With Maomao still missing, Jinshi uncovers what was truly happening in the shadows at the rear palace.
What looks to be a brewing rebellion comes to light in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Episode 42. Titled Lantern Plant, this episode pulls back the curtain on almost everything—Jinshi digging deeper into his past, Shisui’s true identity being revealed, and unrest bubbling up across both the inner and outer court.
It’s easily one of the season’s most thrilling episodes so far (probably tied with “The Hunt”), and with Maomao still missing, Jinshi takes centre stage as everything unfolds in the rear palace.
Warning: Spoilers ahead
The events throughout the episode were cleverly laid out and sequenced in a way that gave certain scenes much more impact, with each reveal feeling even more shocking than the last. Once again, all those seemingly slow or random moments, small clues scattered across the season, finally paid off, and every twist since then has landed like a satisfying “aha!” moment. Or for manga and light novel readers, a payoff that felt like a long wait.
More importantly, the animation carried a lot of that emotional weight. Beyond just the facial expressions, particularly from Jinshi and Shenlu, there were subtle touches in posture, body language, and hand movements that all felt incredibly deliberate, helping to drive the message home effectively.
It was also hugely satisfying to see Jinshi and Renpu’s expressions so faithfully adapted from the manga, especially when Jinshi uncovered Loulan’s elaborate scheme. That moment where his face twists in anger, laced with something that is not quite malice but close, like a tight-lipped smile masking fury, was captured perfectly. It's an expression of someone who has finally seen the whole picture and is just barely holding back.
Jinshi finds out more about his identity
The way Jinshi was depicted in this episode felt so well-rounded. Gone is the usual calm, collected, and charming eunuch who could either charm his way through the ladies or face issues with quiet maturity.
Instead, we are shown almost every layer of emotion from Jinshi that has not been explored across the last two seasons. This is the first time we have seen him so distraught that he completely froze as Shenlu attempted to poison herself. It is also the first time his usual aura did not work on someone, or rather, ended up frightening them. And although it is not the first time we have seen him angry, this is by far the most explosive he has ever been: completely unable to control his rage because Maomao has been missing for ten days.
More importantly, we are finally given some understanding of why he was trying so hard to escape his position as Crown Prince. It was fascinating to learn that he believed he had been adopted because he resembled neither Lady Anshi nor the current emperor, and assumed he was an illegitimate child.
However, as Lady Anshi stated back in cour 1 of the current season, Jinshi strongly resembles the emperor. And even if Ah Duo really is most likely Jinshi’s mother, the most important part is that he is, in fact, related to the royal family by blood. He resembles both the former emperor and Lady Ah Duo.
Now the question is, will this change the way Jinshi sees his position as Crown Prince?
Jinshi uncovers the quiet rebellion that has been unfolding within the palace
Even more crucially, Jinshi finally uncovers the rebellion that has been brewing right under their noses. It seems that Shishou, the current Prime Minister, is heavily involved, having placed his daughter, Loulan, as a high-ranking consort to replace Ah Duo as the pure concubine.
Throughout the season, there have been subtle but persistent attempts to prevent the other high-ranking consorts from successfully bearing an heir. Most of these actions were carried out covertly, such as placing harmful items in the Caravan for pregnant women, sending a seemingly “concerned” message to Lihua’s jealous cousin who was her head lady-in-waiting at the time, and more. Even on Taihou’s grave, a Lantern Plant was placed—an out-of-season fruit which, according to the manga, can be used in abortion medication.
Speaking of Taihou, Jinshi deduces that one of the recently deceased older women in the inner court, named Taihou, had once served as an attendant to a noble family. Viewers can deduce with how Taihou remained in the rear court and how Shenlu mourned for her, that she was one of the Emperor Regnant’s victims.
Moreover, during the previous emperor’s reign, Taihou gave birth to a daughter through an illicit affair with the court physician. The baby was taken away, and Jinshi appears to have pieced together that Suirei could be related to this child, as well as Loulan and Shishou.
Because the consort whom Taihou had served was given to Shishou, and they gave birth to Loulan. Since Taihou is related to Shishou’s wife, this suggests that if all these connections are true, both Taihou and Shenlu may have been instrumental in a quiet rebellion, which the Shi clan may have been attempting, by infiltrating the rear palace, placing members in there, preventing the birth of other potential heirs, and gradually take control of the imperial bloodline.
The sins of the past can never truly be forgotten
A rebellion cannot succeed without the backing of enough people, and in this case, it’s an entire generation of older women who were exploited by the emperor for his predatory actions. Shenlu, once a beautiful child, along with many others like Taihou, were used for the emperor’s pleasure at an alarmingly young age.
