The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 6

薬屋のひとりごと [Kusuriya no Hitorigoto] (Light Novel) #6

by Natsu Hyuuga, Touco Shino (Illustrator), Kevin Steinbach (Translator)

The events in the western capital threaten to shake not only the political order, but Maomao’s personal relationships as well, and she departs the city uncertain what her future holds. A detour on the way home, however, gives her an unexpected insight into her own family. Meanwhile, Consort Lishu finds herself at the center of an ugly scandal. Might the truth of the matter help explain everything that’s happened recently?

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

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2016

About the author

See: 日向夏

Reviews

[aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

I love reading these books for Jinshi and Maomao’s moments. They talk to each other maybe three times in each one, but it keeps me alive.

[pluto (elif) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 i miss gaoshun

[aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts on this but thE PROLOGUE ???????? HELLO ???? natsu hyuuga i know exactly what you are

[Megan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75
The parts of this that were good were really good, but the parts that weren't dragged a lot more than the other volumes have up to this point

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay but why was this so good???
Jinmao: SLAYYYYYYYYYYY
Basen: SLAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Storyline: SLAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[Umairah (Sereadipity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel so so bad for Lishu the poor girl really is going through it all the time but I'm glad that she hopefully will get a chance to be happy soon. This volume was pretty interesting and I liked getting to see more of Lakan's family and Maomao's reactions to it all.

[Amalea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The slowest of slow burns ….. It hurts so good

[Brooke (~!Books are my Favorite!!~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maomao is that character who I have to follow all her adventures, even the mundane because she is a great character. More serious than shy, her sharp mind gets her in as much trouble as it saves for others! She has a lite-sarcasm to her wit, and is more interested in testing poisons than gossiping about hot eunuchs. Even if the hot Eunuch could bring a country to its knees with his beauty. Even if the hot Eunuch is obsessed with her and only her, gives her special hair twirls and cheek brushes, even if the hot Eunuch Jinshi is secretly not actually - this is a spoiler from earlier novels - he's not a Eunuch, it's a disguise. And not everyone knows. But Maomo does. And she'd rather not.

[❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
LISHU GET BEHIND MY BACK 🤺🤺
this volume was so exciting and twisty, way better than the last one. probably because vol. 5 was more like a build up for this one, but the way things connected in the two volume was so fascinating. maomao is literally a female sherlock holmes in imperial china, jinshi being her watson.

another little thing....it's not enough to be obsessed with jinmao, now i have lishu and basen too in my mind!! they're so sweet and cute, i really hope we'll get to read some scenes about them.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this were super interesting & parts were a bit of a snore-fest (or maybe I was just missing Jinshi)

Basen>>>>>

[aurei · Rating 5 out of 5]

will every volume be getting 5 stars from me? perhaps.

[izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

the pacing of this volume was the slowest so far, and unfortunately i wasn’t particularly invested in the white lady subplot. however, i really felt bad for lishu. 🥲

[Christina Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much!

I love a good ministry, and this author always delivers. I love her characters, the plots and their pieces are always so interesting and intricate. Moving with all the romantic foreplay… At least she’s making tiny steps forward. But if she went any faster it wouldn’t be realistic with her characters personalities and foibles. She needs to get cracking on the next one though cause I’m about to bust cause there’s not another one waiting in the wings. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lishu has been through too much! Towards the end, my heart really was in my throat. I was afraid things were really going to take a dark turn for the worst, but once again Natsu Hyuuga turned it around for me and warmed the cockles of my heart.

That snake lady is really amounting to be something very big and problematic.

I’m waiting for volume 7’s localization!

[c1nnaden ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

finito troppo in fretta 😭 non so come potrò attendere il volume 7 con i nostri tempi biblici ma ahimè, tocca farlo.

un volume davvero dinamico, sono successe tantissime cose, tantissimi personaggi che hanno interagito con Maomao (anche se mancava terribilmente Jinshi e il suo essere mega sottone sigh)

Lishu e Basen sono due cuoricini e spero che l'Imperatore permetta loro di conoscersi meglio e fare i fidanzatini, lui troppo un tesoro che l'ha letteralmente salvata da morte certa 😭

i pochi momenti tra Jinshi e Maomao sono stati apprezzatissimi, troppo carino quando le fa il solletico 😭

ofc non vedo l'ora di scoprire di più del piano della ambasciatrice e del perché vuole entrare nell'harem.

4.5⭐️ spero esca asap il prossimo volume aaaa 😭😭

[Katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

this part slayed esp the ending justice for my girl Lishu she had done nothing wrong and i also hope she can get that basenussy.

[Hotmess Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume started off with the funniest prologue! Jinshi and Basen provided comedy! I loved seeing Maomao carve out her life, but of course the palace shenanigans dragged her back. I loved the new characters we got to know! This big mystery was so much and at moments too much hahah Linshu stressed me out! They are letting way too much go! Shut the palace down! Still invested in this incredible world and story. Can't wait to see who Maomao humbles next 💕

[Kimbot the Destroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to take a break but I can't stop. Yes, I love the romance, but I am very concerned about the impending crisis and how Li is going to handle it.
I am 100% on board the Basen train now.

[Sophie Alb · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% süchtig nach dieser Serie. Liebesmäßig ein absoluter slooooowww buuuuurn dazu medizinisch krimimäßig im fiktiven kaiserlichen China aber aus japanischer Feder - I Love it.

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took an embarrassingly long time for me to read this but I got SCARED okay?! Anyway it was fantastic but the mystery was real confusing (I literally have no idea how they can condense it for a manga. There's too much detail).

Most important takeaway: I love Basen so so much.

Also, love that Hyuuga knew we would need Jinshi to go away for a minute to survive the tension but brought him back at the exact moment I was starting to say "WHERE IS HE?"

