The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 4

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #4

by Natsu Hyuuga, Touco Shino (Illustrator)

Though her main duty is still looking after Consort Gyokuyou, Maomao finds time to help her friends and acquaintances in the rear palace, including Xiaolan, who will need a job after her term of service ends, and Consort Lishu, who’s convinced she’s seen a ghost! When complications arise with Gyokuyou’s pregnancy, however, Maomao knows she’s not skilled enough to handle a situation that could threaten the life of both mother and child. She knows someone who is, but they haven’t been welcome in the rear palace for a very long time… Meanwhile, Maomao begins to discern what seem to be links between otherwise unrelated incidents in the rear palace. But what if her dawning knowledge makes her the next victim?

Genres: Light Novel, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romance, Manga, Historical, Fiction

290 pages, ebook

First published September 30, 2015

About the author

See: 日向夏

Reviews

[Imane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Pretty sure the author put crack in these books

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

I never thought I would get so hooked on The Apothecary Diaries that I would read the manga, watch the anime, and then start reading the novel they are based on, but that's exactly what happened. It might seem unusual to start this type of review from the fourth volume, but after watching the anime and reading the manga, I didn't want to begin the story from the start for the third time. So, I started from where the manga currently ends.

Initially, transitioning from manga to a book was quite challenging—suddenly not seeing the characters made it difficult to distinguish between characters, especially when three of them, for example were named Lakan, Lahan, and Luomen. However, over time, I managed to tell them apart. With the help of Google, but I did it.

It’s partly my fault for not checking the current status of the manga, as I thought there were only two or three volumes left until it was finished—which is definitely not true as the story is just beginning and it’s still far from over. Fortunately, the light novel, which is still ongoing, already has almost all available volumes translated into English—officially and well-translated—so I can continue the story without having to stop at crucial moments.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I became so obsessed with this story that I’ve read it almost three times. Yes, it is good:
— I absolutely adore the heroine, Maomao, who is smart, funny, sarcastic and it's just hard not to love her.
— The romance, or rather the very beginning of it, has me blushing—all thanks to Jinshi. But as a romance book lover, there's not enough of it here.
— The mysteries are intriguing and even educational—I've learned a lot of fascinating facts from them. However, they get a tad boring when it's just one mystery after another with some royal problem in between.
Still, I get so connected to both the main and side characters that I just can’t stop reading it. Knowing myself, I will probably devour the entire series within a month. Anyway, I can't wait to read the next volumes!!

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one big rollercoaster. The start with Lishu and the ghost was fairly slow. But things started to pick up and get MESSY oh my goodness! The twists and turns?! I was not prepared.

There was a bit towards the end when there were discussions about a clan, the adopted clan head, the clan head's daughter, the emperor's daughter and I couldn't keep it all straight at all. A few names here and there, would've alleviated my confusion.

THAT ENDING!? THE EPILOGUE!? Wow. Wow. It was more than I expected. I didn't know I could get behind a slow burn but I am fully aboard the Maomao Jinshi train. Their little moments are so special! I was smiling like a fool.

I feel like things have wrapped up in a fairly neat overarching arc, but I see there are several more books. So clearly things aren't over. There's a part of me hankering to start Volume 5 tonight, but I will try to exercise restraint.

[ariana esnifa libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

estoy saltando en una pierna

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things get very, very dark in this volume, and although they do all work out in the end, it goes places that I never would have expected of the series. But it's done well, which says volumes about Natsu Hyuuga as an author, and the epilogue is sufficiently cathartic to make up for a lot of the emotional turmoil.

Meanwhile on the romance plot front, the frog may be out of the pants (metaphorically speaking), but that just brings a whole new host of problems for poor Jinshi. He's really got his work cut out for him breaking through Maomao's Wall of Density...

[aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

rip shisou, you would’ve loved Roblox

[cyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maomao loves Jinshi!” I scream as they drag me back to the white room…

Yeah, yeah I’m having a JinMao brainrot but how can you expect me not to after their union scene and that freaking epilogue? I am not even kidding, the whole thing turns into The Freak Diaries with the epilogue. The hilarious thing is, while Jinshi was… well, doing his own thing, Maomao was thinking about how toxic human saliva is.

I can’t with that woman.

This book, had a lot of hilarious scenes. From Lakan being a crazy father, that we all love, to Maomao turning torture devices into her own personal brunch, the whole book was very funny when it was not emotionally abusing me with the backstories and the eventual final scenes of some characters. Maomao should’ve become a therapist instead of an apothecary, and I’m not even joking.

But jokes aside, I have one real criticism for the series. (Yeah I can’t believe it either.) The author heavily relies on “coincidences” as plot devices, which only really works with comedy settings, not mystery. The number of times some characters were just lucky and were in the right place at the right time had started to bug me. While I understand it might be a choice of writing style, I also feel like it is just the easy way out of complicated storylines. Don’t get me wrong, the amount of times these series has shocked me and tied everything together is insane, but still.

Lastly, everybody say thank you to Jinshi for giving us the crash out of the century. It was fantastic to witness.

Again, no proper review. No time for a proper review. Must start the next book. Five stars.

[G_occasionally_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I could not wait for the manga or the anime to move forward so I read the light novels — yep, plural.

⚕️ Volume 4 was great
🍙 Volume 5 was ok
⚕️ Volume 6 I skipped here and there 🤫
🍙 Volume 7 was so boring (yes, I know, I should appreciate the political dynamics, but I just could not care less)
⚕️ Volume 8 was quite fun and the end was 🤯
🍙 Volumes 9 and 10 were meh at a maximum

But Maomao is always THE BEST and her relationships with Jinshi, the freak strategic, the Empresses, and many others are to live for

[Riri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic read.

The fourth volume of the Apothecary Diaries is the finale of an arc, following the tension that was so magnificently set by the previous volume. The set-up itself goes as far back as the first book, from the removal of Ah-Duo from the rear palace. All the things built up in the previous book reached a gripping climax in this one, and Maomao finds herself dragged right into the center of it. Literally. Because she gets kidnapped and then transported to the core of this whole conspiracy.

In any case, the book starts with Maomao being distraught over Jinshi's secret. Not only about her discovery of his decently sized frog, but what it says about his true identity. It doesn't help that Gyokuyou might be experiencing a breech birth, so Maomao's adoptive father, Luomen, is summoned back to the rear palace to give assistance. Maomao also learns that Xiaolan's terms of employment is ending, so she spends the first few chapters working in the bath with Xiaolan and Shisui in the hope of finding a new job for her friend.

…and then she learns a secret, and things immediately stops being peaceful.

This particular volume is probably my favorite so far, even if it has less mysteries to solve due to the sheer scale of the conspiracy. It's so well-written, and it gives depth to all of the characters involved. Maomao, who's usually so distant and detached, shows that she's also a human capable of emotions as she weeps over the loss of a friend by the end of the book. Most of the questions so far have been answered and resolved, except maybe the presence of the foreign envoys—which feels like it leads to a completely different issue anyway.

At the end of the book, Maomao finds herself back in the pleasure district. Jinshi can't keep her working under him anymore, due to a certain major action he had to take to save her. That can't possibly be the end of their involvement though, so I'm excited to see where the story will be heading next.

[Umairah (Sereadipity) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The TWISTS AND TURNS in the plot were amazing so many little details and hints coming together for these shocking reveals I couldn't see coming. I was hooked! The scale of everything escalated hugely in this book and I was here for it.

[Paula]

why did jinshi do all that

[James 🦤 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god. I finished this entire book in one sitting because there wasn’t a single place where I thought I could put it down to sleep. I thought I knew where the plot was going, but it still managed to surprise me. Then watching all the little mysteries and offhand stories from the previous three books be woven into a giant conspiracy? Insane.

