Manga Chapter 1: The Curse of the Inner Court

The Curse of the Inner Court
Name
Japanese	後宮の呪い
Romaji	Kōkyū no Noroi
Information
Format	Manga
Volume	Volume 1
Chapter No.	1
Pages	40
Adaptation
Light Novel	Light Novel Volume 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Anime	Maomao (season 1, episode 1)
Chronology
Previous	-
Next	Chapter 2 →

The Curse of the Inner Court (後宮の呪い, Kōkyū no Noroi^?) is the first chapter of Nekokurage's The Apothecary Diaries first manga adaptation.

Summary

Three months have passed since the young apothecary Maomao was kidnapped and forced to become a maidservant in the Country of Li's Inner Court. While displeased with the arrangement, Maomao takes it in stride, hoping to keep a low profile and carry out her term in peace. However, this was not meant to be.

Fellow maid Xiaolan shares rumors of a curse with Maomao. Of the Emperor's five children, three have died in infancy. The two remaining heirs, a six-month-old princess with Consort Gyokuyou and the three-month-old crown prince with Consort Lihua, are sick, and Lihua herself is unwell. While dismissive of a curse, Maomao's curiosity leads her to investigate.

Upon witnessing an altercation between the two consorts, Maomao deduces that the "curse" is actually poisoning by toxic chemicals in face powder: having grown up in the pleasure district, Maomao saw the same powder poison many courtesans. Hoping to save the survivors, Maomao leaves behind warnings to the consorts, made from the fabric of her uniform and tied around rhododendrons. Unfortunately, Consort Lihua fails to heed the message, and the prince dies less than a month later.

At Consort Gyokuyou's behest, an official named Jinshi deduces Maomao's identity and brings her to the consort's dwellings. To her relief, Gyokuyou heeded the warning and saved the princess's life. To her shock, Gyokuyou has summoned her not only to thank her, but to hire her as her new lady-in-waiting.

Characters

• Maomao
• Xiaolan
• Lady Lihua (in Maomao's recollection)
• Unnamed infant son (in Maomao's recollection)
• Lady Gyokuyou (in Maomao's recollection and later with Jinshi)
• Lingli (in Maomao's recollection and later when Jinshi takes her to Gyokuyou)
• Guen
• Jinshi

Notes

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Series

Web Novel

Novel

Light Novel

Audio Drama

Manga

Anime