Ah Duo from The Apothecary Diaries became one of the most favorite characters in the series since her introduction. While her regal demeanor and kind heart became one of the main reasons behind that, another reveal about her only added more to her appeal.
That is, the fact that she is Jinshi’s mother, one of the main characters in the series. It’s something that should have rightfully made her the Empress. Unfortunately, a terrible twist of fate led her away from not only the position, but also her son, and eventually the Emperor as well.
Even so, the way she dealt with the challenges life threw at her only speaks of her strength even more. Fascinatingly, though, the extent of her strength and suitability to become the Empress was indicated from the start in The Apothecary Diaries.
Ah Duo’s suitability to become the perfect Empress was implied in The Apothecary Diaries from the start
Fans are aware that The Apothecary Diaries relies heavily on flower symbolisms to denote certain plot points. However, it also uses flowers as symbolism for its major characters. For example, Maomao is represented by Wood Sorrel, which comes into play in the latter part of Season 1.
However, the symbolism was provided since the first opening of Season 1. Similarly, the opening also gave a glimpse of a range of different flowers that symbolize the consorts, as they are the flowers that decorate the Emperor’s garden, aka the rear palace.
As a fan pointed out in the r/KusuriyaNoHitorigoto subreddit, Ah Duo is symbolized by Cattleya Orchids, a purple flower with a yellow center that looks just as regal as the Purple clothed former consort.
However, there is more to the flower than its aestheticism. The Cattleya Orchids symbolize love, beauty, strength, as well as resilience. All the qualities that represent Ah Duo. Her unparalleled beauty is pretty self-evident to fans.
Her capability of endless amounts of love and compassion could be witnessed in the way she at first raised Lishu like a daughter, and then consoled her when she had to leave the rear palace. All while she stayed at a distance from her son, loving and taking care of him from afar, yet not letting it make her grow bitter.
Consequently, she also showed immense strength and resilience by dealing with all the strange obstacles life threw at her. Be it suddenly finding herself in the position of a consort, although she didn’t necessarily want it, or being replaced from that position after almost two decades when she could no longer fulfil her dreams.
She dealt with all of that with the refined aura and calm composure suitable for the Empress. Not to mention as the mother of the Emperor’s first born son, the position should rightfully go to her.
That is not to say that she ever coveted the position, on the contrary, she never wanted anything to bind her to the royal duties. Nothing but sheer dumb luck put her in such a position, but when it comes to suitability, no one else seems on par with her in The Apothecary Diaries for the position of the Empress.
Like Ah Duo, all the Royal consorts’ flower symbolisms have hidden meaning in The Apothecary Diaries
Much like Ah Duo, the other consorts, too, have specific flowers as their symbol in The Apothecary Diaries. For example, Peonies symbolize Gyokuyou, which represents prosperity, good luck, love, and honor. As it stands, this matches the Precious consort’s personality to a dot.
Similarly, Lishu has Lily of the Valley as her symbol, representing purity, love, joy, happiness, sincerity and luck. The Virtuous consort might be naive due to her young age, but her real personality shines through in the story when she is given a chance to be herself.
Like she could during her interactions with Ah Duo. Lihua, on the other hand, has Bell flowers symbolizing her. This again represents her affectionate and compassionate nature for the ones she cares for, her everlasting love for the Emperor, and her reliable personality quite well.
Loulan, the new addition to the list of high-ranking consorts, has Lantern plants symbolizing her as per a fan on the r/KusuriyaNoHitorigoto subreddit. The mysterious but mesmerizing appearance of the Lantern plants represents her equally mystifying nature quite well. Interestingly, the flower represents enlightenment, guidance, and protection.
As the show is yet to reveal anything more about her, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. In any case, this shows the depth of details the makers of The Apothecary Diaries have put into every aspect of the show. Ah Duo’s Cattleya Orchid symbolism, however, stands out as the best possible proof of that.
The Apothecary Diaries is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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