History Characters / TheApothecaryDiaries

* DudeLooksLikeALady: Look at those [[LongHairedPrettyBoy luscious long locks]]. He is described as a tennyo (also known as a celestial maiden, nymph or fairy), which is a beautiful supernatural female spirit. Justified, as he's a eunuch, who look feminine due to a lack of testosterone. [[spoiler:Or so it was believed , as Jinshi isn't a eunuch. He's just been taking drugs to ''suppress'' his testosterone and emphasize his feminine features. Still, justified.]]

* BeneathTheMask: While Jinshi appears to be a serene and beautiful eunuch who carries himself with confidence and keeps the rear palace in working order, he is deeply insecure from the belief that the only merit he really has is his looks. He is neither a great scholar nor a brilliant general and pales to the large shadow that is [[spoiler:his "brother"/biological father, the Emperor]]. His real personality also can be quite childish, both in the sense of being more whimsical and playful, and also being whiny and wishing to be free of his responsibilities as quickly as possible. He only lets a select few people see this side of him.

* TeenGenius: Gyokuyou is still in her teens when Maomao starts serving her. She is highly valued for her intelligence as one of the upper-class consorts, and her cautiousness, foresight, and excellent skill in reading people correctly is one of the reasons why she does not suffer abuse like Lihua or Lishu do.

** [[spoiler:What Maomao likes about Jinshi is his kindness and consideration for others. However, she notes that she doesn't want Jinshi to be as self-sacrificial as Luomen, as its that quality of his that has had a hand in why he's had such an unlucky life]].

* ParentalSubstitute: It's commented in the novels that Gaoshun spent more time with Jinshi than Jinshi's actual parents. [[spoiler: Given the complications surrounding Jinshi's official parentage vs. his actual parentage, this is perhaps not surprising]].

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Lakan is as infamous for his eccentric nature as he is for his intelligence and keen insight. In fact, the La clan as a whole are known for having talented but eccentric members.

* HappilyAdopted: By Luomen, her great-uncle.

** [[spoiler:What Maomao likes about Jinshi is his kindness and consideration for others. However, she notes that she doesn't want Jinshi to be as self-sacrificial as Luomen, as that is what led to his "unluck".]]
** Averted when it comes to [[spoiler:Lakan. This is why she initially dislikes Jinshi, as he keeps pestering her and she thinks he's lazy (just like Lakan). As she finds out in Volume 2 though, Jinshi is actually constantly working to the point of exhaustion. She likes hard-working people (evidenced by the fact that she likes her older cousin Junjie much more than Lahan), but she doesn't want them to work themselves to the bone. That said, Jinshi and Lakan ''do'' share unexpectedly childish temperaments and fondness for pranks, and suffer from awkward communication issues]].

* KingIncognito: [[spoiler:Jinshi's SecretIdentity is in fact the Imperial younger brother, making him the crown prince until Gyokuyou bears a son to the Emperor. He entered the rear palace due to a bet with the Emperor, though its exact nature is unknown. Then there's the fact that he's actually still the crown prince as he's in truth the current Emperor's firstborn son.]]

* BeneathTheMask: While Jinshi appears to be a serene and beautiful eunuch, he is deeply insecure. His insecurities stem from his lack of self-confidence, as his only merit appears to be his looks. He is neither a great scholar nor a brilliant general and pales to the large shadow that is [[spoiler:his "brother"/biological father, the Emperor.]] He is also more childish than he lets on, which only a select few know of this facet of Jinshi.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a hereditary trait to fall madly in love with an unconventional person who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls ''hards'' for Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, though Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he ''truly'' loves above all others is androgynous, OneOfTheBoys Ah-Duo; she was for many years the Emperor's only consort, and he retained her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade even after she was rendered incapable of having children. Even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loves him as her childhood friend, she never saw him as a romantic partner ''or'' really wanted to be his consort, and she longed to explore the world rather than staying put in the rear palace]].

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a hereditary trait to fall madly in love with an unconventional person who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls ''hards'' for Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, though Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he ''truly'' loves above all others is androgynous, OneOfTheBoys Ah-Duo; she was for many years the Emperor's only consort, and he retained her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade even after she was rendered incapable of having children. Even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loves him as her childhood friend, she never saw him as a romantic partner or wanted to be his concubine, and she longed to explore the world rather than staying put in the rear palace]].

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a heredetary trait to fall madly in love with someone who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls deeply in love with Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, although Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he loves above all others is Ah-Duo; Ah-Duo was for many years the Emperor's only consort, and he retained her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade even after she was rendered incapable of having children. Even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loved him as her childhood friend, she never wanted to be his concubine and longed to explore the world]].

* DramaKing: As part of him being a {{Manchild}}, Jinshi has a tendency to react in comically overexaggerated ways when he's shocked, disgusted, depressed, or feels like he's been spurned. As a child he cried like the world was ending if he had his toys taken away from him.

* {{Manchild}}: Downplayed. Jinshi's playful nature often shows up when he starts teasing Maomao and treats her like a toy he can play with. It's noted by Gaoshun and Suiren that Jinshi used to be very possessive of his toys, which is why they regularly took his toys away from him to prevent it from becoming too much of a habit. He also often displays a number of other childish mannerisms that you would normally expect an adult to restrain, like reacting to things with overexaggerated surprise or disgust, or pouting openly when he doesn't get his way. However, it should be noted that [[spoiler:Jinshi is younger than the public believes him to be]].

