Light Novel Volume 01

Volume 1

Japanese
English

Japanese

薬屋のひとりごと

Romaji

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Trans. Title

Apothecary's Monologue

English

The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 1

Cover Character(s)
Maomao

Release Info

Format

Light Novel

Release (JP)

August 29, 2014 (Hero Bunko)

ISBN (JP)

ISBN-13：ISBN 978-4-07-298198-6
ISBN-10：ISBN 4-072-98198-2

Pages (JP)

344

Release (EN)

Digital：February 14, 2021 (J-Novel Club)
Print：May 14, 2024 (Square Enix Manga & Books)

ISBN (EN)

ISBN-13：ISBN 978-1-64-609272-7
ISBN-10：ISBN 1-646-09272-4

ISBN-Digi (EN)

ISBN-13：ISBN 978-1-71-836118-8
ISBN-10：ISBN 1-718-36118-1

Pages (EN)

Digital: 259
Print: 256

Adapted

From
To

Web Novel

Chapter 1-35

Novel

The Apothecary Diaries (Novel)

Manga

Main：Ch.1-Ch.20
Notebook：Ch.1-Ch.13

Anime

Episode 1-Episode 12

Volumes
Next ►
Volume 2

"The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 1" ( 薬屋のひとりごと, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto ) is the 1st volume of the The Apothecary Diaries light novel series written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino. It was first published in Japan on August 29, 2014. The translated digital English version was published via J-Novel Club on February 14, 2021. The English language print edition (which has slightly different cover art) was released on May 14, 2024 (from Square Enix Manga & Books).

Blurb[]

In the East is a land ruled by an Emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the Hougong, the Rear Palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there. Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao's facade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor's favorite consort… so she can taste the lady's food for poison! At her lady's side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace — not all of it seemly. Can she ever lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers?

Chapters[]

Maomao (猫猫, Maomao)
The Two Consorts (二人の妃, Futari no Kisaki)
Jinshi (壬氏, Jinshi)
The Nymph's Smile (天女の笑み, Ten'nyo no Emi)
Attendant (部屋付, Heya-tsuki)
Poison Tester (毒味役, Dokumiyaku)
Branch (枝, Eda)
Love Potion (媚薬, Biyaku)
Cacao (可可阿, Kakao)
The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit (Part 1) (幽霊騒動前編, Yūrei Sōdō Zenpen)
The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit (Part 2) (幽霊騒動後編, Yūrei Sōdō Kōhen)
The Threat (恫喝, Dōkatsu)
Nursing (看病, Kanbyō)
The Fire (炎, En)
Covert Operations (暗躍, Anyaku)
The Garden Party (Part One) (園遊会その壱, Enyūkai Sono Ichi)
The Garden Party (Part Two) (園遊会その弐, Enyūkai Sono Ni)
The Garden Party (Part Three) (園遊会その参, Enyūkai Sono San)
After the Festivities (祭の後, Matsuri no Ato)
Fingers (指, Yubi)
Lihaku (李白, Rihaku)
Homecoming (里帰り, Satogaeri)
Wheat Stalks (麦藁, Mugiwara)
A Misunderstanding (誤解, Gokai)
Wine (酒, Sake)
Two 'Cides to Every Story (自他, Jita)
Honey (Part One) (蜂蜜その壱, Hachimitsu Sono Ichi)
Honey (Part Two) (蜂蜜その弐, Hachimitsu Sono Ni)
Honey (Part Three) (蜂蜜その参 Hachimitsu Sono San)
Ah-Duo (阿多妃, Aaduo-hi)
Dismissal (解雇, Kaiko)
Epilogue: The Eunuch and the Courtesan (宦官と妓女, Kangan to Gijo)

Synopsis[]

Maomao, a 17-year-old apothecary working for a brothel, is kidnapped and sold to the rear palace as a servant. Three months into her service, Maomao hears a rumor from her friend Xiaolan that that the children of the Emperor's favored consorts Gyokuyou and Lihua are sick, as well as Lihua herself. She soon witnesses Gyokuyou and Lihua having a public spat resulting in Lihua slapping Gyokuyou after Lihua accuses her of cursing her son. Lihua's son dies not long after, and she becomes sicker. At the same time, Princess Lingli, Gyokuyou's daughter, recovers. The eunuch Jinshi investigates and finds out that Gyokuyou received a note telling her to stop using her face powder, as it was poisonous. Through an effort by Jinshi to seek out the person who sent the note, he locates Maomao, who is taken to the Jade Pavilion and pressed to become a lady-in-waiting for Gyokuyou.

Maomao moves to the Jade Pavilion and begins food tasting for Gyokuyou. She begins eating better and builds rapport with Hongniang, Ailan, Guiyuan, and Yinghua, Gyokuyou's ladies-in-waiting. After solving a case of food poisoning in an army encampment and making a potent aphrodisiac, Jinshi asks for Maomao's help to solve the case of the sleepwalking Consort Fuyou. Gaoshun, Jinshi's aide, accompanies her to see Fuyou dancing on the guard wall. Fuyou eventually exits the rear palace to be given in marriage to a military official, an old friend of hers. Though she suggests to Jinshi that Fuyou was emotionally disturbed, Maomao speculates to Gyokuyou that Fuyou had feigned bad dancing in front of the Emperor, so she would not draw his attention. She then began to sleepwalk near the end of her two-year term so as not to compromise her goal of marrying her friend.

