Shisui

Overview

A character from The Apothecary Diaries. She is a bright and talkative new maidservant in the Rear Palace, ostensibly attached to Consort Loulan. Known for her overwhelming passion for insects, she frequently wanders the palace grounds catching bugs. Despite her tall stature, her youthful facial features and voice create a unique contrast. She quickly befriends Maomao and Xiaolan, forming a close trio with them.

Appearance

She features purple hair and green eyes. Although she has a tall frame, her face retains a youthful, childish look. She is slender when fully clothed but possesses a surprisingly well-developed figure. Her visual depictions include Chinese-style garments with long sleeves and hair styled in double buns.

Personality

Exuberant, highly talkative, and naturally friendly, she easily forms bonds with others. Her extreme fascination with bugs is famous among the maids, who gossip about her happily chasing insects. Beneath her eccentric exterior lies an intelligent and cultured mind, capable of reading, writing, and drawing detailed pictures of bugs on costly paper. She is also deeply caring, offering practical advice and teaching helpful skills to Xiaolan for her life after her palace service ends.

Abilities

She possesses extensive knowledge of insect ecology and behavior. Highly literate, she can read, write, and produce fine illustrations of insects on premium paper. Furthermore, she knows proper massage techniques and understands how to navigate palace social networks to establish personal connections.

Background

Introduced as a palace maid, she quickly integrates herself into a trio with Maomao and Xiaolan. In truth, she is Consort Loulan, one of the high-ranking consorts. She used body doubles to maintain her official presence while disguising herself as a maid to gather intelligence. Born to Shi Cheong and Shenmei, she is also the younger half-sister of Suirei. During the downfall of the Shi clan's rebellion, she fed innocent children a feigned-death potion developed by Suirei and entrusted them to Maomao. Though reported dead after falling from a besieged fortress, she survived thanks to a hairpin given by Maomao that deflected a bullet, eventually adopting the name Tamamo in a port town to begin a new journey overseas.

Relationships

She shares a strong bond of friendship with Maomao, as both possess an inquisitive, scholarly nature. She acts as a protective older-sister figure to Xiaolan, offering guidance for her future. She maintains a secret, loving sisterly connection with her elder half-sister, Suirei. While high officials like Jinshi and Gaoshun were initially unaware of her presence as a maid, she ultimately joined Jinshi during the final events of her clan's uprising.

Trivia

She appeared as a boss character in a collaboration event within the game Monster Strike. Her alias 'Tamamo' is often noted for its connection to Tamamo-no-Mae, the legendary shape-shifting fox from folklore.