Natsu Hyuga’s The Apothecary Diaries has quickly won over fans with its charming storyline. While the protagonists Maomao and Jinshi have gained a massive fan following, the supporting cast, too, has caught people’s attention.
Moreover, the way the neat narrative utilizes the characters to touch upon sensitive subjects has only endeared the show more to fans. As a result, fans have often wondered what would become of their favorite characters as the show progresses.
Well, if Ah Duo and the Emperor’s tragic fate is any indication, the show has no indication of being fair to anybody other than Jinshi and Maomao.
Ah Duo and the Emperor suffered a tragic fate in The Apothecary Diaries
As stated above, much like the protagonists of the show, the dynamic supporting cast, too, have become just as important to The Apothecary Diaries fans. While the other maids, and Maomao’s friends are definitely on top of the list of fan favorite characters, the high-ranking consorts and the emperor, too, have touched fans’ hearts.
Be it the cheerful Gyokuyo, elegant Lihua, naive Lishu, cold Loulan, or the regal Ah Duo and the mysterious Emperor, all of them have managed to charm the audience with their gripping stories. Now, it would be fair to say that the bleak medieval premise the show is set in doesn’t actually bode well for most of their futures.
However, the tragic fates both Ah Duo and the Emperor have suffered only seem to cement that idea even more. Fans are aware that unlike the other consorts, Ah Duo had been a childhood friend of the Emperor. As such, their relationship is far deeper than the ones the Emperor shares with his other consorts.
In fact, their relationship is so deep that they consider each other their best friends. Yet, even after everything, they are forced to stay apart just because of circumstances. What makes it even more tragic is that none of them could acknowledge Jinshi as their son even after being so close to him.
Moreover, for someone who should have been the Empress as the mother of the Emperor’s first born son, even the title of a consort is snatched away from her and given to someone else. Her life already took a hit when she was forced into her role of consort.
However, years later when that is no longer an option, she loses her position and is forced to spend the rest of her life in comparative obscurity. As a result, fans rightfully believe that both Ah Duo and the Emperor got the short end of the stick in The Apothecary Diaries.
Ah-Duo and Emperor
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In any case, Gyokuyo and Lihua, as the Emperor’s current main consorts also have tragedy written for them. Both of them pine for a man who could never love them as much as they do.
The Emperor, too, burdened by his duties and position, has to spend the rest of his days apart from his beloved. To say the story has been less than kind to such powerful and central figures of the series would be an understatement.
The Apothecary Diaries seems to only be partial to Jinshi and Maomao
The only two people who seemingly have things magically fall in place for them in The Apothecary Diaries are Maomao and Jinshi. Although Maomao was initially kidnapped and thrown into a life she knew nothing about, it worked out for the best for her.
![Jinshi catches Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries. [Credit: Toho]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/21071842/jinshi-catching-maomao-on-the-rooftop-the-apothecary-diaries.png "Ah Duo and the Emperor’s Unfortunate Fate Makes It Clear That ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Is Only Fair to Jinshi and Maomao 3")
As a lowly laundry maid, she would have been subjected to the same plights as the other maids of her stature. However, she ended up catching the interest of not only Gyokuyou, arguably one of the kindest of the current high-ranking consorts, and in first in line to become the Empress, but also of Jinshi.
Moreover, as the mystery behind her parentage is revealed, fans find out that she happens to be the only daughter of one of the most powerful men in the entire country.
As such, she gets triple the protection, and is more or less able to do things her own way, to the point that everybody turns a blind eye to her antics that would otherwise result in a death sentence for her.
Jinshi, too, as the Emperor’s “brother,” should have been burdened by royal duties up to his neck. However, the Emperor seems to be especially fond of his first born, and so, he, too, is mostly left on his own.
To the point that he mostly gets to shuck his royal duties and can spend his time “managing” the rear palace. Now it is evident that they would suffer troubles in their developing relationship due to the socio-political circumstances that surround them.
Even so, it is possibly safe to say that they would safely reach their happy ending without suffering the same tragic fate that their parents had to bear. As a result, as whimsical as The Apothecary Diaries seems to be at first glance, the dark reality is that the story is setting everyone up for a tragedy except for Jinshi and Maomao.
The Apothecary Diaries is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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