Who is Maomao's mother in The Apothecary Diaries? Explained

Modified Apr 02, 2025 21:30 GMT

Who is Maomao's mother in The Apothecary Diaries? Explained (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

The Apothecary Diaries has yet to showcase a proper flashback to Maomao's childhood. However, season 1 shed some light on her true parents, mostly focusing on the complicated relationship between the female protagonist and her father, Lakan. The primary reason behind their complicated relationship was Maomao's mother. So, who was Maomao's mother, and what happened to her?

Fengxian is Maomao's mother, a high-ranking consort at the Verdigris Palace in the Red Light District. After falling in love with Lakan and bearing his child, Fengxian was left behind as she wandered the streets. She eventually contracted a disease and was reduced to a baby-like condition until Lakan fought for his life to buy her from the Verdigris Palace.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the manga and light novel series and expresses the author's opinion.

The Apothecary Diaries: Who is Maomao's mother? History explained

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

A few years before the series timeline, Fengxian was a high-ranking consort from the Verdigris Palace in The Apothecary Diaries. She was known for her unapproachable persona and was never involved in a relationship with any of her clients. The reason behind this wasn't her looks, as she was considered the most beautiful consort at the time.

The reason was that she was known for her other talents, the greatest of which was her expertise in board games. This talent drew Lakan towards her, as he always craved competition in tactical games (which eventually led to him becoming the tactician of the Imperial Palace).

Soon, Lakan started visiting Fengxian daily as they grew closer. However, Lakan couldn't buy her from the Palace because he was just the son of a rich person and had no wealth of his own. Fengxian also started developing feelings for Lakan. To lower her price, she conceived Lakan's child after being with him.

However, around this time, The Apothecary Diaries saw Lakan being sent away to nurture his talent. Unaware of Fengxian's condition, Lakan forgot about her. Meanwhile, Fengxian intentionally gave birth to Lakan's child, Maomao, hoping that he might return to buy her one day. Fengxian was eventually expelled from the Verdigris Palace as she had already conceived a child.

A transition between Fengxian's view (left) vs reality (right) after going mentally senile (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

Fengxian began roaming the streets, waiting for Lakan. During this time, she contracted syphilis (disease). Her condition started getting worse by the day, and she eventually lost her mental stability. While this happened, Fengxian used her child, Maomao, to cope with her pent-up emotions. Witnessing her pitiful state, the consorts at Verdigris Palace took her in.

Three years later, in The Apothecary Diaries, Lakan returned and received Fengxian's letter. The letter contained a severed pinky finger, reminding him of the promise he had made with a consort. He immediately rushed to the Verdigris Palace, but it was too late. The consorts told Lakan that Fengxian was no longer staying there.

Fengxian, as seen from the eyes of Lakan (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

A few years later, Maomao challenged Lakan to a game of Go and won. As per their bet, the female protagonist asked him to buy a consort from the Verdigris Palace. However, the consorts had already planned to send Fengxian away. In a very poetic setting, Lakan arrived at the Palace to buy a consort but heard a nostalgic lullaby.

He rushed like a madman towards a shed where Fengxian, reduced to a very poor state due to her disease, was singing the lullaby while playing Go with rocks by herself. However, Lakan saw in her the same majestic beauty with whom he had fallen in love. Afterward, while offering a fortune's worth of money, Lakan successfully bought Fengxian and made her his wife in The Apothecary Diaries.

The Apothecary Diaries: The difference in source materials

Fengxian (left) and Lakan (right) during their marriage ceremony (Image via TOHO Animation Studio and OLM)

While the anime fans might have seen the most heartfelt story of Fengxian, in which she marries Lakan, the other source material differs heavily. In The Apothecary Diaries web novel (the earliest source), Fengxian died on the streets during the three years before Lakan's return.

During the light novel (the source after the web novel), Fengxian died shorty after Lakan made her his wife. Lastly, in the anime and manga (the latest source material), Fengxian might still be alive, as it was mentioned that Lakan is giving his wife enough love and attention.

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Edited by Sriparna Barui