Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Full Length | The Apothecary Diaries | 2x9 (Patreon)

Published:
2026-11-07 20:48:03
Imported:
2026-11
Tags:

Videos

  • 779774061.mp4

Downloads

Content

E33 - The Late Emperor
You'll need to sync up your own copy of the episode in order to watch along with us. Watched on Crunchyroll. Open 2 windows, one with our reaction and one with the video, then arrange them how you see fit! Press Play on "Go".

We use a watch along format in order to comply with copyright laws.
Thanks so much for your support here on Patreon!
Until the next one!
-Haylo & Kiss 💕

Files

Comments

Lee Wood

i think you did well being upfront with the facts of whats presented, the late emporer had terrible proclivities. I think that environment made the emotional weight of the dowager also change deeply. As can be the case with grooming

Blue Idea Factory

The emperor, without excusing him, was according to theories taken advantage of when he was young. His mother, a low ranking concubine (see last episode as they introduce the room as his mother's) had not the status to protect him. See how Jinshi is lusted over. So when all his brother's died, he became emperor, but he was never ready. So his mother took the power. Either bc she wanted power or she sacrificed her legacy (becoming called the so called empress) to protect him now. You see his trauma response to Anshi's sister touching his arm. As one said: hurt people hurt people. I really love how nuanced they show a difficult topic. No one was without fault, but no one was all fault.

Carson Edmiston

A thing I really like about this episode is that it doesn't pull punches, it just gives you all the facts, despite how sickening they are, and shows you how literally everyone involved in this whole situation are all doing bad things. The late emperor is the biggest offender, but he also seems just so mentally unwell that I wonder how much of it is the result of things that were done to him in his early life

kaylee silver

The show does not and nor do I excuse the late emperor for his actions, but it does add a very human element to him, He was a flawed and damaged person who was likely emotionally stunted from becoming emperor as a child. his fear of Women likely stemmed from his controlling mother. We all accept a child cant consent because they aren't mentally and emotionally developed enough, but that also doesn’t mean she wasn’t a willing participant. It's a complex story that does not excuse either of their actions but it also does not condemn them. this is a story that in some form may have played out in our history. In any nation on the planet old enough to have emperors and kings. Hell for a real world example, the alleged accusations against Michael Jackson follow a similar story, a likely emotionally stunted man who was denied a real childhood never grows past connecting with children better than adults. Its a difficult but very real topic that i think this show handles very well.

Cyber

Alright, let's add to what the other commentators already said without spoilers! Everything below is either known information, hints, or my own theories, so take the speculation with a grain of salt! 1. The former emperor: a victim AND a monster Like others mentioned, there's a theory that the former emperor was abused as a child, possibly even sexually. Whether his mother was the abuser or simply couldn't protect him, she was the dominant adult woman in his life, which could explain his extreme fear of mature women. Remember the colorful doors episode? His siblings died from illness, leaving him the sole male heir. Ironically, his mother's isolation of him may have saved his life while leaving him emotionally stunted and completely unprepared to become emperor. Instead of helping him, the court enabled his abuse of little girls to produce heirs. His entire existence became about producing more royal pawns, with no real identity of his own, not even the freedom to enjoy painting. NONE of this excuses his actions. It just helps explain how someone who was potentially a victim himself became a monster. 2. Anshi's revenge and the yellow painting Anshi was one of his victims, even if she believed she knew what she was getting into. She was still a child who couldn't meaningfully consent. Once she became an adult, he feared and discarded her. She eventually sexually assaulted him in return, hoping to leave a permanent mark on him, much like childbirth left a scar on her body. She also believes Jinshi was conceived from that incident. If the theories about his childhood abuse are true, Anshi's actions may have reopened those wounds. She believed she'd broken his mind and "cursed" him into isolating himself and painting until his death. Now, my take on the yellow painting might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out! What if experiencing abuse himself made him FINALLY recognize the pain he'd inflicted on others? If he grew up abused, isolated, and surrounded by people who enabled his behavior, maybe he never fully understood how wrong it was. It's a little like an abused dog that was never properly raised or taught boundaries by a caring owner. If nobody teaches it right from wrong, you can't expect it to magically understand why certain behaviors are harmful. That doesn't erase the harm it causes, but it does raise questions about who failed it along the way. Maybe the former emperor isolated himself not JUST out of fear, but also to protect others from himself once he realized what he has done, when it was done to him at a later age by someone he wasn't afraid of BEFOREhand. It made him realize that someone can be scary and do bad things, even though they were innocent and childlike when he "loved them" beforehand, ergh. Perhaps he was even trying to apologize or show Anshi his yellow orpiment painting before his mother dragged him away, while she retained all her powers as "empress", while the "weak emperor" was unable to express what he wanted to say to ANYONE (jinshi's speculation). The yellow dress suggests he DID remember Anshi, rather than only his mother as she feared. Whether that was remorse, disturbing affection, or simply another traumatic memory, we don't know. Again, PURE speculation! We don't know if he understood his actions or ever felt remorse. And even if he did, it wouldn't make what he did forgivable. Understanding how someone became a monster doesn't excuse what that monster did. 3. Anshi, Jinshi, and breaking the cycle IMPORTANT reminder: characters speak from THEIR understanding, not necessarily objective facts. Anshi believes Jinshi is her son, conceived from her assault on the former emperor. That doesn't invalidate Maomao's theory about Ah-Duo. Regardless of biology, Anshi RAISED Jinshi. Seeing his resemblance to the former emperor brings back painful memories, but she also recognizes that Jinshi is NOTHING like him, and she genuinely cares about him. Her warning to "hide your favorites" is probably about Maomao. Remember how Jinshi's favorite toys were hidden to teach him that his desires came second to the palace? She's essentially warning him that someone could take away what he loves or use it against him. That's how I interpret her final wink. Almost like, "You're my boy regardless, now hide your favorite toys, you silly baka!" Ultimately, like the other commentators said, "hurt people hurt people." The former emperor may have been abused, became an abuser himself, and Anshi, one of his victims, carried that resentment into adulthood and continued the cycle through her revenge. To me, THAT'S the tragedy of this episode. Nobody's trauma justifies the suffering they inflict on others, but we can still understand where that pain came from. And maybe the hope is that Jinshi and this new generation can finally break that cycle instead of passing it down to someone else.