The Apothecary Diaries has well-written female characters, and Anshi is one such example. She was the Empress Dowager, but that did not exempt her from being used as a pawn by the court. The nobles left no stone unturned in their mistreatment of young girls, and she was one of them, but that is not all.
Her story is indeed a gut-wrenching tale of powerplay and vices of nobles and her own family. But her swapping her baby with Jinshi was valid for this key reason that ties in well with the most disturbing details in the series. It also boils down to the sensible and sensitive portrayal of these dark themes.
Anshi’s baby swapping had a valid reason
Lady Anshi, also known as, The Empress Dowager, is one of the side characters who plays a pivotal role in the series. She might be a secondary character, yet, her journey along with her backstory unpacks unsettling history of the royal court.
In particular, this has to do with her being introduced to the consort culture at an early age. She was possibly 10 when she was brought along with her half-sister to the Former Emperor. While her sister failed to seduce him, she stepped in and asked him if he was doing all right.
Ultimately, she gained his attention, but it was nothing short of traumatizing. We all know how the Former Emperor violated young girls, and Anshi was no exception to that. She was brought to the Imperial Court mainly because she was a child, but also because her menses started early on.
Her family had a huge role to play in this, along with the court, in the manner with which they treated her as a pawn in the political powerplay. She gave birth to the current Emperor at a tender age. This is why Luomen performed a surgery to avoid complications, which left scars on her belly, but that’s not it.
She gave birth to another child who was swapped with Jinshi. It was intentionally done, as we all know, but why? This is tied to the child’s association with r**e and trauma which led Anshi to abandon it. While it may seem cruel, it is valid considering the course of events that led to it.
The Former Emperor’s preference for young girls scarred Empress Dowager and other survivors. She enabled reforms and humanized SA victims as well as eunuchs who were wronged by him. Her strength and resolve gave them a hope that ties into the sensibility of the portrayal of such themes.
The sensible portrayal of dark themes in The Apothecary Diaries
Gr**ming and violation aren’t just taboo topics but very much a reality of today’s time. It is refreshing how The Apothecary Diaries handles these themes with care and sensibility. This also goes for trauma and its portrayals in the media that have been glossed over for ages.
Guilt, shame, and grief are some of the complexities associated with trauma, but there is more to it after all. The previous Emperor, too, was traumatized by his mother, whose overarching presence led to his attraction toward young girls. And by no means is this a validation of the wrongs he committed.
The fear in his eyes is a result of his mother’s overbearing nature, however, this doesn’t excuse his atrocities. This isn’t the only instance where the series subtly hinted at some of the dark and disturbing themes. Maomao’s introduction to the court is one such example.
Trafficking around Verdigris House was common, yet the heroine was saved from this predicament due to her wit. In the first season, we were introduced to this theme along with general diseases. The second season unpacked some of the perturbing elements of the human psyche and handled them well.
Some may indeed judge Anshi for dropping her child but this was an act of agency in itself. The act of letting go and dissociating with a potential violator seems very much valid. It is heartbreaking and jarring yet necessary to understand her stance as a survivor.
The Apothecary Diaries is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Square Enix’s Manga Up! app.
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