystery plots that seemed episodic all connected and turned out to be part of a bigger scheme. This has literally become one of my fav animes. Love MaoMao & Jinshi💕

This episode is kind of emotional 😢 but my fave from this show!

FYI only emperor and emperor's successor gets to wear cloth with dragons on it

When talking abt the person who made the lead's death, Lakan hinted about using the object for ceremonial whatever it is. Man, that guy is super cunning. He knew from the start but he wouldnt just help them easily lol. Jinshi should be grateful for the frequent visits by Lakan 😂

No, No Lakan didn't want to kill Jinshi. Why would he let MaoMao endanger herself to save Jinshi if he wanted him dead? He's way, WAY too smart for that. How you guys came up with that conclusion is beyond hilarious. Yes, the one guy that knew that all of these incidents were somehow related, but also knew he couldn't get involved because he's way too well known and would scare off the perps is the guy that *really* wanted to kill Jinshi after all. C'mon ya'll.

You guys got it a little bit wrong, Lakan was not the one that set up all of that to kill Jinshi and the face Lakan make when Jinshi got out of the ceremony carrying Maomao is he concerned for her daughter, he just didn't know that her daughter will end up like that.

Lakan's face is that of someone who has made only one miscalculation, but oh boy was it a big one.

This episode got me teary eyed bro had to stop myself from crying in front of my family 😢

[Insert CSI calculating meme] Maomao on a mission ... "Your big stick energy means nothing to me" 🤕 A whole lot of cats are out of the bag now...

The man who was incharge of replacing the ceremonial piece died, and even though the younger son may have the ability to replace it, they were dealing with his death and inheritance, so they were too busy to make it.

lol they did a good job making Lakan look bad

It's interesting to hear people keep mentioning Suirei is related to Maomao and I'm curious how it came about; also I think Lakan putting his position on the line to kill a royal blood very obviously in front of everyone will get him executed, think about it... So I don't think Lakan would get his own daughter remotely anywhere near Jinshi knowing what could potentially happen to her, as seen in this episode alone what could entail if she continued to stay on his side. If anything, I'd think Lakan would rather have her kidnapped and locked in if he cared about her as a daughter but not care or respected her decisions at all lol (which he seems to be as a character ngl LMFAO)

Im so ready for jinshi Wrath, i feel that lakan is actually nice and deeply cares about maomao

As someone who already read the manga.. the way they're guessing about lakan is hilarious 😂

Lakan's expression was shocked, not upset.

I read the first light novel version of Apothecary Diaries and watching it with y'all is a treat. Thank you!

The epic music starting at 7:09 is so good it gives me goosebumps. I love it when anime goes cinematic mode.

i think lakan looked upset like that bc jinshi was hiding who he was, when he went outside without his veil basically showing everyone in the palace that he is of noble birth. You could see all the officials bowing down and avoiding to look at jinshi

Lakan investigated the pipe and left it there and Mao Mao found it. Lakan tipped them off about the seaweed case through Gaoshun. Lakan told Jinshi about the metalworker. Lakan knew about Jinshi's identity. He is a strategist, tactician for a reason. Not the full picture but it looks like he sees the bigger picture 🧐

That wasn't the face of someone upset. That was the face of someone surprised. Also.... RUN JINSHI! OUR GIRL MAO MAO IS BLEEDING OUT!!!

After watching through the entire series again, you really have to wonder what was going through Laken's head at the moment he saw his daughter get hit.

I was biting so hard this episode, my molars hurt like hell!

i’ve waited for this to droppp 😭😭

Bro Jinshi better get her reward after 😢this

Bro imagine if she said, “Let’s forget that,” and let homie die 😂

dont misunderstand my guy Lakan.. 😭

I honestly feel like whoever is behind this motive is to prevent a male heir from being born, or a legacy from continuing on from the emperor. They know Jinshi's secret enough to try to assinate him and the fact that Jinshi's kept hidden says a lot. But now many have seen him walking out the place with that noble outfit with Maomao, so his secret maybe out in the open to many people now.

I don't think Lakan was trying to kill Jinshi. In fact, he was dropping hints, such as the telling Jinshi about the blacksmith brothers, so that Mao Mao will figure things out to save Jinshi. He wants his daughter to win the affection of Jinshi who he knows is royalty, so that he has a chance to become the father-in-law of a royal. I think the reason Lakan looks shocked is because Jinshi carried Mao Mao in his arms in public, which is a huge scandal given their difference in status. Lakan probably didn't expect Jinshi to care for his daughter that much.

Lakan isn't behind it, he just has been piecing things together and Maomao figured it all out...but what Lakan wasn't figuring on, was that Maomao would be so critically injured, or that Jinshi would personally carry Maomao out. Lakan is fearful for his daughter and enraged at whoever caused her this harm!

this episode was AWESOME

I don't think Lakan wants to kill Jinshi. Maybe 50/50 cause he just playing games with him by feeding information. But then the shock in his face cause he knew he fck up, he doesn't think much what would happen to her daughter and that Jinshi will show so much care for her instead of himself doing that. The only problem is that Seirei probably. Like she also plotting this, idk if it's intentional to cause some drama, but she did say she wants to plant some 'morning glories' which in term of flower language means love

I spoiled myself too early in the series so it's refreshing to see a pure reaction to anime only like this. How the story misled and the plot twist and all

It’s interesting to see the conclusions they come to, although sometimes it blindsides me a little😅 They certainly put more thought into figuring it out than I ever did

This show really always got me absorbed. The adaptation also made with full dedication. I thought we so close to like half of series, but nah... I followback with the manga just to view the original, then there like 40 chapters more and it's not the end yet😂

Yeah Jinshi is gonna snap and be using all that technique from the strength training from like episode 6-7 on some people ! I AM ALLL IN FROM IT

This feels like Ketil beating Arnheid all over again

I think the reason lakan shocked is because of maomao injuries, as we know, maomao is his daughter..

