The Apothecary Diaries just keeps getting better and better! Episode 9 of Season 2 did it again, reminding us why this series has stolen our hearts to begin with. Especially, that epic scene where Maomao uncovers the former emperor’s painting was simply mindblowing.
The way Maomao’s investigation led her to the remnants of his painting supplies and that wallpaper-reveal, both were insanely well executed. But are you sure there was only one painting, or is there more to the story? It seems unlikely that the former emperor would go to such great lengths to hide just one, so, what else might be lurking in the shadows, waiting to be uncovered?
How the previous emperor got into painting and why did even try to hide it?
No one apparently beats Maomao when it comes to her problem-solving skills, and that was proved again in episode 9 of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2! In this episode, we finally find out that the previous Emperor had a secret passion for painting, and he was using that sealed-off, private sanctum to get his art on. But, of course, one can imagine this must have been a major no-no for someone in his position.
As the Emperor, people expected him to be strong and stoic. Also, people back in the day used to think something like art was just frivolous (even many people now think so too)! And it’s actually pretty sad when you think about it.
The Emperor was clearly not cut out for ruling, he was weak, easily manipulated, and had some pretty questionable tendencies. But, who knows, maybe if he’d been allowed to pursue his art, he’d have turned out to be a totally different person. So it’s understandable why he wanted to keep his creative side hidden, given the expectations placed on him.
There must be more paintings still hidden that can answer further underlying mysteries
Now, one can’t help but wonder, with Maomao uncovering that first painting, if there are even more hidden paintings waiting to be found. Surely the Emperor did not spend years working on a single painting. If the Emperor was using that private sanctum to create art, isn’t it quite unlikely he’d stop at just one? There must be more paintings hidden away, waiting to be discovered by Maomao.
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byu/Lorhand from discussion
inKusuriyaNoHitorigoto
Another thing that was interesting about this painting was how it seemed to be inspired by his own regrets, which makes you wonder what other such paintings would be like. Considering the painting of Anshi is the most recent one, it’s likely that the Emperor started with a different piece and then built upon it.
The more you look at the Emperor’s paintings, the more you notice these tiny details that reveal a lot about him as a person. Like he barely uses red and green! It’s probably because he’s red-green colorblind which was already established in the previous episode, and it is pretty cool to pick up on. So the painting Maomao found could just be another piece of the puzzle for all the secrets the previous Emperor held.
The Apothecary Diaries is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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