Maomao is then requested by the Emperor to help Lihua recover from illness caused by the face powder. However, her attempts at changing Lihua's diet and nursing her are hindered by Lihua's ladies-in-waiting. When Jinshi helps Maomao get her first physical examination of Lihua, she notices that the ladies-in-waiting have continued to use the poisonous face powder on Lihua. Maomao ends up slapping a lady-in-waiting and throws the face powder on her after they try to defend continuing to use it, to Jinshi's amazement. Over the course of two months, Maomao nurses Lihua back to health. When Lihua expresses her lack of confidence in regaining the Emperor's interest, Maomao gives her some advice she learned from the brothel.

As part of an ongoing investigation, Jinshi has Maomao explain how wooden writing strips could be soaked in chemicals, causing them to emit unnatural colors when burned. He tells Gaoshun to find anyone with burns on their arms. Maomao later receives an outfit and a jewelry accessory from Gyokuyou to wear at the upcoming winter garden party, where all four consorts will be present. Jinshi also gifts Maomao a hair stick after listening to the circumstances of her arrival to the rear palace.

During the garden party, Gyokuyou's ladies-in-waiting wage a proxy battle against Lihua's ladies-in-waiting, who are scared away when Maomao appears, and a proxy battle between Consorts Lishu and Ah-Duo occurs as well. Lishu arrives wearing pink, which doesn't match her ladies-in-waiting and instead clashes with Gyokuyou's scarlet outfit. Maomao receives additional hair sticks from Lihaku, a military officer, and Lihua. Maomao begins food tasting when the banquet starts and noting discrepancies in the appetizers, suspects a mistake was made when serving the dishes. She then announces to the attendees that the soup she tasted is poison. After leaving the garden party, Jinshi admonishes her for being too casual in tasting poison.

Maomao asks to see Lishu to examine her, and finds that she has developed a rash on her arm due to her allergy to fish (specifically mackerel and abalone). Maomao warns the attendants that such pranks amount to attempted poisoning, urging Lishu to assert herself in the future. With her suspicions confirmed, Maomao concludes that Lishu was the intended target of the poison.

Maomao returns to the Jade Pavilion and is given time off. Gaoshun presents Maomao with the bowl containing the poisoned soup. Maomao dusts flour onto the bowl, revealing four distinct sets of fingerprints: those of the soup pourer, the server, the lady-in-waiting who swapped the soups, and the poisoner. Maomao explains that she believes Lishu's dishes were swapped with Gyokuyou's, as part of a bullying effort by her ladies-in-waiting that also happened saved her life. Gaoshun later updates Jinshi on the food poisoning incident.

Xiaolan explains to Maomao how gifted hair sticks can be used to leave the rear palace temporarily. Maomao then arranges a meeting with Lihaku, who agrees to vouch for her when she presents letters of introduction for each of the Verdigris House's Three Princesses. Jinshi ends up missing Maomao by one day when she leaves. Maomao and Lihaku arrive at the Verdigris House, where she is greeted by the old madam. While Lihaku joins Pairin in the House, Maomao visits her father at their shack, who later comments that Maomao somehow ended up at the rear palace by fate. After three days, Maomao goes back to the rear palace. Jinshi becomes jealous after hearing Maomao used Lihaku's hair stick instead of his, and Maomao accidentally gives him the misconception that she pleasured Lihaku with her vague wording.

Maomao investigates the death of an official who died by drinking. With knowledge that the official, Kounen, had a sweet tooth and evidence from the wine jug, Maomao deduces that Kounen had lost his ability to taste salt. As a result, he died when he drank wine with too much salt added to it.

Gaoshun finds that the chief lady-in-waiting to Consort Ah-Duo, Fengming, has burns on her arms. Maomao, along with the rear palace doctor, examines the corpse of a servant woman who drowned, as part of a case to determine whether it was a suicide or murder. The case is later deemed a suicide.

During a tea party hosted by Gyokuyou for Lishu, Maomao notices Lishu's hesitance at being served a drink containing honey. After Jinshi informs Maomao that the drowned servant may have also poisoned Lishu's food at the garden party, he sends her to help clean and covertly investigate the Garnet Pavilion. While cleaning, she notices a shelf full of honey from Fengming's family of beekeepers. Maomao reports that Fengming may have been plotting something due to her burned arm.

In a visit to Lishu to understand her aversion to honey, Maomao learns that Lishu nearly died from eating honey as an infant. With Gaoshun's help, Maomao learns from prior records that the Emperor had a child with Ah-Duo who died in infancy. Consequently, the court physician in charge, Luomen, was banished. The same Luomen later adopted Maomao.

Maomao confronts Fengming with a poisonous flower. Fengming admits that she felt guilt over accidentally poisoning Ah-Duo's son with honey, so she tried to poison Lishu so Lishu could not tip off to Ah-Duo that honey could be poisonous. Maomao urges Fengming to make amends so that Ah-Duo will not know that she is behind poisoning Lishu. To that end, Fengming commits suicide, with the official motivation being that she wanted to keep Ah-Duo's status as a high consort.

On the night before she departs the rear palace, Maomao joins Ah-Duo on the guard wall for a drink. Ah-Duo thinks about how she has spent the prior years: first as a friend, then a consort, and now back to being a friend to the Emperor. The next day, when Ah-Duo leaves, Lishu arrives to see her off. Maomao takes in Ah-Duo and Jinshi's similarities and speculates that Ah-Duo's son and the Imperial younger brother, who were born at the same time, could have been switched.

As Fengming's family was associated with Maomao's kidnappers, Maomao is due to be dismissed from the rear palace. Though she tries to communicate to Jinshi that she wants to stay, she is still dismissed. Jinshi becomes distraught to the point that Gaoshun decides to rehire her. Back at the Verdigris House, Maomao joins the Three Princesses as entertainment at a banquet hosted by palace officials, with Lihaku being the go-between. After getting reacquainted with Jinshi and clearing up the previous misunderstandings, he buys her out from the brothel.