This one also isn't as funny as the others have been, but that's okay because this definitely feels like a bridge book to wrap some things up and set up the next few.

[XA · Rating 5 out of 5]

tan lindos mis dos niños Basen y Lishu♡ viva esta pareja que está enamorada

[Jas · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a lishu fan so this sort of dragged on for me. i also confess that the white lady story was uninteresting to me/way too convoluted.

[James 🦤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lishu makes me feel very seen. Finally, a character with luck comparable to my own.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Lishu related absolutely shattered my heart. I really hope Mr "I broke both my legs, ripped out my fingernails, and dislocated my shoulder to save you" will make up his mind

[Jesica · Rating 3 out of 5]

CLASIFICATION: 3.3 ESTRELLAS
Esperando la tercera temporada del anime.

En este volumen solo nos confirman los sentimientos que tiene Basen por ese personaje y hara todo por salvarla. Son muy pocos las escenas que vemos de Jinshi Y MaoMao. En realidad senti este volumen como uno de transicion y un tris relleno para lo que probablemente viene.



SPOILERS ---- APUNTES DE COSAS QUE SUCEDEN EN ESTE VOLUMEN PARA CUANDO SALGA LA SIGUIENTE TEMPORADA Y PUEDA RECORDAR QUE SUCEDE Y SI ES FIEL A ESTO: Comienza con una situacion comprometedora entre Basen y Jinshi, y nos enteramos que Basen se enamoro a primera vista de alguien prohibido. Termina con Basen siendo el héroe de Lishu, y tb se descubre más intrigas qué dejaron en el palacio interior. Y Jinshi se entera de otra zona erogena de MaoMao.

Ps: también nos cuentan que hasta allá llegó la historia de romeo y julieta.

[♡ lívia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jinshi and Mamao's relationship reached new levels in this volume. Although we barely get scenes with them together, it's impossible not to be captivated by their dynamic. The slowest of the slow burns.

We also get to know more about the Lan clan and how Maomao navigates this new area of her life.

The political intrigues and mystery cases never fail to entrain me, and the secondary characters are so well written — each of them have their own story that enriches the main plot, as well as their well developed personalities.

This entire series is superb.

[ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so happy we get to learn more about Lishu! I do feel bad for her that her attempt at a kind act to make friends completely backfired on her. Hopefully life will be kinder to her in upcoming volumes.

“Maybe he was hoping she would come right out and say she loved him, but quite frankly, Maomao wasn’t at a point where she could bring those words to her lips.”

Jinmao’s slow-burn makes me want to bang my head against the wall. I understand why they have to be slow-burn, but that doesn’t stop me from going insane.

[nyaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the books of all time. will take a break from this series tho

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

PEAK COMEDY. Peak Maomao unhinged-ness. Peak Maomao and Jinshi being so in tune with each other despite not currently being on speaking terms.

Scenes that made me lol:
- Jinshi and Basen essentially having a rizz lesson 😭 not Jinshi practicing on him to learn how to impress Maomao 🤣
- MAOMAO GETTING JOY FROM MANIACALLY FLIPPING THE COURT LADIES’ SKIRTS 💀💀💀

“With a “Hiyah!” she grabbed two of the wailing womens’ robes, flipping them up. (…) The women whose skirts had been flipped quickly crouched down, trying to hide themselves, while those who Maomao hadn’t gotten to yet panicked and tried to run.

Well, damn. This is more fun than I expected!

She hadn’t understood what was so great about it until she’d done it for herself, chasing the crying women around pulling at the hems of their dresses. She finally started to understand what that lustful old man had been feeling. Well, that wasn’t good.”

Scenes of Maomao x Jinshi that I loved:
- “She could feel his heartbeat, but he couldn’t feel hers. What did she think, feeling the way it raced and pounded?” (My heart broke for Jinshi 😭💜 don’t give up on Maomao, she just takes longer to come around than most hearts)
- “Jinshi glanced at Maomao, but she shook her head. Jinshi took a step back as if to say he was trusting her to handle things from here on.” (ugh they are so in SYNCCC…also Jinshi has so much trust in her 😩🥺)
- “No sooner had the court ladies noticed Jinshi than they blushed furiously—until they spotted Maomao and looked incensed instead. But Maomao and Jinshi both ignored them; there was no time to pander to the likes of them.” (as they should!!! Maomao is HER and Jinshi is HIM…name a better duoooo)
- When Jinshi tried to ask Maomao what she feels about him and this is all she could say:

Quite frankly, Maomao wasn’t at a point where she could bring those words to her lips. The best she could manage was that she wasn’t without a certain affection for him.

Instead she said, “The caterpillar fungus made me very happy.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

“Also, the ox bezoars were most helpful.”

“And what else?”

“And I want that velvet antler.”

(Maomao physically unable to admit her feelings is so real 😭 also, can we just acknowledge that coming from Maomao, this is basically a love confession?? Her love language is literally poisons and herbs - and Jinshi knows this better than anyone 🤭🫶)

[Silkywhip · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5
In some places the book dragged a lot. Neither Lishu nor the mystery of the White Lady really interested me. However, I thought it was good when we got Lishu's POV in between. That made everything a little more bearable for me because I now think of her as less stupid. My favorite part was about the La Clan. I also liked that Maomao and Jinshi had more distance from each other after the epilogue from the last book. >.>


✨Spoilers✨
Still, it's wild that they don't talk about it and Jinshi's biggest problem for him was that his frog puked too early… While Mamao is kinda afraid of being alone with him „She desperately hoped he wouldn’t strangle her again.“ BUT on the same page she also thinks about how she likes him more than she did at the beginning of the story.