
Okay so the main thing I kinda wanna know is does mao mao even like jinshi like that 😭. It seems like it’s super one sided and at times even kinda weird how one sided it is, like the anime is trying to push this relationship on to her. Do you know if she actually ever starts to show signs of liking him back and if they ever end up together? Another thing is why did mao mao leave the rear palace at the end of the season, wasn’t she hired bought out by jinshi at the beginning so couldn’t she have
Ok, so I’ll drop what lore I can, The relationship - mao mao and jinshi’s relationship is complicated cuz as much as she does like him in her own way, she’s a noble by birth, but wants her life to remain as lowkey as possible, and realizes she’s getting dragged back to her birth rank where she can’t preform apothecary experiments, however we’ll likely see some progress on this whole front this coming season.
Leaving the rear palace, following the whole kidnapping and battle, gokyu gives birth to a son, and is made empress. As a result, she is moved into the imperial palace and the rear palace jade pavilion is basically shut down, so Mao Mao doesn’t have a job to really go back to. Hence why she goes back to working in the pleasure district. Especially without Lumon working there anymore (He’s still in the rear palace.)