Episode
The Apothecary Diaries: Covert Operations
Overview
A eunuch stricken by a curse comes begging for aid. Meanwhile, the rear palace buzzes with excitement as everyone prepares for the upcoming garden party, and Gyokuyou's ladies-in-waiting aren't about to let Maomao get away without dressing her up.
Details
- Series
- The Apothecary Diaries
- Season
- Season 1
- Episode
- Episode 5
- Air date
- 2023-11-05
- Runtime
- 23 min
Episode context
Covert Operations is Episode 5 in Season 1 of The Apothecary Diaries. It aired on 2023-11-05. The runtime is 23 min.
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Episode 4: The Threat
Under direct orders from the emperor himself, Maomao tries to care for an ailing Concubine Lihua, but finds her work impeded by Lihua's own ladies-in-waiting.
Episode 6: The Garden Party
Maomao does her best to navigate the complex social situations at the garden party, including meeting the other Upper First rank concubines. But once she settles down to do her work as a food-taster, she discovers a surprise in a bowl of soup.
More episodes from this season
Episode 3: The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit
Tasked with investigating a ghostly woman dancing nightly on the palace walls, Maomao finds a sleepwalking Concubine Fuyou. But with no medicinal cure for sleepwalking, she's forced to dig deeper to find the real reason behind Fuyou's affliction.
Episode 7: Homecoming
Gaoshun goes to Maomao to get her help in resolving the events of the garden party. Later, Xiaolan explains the purpose of the hairpins Maomao was gifted, and Maomao makes a deal with Lihaku in order to finally visit home.
Episode 2: Chilly Apothecary
Maomao tries to settle into her promotion to lady-in-waiting and food taster, but struggles to fend off both boredom and the overly-familiar Jinshi. That is, until she gets an assignment of her dreams: to concoct an aphrodisiac.
Episode 8: Wheat Stalks
Maomao's peaceful morning at home is interrupted when she's called in to investigate an apparent double suicide at one of the local brothels.
Episode 1: Maomao
After being kidnapped and forced to work as a servant in the rear palace, former apothecary Maomao inadvertently draws the attention of the higher ranks when she investigates what's causing the emperor's infant heirs to fall mysteriously ill.
Episode 9: Suicide or Murder?
An older acquaintance of Jinshi's dies while drinking at a party. A servant's body turns up in a moat. Both deaths are written off as self-inflicted, but Maomao's keen observations tell her that there's more to both stories.
Episode 10: Honey
A tea party hosted by Lady Gyokuyou puts the politics of the rear palace at the forefront, and Maomao learns something new about Lady Lishu. His true intentions unclear, Jinshi sends Maomao to work for Lady Ah-Duo.
Episode 11: Reducing Two to One
Maomao confronts Fengming about the dark secret she's been hiding from her noble Lady Ah-Duo.
Episode 12: The Eunuch and the Courtesan
Discovering that Maomao's kidnappers were connected to Fengming's family, Jinshi is faced with a choice between keeping Maomao in the rear palace where he can be near her or releasing her from her service.
Episode 13: Serving in the Outer Court
To Maomao's surprise, Jinshi brings her directly to his house instead of taking her back to the rear palace, and tells her she's to work in the outer court. Not only is there much to learn, it seems there's many eyes on her as the new hire.