The Apothecary Diaries

In the east, a territory is under the command of an emperor, where his wives and state servants reside in a large complex known as the hougong, the back palace. Maomao, a humble young girl raised by her pharmacist father, had never considered that the back palace would have any relationship with her until she was kidnapped and sold to serve as a servant there.

Despite her commonplace appearance, Maomao is endowed with a keen, sharp mind and a profound knowledge of medicine. That's her secret, until she crosses paths with Jinshi, a palace resident as perceptive as she. He sees beyond Maomao's ordinary appearance and makes her the personal taster of one of the emperor's favorite concubines so she can test the lady's food for the presence of poison!