Is Jinshi Actually the Son of the Emperor? Maomao’s Chilling Theory in The Apothecary Diaries Sparked by His Uncanny Resemblance to Ah-Duo

In the anime The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi (CV: Takeo Ōtsuka) is portrayed as a character shrouded in mystery regarding his true identity. When Maomao (CV: Aoi Yūki) speculated that Jinshi might be the son of the current Emperor (CV: Daichi Endō), viewers were left stunned.

Ah-Duo (CV: Yūko Kaida), a former high-ranking consort, was the first woman to become a consort when the current Emperor was still Crown Prince. When she was giving birth to her baby boy, her labor coincided with that of the Empress Consort of the previous Emperor, causing Ah-Duo’s delivery to be deprioritized. Although her child was ultimately born, complications left Ah-Duo unable to bear children again, and she later lost her child in an unfortunate accident.

In Episode 11, Maomao suddenly notices how much Ah-Duo and Jinshi resemble each other. Previously, when sharing a drink with Maomao, Ah-Duo described her son as having “disappeared” rather than as having “died.” Recalling this, Maomao imagines, “What if Ah-Duo’s child had been switched with the previous Emperor’s child?” She goes on to consider that perhaps, in order to save her child, Ah-Duo exchanged her own baby for the son of the previous Emperor. However, Maomao soon dismisses this line of thinking as wildly “far-fetched.” Yet, if Maomao’s hypothesis were correct, Jinshi’s father would be the Emperor, which would make Jinshi an imperial prince with a claim to the throne.