There’s a cultural exchange conference in the palace. Maomao doesn’t expect that the danger is going to approach her in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 2. A plot goes against the palace beginning. The target is Consort Gyokuyou who’s pregnant.
The foreign envoys come. A caravan gets into the palace. Maomao and her colleagues are cleaning the rooms. They can buy the items they need before the caravan arrives. Although the activity isn’t novel, it happens rarely in the palace. Because most of the stores didn’t have a chance to sell personal items. The cultural exchange activity is a big festival to the maids and the consorts who have locked up in the palace.
They can see a lot of novel things and go shopping. But it’s not enough that having shopping desire. Only those consorts who don’t need to worry about food or drink are main troops of shopping. Consort Lihua, Consort Lishu and the new arrival Consort Loulan buy a lot of jewelry and clothing. On the contrary, Consort Gyokuyou is very restrained. She just buys some clothes.
But Maomao finds something. The clothes were designed to be loose. It’s obvious that they were designed for pregnant women. Maomao suspects it because Consort Gyokuyou doesn’t announce her pregnancy. She thinks the case isn’t simple if the merchant intended to bring the clothes. She decides to ask if there’re clothes with belt. Consort Gyokuyou understands what Maomao said. She asks the maid to go to look into it.
Maomao gets the money from Consort Gyokuyou. She chooses to accompany Xiaolan to go shopping on the last day. She does it for another reason. It’s price reduction. Because merchants cannot sell their merchandise with normal price in the palace.
Maomao buys a hairband and she gives it to Xiaolan. Xiaolan is very happy. The two target a store. They try to buy the jasmine. But they run into the girl who helped Maomao catch the cat. Maomao is surprised that Xiaolan knows the girl. Xiaolan introduces the maid as Shisui to Maomao.
Shisui wears same clothes as Xiaolan. It means Shisui works in the laundry as well. Maomao takes the two to the imperial hospital. Quack Doctor teases Maomao that she has friends. She cannot talk back even if he’s rude. Because what he says is true.
He takes out the tea to entertain them. Maomao takes out the jasmine tea. She learns that it was Shisui’s fist time to see the caravan. Xiaolan sighs that the trade meeting is longer than before. Quack Doctor leaks that there will be foreign ministers coming. Maomao feels speechless because she thinks Quack Doctor shouldn’t leak it.
Shisui mentions the strange smell in the north. Quack Doctor thinks the sewer is clogged there. But Maomao thinks it’s impossible because the sewage in the palace doesn’t flow into ancient city river. Xiaolan wonders why Shisui went to the north suddenly. She thinks she did it because of a job requirement.
Shisui takes out a picture book. The book is about insects. She likes insects very much. She drew insects when she was free. Because the orchard is taken care of in the south. So there’s no insect. But There’re a lot of weeds growing in the ruin in the north. There’re a lot of insects and big spiders. Maomao is interested in the spider because spider silk can stop the bleeding. She didn’t try it because it’s hard to collect. Maomao and Shisui want to fly to the north immediately.
The caravan leaves the palace. Perfume is popular. A maid drops the clothes on Maomao by mistake. The stuff which comes from west has a strong smell. It smells good when it’s alone. But it’s dangerous if the perfumes are mixed together. Rose perfume is harmful to pregnant women because it has strong smell.
Maomao realizes something. She goes to check other clothes. She confirms that every dress contains the smell of perfume. She thinks of the maids in the Crystal Pavilion. Because they like to chase the trend. She goes to the Crystal Pavilion and she catches the maids to smell.
The chief maid protests soon. Maomao knows she did something wrong. But she had a reason. She’s scolded. Jinshi asks Maomao why she did that. She hands over a note to him. The materials that were used to make perfume are harmful to pregnant women. The caravan sold a lot of spices and teas besides perfumes.
Maomao takes out the stuff that she bought from the stores. Jasmine can shrink uterus and wasabi is an abortion medicine that courtesans used. But it’s not harmful if you don’t use it a lot. Maomao feels guilty when she thinks about it. It’s like the powder case. Because the side effect isn’t obvious. People know it after something bad happens.
Jinshi realizes that the case is serious after he knew the truth. He doesn’t expect that the huge danger was hidden in the normal trade meeting. It would cause pregnant women to be abortion if they’re not careful. He thinks he cannot retrieve the accident if Maomao didn’t find it out.
Although it’s all speculation, these things can be materials to make poisons. He asks Gaoshun to go to inform other consorts about it. Maomao remembers the maid Suirei pretended to be dead and she fled. Nobody knows where she went. The assassination attempt case happened during the sacrifice. She thinks there were many people taking part in it. But she cannot confirm that someone was behind it. Because everything is her guess.
Maomao would get less salary if she didn’t become Consort Gyokuyou’s maid. She wouldn’t be interested in caravan. She wouldn’t notice the case if perfume wasn’t popular in the palace. She looks at the jasmine she made. She misses the sisters in the Verdigris House. But Jinshi visits her when she tries to drink the jasmine.
He mentions the tea contains toxin. She points out that it’s not harmful because she’s not a pregnant woman. She scolds him and she thinks he shouldn’t appear there. He’s cheeky to sit across from her. He asks her for a cup of jasmine tea like her.
SEE ALSO: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 1 Recap: Maomao and Maomao
But she’s heartless to reject it. Because there’s only one cup of jasmine tea. She doesn’t listen to him because she’s nature to be a rebel. She makes a cup of white tea for him. He asks her about the effects of jasmine tea. She reveals it can treat insomnia. She heard it can boost giving birth.
SEE ALSO: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Corpse Fungus
The episode ends with Jinshi insisting on drinking a cup of jasmine tea. Maomao explains that Jasmine tea has another effect people don’t know. She leaks that the sterility is for boys. Jinshi isn’t happy. Maomao realizes that she said something wrong. She tries to divert attention. He leaves with an excuse that he doesn’t like the smell of jasmine tea. But he runs into Gaoshun after he walked out of the gate. He’s told that the Consort Jin passed away. He wonders if the consort was killed by poison.