The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 2: Maomao again scares Lihua’s attendants

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 2 sets the stage for major events this season. It is focused on a big caravan that was set at the rear palace for a few days, and that makes Maomao once again have trouble with the attendants at the Crystal Pavilion.

As expected, many different products are sold at the caravan, bringing joy for those who live or work at the inner palace, since there’s not usually many exciting things to do there.

At the last day of the caravan, the outer palace servants are also allowed to join, which is when we meet Shisui, seemingly a servant in the outer palace.

While Shisui’s introduction is fun, the second segment of the episode focuses on the potential side effects of the goods that have just entered the rear palace, potentially circumventing the strict treatment.

Good fragrances can hide smelly secrets

The caravan stayed at the palace for a few days, partially due to the upcoming arrival of important envoys from a foreign country, teased in Episode 1.

While consorts and their attendants shop in the first days, Maomao chooses to shop only at the last date, to avoid paying overpriced amounts on anything. When she is about to make tea, she meets Shisui, the girl who helped her rescue the kitten in the last episode.

Shisui is presented as a common servant who loves bugs, and while she and Maomao share a passion for insects (for different reasons, as Maomao is more interested in their poisonous features), Maomao gets curious to learn more about Shisui.

While the characters don’t realize it yet, there’s more to Shisui than that, but the story will soon reveal her secrets.

After the caravan leaves the palace, fragrances are trending. While doing the laundry, Maomao realizes the clothes from the Crystal Pavilion have fragrances that are potentially dangerous.

This makes Maomao rush into the pavilion and start smelling the attendants’ clothes — without their prior consent. It’s a running gag that Maomao accidentally makes things that make them traumatized, be it because she scolds them too harshly or because of the way she talks to them.

Of course, this leads to her head lady-in-waiting filing a complaint letter about Maomao, who ends up scolded by Jinshi.

Maomao explains that, despite doing it without thinking, she has smelled many scents that can potentially induce miscarriages or be poisonous.

Given past events such as the murder attempt at the festival in Season 1, this might seem part of someone’s ploy, or they could also be only coincidences. None of the products are harmful by themselves, only if misused or consumed in large quantities.

What’s next for The Apothecary Diaries?

There’s a scene in the middle of the episode in which we see many containers of liquids that seem to be shady. At the end of the episode, Jinshi is informed that a mid-ranking consort, Lady Jin, has just died from poison.

The last scene shows Lady Gyokuyou drinking tea, leading us to believe she is also in danger.

As Lady Jin’s death is one of the most complex cases in this season, it might take a few episodes to cover it completely.

If you can’t wait to know what will happen in this season, be sure to check out everything the opening sequence spoils about the first part of Season 2. You can also read more on other Winter 2025 anime, like Sakamoto Days, Dr. Stone Season 4, and Solo Leveling Season 2.