When they failed to bear a male child, they were discarded, left with no one to care for or guide them, trapped in the rear palace for the rest of their lives. They did not ask for this; they were children who lost both their innocence and their freedom because one emperor could not control his desires.
The way the anime presented the emperor as vile in this episode was so effective, drilling home the point that, despite being a puppet with a traumatic past, everything he did was grotesque, vile, and evil in every sense. While he may deserve every consequence coming his way, the truth is that neither the current emperor, Jinshi, nor the new generation of women in the rear palace were involved, and they should not have to bear the weight of his sins.
However, with only a system that doesn’t support the victims and no justice and retribution given to the victims, one man’s actions cannot be erased, and now, his descendants are paying the price.
Consort Loulan is Shisui
There’s one thing that’s been heavily hinted throughout the second season and finally, without actually confirming it in words: Consort Loulan is Shisui.
Maomao had noticed throughout the second season that Shisui’s upbringing seemed to be that of a well-to-do family: with her constantly holding books of high quality, as well as the knowledge and cunning she possessed. On top of that, Maomao also mentioned once during Ghost Stories that Shisui’s side profile resembled someone she couldn’t place. If viewers were observant, the side profile highly resembled Loulan.
Then last week, Maomao confirms most of these suspicions, including Loulan’s noble upbringing, and how she seemed to have come from the secret passage when they first met, when the kitten followed her to the rear palace.
This week, Jinshi finally uncovers Loulan’s schemes: hiring many maids who resemble her and constantly wearing heavy makeup to sneak out whenever she pleases. Unfortunately, Renpu’s mole couldn’t be hidden, as no effective concealer existed at the time, and Jinshi noticed this.
He looked absolutely threatening when he took Renpu’s face and demanded to know where the real consort was; it was borderline wicked and sinister, but at the same time, so satisfying to see!
It’s one of the most awaited scenes from the manga and the light novel, and it became all the more convincing with how Renpu broke down in tears out of fear. The real Consort Loulan had long since escaped and was never coming back, and that was Shisui, who sneaked out of the palace through the secret entrance, and bringing along Maomao while pretending to be a hostage. Now, having committed a grave crime, Shisui’s life is in danger, as she could face execution for fleeing the rear palace when she gets caught.
However, this brings to light the deeply unhealthy practice of trapping these women in the rear palace. Perhaps the intent was to keep them safe, ensuring they remained pure and weren’t seduced by other men. But if the emperor used them as mere playthings, it’s heartbreaking to think they were locked away forever. Thankfully, such practices no longer exist in modern times.
The La clan
One of the more light-hearted scenes in this episode, and probably my most favourite, centred around the La clan. Maomao’s biological father, Lakan, somehow got hold of the news that his daughter, Maomao had been missing from the rear palace for a while now. While I initially thought in Season 1 that Lakan was just a bad dad who just wanted to take his daughter away for gain or for his own personal interests, it’s been made clearer later on, but especially during this portion.
Lakan losing his cool and just destroying everything in his path (the cup and the rear palace gate) is the literal depiction of what goes on in the mind of every parent who genuinely loves their children whenever harm comes their child’s way. So even if Lakan was an awkward parent, the fact that he tried to reach out to Maomao plenty of times, and goes on a rampage because he wanted to do something to save her, are proof that he really truly loves Maomao as his own daughter.
Then there’s Kan Lahan. He is the adopted son of Lakan, which makes him Maomao’s sibling. However, we will later find out that he is technically her cousin. For those who haven’t read the light novels or the manga, Lahan is a fan favourite for many reasons.
But first, excuse me, how is he ten times more attractive in the anime than in the manga? In the light novel, he of course had his own charm, but it’s not quite the same as in the anime, where his features were so well drawn. Even his voice acting was superb from the very first episode, thanks to Toshiyuki Toyonaga, known for voicing Yuri (Yuri on Ice) and Kazuki (Buddy Daddies). He effectively adds so much mystery to the character in the first few minutes of his debut.
Returning to why the fandom is over the moon with his debut: Lahan is a very important character in the series. For one, his arrival stirs things up, and the dynamics of our main characters will shift a bit. Lahan’s presence will also begin to reveal more of Maomao’s personal arc, plus there’s the hilarious dynamic with Jinshi that viewers can look forward to in the coming episodes.
With things escalating, there likely won’t be much slowing down from here on out. Lakan will discover Maomao’s disappearance, Jinshi will uncover a covert rebellion, and Consort Loulan’s identity will be revealed. Even Lahan’s debut appearance is part of the whirlwind. As the second half of the second cour unfolds, fans can expect the pace to only quicken, with the last six episodes promising plenty of excitement.
If you want to revisit insights and theories from previous episodes, here's a compilation of every review so far for The Apothecary Diaries Season 2.