I don’t think Lakan was behind the whole thing. I think he suspected something was going on but wasn’t sure. I think the court lady is the mastermind. She may even be in line to the throne if Jinshi dies, maybe she is his sister from another concubines and if Jinchi dies she gets te position of next in line to the emperor.

Apparently, Maomao inherited her father’s Death Stare…

After watching many historical drama, I think the emperor wants to kill Jinshi, as he doesnt still have an heir, and Jinshi is the only royal man after him

Beautiful episode!

Even if your theories aren't really hitting the mark, I still always enjoy your reactions coz you aren't like the others who just make reaction videos solely for the views. Though, of course, you still do it for views, but we can clearly see that you enjoy what your watching genuinely. 🥰 It would always make me laugh every time I remember why Mao2x didn't want to look or meet with her father (Lakan). 😅😂

the thing about the bezor is there is absolutely nothing medical about it but it's hilarious, because at the time it's believed to be a potent medicine so she had that extreme reaction. I lost it when she's on the desk and Gaoshin reminds her where she is and immediately corrects herself.

Those ceremony guys are getting mad strays, the guy got demoted for mouthing off his superiors not questioning the structure or the beam. Whatever got stolen from the warehouse and replaced (with the faulty items) was what was holding the beam up.

I like your take on Lakan but imo I doubt it. As far as we know, if Lakan wanted Jinshi out, he would've done that a long long time ago. A dude with his IQ with probably nothing much to lose besides his position can easily make people disappear. We can also assume that Lakan is also keeping a decent amount of distance from his daughter, while still be able to look after her. He definitely knows his daughter does not like him at all. If he wanted to, Lakan can pretty much take Maomao by force, given on what his position is and how much he knows about Jinshi. All this makes me think that Lakan definitely cares about Maomao. The face he gave that guard is definitely not fake. I'll admit, like everyone else, I was also sus about Lakan, given on how he just happens to be at the right and at the right moment, but the moment he gave that look to the guard, I thought: "nah, this dude is still her father."

I screamed in pain and it had never happened in a long time watching anime.

Lakan definitely did not plan to kill Jinshi, something would point to him that's one, and he wouldn't let Maomao in knowing the risk either, he was furious because she got hit, what if she died? Perhaps he let her in because he could expose Jinshi this way, and create further divide between them And next thing he knows, a loud thud, she's out of there bleeding. And what's more, Jinshi calls of his ceremony entirely, carries a commoner girl on his arms in front of the whole palace. That was akin to telling Lakan he doesn't care about status or anything, Maomao is more important to him than anything else.

I have another theory, yes, Lakan planned all, but he didnt know it was Jinshi inside, as Gaoshin mentioned it was a "medium" importance ceremony, so any High Noble might be inside. All the small things were put in motion before he knew of MaoMao identity, the salt incident was when Lakan heard of her being with Jinshi, and Jinshi mentioned that he was begin "creeped out" with Lakan since before Maomao, meaning Lakan was plotting since then. My final theory is that Lakan wanted to uncover some stuff with the Royal family (he suspected Jinshi is onvolved) but in the process MaoMao got severely hurt, he partially saw being hit, but he did not saw her face (you would assume if somebody got up from that hit was not so bad, but maomao strong will helped, but the damage was severe), so he did know yet the damage, and more so, when Jinshi got out with unconsious MaoMao, he was shocked, since he did not even give a sight to specificaly Jinshi nor MaoMao, he saw the whole situation, his plan fucked up at the end, like i said, result was, he didnt know it was Jinshi, nor MaoMao real damage. In other word, im still giving Lakan the benefit of doubt of being a villain, and actually being a kind of anti hero (hero with shitty bad luck and low morals).

Incredible episode, so good.

This show is an absolute 🔥

Jinshi and Maomao shipping together? Jinshi as Crown Prince heir apparent: Although it is not an outrageous possibility, recall opening scene with Emperor and Jinshi. If the intended public view is Jinshi is the Emperor’s younger brother so I would presume his son (yet to be born by a consort) is the expected or even preferred heir. Also, Jinshi seems to be the unacknowledged son of the Emperor and a lower ranked consort, Ah-Duo who was “merely” the daughter (and childhood friend) of his nurse maid. I suspect neither Jinshi or his mother want him appointed as Emperor’s heir, ergo younger brother. It is hard to imagine the genius strategist, Lakan, did not know Jinshi’s true rank, especially with his involvement with the brothel and being well aware Maomao’s beloved adopted Dad who served in the Rear Palace while all this baby swapping occurred. Also, Jinshi suspected Lakan knew is true status not as brother but son. My guess is Lakan is surprised by the injury his flawed strategy caused Maomao, but perhaps more he saw the deep attachment Jinshi had for his daughter Maomao. Lakan does not strike as someone who understands people’s feelings or even empathizes with them. The exceptions were Maomao’s tragic mother and Maomao. He may just now realized that perhaps Maomao has feelings for Jinshi, even though she keeps denying them. Whether Jinshi’s diminished status due to his mothers status or Maomao’s raised status due to Lakan being her father allow them to get closer remains a big mystery. My bet the gap is still too wide for them. Perhaps if the Emperor had more male heirs, Jinshi might be permitted and Maomao allow their deeper relationship. I don’t mean sex, Jinshi clearly can have sex with Maomao, and her upbringing, status, and even her brothel upbringing would accept this, but that is not the relationship that either aspires towards

he fail but still win because he take responsible for maomao actions, he can take the credit of saving the crown prince.