Rating: B+
Last episode’s mystery with the shrine provide a glimpse into the setting’s broader history. This episode, by contrast, looks at the closer history of the setting by starting to expand on Jinshi’s dream sequence from the beginning of last episode. (In the manga version, that dream sequence comes immediately before the content of this episode, but it does provide a little better – if more indirect – lead-in to the shrine visit.) It does so by focusing more on a character who’s appeared in the background a couple of times but never seen significant attention before: the current Empress Dowager.
But before it gets into the heavier content, it opens with the lighter fare, such as Maomao’s room being reassigned to a storage shed (supposedly as punishment, though it delights her) and Maomao’s encounter with the bug-happy Shisui, for whom some have mistaken her (much more to Maomao’s consternation). This and Maomao using Jinshi’s handkerchief as an information provided provide most of the episode’s requisite dose of humor.
The greatest attention, though, is on the Empress Dowager, who is here named for the first time as Lady Anshi. Though no longer reigning, she’s an influential figure responsible for establishing the clinic, officially ending slavery, and doing away with the practice of making eunuchs. The middle of those accomplishments is arguably the most impactful and yet least complete one; Maomao’s own situation at the start of the series was, for all practical purposes, slavery, and many of the courtesans in the Pleasure District effectively are, too, so the practice is more disguised but still present. Still, it helps depict Anshi as a woman of deep compassion, which contributes to why Maomao seemed a little startled by the question Anshi asked her: did she curse the previous Emperor to death?
This one requires a lot of context to fully understand, and not all of that context is available in this episode. Back during the first garden party in the first season, Maomao flinched upon hearing how young Lady Anshi was when she gave birth to the current Emperor, and while we still don’t get an exact age here, comments in this episode strongly suggest that she may have been as young as 10. Since rumors were flying about the former Emperor being a pedophile, that means Lishu being sent to the Rear Palace the first time at age nine wasn’t just a political arrangement but wholly intended to make her the Emperor’s sexual partner, which is all the more creepy. That apparently wasn’t the former Emperor’s only issue, either, as the dream sequence last episode and some of what’s mentioned this episode suggest that he had other mental issues, too, in addition to being a lifelong Momma’s Boy. That the current Emperor came out normal despite having such a father was no doubt heavily due to Anshi, and the country should venerate her for it.
Unsurprisingly, Anshi’s relationship to the previous Emperor seems to have been a rocky one. Her chief lady-in-waiting here claims that Anshi daily wished for his death, though whether that was just because of his predilections or other factors, too, is unclear at this point. Clearly she got the upper hand on him at some point if she got the aforementioned policy changes implemented, but given his preferences, this also raises the question of how she had a second child by the former Emperor nearly 20 years later. There’s definitely a lot more to this story, which should play out more next episode. For now, the former Emperor’s body being well-preserved also speaks to the mystery about whether the former Emperor really did die of “old age.” I’ve heard that bodies these days don’t decay as rapidly as they used to because of all of the preservatives present in modern foods, so doubtless something along that line is in play here.
In all, it’s a pretty neat set-up for a big mystery, and one that weaves in a lot of setting detail, too. (And let’s not forget that the mystery about who taught Lihua’s former lady-in-waiting about the abortive drug still lingers in the background.) The big details are all great and the artistry looks as sharp as ever, but once again I liked the little details, too, like how Anshi handles Princess Lingli during her meeting with Gyoukuyou. I also appreciated that Anshi is also suggested to be quite clever, as she indicates her intent to talk to Maomao to Gyoukuyou with just a glance and quite probably set up the tea party to have an inconspicuous way to have Maomao filled in about what she wants Maomao to investigate. Despite her seeming gentle nature, she has to be a formidable woman to have come through what she has. The circumstances involved make her another intriguing side character.
The one negative about this episode is that it lays on the ominous and dramatic music uncharacteristically thickly, to the point of overkill at times. Some might also find Jinshi not making a single appearance (is this the first episode where that’s happened?) to be distinctive, too. In general, though, it’s a solidly-executed set-up for what should be the crux of the mystery next episode.
USA Anime 