Jinshi at war and somehow still giving off the vibes of a sad, wet kitten in a cardboard box? Incredible.

[Momo · Rating 5 out of 5]

10000000/5 Stars

Once again this series is just so IMMACULATE, such a thrilling mystery historical romance blend.

This one was just so so soooo good. Questions were finally definitively answered for once, new mysteries appeared, and overall, I just can't wait to read more. I cannot wait for the physical release of the next volumes when digitally there are already 13 (and only four psycially released in english??), so obviously I already bought all 13 of the ebooks because I can't be normal about anything.

I am finally free of chemistry as well, so hopefully my next courses will be a little more bearable and allow for some more reading time :)

[Velta Gūtmane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nu tagad nākamajā grāmatā būtu jābūt jaunai attiecību dinamikai.

Iegūst vienu, bet zaudē, ko citu. Tas, kas bija agrāk vara nav sasniedzams un iespējams.

[ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying to connect the dots between Wang Mu’s bloodline, Shisui’s father, and Maomao’s biological father, Lakan. Hmmm. I wonder if Maomao has any distant relation with Wang Mu.

[Kimbot the Destroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited to get to the next book, moving past the anime!

[ツバキ · Rating 5 out of 5]

自從讀完第三集之後，一想到壬氏的真實身分已經正式公開給讀者知道，後續不知道故事會怎麼發展，我就忍不住翻開了第四集，結果這集的內容其實超出我的想像。一直以來《薬屋のひとりごと》這個系列基本上都算是內容有點險惡的日常推理（畢竟是在後宮），有時候雖然事件解決了，但背後的陰謀卻總是點到為止，並沒有更深入的探究，而對主角貓貓也沒什麼影響，但是這集卻和前幾集完全不同，貓貓意外地跳脫出旁觀者的立場……或者該說是被迫跳脫出旁觀者的立場，直接被捲入事件之中。

雖然本集前段還是維持一貫的日常懸疑風格，但在貓貓查覺到後宮裡的惡意後，事情開始往另一個方向前進。本來以為重提上一集發生在梨花妃侍女長身上的事件，只是單純想讓貓貓點出這些無法離開這個女人花園的人們身上的惡意正一點一點侵蝕著整個後宮，一點點的惡意下所做出的行為，就像是滾動的雪球越來越大，才造成了許多事件。

但沒想到翠苓這個第二集詐死，想要取壬氏性命的人突然登場，說是突然好像也不太對，因為前面有鋪成翠苓潛入後宮的方法。因為翠苓以子翠的性命作為威脅，貓貓無可奈何只能跟著被迫從秘密通道離開後宮。

其實讀到這裡，我的內心已經激烈到想在床上滾個十圈，畢竟貓貓被誘拐＝有機會看到壬氏英雄救美！所以後半段，因為貓貓被誘拐，雖然完全看不到兩個人互動，但我內心卻一直有個信念支持著我繼續讀下去：「後面一定有壬氏英雄救美，然後兩個人的關係就呼呼呼……」。

貓貓被誘拐之後，被帶到了溫泉鄉，在那邊也發現了秘密製造的兵器，而且還出現了一個超可怕的中年婦女，這時候貓貓也終於察覺到子翠的真實身分。雖然說從上一集作者就很不自然的一直描述子翠，還給子翠很多戲分，所以我本來就一直覺得子翠這個角色有鬼，又因為名字的關係，本來就覺得她跟翠苓一定有點關係，但沒想到子翠竟然是樓蘭（我還比較了第二集樓蘭妃的彩圖跟第三集子翠的彩圖，雖然氣氛不太一樣，但的確眼睛顏色是相同的）。

