The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2: Maomao and the Mystery of the Poison

Modified Jan 17, 2025 20:00 GMT

The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2: Maomao and the Mystery of the Poison (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2 was released on January 17, 2025. The episode raised speculation about an imposter who was trying to lead Lady Gyokuyou into a miscarriage through the use of perfumes. The perfumes became popular after the Caravan passed and had Maomao continuously thinking about who it might be.

Moreover, this person might be the same as the one who killed Lady Lihua's child through lead-based makeup. The episode concluded with Maomao analyzing who the killer might be and why he could be doing it. On the other hand, a consort's death was also reported through a poison, hinting at the start of hell at the Imperial Palace.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2.

The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2: The Cavaran passes and leaves behind a mystery

Lady Lihua as seen in the anime (Image via Toho Animation Studio and OLM)

The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2, titled Caravan, commenced with Jinshi approving the notice of an upcoming Caravan to commemorate the arrival of an important person to the Imperial Palace. After the notice was approved, every consort gave their maids their lists of things to buy during the Caravan, as did Lady Gyokuyou.

As expected, this was Maomao's first Caravan, so she was interested in seeing what would be offered. In The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2, the maids clean the old wardrobe and makeup to make room for the new ones. The same was seen at the other consort houses. However, the clinic sent a notice to Lady Lihua's house, which their headmaid didn't like.

The Caravan's first day commenced and Xiaolin accompanied Maomao as they only witnessed everyone buying stuff. Xiaolin also invited Maomao the next day, as the consorts did their shopping on the first day only. As the day ended, Maomao saw that Lady Gyokuyou only bought notably loose clothes.

Maomao as seen in the anime (Image via Toho Animation Studio and OLM)

Lady Gyokuyou's pregnancy was still a secret, so wearing such clothes could be dangerous. So, The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2 saw Maomao ordering the maids to buy normal clothes to hide Lady Gyokuyou's pregnancy. The next day, Maomao accompanied Xiaolin as they were buying stuff on discounts. However, these also crossed paths with Shisui.

Maomao then invited them to the clinic, where they enjoyed jasmine tea and mooncakes. The Caravan ended, and everything returned to normal. However, everything was a mess for the maids because every consort had applied their recently bought fragrances, and combined, the smell in the washing hall was foul.

As Maomao struggled to stand, she panicked and picked a smell amongst the fragrance amalgam. She started smelling everyone and was soon reprimanded. The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2 then returned to Lady Gyokuyou's house where Maomao was getting chewed on by Jinshi. However, she stated that there was a reason she was smelling everyone.

Jinshi as seen in the anime (Image via Toho Animation Studio and OLM)

The female protagonist then gave a list of fragrances to the male protagonist, which she smelled from the consorts' clothes. All of these fragrances promoted miscarriage, hinting that someone might have caught wind of Lady Gyokuyou's pregnancy and might be thinking of killing the consort's unborn child. So, everyone started panicking.

The Apothecary Diaries season 2 episode 2 saw Maomao overthinking whether she had gotten too absorbed in the Cavaran. She was anxious about finding the imposter who had brought these poisonous herbs to the Imperial Palace by using the Caravan as an excuse.

Jinshi visited her as she was sitting in the clinic. These two then discussed the effects of some herbs, after which Jinshi left. Outside the clinic, Gaoshun reported the death of Lady Jin, and, unsurprisingly, it was because of a poison.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika