(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage 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, 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! Using her wits to break a "curse" afflicting the imperial heirs, Maomao attracts the attentions of the handsome eunuch Jinshi and is promoted to attendant food taster. But Jinshi has other plans for the erstwhile apothecary, and soon Maomao is back to brewing potions and...solving mysteries?!

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage 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 historical mystery series! Though Maomao has left the palace behind and returned to her home in the pleasure district, it seems the Inner Court can't do without her! Jinshi comes to the erstwhile food taster with a request involving the attempted poisoning of the Virtuous Consort during the garden banquet and the identity of the mastermind behind it!

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage Maomao has proven her worth to the denizens of the palace time and time again, but she's got her work cut out for her on this occasion! When the ever luminous Jinshi asks for Maomao's help in disguising himself to take care of business outside the palace walls, Maomao must dig deep to mar her employer's heavenly charms! And to make the ploy believable, Maomao herself is roped in to a spot of theater as Jinshi's companion. But Jinshi's "business" takes him right to the gates of the pleasure district! Has all Maomao's hard work been for a mere assignation, or is there another mystery afoot?

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage 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 historical mystery series! Maomao succeeds in sav ing Jinshi from a horrific fate, proving herself indispensable to the palace once more!But while she is given the chance to explain herself, 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 serves! To truly unpick the mystery, Maomao will need her patience and her copious wits about her... She'll also need to watch her back, as she comes face-to-face with the sinister La Kan...

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage The truth of Maomao's identity revealed? After losing to Maomao at elephant chess and passing out from the "poison" he drank as his punishment, La Kan dreams of a long-lost past and his affair with a certain courtesan, as well as the events leading up to meeting his daughter for the very first time. Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a courtesan of his choosing and take her home as his wife! Who will he pick?

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage 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 historical mystery series! A festive mood comes to the Inner Court with the arrival of a long-awaited merchant caravan, but does ill intent aimed at a pregnant consort lurk behind its perfumed wares?! As Maomao and Xiaolan delight in browsing the caravan's offerings, they once again cross paths with the maid who caught the kitten. As it turns out, she and Maomao are two eccentric peas in a pod...much to the chagrin of those around them! And the latest request from Jinshi seems to be connected to another incident, which unearths yet more mysteries to be solved!

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emperor come calling with a tale of old about a spellbinding courtesan who captured the imagination of their family patriarch, it's up to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! Later, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court to find out the truth about the troubling prevalence of those foreign perfume oils that could spell disaster for the throne's future heirs!

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage 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 historical mystery series! Strong-armed into getting out more, Maomao attends a spooky soiree where court ladies share spine-tingling tales of terror as a diversion from their daily toil. While there are plenty of chills to go around, the thrills are perhaps few for the skeptical Maomao...until the evening takes an eerie turn! And still more thrills await when Jinshi requests Maomao's presence on a hunting trip. All is not as it seems when court intrigue and subterfuge are in play however, and master and servant find themselves in a very tight spot and uncomfortably close quarters when a break from a banquet on the hunt goes awry...

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Nekokurage Maomao has accompanied Jinshi on a hunting trip in which Jinshi is keeping his true identity a secret. But then they were suddenly shot by flintlocks and managed to get away by hiding in a cave where Maomao learns one of the many secrets that Jinshi has been keeping. Now she has to work with Lihaku to identify their would-be assassins. While she's able to work out their motive, could it be that there's much more to this incident than she realizes? Once this case is closed, Maomao is once again called upon to solve a mystery in the inner court!

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Touko Shino Dismissed from the rear palace, Maomao returns to service in the outer court-as the personal serving woman to none other than Jinshi! That doesn't necessarily make her popular with the other ladies, but a bit of jealousy might be the least of her problems. A mysterious warehouse fire, an official with a very bad case of food poisoning, and the mysterious last will and testament of a deceased craftsman all demand her attention-but are these cases really separate, or do they share a troubling connection? Then there's the mysterious military man who continually visits Jinshi. He's strange, maybe even a little twisted... and he seems very interested in Maomao.

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Touko Shino Maomao must help keep Consort Gyokuyou safe during her pregnancy. An imperial consort being with child is supposed to be a matter of the utmost secrecy, but this is the rear palace, where maneuvering and backstabbing are as commonplace as banter and tea parties. Threats seem to lurk around every corner-but it's not just the rear palace keeping busy. Jinshi finds himself struggling to entertain a most unusual request from a pair of visiting ambassadors. Later, he's invited to an important gathering in a faraway place-but who knows what dangers might be waiting for him?

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Touko Shino A palace servant trained in herbal medicine finds herself in the heart of imperial intrigue in this enthralling period mystery! Outside of her official duties, Maomao helps friends and acquaintances in the rear palace. Xiaolan needs a new job after her term of service ends, and Consort Lishu is convinced she's seen a ghost! Then, when complications arise with Gyokuyou's pregnancy, Maomao realizes her skills are inadequate to handle the life-threatening situation. Although Maomao knows someone who can help, they haven't been welcome in the rear palace for a very long time... Maomao also begins to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated incidents in the rear palace. Will knowing too much put her life in danger?

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Touko Shino The birth of Gyokuyou's son earns her the title of empress and rewrites court politics. Jinshi can also no longer continue his pretense as a eunuch at the rear palace. Although the Shi clan's demise restores peace, threats still loom-including an impending plague of insects. Maomao, as ever, finds herself caught up in new dangers. When Jinshi orders an expedition to Gyokuyou's homeland, Maomao heads west. But something is lurking in the shadows of the glittering city, and the apothecary must uncover it or face certain peril...

(W) Natsu Hyuuga (A) Touko Shino The events in the western capital send tremors through the political order, as well as Maomao's relationships. Despite the feelings Jinshi expresses for her, Maomao still knows her place. She departs Gyokuyou's hometown with uncertainty for the future, but a detour during the return to the capital gives her unexpected insight into her own family. Meanwhile, an ugly scandal ensnares Consort Lishu. Could revealing the truth also unravel the mysteries of recent affairs?