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Season 1Episode 6
The Garden Party
and watch the festivities from behind a curtain. Xiaolan indicates the , explaining she is the mother of the and his brother, the latter too ill to attend.
Nearby, they encounter a heated argument between the ladies-in-waiting of and . Maomao intervenes to resolve the dispute by reminding one of Lihua's attendants of a prior incident. She then observes a similar tension between the attendants of and . From this, Maomao learns that Ah-Duo is the longest-serving concubine and Lishu a recent arrival, and that they share a mother-in-law and daughter relationship.
After accepting an item from a man named , Maomao rejoins Lihua and her attendants. Lihua bestows a hairpin upon her before departing. Gyokuyou's attendants, noting the number of gifts Maomao has received, express concern over their mistress's potential reaction.
Maomao proceeds to the main event area, observing the surroundings and guests. She participates in a taste-testing activity, noting another tester's difficulty. Determining the first dish is not poisoned, she samples a soup. Upon detecting poison in the soup, she immediately withdraws.
Her action alarms several men, who raise a general warning. arrives and is informed that a minister has collapsed after drinking the poisoned soup. He finds Maomao and states his intention to take her to the infirmary. She assures him she is unharmed, expressing regret she could not digest the poison. Jinshi reveals the minister collapsed after tasting the soup to test her claim. Maomao produces a bag of emetic agents, advising its use for the minister.
After purging the poison from her system, Maomao requests Jinshi bring Lishu to her. When Lishu arrives, Maomao observes bumps on her arm and deduces an allergy to the mackerel served at the party. Maomao realizes Lishu's original dish was swapped with Gyokuyou's meal. Lishu's food taster is distraught for failing to notice the substitution. Maomao provides the taster a prepared note for future emergencies. Following their departure, Jinshi considers whether the meals were swapped and poisoned deliberately.
The episode concludes as Jinshi and his associate contemplate a possible connection to the earlier incident involving wooden tablets.