The Apothecary Diaries is undoubtedly one of the most engaging and intricately written series, with some very complex characters. It explores a very interesting world filled with political intrigue and internal conflicts.
However, there is one aspect that can be overwhelming and very confusing for fans to comprehend. The relationship dynamic shown here is so complicated that the family tree can become a headache to keep up with.
This is especially true of the royal family, whose tangled relationships remain confusing even with online guides. Though Maomao also has a tricky family background, it is nowhere near as interconnected as Jinshi’s.
The royal family of The Apothecary Diaries does not know when to stop
In a period when the power and influence of their clans mattered the most, people did not care about actual relationships. Most of the time, anyone married into royalty or the kings took on consorts not because they were in love but because they stood to gain something from each other.
This became glaringly clear when everyone sent their young daughters to the previous Emperor when they found out he was a monster who preyed on little girls. None of these high-ranking families were concerned about destroying their daughters’ lives and only thought of getting leverage and securing the king’s favor in the court.
This is why Lishu of the U clan was sent to the imperial harem when she was only 9, as a bride to an extremely old previous Emperor, who already had a grown son. The current Emperor at that time was married to Ah-Duo, who treated Lishu not as a mother-in-law but as her own surrogate daughter.
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However, things again get convoluted when Lishu remarries the current Emperor and technically becomes the wife of her own son-in-law. This again feels weird when we think of her parental bond with Ah-Duo.
Jinshi’s family tree is a literal labyrinth
Jinshi’s own background is filled with complicated twists and head-turning secrets. He is actually the son of the current Emperor and Ah-Duo but is raised as the son of the previous Emperor and as the brother of his father.
This is because, at his birth, Jinshi was switched with the actual Imperial Brother, and both the mothers knew about it. Thanks to this, Jinshi was able to survive and became the Crown Prince, while the real Imperial Brother died shortly after birth.
But things do not stop here. The previous Emperor really overcomplicated everything with his perverted inclinations. He impregnated Taihou, a lady-in-waiting whose granddaughter is Suirei. Now, Suirei is the half-sister of Luolan, who again became a consort of the current Emperor, further messing up the family tree.
The Apothecary Diaries is definitely famed for its layered storytelling, but if one must nitpick about one flaw, then it will have to be its labyrinth-like family structure. Though it certainly adds mystery and intrigue to the plot and its character motivations, the whole thing can be challenging to get behind.
Watch The Apothecary Diaries on Crunchyroll.
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