The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is all set for its finale as the Shi Clan’s head and his wife have finally been killed. The season primarily focused on the Shi Clan’s plot since the Hunting Tournament in Cour 1 and then the all-out war in Cour 2. While the feud is between the Imperial family and one of the highest-ranking Clans in the Empire, Maomao somehow gets involved in both situations. Even with all the political tension going on in the kingdom, Maomao still finds a way to solve mysteries in the Rear Palace and connect the dots about Shenlu’s involvement in the abortion perfumes being circulated in the Rear Palace.
Just like the first season, almost every mystery in Season 2 was in one way or another interconnected. Each mystery brings a new set of challenges for Maomao, who gets to the bottom of this and unravels the plot behind strange occurrences. Her intensive knowledge of medicine and her knack for cracking mysteries have always come in handy. Unlike the first season, the second season didn’t have as many deaths, but they still contributed significantly to the story. While the story focused on Concubine Jin and the previous Emperor’s deaths, they only died before the events of the second season. So, how many characters died in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2?
Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 and the light novels!
1) Shishou Died a Meaningless Death, Not Different From the Life He Led
Unlike Shenmei, Shishou wasn’t inherently evil or corrupted. He was ordered to marry the previous Emperor’s discarded daughter and used that as an opportunity to bring Shenmei back to the Shi Clan. However, he didn’t know what he signed up for, since the woman he loved was greedy and vicious. Feeling sorry for her past, he let her do anything she wanted, even if it meant destroying the Clan.
He turned a blind eye to her atrocities, including his daughters’ sufferings. For over two decades, Shishou didn’t sleep peacefully for one night. In Season 2 Episode 23, he stood against Jinshi even though he would lose his life. Shishou died laughing maniacally with several swords stabbing him.
2) Shenmei Has No One to Blame For Her Fate Except Her
Season 2 Episode 23 reveals that Shenmei voluntarily went to the Rear Palace to satisfy her greed for power. However, she felt humiliated when the previous Emperor didn’t even look at her once. After failing to fulfill her goal of becoming the Empress Dowager, she returns to the Shi Clan and marries Shishou as her father originally intended. Even so, she craved nothing but the destruction of the Imperial family and the nation that dared to laugh at her. For over two decades, she plotted a futile rebellion, which could’ve easily failed.
Unaware of her incompetence, Shenmei continued walking the path of evil, believing she was above everyone else. In the end, she couldn’t tolerate her daughter’s betrayal and decided to shoot her. What Shenmei didn’t know was that the gun she snatched from Loulan to kill her would backfire on her and end up taking her own life.
3) Loulan’s Dance Was Beautiful, But Her Story Doesn’t End There
Under the dim moonlight, Loulan danced ever so gracefully, as if freeing herself from her shackles. Her parents are dead, and the Shi Clan’s rebellion failed, but she managed to save the life of her sister Suirei. Everything went according to her plan, so she felt relieved. However, while she made a deal with Jinshi to spare Suirei’s life, she couldn’t ask that for herself because she knew how serious her crimes were. Suirei was banished from the clan, but Loulan was still the legitimate daughter of the Clan Head and his official wife.
Not to mention just the crime of her fooling the emperor, having servant girls disguise themselves as her, and escaping the Rear Palace was enough to condemn her to death. After everything was over, she went to the rooftop of the fortress and danced to her heart’s content before one of Jinshi’s guards shot her, and she fell from the terrace in the cold snow. That was the end of Loulan, the daughter of the Shi Clan. However, no one knew that she faked her death, and she has assumed another identity. She will reappear in the story again, but it will be years before that happens.
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