而另一方面發現貓貓被誘拐相當擔心的壬氏，也查到貓貓是跟另一個沒有登記的侍女以及新的宦官一起消失在後宮，也找出了通往外頭的秘密通道，甚至憑著壬氏的一己之力發現了樓蘭妃消失的事情（話說這邊因為貓貓消失而焦急變很兇的壬氏也超級美味的）。貓貓消失的事情也傳到狐狸軍師羅漢的耳中，為了愛女不惜跑去嗆壬氏的羅漢卻被自己的叔父、貓貓的養父羅門治得死死的，羅漢只好直接說出自己的要求，請求眼前的壬氏、這個國家除了皇帝以外另一個「華」姓的青年同意出兵討伐逆賊子昌。

這裡的描述句突然就改以「華瑞月」這個壬氏的真名來描述他，我覺得這個描寫超級熱血的，也暗示壬氏在心中已經下定決心要恢復自己的身分，不再使用壬氏這個面具。而某方面來說，除了要處理子昌家的問題，其實也是為了要救出貓貓，壬氏才決定接下自己逃避的這個身分……這樣一想不覺得超萌的嗎？

說到壬氏偽裝成宦官的目的，這集只稍微提到契機。看來壬氏心中一直對於自己的身分感到自卑，因為自己跟父親還有兄長長的不像，所以他一直認為自己其實皇太后不貞的結果（看來壬氏本身還是不知道自己是被調換身分的真太子，而真正知道的人看起來只有阿多妃跟皇太后還有貓貓？），對此感到自卑的壬氏才會選擇逃避自己真正的身分的樣子。但是實際上他到底想以宦官的身分做什麼呢？另外從第三者的描述看來，先帝年輕的時候好像是跟壬氏超像的美少年耶，而且他受到那麼多人憎恨，到底是做了什麼啊？看目前的描述他好像也就是個無能，聽媽媽的話，懼怕成年女性，後期感覺精神狀況有點問題的人，到底這樣的人可以做什麼讓大家都麼恨他？

這集雖然故事有很大的進展，壬氏也正式以真正的身分出道（？），但實際上第四集其實真正的主角是樓蘭。

樓蘭一直跟在母親身邊。那個憎恨這個國家，總是欺負虐待侍女，故意在父親看的到的地方邀請一族的其他夫人沉溺在淫穢遊戲之中的母親，樓蘭總照著母親的希望反應，就像人偶一樣，只要這樣做母親就露出笑容，而不會越來越醜陋。為了去見自己的姊姊，那個明明是父親明媒正娶的妻子，但卻被母親當成妾的孩子不斷欺負的翠苓，樓蘭扮成侍女，但發現母親根本認不出自己的臉，只要做錯事情，惹母親生氣，樓蘭也一樣受到母親的懲罰。

而這樣的樓蘭選擇的登上舞台，扮演惡女，成功地將意圖謀反的「子」之一族推向滅亡。本來看第二集的時候，會以為翠苓是頭腦靈光，又有膽量的惡女，但實際上讀了這集之後會發現翠苓其實只是一直受到威脅的可憐少女，真正有膽量的人反而是樓蘭，雖然沒有明說但這集「子」之一族的所作所為，除了樓蘭的父親子昌之外，可能有極大一部份是由樓蘭背著母親所主導的結果。包括誘拐貓貓，將吃了復甦之藥的孩子託付給她，全部都在樓蘭的計算之中。

我個人認為樓蘭這個角色塑造的很成功。雖然在讀的時候已經隱約察覺到樓蘭應該會走向悲劇吧，但還是忍不住想像這個角色如果就這樣繼續待在後宮，成為國母，繼續跟貓貓當朋友的話會怎樣？雖然樓蘭看起來一點都不嚮往成為國母，甚至也不想要有小孩，所以在後宮裡才一直自己做墮胎藥來喝。

