The Apothecary Diaries not only doubles as an educational medical anime, but also one that seamlessly swans between mystery, historical, and rom-com subgenres. Talented apothecary Maomao solves mysteries about the Imperial Palace with the help of the beautiful and enigmatic Jinshi, but Jinshi himself soon presents yet another mystery for Maomao an🦩d fans to crack.

Alth⛎ough presented as a high-ranking palace eunuch, Maomao's snooping soon brings into question just who Jinshi actually is. With clues peppered throughout Season 1 and outright confirmed in Season 2, we're going to dive into Jinshi's identity, mo♒tivations, and who he is.

Who Is Jinshi?

In the beginning, Jinshi is introduced as a eunuch who is charged with overseeing the Inner Court, where꧑ the Emperor's concubines and children lived.

Renowned for being the most beautiful in the land, Jinshi uses his looks and charm to either sway others or make them underestimate him.

He has an eye for talent, spotting Maomao's unmatched medicinal knowledge and analytical ability to ⛎be an asset. With her help, he goes about quashing deadly plots that target the Emp🐼eror, his household, and his family members.

However, most eunuchs in the palace aren't treated the same way Jinshi is, as he has private 🍸discussions with the Emperor, possessing massive influence, and having his own private household.

Clues About Jinshi's Identity

The earliest clue that Jinshi is no mere eunuch comes in Season 1 during the garden party, when Maomao noted that Jinshi was missing while the seat for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Emperor's brother remained empty.

Then, the scene panned to Jinshi rushing over to the event wearing costly formal wear, with Maomao noting he had a new hairpin and appeared almost younger than he is day-to-day.

Moreover, several clues point to the likelihood that Jinshi is not even an eunuch. When in his private quarters, his attendant Gaoshun prepares medicinal concoctions for Jinshi to consume, likely to suppress his hormones and lighten his voice.

Jinshi participates in swordfight practice with Gaoshun's son, Basen, when eunuchs are known for having a more sedentary lifestyle. Maomao also notes that Jinshi has the physique of a fully developed adult male in Episode 17, not a chaꦓracඣteristic that's found in eunuchs.

For example, in Episode 2, Gaoshun points out that nobody knows Jinshi is technically a spy for the Emperor, using his beauty to disarm his opponents while keeping an eye on the conduct of his concubines. This suggests that Jinshi is currently in disguise and is only pretending to be a eunuch.

Later, it's discovered that the Emperor had wanted to make Jinshi the Crown Prince, but Jinshi refused. Ji𓆏nshi was allowed to pose as a eunuch to foil any plots against the royal family after winning a 🌸game of go against the Emperor.

A Sad Truth

The attempted poisoning of Concubine Lishu is what led to the theory that Jinshi is a member of the royal family to ꦛbe outright confirmed. Covered in Episodes 11 and 12, it turns out that Concubine Ah-duo went into labour at the same time as the Dowager Empress Anshi nearly 20 years ago.

Since the Dowager Empress had a higher rank, she was prioritised while Ah-duo had to give birth without the help of a physician. Although her son was born healthy, the difficult birth caused Ah-duo to lose her cervix as a result. Anshi's child was also a son and, due to being attended 🌳to by Maomao's adoptive father, Luomen, she had no complications at all.

"Even if they call it an✃ illegitimate child, or say it wﷺas a child switched at birth, there's no doubt it's still a precious child."

- Dowager Empress Anshi

At some point, Ah-duo and Anshi agreed to secretly swap their sons. Due to her experiences, Ah-duo knew the son of the then-Emperor held more priority than the son of a Prince, and did it out of concern for her child's safety. Ah-duo's concern was proven right when a medical misunderstanding led to the death of the Dowager Empress' son.

Meanwhile, Ah-duo's son was raised by the Dowager Empress and survived to adulthood. In conclusion, Jinshi is the son of Concubine Ah-duo and the current Emperor.

This is bolstered by the fact that Jinshi is a literal carbon copy of Ah-duo, and ho𒐪w he led the Purification Ritual near the end of Season 1, as it's something only the highest-ranking member of the kingdom has the right to do.

𝔍The Dowager Empress herself also confirmed the child swap in Season 2🌊, Episode 9 in dialogue.

Does Jinshi Know?

Another burning quest🌄ion we'd all like to know is if Jins✱hi is aware of the truth of his birth.

Before Ah-duo leaves the Inner Court, we see her summon Jinshi for a conversation, but we never get to hear it ourselves. Later, Maomao finds Jinshi in tears, likely suggesting that Ah-duo might have told him the truth.

However, in Season 2, Episode 7, Jinshi stated that he was raised believing that the current Emperor was his father, only to be told that he was his older brother instead. This means that the Emperor himself might not even know the truth that Jinshi is his son.

But considering his last encounter with Ah-duo, Jinshi may also be in denial. But until the momentous reveal (or Ah-duo and Jinshi's 🅘conversation) is written and drawn out in the manga, we can only work based on conjecture.