The Apothecary Diaries’ anime debuts its second season as part of the Winter 2025 lineup. The anime is running its second cour in Spring 2025 and has unraveled a lot of secrets. As Maomao’s daily life in the Inner Court continues, the story unveils Jinshi’s identity as the Crown Prince of the kingdom. However, even now, much about his past is still unknown. Additionally, because of Jinshi’s identity, his life was once in serious danger. If not for Maomao, Jinshi would have been crushed by the metal bar during a ceremony. However, the assassination attempt didn’t happen suddenly at all. In fact, it was the result of meticulous planning for several months.
Most of the cases Maomao solved for the majority of the first season were all interconnected to this one plot of killing the heir to the royal throne. Everything from the death of a high-ranking official to an ironmaker and even the most minor incident in the Inner Court all led to that one assassination attempt. Maomao figures out that the culprit behind all this is Suirei, a court lady. However, before she could be arrested, Suirei fakes her own death by consuming a personally crafted drug that puts her in a near-death state. Suirei successfully escaped the palace, but her goal hasn’t been accomplished. In the latest episode of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Maomao and Suirei come face-to-face again, putting our protagonist in serious trouble.
[RELATED: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Shows Jinshi’s Darkest Side & It’s a Lot Like Maomao]
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Confirms Suirei Returned Earlier Than We Realize
Season 2 Episode 16 confirms that the new and handsome Eunuch, who was a sensation among court ladies and the servant girls, was actually Suirei. She came to the Inner Court some time ago and is already scheming in secret. In fact, the mysterious man shown in the first season, who was plotting against the high-ranking officials, was also her. After returning to the Inner Court, she started working with the older court ladies, who live in isolation.
They entered the palace at a young age, during the reign of the previous emperor. The court ladies were stuck in the Inner Court and were forced to spend the rest of their lives there. Over the decades, they were filled with resentment towards the royal family. They even grew jealous of the Concubines, who were living better lives. That is especially the case for Shenlü, who was forcefully taken by the former Emperor at the age of ten. However, since she can’t harm the members of the royal family and the Concubines directly, she pretends to care for them.
By passing on information about ingredients and perfumes that could be harmful to pregnant women, she could indirectly help someone with ulterior motives. That’s what happened with Lihua’s former head lady-in-waiting and cousin, Shin, who wanted to cause her miscarriage. And the one helping Shenlü in all this is Suirei. She also wants something from Maomao, and she’s bold enough to take Shisui as hostage. Suirei’s real identity and motives still remain unknown, but the anime might uncover everything now that she’s back
The post The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Finally Brings Back Its Most Mysterious Antagonist appeared first on ComicBook.com.
