Fengxian

Overview

Fengxian is a character in The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto). She is a former top-ranking courtesan of the Rokushoukan brothel in the pleasure district and the biological mother of the protagonist, Maomao. In her prime, she was famed not only for her striking beauty but also for her unexcelled mastery of board games such as Go and Shogi. After a tragic sequence of misunderstandings and severe hardship, she fell ill and sank into obscurity. In the main story, she is depicted as a bedridden woman cared for in an isolated annex of the brothel, sharing a deep and tragic history with the military strategist Kan Lakan.

Appearance

In her youth, Fengxian was recognized as a remarkable beauty. She features long green hair styled in a half updo or pulled back over her shoulder with ornaments like hair sticks and rings, alongside red eyes, eyelashes, lipstick, eyeshadow, a facial mark, and exposed collarbone. By the present storyline in her estimated forties, severe syphilis has left her bedridden, with lesions covering her skin, a missing nose, and a missing portion at the tip of her finger.

Personality

During her years as a courtesan, Fengxian was proud, aloof, and notably sharp-tongued, refusing to flatter male patrons. Beneath her cold and unyielding exterior, however, lay an intensely passionate yet prideful nature. Unable to express her feelings directly, she conveyed her affection through calculated gambles over strategy games. When driven to despair by tragic misunderstandings, her emotions manifested in severe and unyielding acts of anger. In her later years, neurosyphilis robbed her of her intellect, leaving her abrasive even toward those caring for her.

Abilities

Fengxian is an exceptionally gifted player of strategy board games, specifically Go and Shogi. Within the pleasure district, her intellect on the board was legendary. In Go, she remained completely undefeated, even scoring an overwhelming victory against the brilliant military strategist Kan Lakan, establishing her as arguably the supreme player in the narrative.

Background

As a celebrated courtesan at Rokushoukan, Fengxian first crossed paths with military officer Kan Lakan through a Go match. Over repeated games, a quiet connection formed between them. Facing impending buyouts from wealthy clients, she risked everything on a game with Kan Lakan and conceived their child, Maomao. However, Kan Lakan was suddenly dispatched away for three years, leading her to believe she had been abandoned. The resulting scandal ruined her standing, forcing her into low-tier prostitution where she contracted syphilis. After seventeen years of suffering in isolation, she was finally reunited with Kan Lakan through the assistance of Maomao and Meimei. He purchased her freedom, and she spent her final year peacefully in his care before passing away.

Relationships

Kan Lakan was her opponent on the game board and her lasting love, who wept upon their eventual reunion after seventeen years and redeemed her from the brothel. Maomao is her biological daughter; despite a painful past, Maomao acts as an apothecary providing her medication and helping arrange her reunion with Kan Lakan. Meimei, a high-ranking courtesan who was once her apprentice, faithfully visits and cares for her in her infirmity. Kan Luomen took in and raised her daughter after Fengxian's fall from grace.

Trivia

Although the setting of the story is modeled after 16th-century China, the depiction of medical knowledge regarding syphilis treatment in the narrative reflects a level of scientific understanding far more advanced than that historical era. Additionally, details regarding Fengxian's own mother have been hinted at by the original author.