* CasualKink: He seems to be a bit of a masochist, enjoying it whenever Maomao reacts to him with exasperation or revulsion. After being fawned over by onlookers to the point of exhaustion his entire life, the prospect of someone looking at him with abject disdain has become exciting. In fact after Maomao becomes more accustomed to being around Jinshi, he's still delighted when Maomao looks at him with disgust for the first time in awhile.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a heredetary trait to fall madly in love with someone who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls deeply in love with Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, although Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he loves above all others is Ah-Duo; Ah-Duo was for many years the Emperor's only consort, and he retained her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade even after she was rendered incapable of having children. Even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loved the Emperor as her childhood friend, she never wanted to be his concubine and longed to explore the world]].

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a heredetary trait to fall madly in love with someone who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls deeply in love with Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, although Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he loves above all others is Ah-Duo; Ah-Duo was for many years the Emperor's only consort. After Ah-Duo loses her womb and their son 'dies', he retains her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade despite her not being able to give him more children. Even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loved the Emperor as her childhood friend, she never wanted to be his concubine and longed to explore the world]].

* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Jinshi is effeminately gorgeous for a man while Ah-Duo is beautiully handsome for a woman. [[spoiler: which is to say, gender aside, their faces are remarkably similar on account of Ah-Duo being Jinshi's real biological mother]].

* {{Bifauxnen}}: While Ah-Duo is biologically female, her appearance is androgynous and her disposition is said to have a gallant quality to it, which causes many of her maidservants to fawn over her. Upon meeting her, Maomao notes that while she deems Ah-Duo to be beautiful regardless, she would look very handsome in a man's outfit. Maomao is proven correct when she runs into Ah-Duo wearing men's clothing while having a drink, shortly before her official dismissal as consort. In Ah-Duo's subsequent appearances, this seems to be her preferred way of dress. [[spoiler: Ah-Duo looking beautifully masculine for a woman goes hand in hand with her StrongFamilyResemblance to her biological son Jinshi, who looks ethereally feminine for a man]].

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's apparently a heredetary trait to fall madly in love with someone who, despite a genuine close relationship forming, does not return the feelings romantically. Jinshi falls deeply in love with Maomao, who at first vehemently dislikes him. But even after she begins to respect him and they grow to develop a good bond, she continues to have no interest in romance with him. Or anyone else, for that matter. [[spoiler:While Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he loves above all others is Ah-Duo; After Ah-Duo loses her womb and their son 'dies', he retains her as a high-ranking consort for over a decade despite her not being able to give him more children, and even when she ceases to be his consort altogether, he tries to keep her by his side in some form by giving her a villa to live in. But for all of the Emperor's devotion, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loved the Emperor as her childhood friend, she never wanted to be his concubine and longed to explore the world]].

* LikeFatherLikeSon: Jinshi falls deeply in love with Maomao, who at first dislikes him and, even after they grow closer and she begins to respect him, has no interest in romance with him or anyone else. [[spoiler:While Jinshi's real father the Emperor has favourites among his consorts and makes Gyokuyou his Empress when she gives birth to their son, it's heavily implied that the woman he loves above all others is Ah-Duo; he desperately tries to keep her beside him after she loses her womb, their son 'dies' and she even ceases to be his consort. Just to parrallel their son's situation even further, it emerges that while Ah-Duo genuinely loved the Emperor as her childhood friend, she never wanted to be his concubine and longed to explore the world.]]

* MistakenForRomance: "Jinshi the Eunuch" is observed to have a notably close relationship with the Emperor, such that rumors circulate that he's 'the Emperor's favorite' - as in, sexual partner. Maomao herself is even under this impression for a time. Given Jinshi's beautiful appearance and the fact he seems to have privleges beyond what would be normal for someone of his position, it is no wonder people speculate this. In truth, the reason for their closeness is [[spoiler: that Jinshi is officially the Emperor's brother, and, unbeknownst to Jinshi, actually the Emperors firstborn son]].

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Jinshi very quickly becomes interested in, and then infatuated, with Maomao. He then starts to engage in very outlandish methods to grab her attention or find excuses to invade her personal space. Maomao doesn't appreciate this in the slightest.

* AttractiveBentGender: In Volume 3, it becomes necessary to have a tall, attractive woman perform a special dance for two foreign envoys. Jinshi is roped in to do it. He's entirely convincing in the role.

* ChivalrousPervert: His enthusiastic fulfillment of his 'duties' in the rear palace, support of the 'instructional materials' Maomao supplies, and his open preference for women with a [[BuxomBeautyStandard certain endowment]] that Maomao personally lacks place him firmly in this territory. He also displays enough concern for the state of his consorts to qualify for the Chivalrous part. Maomao is surprised though when she finds out when he was still crown prince, he only had Ah-Duo as his one concubine.

* ClosestThingWeGot: While he ''is'' a legitimate doctor, he isn't a very good one; most accomplished doctors can find far better positions than one which requires them to be castrated.

* CasualKink: He seems to be a bit of a masochist, enjoying it whenever Maomao reacts to him with exasperation or disgust. After a lifetime of being fawned over by onlookers to the point of exhaustion, the prospect of someone looking at him with abject disdain has become exciting.

** Averted when it comes to [[spoiler:Lakan. This is why she initially dislikes Jinshi, as he keeps pestering her and she thinks he's lazy (just like Lakan). As she finds out in Volume 2, Jinshi is actually constantly working to the point of exhaustion. She likes hard-working people (evidenced by the fact that she likes her older cousin Junjie much more than Lahan), but she doesn't want them to work themselves to the bone.]]

* HotBlooded: Due to his young age, he is far more passionate in his duty to serve and quick to anger if he sees something he doesn't like. Compared to the similar-aged Maomao, he is far less mature and lacks experience.