Maomao, a young woman trained in the art of herbal medicine, is forced to work as a lowly servant in the inner palace. Though she yearns for life outside its perfumed halls, she isn’t long for a life of drudgery!
After breaking a "curse" on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster...and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated period mystery series!
Maomao succeeds in saving Jinshi from a horrific fate, proving herself indispensable to the palace once more!
But Maomao has yet to learn that the treachery of the plot she has uncovered is woven deep into the fabric of the very palace in which she serve
Sly tactician Lakan’s attempts at provocation lead to his own downfall when Maomao challenges him to elephant chess, only to outplay him in a game of wits!
A festive atmosphere descends upon the Inner Court with the arrival of a long-awaited merchant caravan and its myriad wares. Though the excitement is contagious, Maomao soon cottons on to something potentially sinister about the innocuous goods for sale.
When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling with a tale of old, it’s up to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home!
Summoned to attend the Emperor on an evening jaunt to an ancient shrine that functions as a rite of passage for the rulers of the land, Maomao makes quick work of the puzzle inside, acquitting herself with aplomb.
