#aylene

It turns out that the envoys’ intents were to try and get the Emperor and his younger brother’s good graces so that they could be their concubines. They try to show up the other consorts by not concealing themselves and present themselves as they are. All the talks about the moon fairies from the stories they heard was because they wanted to show her up. Imagine being upstaged in looks by a man—and an Asian man at that; these ladies were trying their best to present themselves as being more beautiful than the Asian concubines. Imagine losing to the race of people you were trying to beat. Though, I do find that the envoys are a little underutilized. All that buildup for their appearance and that’s it? All they wanted was to be in the Emperor’s harem? Did they have some sort of nefarious plan or wanted to concoct something? What was their plan? Also, I’ve heard that the envoys are Turkish. Is that true? I do wonder what language they are speaking… The envoys are voiced by Lynn and Yumi Hara, which are interesting choices.

Once this is all done, Maomao still thinks about how the poisoning case regarding perfume is still not resolved. The second half of the episode feels like buildup for upcoming cases with all the expositions about consort ranking, Suisei possibly being involved in the matter, Shin not having a scent despite everyone in the Crystal Pavilion being into perfume, and the reveal that there is a clinic in the northern area of the palace filled with older women. What roles will all of these plot points have in the future? Are they for all the cases or for just this upcoming one? 

Not only that, the episode in general really revolved around women’s intelligence as Shisui helped Maomao with the knowledge that she needed to get moths for the moon fairy dance. The school for the young servant girls has also opened, so Xiaolan and other servant girls are getting an education.

The fact that there is a clinic ran by older servant women intrigues me. Apparently, these women are still working in the palace because the palace needs all the help they need regarding medical help. The women are experienced workers and knowledgeable, hence why they remain in the palace. However, making medicine is a man’s job, so Maomao making her own stuff is considered a secret. Does this mean Maomao has been doing all of her apothecary stuff illegally? Yeah, break more rules, Maomao!

I’m really anticipating the next episode because it hints that Maomao might return to the Crystal Pavilion? I want her to bitchslap someone again. What are your thoughts about this episode and what are you hoping for the next one?