Season 2 Episode 08

Season 2
Episode 32
Japanese	皇太后
Romaji	Kōtaigō
Air Date (JP)	February 28, 2025 (11:00 PM)
English	The Empress Dowager
Air Date (EN)	Subbed：February 28, 2025
Blu-ray	S2 Volume 2
Music
Opening Theme	Hyakka Ryōran
Ending Theme	Shiawase no Recipe
Adapted From
Manga	Main：Ch.55 (partial) - Ch.56 (partial) Notebook：Ch.44 - Ch.45 (partial)
Episodes
◄ Previous	Episode 31 (S2)
Next ►	Episode 33 (S2)

"The Empress Dowager" is the 32nd overall episode and the 8th episode of the second season of The Apothecary Diaries anime adaptation.

Maomao's reputation for resolving conflicts reaches the empress dowager, who will ask for her help to unravel a mystery that won't leave her mind.

Translated blurb from official anime website...

"A strange court lady is laughing while catching insects." Rumors like this spread throughout the palace, and Maomao is falsely accused. In order to clear up the misunderstanding, she seeks out Shisui, the source of the rumor, and while listening to her story, she happens to see Empress Dowager Anshi heading to the clinic. Curious about the purpose of her visit, she reluctantly returns to the Jade Pavilion, only to be visited by the Empress Dowager in the evening of the same day. The Empress Dowager then asks Maomao to investigate the previous emperor, asking if she had placed a curse on him.

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Detailed summary

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Notable Characters

Characters in italics debuted here.

• Maomao
• Yinghua
• Hongniang
• Guiyuan
• Gaoshun
• Xiaolan
• Shin (recalled by Maomao)
• Lady Lihua (recalled by Maomao)
• Shisui (mentioned earlier by Yinghua, imagined by Maomao,
     & mentioned by Xiaolan)
• Empress Dowager Anshi
• Ailan

• The Madam (imagined by Maomao)
• Lady Gyokuyou
• Princess Lingli
• Suiren (imagined by Maomao)
• Former Emperor (mentioned by Anshi & others)
• Luomen (imagined by Maomao)
• Emperor (imagined by Maomao)
• Lady Lishu (recalled by Maomao)
• Lady Loulan (recalled by Maomao)
• Anshi's lady-in-waiting
• Empress Regnant (mentioned)

Music

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Changes

Presumably these are changes from the source The Apothecary Diaries light novel...

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Trivia

• This is the first and only episode in which Jinshi does not make a physical appearance.

Videos

『薬屋のひとりごと』第32話「皇太后」予告【2-28 (金) 23 - 00～ 放送】

『薬屋のひとりごと』第2期 ミニアニメ「猫猫のひとりごと」第32話【毎週金曜よる11時～日本テレビ系にて全国放送中！】

Crunchyroll clips

Maomao Resorts to Bribery - The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Is This What I'm Like??? - The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

External Links

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• "Episode 8：Kōtaigō" Summary - Official Anime Website (in Japanese)
• "Episode 8：The Empress Dowager" with multi-language subtitles & dubs - Crunchyroll

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