She helped three of his favorite concubines. She even got a task from him and performed it to great success! Would that be enough to have the Emperor’s favor?
The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) spoilers ahead!
Summary
- Maomao got a direct order from the Emperor, and she did great!
- Maomao helped out three out of four of the Emperor’s favorite concubines.
- It is probably not enough for her to have the Emperor’s favor, but she does have the favor of the three concubines.
It is difficult to gain favor from the Emperor. Even when Maomao does what he orders, she is not rewarded, not by the Emperor anyway. But nobody could say that Maomao never tried to be a good servant to her Emperor.
Emperor’s Orders
In Episode 4, Maomao receives a direct order from the Emperor: to nurse Lihua back to health. Despite it being said right in front of Gyokuyou, which even Maomao thought was strange, Maomao could not refuse doing as the Emperor said. And so, with a lot of resistance from Lihua’s servants and a little help from Jinshi, Maomao saved the life of one of the Emperor’s favorite concubines.
As far as we can tell, the Emperor never said a word to Maomao afterwards, and she received no reward from him. Only Lihua thanked her and gave her a hairpin, which, given the importance of jewelry in the inner palace, was a dangerous gift. But it was still more than the Emperor ever considered giving Maomao for good service.
Other Concubines
The order of the Emperor granted Maomao Lihua’s favor. She also seems to still have the favor of Gyokuyou despite the questionable hairpins; after all, Maomao saved her daughter. But on top of that, Maomao helped young Lishu by giving her taste tester an instruction on how to avoid foods that Lishu is allergic to. She did it in front of Jinshi so that the tester would not get to bully Lishu anymore. Even though Lishu never thanked Maomao, she still owes her a little, so we can claim that Maomao has the favor of three concubines. But does she have the favor of the Emperor?
The Emperor
Most likely, the Emperor does not feel any sort of obligation or gratitude toward Maomao. Even though she saved his favorite concubine from death, her actions are treated as a given. It might be for the best, seeing how the Emperor’s attention is never good. But no, Maomao does not have the Emperor’s favor, and we doubt she could ever get someone like the Emperor indebted to her.