The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2: Jinshi’s Secret Is Out, but What Comes Next?

Based on Natsu Hyūga’s light novel series of the same name, The Apothecary Diaries’ Season 2 has been airing since January 10th, 2025. Expected to release in two parts or cours the first part of the season is already out for streaming on Crunchyroll. The second part is expected to begin airing on April 4th as part of the Spring 2025 anime schedule. Ahead of the second part’s release, the franchise has dropped a new trailer teasing the potentially interconnected nature of the incidents plaguing the Rear Palace since Maomao’s arrival into the world of emperors and concubines.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for The Apothecary Diaries Anime!

Now, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2 has already revealed Jinshi’s secret identity, although the secrets behind the events of the season are still unknown. With the scented oils being the second time someone has tried to sabotage the pregnancies of concubines Gyokuyou and Lihua, it’s clear the situation is more than the work of jealous fellow concubines. Maomao also noted that someone was actively teaching the residents of the Rear Palace about poisons. Combined with a gun being used in Lord Jinshi’s assassination attempt and the foreign envoys, it’s possible the perpetrators are actually from the West.

[RELATED – The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Shares First Look at Part 2 With New Trailer, Poster]

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 1 Reveals Jinshi’s Identity 

At the end of the first part of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Lord Jinshi’s real name and identity are finally revealed. Actually named Ka Zuigetsu, Jinshi is not actually an eunuch. Instead, he’s the younger brother of the emperor, who hides his face in public to allow him to take on the double identity of the beautiful Lord Jinshi.

But while the audience now knows Jinshi’s secret, Maomao is still unaware. Thanks to their close encounter in Season 2, Episode 12’s infamous frog scene, she is aware he is not an actual eunuch. However, due to her desire to stay out of conspiracies, she repeatedly refuses to hear his secret. And when she’s finally willing to listen, Jinshi, giving her the Ox Bezoar, hilariously distracts her.

What Might Happen In The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2

Of course, just because Maomao doesn’t know Jinshi’s identity yet doesn’t mean she won’t get pulled into the conspiracy afoot in the Rear Palace. The newest trailer for the second part of The Apothecary Diaries’ Season 2 teased that Maomao might go missing in the upcoming episodes. Whether this will be of her own will or a kidnapping by outside forces is currently unknown. 

With Jinshi’s strong feelings towards Maomao, it’s clear he’ll do anything in his power to ensure her safety. But that also opens up the possibility that Jinshi might be the conspirators’ real target, with Maomao merely being used as bait against him. It may also be possible that the conspirators are targeting the emperor and his family in general. This would especially make sense considering how each time ladies Gyokuyou and Lihua became pregnant, someone tried to sabotage them, first with the lead makeup and then with the scented oils.

Combined with the assassination attempt on Lord Jinshi during the hunt, it could be possible that someone is trying to eliminate the emperor’s heirs. Either to control the situation and only allow an heir of their choosing to survive. Or to weaken and eventually overthrow the emperor’s rule altogether. The latter would especially make sense if the perpetrators were from the West, marking the events of the season as a small part of the much larger conspiracy to allow the West to overtake the East. But right now, that’s all speculation, and only time will tell how The Apothecary Diaries’ story will actually unfold.