The Moment Maomao Realized the Theory that Jinshi Might Be the Emperor's Offspring - Unstoppable Speculation on What If the Prince Had Been Swapped in "The Apothecary Diaries"

The biggest mystery of the first season of the anime "The Apothecary Diaries" was the true identity of the handsome eunuch Jinshi (CV: Takeo Otsuka). In episode 11, Maomao (CV: Aoi Yuki) comes to the hypothesis that Jinshi might actually be the son of the Emperor (CV: Daichi Endo), which sparked endless speculation among viewers.

At one point, Maomao learns about a past incident involving the former high-ranking consort, Lady Ah-Duo (CV: Kaida Yuko), and her son. While observing Jinshi and Lady Ah-Duo together, Maomao notices a resemblance between them.

Lady Ah-Duo was the first consort of the current Emperor when he was the Crown Prince and gave birth to a son. However, her childbirth coincided with that of the Empress of the previous Emperor, and Lady Ah-Duo's delivery was delayed. Although the child was born safely, Lady Ah-Duo lost her uterus and was unable to bear more children. Moreover, the child later died in an unfortunate accident.

When Lady Ah-Duo was leaving the imperial harem, she spoke with Maomao over drinks, referring to her son not as "dead" but as "gone." Maomao found this wording strange and imagined that Lady Ah-Duo's child might have been switched with the previous Emperor's child.