The man had apparently been in the habit of deceiving and abandoning courtesans with sweet words, and had even been poisoned before. To kill the now cautious man, the courtesan prepared poison made from soaked tobacco leaves and two types of liquor with different alcohol contents. When quietly poured into a vessel, the difference in density created layers like a cocktail. The courtesan first drank from the straw the lower layer without poison to dispel the man's wariness, leading him to drink the upper poisonous layer along with the liquor. After the man collapsed, the courtesan also drank a small amount of the poison, just enough to appear as if she intended to die with him, but not enough to kill herself.

Recalling the events, Maomao thought of the apprentice girl who seemed intent on killing the man out of spite, and the other courtesans who sympathized with the girl claiming the man had abandoned her sister. Maomao wondered if perhaps many people were involved in the incident. However, she quickly reminded herself not to speak based on mere speculation and stopped pondering further.

Viewers praised Maomao's deduction, with comments like "Maomao's insight in seeing through the trick from circumstantial evidence was brilliant! The separation of the liquor was a blind spot" and "As expected from the great detective Maomao." The narrative, which left the full truth unrevealed, also garnered reactions such as "The episode was excellent as a mystery, leaving room for viewers' imagination about how many were involved until the end" and "It was engaging and enjoyable to see Maomao thinking deeply without clearly revealing the culprit's true intentions."

(C)Hyuganatsu, Imagica Infos/"The Apothecary Diaries"Project

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