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Season 1Episode 10
Honey
and discuss the suicide of 's servant. Xiaolan mentions that Lady Ah-Duo may soon be replaced by a younger concubine. Maomao considers that Ah-Duo's inability to bear children could cause her to lose her position, and wonders if faces the same fate. After giving Xiaolan leftovers from a tea party, Maomao departs.
She returns to the Jade Pavilion to find a second tea party underway. Learning that is in attendance, Maomao observes the guests. She watches Lishu's servants, considering whether they continue to harass her. When serves Lishu honey-flavored tea, Lishu refuses it. Maomao notices the servants gossiping about this refusal.
Maomao secretly signals to Gyokuyou that the drink is unsuitable. Gyokuyou then requests hot ginger tea instead. The ladies-in-waiting dismiss Maomao from the area to rest. She encounters , who raises the topic of Ah-Duo's servant's alleged suicide. After hearing her thoughts, he instructs her to assist at the Garnet Pavilion.
At Ah-Duo's pavilion, Maomao is greeted by the lady and then directed by the head lady-in-waiting, Fengming, to a book room. She and others are tasked with airing out books. While working, Maomao inspects her surroundings, suspecting the mastermind behind the Lishu poison incident may be connected to this place. She assesses Fengming as a potential culprit and what she might gain. After learning of Fengming's history with honey, Maomao sees Lishu at the pavilion.
She later reports her findings to Jinshi. Though she has little concrete evidence, she states Fengming could be responsible. Jinshi offers her honey as a reward, but Maomao refuses to take it from his fingers. While she is uncomfortable, she forms a new theory about the situation. Lady Gyokuyou arrives and reprimands Jinshi for his behavior, after which Maomao leaves.
Maomao meets with Lishu and questions her aversion to honey. Lishu explains that many nurses warned her it was life-threatening. Lishu's ladies-in-waiting chastise Maomao for her inquiry. Knowing they care little for Lishu, Maomao tells them they may report any objections to Jinshi. After asking Lishu about her relationship with Fengming, Maomao walks through the palace with . She asks him if there is a place to research past events in the Inner Court.
Gaoshun takes her to the court library. There, Maomao learns of the 's foster-sibling relationship with Ah-Duo. She also discovers that Doctor , her adoptive father, assisted Ah-Duo in childbirth. The episode ends with Maomao questioning her father's actions.