不過本集最後暗示樓蘭逃過一劫，以新的身分決定渡海到其他國家，這表示這個角色後面還會再登場吧？我個人非常期待。

是說這集雖然說後面幾乎貓貓跟壬氏都沒有見面，但是以CP的觀點來說其實可以提的事情很多，下面就讓我快速地條列式寫一下：

‧自從上一集的「青蛙事件」之後，貓貓跟壬氏的第一次見面，雖然感覺好像有點尷尬？但作為讀者的我完全就是吃爆米花幫壬氏加油的心情在閱讀。不過說實在的壬氏感覺就是那種經歷青蛙事件之後，突然意識到性方面的發情期國中生啊！還趁機摸了貓貓的臉跟嘴巴！然後引起玉葉妃他們的側目。

‧貓貓現在跟小蘭他們聊天的時候，聽到對方提到壬氏，她馬上就會想起青蛙的觸感（？），這完全變成心靈創傷了耶，完全是職災。

‧看到一堆侍女衝著壬氏而來，貓貓就在心裡想「這傢伙不是宦官的事情如果曝光的話……真是不想想像。快點剪掉不就好了（？）」而且貓貓還開始研究去勢的方法……壬氏塊陶！而且又不是切掉之後青蛙事件就可以當作沒有過。

‧高順一直督促壬氏去跟貓貓坦白，雖然他看起來似乎只是想拉貓貓進來當夥伴，但在我眼裡他根本就是督促壬氏去跟貓貓告白的推手（？）

‧貓貓需要壬氏幫忙，結果壬氏要求的回報是叫貓貓要把人家的話聽到最後（因為上集要跟貓貓坦白，結果被拿到藥材興奮的貓貓打斷）。聽了壬氏的要求貓貓覺得很疑惑，這樣就好了嗎？根本沒意識到自己做了什麼。後來壬氏就換一個回報了。而且不知道是鋪哏，還是剛好想到，總之就叫貓貓用髮簪，而且要用他送的（這裡壬氏那種不怎麼坦率但又很直接講出自己希望的感覺怎麼說超級萌的，媽媽救我）。是說決定貓貓戴上自己送的髮簪之後才要跟他坦白一切的壬氏是哪裡來的少女啊。

‧結果上面提的髮簪，被貓貓帶的，跟著出了後宮，結果貓貓竟然把髮簪拿來當料理蛇的工具……喂喂喂，妳可以對男主角送的禮物客氣一點嗎？然後貓貓又把髮簪送給看似要尋死的樓蘭，要她記得把髮簪還她，結果樓蘭在故事的最後又把髮簪賣掉……妳們這些人可以對男主角送的禮物客氣一點嗎？

‧本集壬氏好集次想襲擊貓貓結果都被打斷（？），老實說啊，我覺得與其一開始就那樣出手，應該要先從一些簡單的事情加油會比較好，先讓我們忘記青蛙的事情，可以先從親貓貓開始嗎？壬氏！至少先親一下再說，不然貓貓一輩子都不會察覺到壬氏的好感吧。實在是不懂幹嘛先咬脖子啊，高順拜託教教他啊。

總之這集壬氏恢復正式身分，甚至還公開露臉了，接下來作為自己真正的身分會怎麼行動實在是讓人很期待。另外這個人對貓貓的感情也爆表了，貓貓和壬氏之間的關係又會怎麼變化當然也是我個人期待的另一個點。而這集玉葉妃也正式成為皇后，後宮跟政治方面也很令人期待。我要快點買下一集。

[miyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
The story completely took another turn. So much intense action and mysteries were happening. I really love how this series ties all the little things together and creates a mind blowing history. On the other hand Jinshi at the end turned into a freak and just by knowing what happenes in the next volume uhh im scared.

To finalize even though it was sometimes tiring to read I give this book 5/5 because It really deserves it. The best part so far.

[Vega Mateos · Rating 5 out of 5]

simplemente devorando esta maravilla, pareciera que la señora espolvoreó crack entre cada palabra que leo de su puño🤩 todo de diez con esta saga hasta la fecha, a estas alturas no hay quien me pare los pies, se está convirtiendo en una favoritísima a niveles de la Sarita…

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually thought some of this was hard to follow. But interesting mystery and the end of the epilogue has me hooked. 3.5

[Anne-Marie Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This one had quite a lot of plot in it. Really enjoyed it!

[Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP to the anti-monarchy lesbians

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with thewhelmedlife!

Whilst I was aware that some of the events in this book were going to happen, I had assumed that it would be later down the line. So in short, volume four caught me a little off guard. Up until now, this series has had quite a steady pace and felt a lot more at home in the slice of life genre with just the occasional mystery. In this volume, however, I found the darker tones much more pronounced with a surprising amount of violence and more complex scheming as I would normally expect of a story set in a fictional Forbidden City.

MaoMao gets kidnapped and taken out of the Inner Palace which largely separates her from the cast we know as well as giving us more glimpses of life outside the palace. The stakes start to feel higher and, despite MaoMao and Jinshi being seperate for most of the volume, I do think the romance was more obvious in this volume too [at least from Jinshi's side].

While the tone is darker overall, there are still light hearted moments and MaoMao shenanigans even in the midst of the harshest scenes. I enjoyed seeing more of some of the support cast as well, most notably MaoMao [the cat].

[maddie ⊹₊⟡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

heheheheh. I love this.
So, so close to a 5 star.

“Instead of wishing fervently, it would be faster to simply fix your eyes on your goal and get moving.”

The only reason a 5 star cannot be giveth is due to the way they were explaining things at times. This was mostly in the middle-ish of the book, when lots of lore was being dropped. There was much to be explained, and it felt like some of it was written in an odd way. I got what they were saying, but it just doesn’t hit as hard. It seems like there is a little barrier there when reading this series, and I wonder why. In need of better translation, or is it just written like that? I’ll never know, but for those reasons it also made the middle of the book less entertaining than the rest of it was.

I must appreciate the plot of this one. It was such an improvement. The chapters flowed and felt completely inner connected. It was like, this was why I read the 3 previous books. It was ALL building up for this book. The foreshadowing went crazy. Things that happened 1 or 2 books ago and seemed like nothing were not nothing. It did that so well. Besides a few obvious bits of foreshadowing that I’m pretty sure they wanted me to understand, everything else that was revealed felt like perfectly placed little clues that were entirely unremarkable until you knew more.

“I think I’ll stick to chicken.”
— “Not frog?” Shisui asked.
“I don’t want to eat any frogs for a while…”
“What’s with the glassy look in your eyes, Maomao?”

I am so interested to see where the plot is going to go from here. It feels like mostly every loose end has been tied up. Also, several of the side characters won’t be around anymore, so it will be interesting to see what new characters there will be and all of that fun stuff.

[Gwyneth Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4. Listen… this series is everything to me. The first half of this was slow but it’s okay because the Jinshi crash out over Maomao makes it all worth it. I love how tender the ending is after such a bleak and stressful climax. The characters remain PEAK.

I’m so excited to read vol. 5 since this is book aligned the end of season 2 of the anime. Here on out is uncharted waters for me (I’m scared! And excited!)

[thea ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

slow buildup but wow the scale of this one didn’t disappoint. im so excited to see it drawn out and animated! i loved getting to see more depth from the characters, and the romance continue to naturally evolve. maomao is still her maomao self and i love it.

[Sophie Alb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da es skandalöserweise von dieser Geschichte erst zwei Staffeln gibt und die zweite noch nicht einmal komplett raus ist - musste ich zu drastischen Maßnahmen greifen und weiterlesen. Ich sag’s wie es ist: ich bin besessen von der Geschichte um Maomao und Jinshi. ICH LIEBE ES.

[izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series might be actually the cure to my reading slump because i finished this volume in one sitting 🧎‍♀️

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

И как мне жить эту жизнь пока я не дочитаю остальные девять томов? Also Дженши это пик криповости мужика

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was so much revealed in this volume! This story is getting more complex and I'm excited to see where we go from here.