Anshi (
Appearance[]
Anshi's Manga Design
Anshi looks quite young, only being ten years older than her eldest son. She is considered a graceful and regal beauty.
Personality[]
To the outside world, Anshi might have seemed like a pitiful woman pushed and pulled along by the whims of her unscrupulous family, but even from a young age, she recognized the way of the world, her own situation, what was expected of her, and what little power she had to stop it. Despite her compliance with becoming a young empress, she was very affected by her ordeal and was enraged at her fate. This invoked an extremely vengeful and spiteful side of her where she would lash out in various subtle ways with a surprising amount of cruelty. However, over time, she recognizes that such actions were not okay and feels deep shame for them. For example, Maomao surmises that Anshi was behind the other sexual victims of the Former Emperor being forced to stay in the rear palace, which led to their anger and resentment. It is suggested that she did this as a as a traumatic response to her situation. Scared and isolated, she desperately wanted some form of company in her situation, but she was also furious at her situation and lack of control over her own life, so she used her power as empress to condemn others to her plight. Her request for her eldest son to allow her husband's other victims to work in a more rewarding position as clinic maids and indulge in some luxuries such as books might be a form of atonement.
As Empress Dowager, Anshi fulfills her role very well and much like her son strives to not repeat the same mistakes as her predecessor by more or less doing the exact opposite of what she would have done. Unlike her predecessors who had a toxic codependent relationship built on dominance, oppression and control, Anshi and her son, the current Emperor, have a significantly healthier relationship that is built on respect for each other. She lets her son rule as he sees fit while occasionally suggesting changes that somewhat improve the quality of life of those in palace by stopping outdated practices that do little more than cause suffering, such as slavery, stop making eunuchs like Luomen and requesting that palace ladies would be allowed to work in positions that they are technically considered "too low" for. Similar to Gyokuyou, she is politically savvy enough to maintain her power and not be taken advantage of, but recognizes that being too ambitious can make her seen as a threat. She has developed the reputation of a graceful and dignified empress and she is well-respected within the country.
Anshi hated her husband, whom she thought of as "pathetic and cowardly", for the horrors he put her and other women through as young girls. Even so, she felt pity for the man who was so scared of adult women that he could only feel safe around children, and that was forced into a role he did not want and ill equipped to handle. While she does love her eldest son deeply and is proud of him, she has found it easier to love her second "son" Jinshi, likely because as he is technically her grandson and thus not the son of her rapist. Likewise, she is often seen doting on her granddaughter Lingli.
Abilities[]
Intelligence: Anshi is deceptively smart and calculating. From a young age, she was very aware of her surrondings and carefully navigated them to secure her own safety.
Influence: As the Empress Dowager, Anshi holds immense power within the inner and outer courts. For example, she was behind the ban of slavery, eunuch surgeries, and the founding of the unofficial clinic run by (and for women) in the Imperial Palace.[2]
Background[]
Anshi was the illegitimate daughter of a court official. She was sent to the inner court by her unscrupulous family in order to seduce the Former Emperor, whose preference for little girls was well-known, and conceive his heirs under the guise of being a lady-in-waiting to her older half-sister, who was sent as a middle consort in a more official capacity. She had been chosen due to starting her menstruation early, meaning that she was capable of bearing children, but she still looked like a young girl. Her father saw this as a rare opportunity since due to the Former Emperor's preference for prepubescent looking girls and his fear of adult women being so intense he broke down into hysterics at the slightest touch from them, the chances of him producing any heirs was incredibly low especially since the rest of the Imperial Family had died in a pandemic as this put the royal bloodline was at risk of dying out altogether. Whoever could produce a viable heir would all but be guaranteed a the role of empress, securing her family the highest level of power and fortune. So when her older half-sister touched the emperor's arm and he started crying, Anshi asked if he was okay, deliberately getting his attention. He sexually assaulted her, and she later gave birth to the current Emperor; due to her young age, the court physician Luomen had no choice but to become an eunuch so he could work in the inner court and deliver her first son by performing a Caesarean section, leaving her with scars in her belly. She and her son were attended and protected by her lady-in-waiting, Suiren, whom she developed a close friendship with.[3]
When Anshi grew up, the Former Emperor became scared of her. While she did not love him, she was angry at the thought of him replacing her with a younger model after she became an adult, invalidating all the suffering she had been through. She did not want to be forgotten by such a pathetic man to the point that she took matters into her own hands by sexually assaulting him and taunting him about her scars from her C-section, which served as a constant reminder of her suffering[3] This act caused a psychological break in the Former Emperor, who ended up shutting himself away till his final days. Because of this act, she came to regret her actions over time, and could not love her second son, who was born from the rape she committed, so she agreed to exchange him with her grandson when his mother, Ah-Duo, suggested the idea.
After her eldest son ascended to the throne, Anshi encouraged him to stop the practise of making eunuchs the Empress Regnant had started and persuaded him to allow female medical practitioners in the inner palace, albeit unofficially. The latter advice allowed her to give a more rewarding work to her fellow sexual victims, who were basically imprisoned in the inner court, and to ensure that regular palace ladies would receive some kind of medical care. She predominantly stays in her residence, only making public appearances when she considers necessary.
Trivia[]
- Anshi was unnamed in the web novel. Likewise, her background and her perspective on the baby swap are not explained.
- In the light novel, young Anshi was less aware of why she was sent to the palace and did not mean to grab the Former Emperor's attention when she reached out, while in the manga she did it intentionally knowing that her ambitious father had sent her there for that express purpose.
References[]
- ↑ ANIME FREAKS (Abema TV) - アニメ「薬屋のひとりごと」声優・キャラクター一覧｜全キャスト96人を網羅 (in Japanese; in English: List of voice actors and characters for the anime "The Apothecary Diaries" | All 96 cast members
- ↑ The Empress Dowager (season 2, episode 8)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Apothecary Diaries manga: Chapter 58
Feilong • Fengming • Fengxian • Fuyou ☆ Gaoshun • Guen/Quack Doctor • Guiyuan • Gyokuen • Gyokujun • Gyoku-ou • Gyokuyou
Haku-u • Hongniang • Hulan ☆ Jazgul • Jin • Jinshi • Joka • Junjie ☆ Kanan • King of Shaoh • Koku-u • Kokuyou • Kounen
Lahan • Lahan's Older Brother • Lakan • Lakou • Dr. Li • Lihaku • Lihua • Lingli • Lishu • Dr. Liu • Lo-en • Loulan • Luomen
Maamei • Madam • Maomao • Maomao, the Cat • Meimei ☆ Onsou • Oracle ☆ Pairin ☆ Rikuson
Sanfan • Sazen • Seki-u • Shenlü • Shenmei • Shikyou • Shin • Shishou • Shisui • Shrine Maiden of Shaoh • Suirei • Suirei's Mother • Suiren • Sotei
Taihou • Taomei • Tianyu ☆ Ujun • Ukyou • Uryuu ☆ Xiaohong • Xiaolan ☆ Yakou • Yao • Yinghua • Yinxing • Yo • Dr. You ☆ Zulin
Crown Prince • Emperor • Empress Regnant • Former Emperor • Imperial Brother