That's why when Jinshi comes on to her, she surmises that she'll be raped and decides to submit rather than fight back. Conditioned to Accept Horror: Due to her upbringing in the red-light district, Maomao is well-informed on the cruelties of the world, whether it be rape or murder.

Commitment Issues: Maomao really has no interest in romance or marriage.

Cloudcuckoolander: When it comes to medicine and poison, she will eagerly get lost in thoughts.

If she wasn't so competent as an investigator and medical practitioner it's unlikely she'd get away with such things.

Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Maomao has been known to report the presence of poison (that she'd just had some of) with a big smile on her face, or barge into a pavilion and start ripping off maids' clothing.

Brutal Honesty: Maomao lacks a bit of tact, as she often is far too direct, which irritates people.

Why learn about history when it’s so boring? Not because of intellectual incapability, but rather a complete disinterest in the test criteria.

Brilliant, but Lazy: Despite high expectations from Jinshi and Gaoshun, Maomao fails the court lady exams.

Badass Normal: Maomao is fairly plain in appearance and status, but she makes up for it in moments of absolute badassery.

Even the kanji (貓貓) for her name is 'cat'.

Animal Motif: A cat, from her small frame to her highly curious personality, distant relationship to people and occasional irritability.

All of the Other Reindeer: Several characters with nefarious intent tend to underestimate/ignore Maomao because of her lower social status ( sometimes even within earshot of her), overlooking the fact that Jinshi graced them with her presence for a reason, mainly, to crack open the whole shebang.

Affectionate Nickname: Suiren and Gaoshun affectionately call her 'Xiaomao' ('xiao' being the equivalent to the Japanese '-chan' literally means 'little cat').

She considers Lihua's generous bosom a blessing. While Maomao doesn't angst over it per se, she is awfully aware of her lacking size and does notice those.with a more generous size. She seems to enjoy it a little too much, though. It's specifically because of this that she was assigned as a food taster. Whether it be snake bites, aphrodisiacs or hallucinogenic mushrooms, she's immune.

Acquired Poison Immunity: Due to her numerous experiments as a child, Maomao developed a strong resistance to poison.

She gradually builds notoriety, despite her wish for anything but. Now at his beck and call, Maomao is often consulted on mysterious deaths in the palace and various medicines. When she deduced the cause for the emperor's babies' 'curse', she attempted to warn the consorts discreetly, only to be discovered by Jinshi. Maomao is a 17-year-old dry apothecary who was kidnapped and sold into the imperial rear palace.

The apothecary diary