Loulan
A character from The Apothecary Diaries. Loulan is one of the four high-ranking consorts in the Inner Palace, holding the title of Pure Consort at the Garnet Pavilion following the departure of Ah-Duo. She is the daughter of Shishou, a powerful prime minister who served under the previous emperor. Retaining a silent and virtually expressionless demeanor, she becomes a constant topic of inner palace gossip due to her unusual habit of drastically altering her clothing, hairstyle, and overall style on a daily basis.
Overview
A character from The Apothecary Diaries. Loulan is one of the four high-ranking consorts in the Inner Palace, holding the title of Pure Consort at the Garnet Pavilion following the departure of Ah-Duo. She is the daughter of Shishou, a powerful prime minister who served under the previous emperor. Retaining a silent and virtually expressionless demeanor, she becomes a constant topic of inner palace gossip due to her unusual habit of drastically altering her clothing, hairstyle, and overall style on a daily basis.
Appearance
She is a young woman with black hair, slanted golden eyes, and refined facial features. Adhering to the element of water associated with her role, her primary visual aesthetic features dark garments paired with a flashy hairpin ornamented with bird feathers. However, she frequently shifts her attire, wearing northern tribal garments, male-style Hu clothing, or Western-style dresses with tight corsets. She changes her makeup, hairstyles, accessories, and her attendants' outfits to match each look. Deep red makeup applied around the outer corners of her eyes hides her natural features, though she possesses a figure favored by the Emperor.
Personality
Loulan possesses a quiet and detached personality. Rarely speaking or displaying emotion, she gives off a mysterious and unreachable impression to those around her. Despite her important role as a consort expected to bear the Emperor's child, she shows absolute indifference toward her duties, even ignoring instructional lectures for consorts. Her emotionless and unpredictable nature leaves both the Emperor and Maomao bewildered regarding her true thoughts.
Abilities
Upon entering the Inner Palace, she demonstrated her status by bringing an unusually large entourage of maidservants and attendants. She also exhibits a notable ability to effortlessly change her style, flawlessly pulling off makeup, hairstyles, and traditional attire from entirely different cultures on a daily basis.
Background
Loulan was born to Shishou, head of the Shi clan and prime minister, and Shenmei, a former high-ranking consort under the previous emperor. Entering the Inner Palace at age 17 as the Pure Consort, she was brought into special instruction sessions led by Maomao upon the recommendation of Consort Gyokuyou and Consort Lihua; however, she handed the study materials to her maid and paid no attention. Although the Emperor visits her residence regularly for political reasons, her constantly changing appearance leaves him bewildered, preventing them from developing a closer relationship.
Relationships
She is the daughter of Prime Minister Shishou and his wife Shenmei, and is related to Suirei and Shisui. Her husband, the Emperor, visits her periodically due to her father's political influence, though he is constantly puzzled by her changing disguises. Maomao views her as an enigma whose thoughts cannot be read. She also shares connections with fellow high consorts Gyokuyou and Lihua, and is served by attendants such as Renfu.
Trivia
Her name is believed to originate from Loulan, the historical ruined city located at the eastern edge of the Tarim Basin famous in exploration literature. In real-world media, she has appeared as a high-difficulty event boss in a collaboration event for the mobile game Monster Strike.
