The Apothecary Diaries - Vol. 1 Ch. 1 - The Harem's Curse

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the precious thing:
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also @pizzalion that was how life was back then if you were a woman unless you were nobility nobody would complain if you were kidnapped there was a lot of corruption and since the MC is educated she doesn't get too upset about it. its more like an oh well guess i can't follow my dream. but she tries to stay under the radar rather than stand out because she doesn't want to be used for breeding.
 
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@SotiCoto The beauty standard / preference in china is flawless white, which is why she thought so. Like being thin is regarded as a beauty
 
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page 3 : she is lucky that the kidnappers dont get some "funny ideas" with her . she lost her freedom but she still keeps her virginity , lol .

i guess the kidnappers are abusing some loopholes in the law that allow them to kidnap peoples , sell them as slaves , and even make profits from them .

everyone has a chinese name , so why only 1 girl has a japanese name , "gyokuyou" ?

page 32 , panel 3 : note that all of the summoned girls has freckles .
 
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Anyone wondering what was poisonous about the make up, i do believe it was lead. As that was used for white pigments in the past, also historically there are records of lead poisoning through that, like Elizabeth I.

Well that or arsenic or mercury, or all three.
 
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Considering how widely it was used, is no one really know about it being poisonous back then?
 
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The part where it said they didn't know face powder was poisonous was believable, as science was practically zero back then. I've seen several Chinese and Korean period dramas address that.
What confused me is how she ended up as a a servant in the palace. Oh, and btw, don't call her slaves because servants and maids do get payment and for many families from poor background. AFAIK, it was a privilege to have daughters serving in the palace.

What I don't understand is that young, unmarried, physically fit girls usually have to go through many rounds of selection process. The selection criteria varied from emperors to emperors, but I don't think they would accept someone from a red light district, unless her kidnappers gave her a new identity. You can read more about the selection process here: https://multimedia.scmp.com/culture/article/2154046/forbidden-city/life/chapter_01.html.
 
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The translations are hot garbage, but otherwise this series is promising. I hope it's as good as the webnovel.

Also, for people who are reading this thinking of China, while the series is well-researched and detailed in some areas, this country is 100% fictionalized for the sake of plot.

This series is less of a historical drama than it is a quasi-historical setting for a science programme.
 
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@SotiCoto The beauty standard / preference in china is flawless white, which is why she thought so. Like being thin is regarded as a beauty
it depends on the time period, tang dynasty was similar to europe in that being somewhat plush was favored, but for the most part yeah being thin is favored. not stick, obv, but not fat.
 

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