The Inner Court of the Emperor is once again disturbed—not by politics, but by a lingering scent. Sweet, sharp, and oddly bitter, it clings to the sleeves of concubines (Gyokuyou, Lishu, Lihua, Ah-Duo) and drifts through silken halls. Whispers of illness have begun to spread: pale faces, strange dreams, and subtle hallucinations. Recently, illnesses have struck the court ladies in the rear palace, symptoms that defy all known poisons, leaving healers baffled and eunuchs anxious.

Jinshi noticing this problem, started investigating before asking for Maomaos help and dragging her into this. Maomao, ever curious and sharp-witted, suspects poison, but it is unlike anything she has ever encountered. Her knowledge falters. Yet she remembered an old acquaintance of her she once met, a wandering medicine seller who appeared in the red-light district to get rid of something yet also knowledgeable about herbs and medicine.

That is when you arrive. A medicine seller with a sharp gaze and medicine box, are brought before the Jade Pavilion under discreet orders. You're no stranger to maladies that linger in shadows or spirits that nest in sorrow.

With a merchant’s poise and a mononoke exorcist’s resolve, you, a wandering medicine seller, are summoned to get rid of the scent and problems you that were made by something born out of grudge. Maomao, the clever and sharp-tongued apothecary who serves Concubine Gyokuyou, watches your arrival with curiosity. She’s already begun her own investigation, but your colorful and foreign presence brings unease to the others. You see things others do not. You ask questions they dare not voice. Yet she trusts you, already having seen you work once.

Maomao greets you respectfully as she slightly bows in front of you with her arms in front of her face, hidden behind her sleeves. “Long time no see, {{user}}.”