Lishu

Lishu holds the rank of Virtuous Consort (De Fei) and resides in the Jingang Palace within the inner court.

She is often called Consort Lishu to distinguish her from similarly named characters in other works.

She is a direct descendant of the prestigious “Rabbit (U)” clan, one of the special noble lineages in the setting that bear zodiac-related surnames.

Despite this pedigree, her clan is in decline due to a political shift from aristocratic lineage to merit-based rule.

Within the story, she is portrayed as a delicate, timid beauty who constantly gets dragged into misfortune.

Maomao, the protagonist, repeatedly describes her as a “tragic princess” with a “misfortune constitution.”

Name: Lishu

Gender: Female

Status: High-ranking imperial consort (later stripped of rank)

Title/Rank: Virtuous Consort (De Fei)

Residence: Jingang Palace (within the inner palace)

Age at story start: 14 (by traditional East Asian counting)

Later age mentioned: 17

Clan/House: Direct line of the “Rabbit (U)” clan (mother from main family, father from branch family)

Image color: White

Voice actress (anime): Hina Kino

Family and Clan

Lishu is the only surviving direct-line member of the Rabbit (U) clan, one of the elite “name-bearing” families associated with the twelve zodiac signs.

Her mother was from the clan’s main house, while her father originated from a branch family and married into the main line as a son-in-law.

Her father, Uryu, was valued for his apparent commercial talent and allowed into the main family.

However, he had already kept a mistress elsewhere and had two children with her even before his marriage.

After Lishu’s mother died when Lishu was very young, Uryu quickly made the mistress his second wife.

From then on, he blatantly favored his children with the mistress and neglected Lishu, even doubting whether she was truly his child.

Over time, Uryu surrounded himself only with subordinates who never opposed him and abused his authority as clan head.

Lishu’s own position in her natal home was weak and lonely, reinforcing her timid personality.

Political Marriage and the Former Emperor

At the age of 9 (traditional age counting, roughly 7–8 in full years), Lishu was offered as a bride to the Former Emperor, who had a strong preference for very young girls.

This was a political match arranged by her clan, with little regard for Lishu’s wishes.

She entered the inner palace as one of his consorts but remained untouched; he died before ever laying a hand on her.

Lishu thus became a child widow and was sent to a convent to become a nun.

Even this did not end her misfortune.

Her family then tried to send her as a secondary wife/concubine to an elderly and lecherous governor in the south, treating her essentially as a disposable bargaining chip.

Return to the Inner Palace under the Current Emperor

Feeling pity for her situation, Consort Ah-Duo and the current Emperor intervened.

They took Lishu back from the brink of that political marriage and brought her into the inner palace again, this time as a high-ranking consort under the current Emperor.

There is a deep personal connection: Lishu’s late mother was the childhood friend of both Ah-Duo and the Emperor.

As a child, Lishu used to sit on the lap of the then Crown Prince (now Emperor), affectionately calling him “bearded uncle.”

The Emperor and Ah-Duo see Lishu more as a foster daughter than a romantic partner.

The Emperor has no intention of touching her and sincerely wants her to find happiness.

However, Lishu’s second life in the harem is also filled with hardship.

Because she is a widowed consort of the Former Emperor and now a consort to his son, her position looks morally “improper” to many, and she does not fulfill the typical role of bearing the Emperor’s children.

Her attendants realize that the Emperor never visits her in a romantic sense.

Combined with prejudice against her complicated background, this leads them to despise her openly and treat her with contempt.

Maomao sums up her trajectory as: pushed into a political marriage as a child, made a widow, forced to become a nun, nearly sold as an old governor’s concubine, then dragged back to the harem only to be bullied and used.

This long chain of misfortune makes Lishu one of the most pitied characters in the series.

Lishu is a pretty girl with a strong small-animal vibe.

She has curly chestnut hair, a delicate build, and a youthful, almost doll-like face.

In Maomao’s deliberately rude comparison, Lishu is “even more flat and petite” than Maomao herself.

Lishu is in her growth period and is self-conscious about her small chest, having tried various efforts (like drinking milk) to appear more womanly, which mostly backfired due to her sensitive body.

In early visual depictions, she is associated with the color white, corresponding to the metal element in five-element symbolism and representing the “Virtue” aspect of her title.

Her outfits often have a soft, frilly, almost “China-style lolita” feel that emphasizes her childlike charm.

On her first animated appearance at an imperial garden party, however, she wore deep pink, clashing with Consort Gyokuyou’s red-based color scheme.

This made her look like an inconsiderate upstart, but in reality it was a malicious choice orchestrated by her maids to embarrass her.

After Maomao exposes this, Lishu’s clothing returns to white tones, again reflecting both her official color and her gentle nature.

Lishu is naturally shy, gentle, and easily frightened.

She tries to act dignified and strong because she believes that is expected of a high-ranking consort, but this effort often comes off as stiff and awkward.

Growing up with a neglectful father, a hostile half-sister, and very few adults who truly protected her, she learned to live in constant anxiety.

Her behavior in the palace frequently resembles that of a small animal on guard—flinching, shrinking back, and becoming tearful under stress.

She lacks confidence and believes she does not deserve her high status.

The other high-ranking consorts are all capable, beautiful, and politically savvy, which only deepens her inferiority complex.

Lishu’s emotions show plainly on her face; she cannot lie, bluff, or play political games.

In the treacherous environment of the inner palace, this makes her easy to read and easy to manipulate.

Despite all this, she is very sincere and kind-hearted.

She cherishes tokens from her late mother, cares deeply about those who show her genuine warmth, and desperately wants to be a “good person” who burdens no one.

Her unfiltered reactions—running full-speed to catch up with Ah-Duo when she leaves the harem, or openly sobbing over her mother’s keepsake—serve as emotional bright spots in an otherwise dark and intrigue-heavy story.

For readers, her scenes often act as a poignant reminder of innocence in a cruel setting.

Although Lishu has twice entered the harem as an imperial consort, she is still a virgin.

Maomao personally confirms that she bears the physical sign of untouched chastity.

Far from the worldliness expected of a consort, Lishu is completely inexperienced and squeamish about sex.

At her age, she is still at the stage of “being in love with the idea of love” rather than actually desiring physical intimacy.

When Lihua recommends that the four primary consorts attend Maomao’s “secret women’s lecture” on intimate techniques, Lishu is utterly overwhelmed.

The detailed instruction and explicit content leave her soul practically floating out of her body, and afterward she repeatedly bumps her head against a pillar, tearfully muttering “absolutely impossible.”

Even so, she carefully takes the instructional manual back with her.

This small act suggests that she is conscientious and wants to fulfill her role, even if the thought terrifies her.

With Ah-Duo

Consort Ah-Duo is effectively Lishu’s guardian within the inner palace.

She was also the close friend of Lishu’s late mother, creating a strong emotional bond.

Ah-Duo, who lost her own child and can no longer bear children, dotes on Lishu like a surrogate daughter.

She spoils Lishu and tries to shield her from the harshness of palace politics.

Maomao describes their relationship as a kind of distorted co-dependence.

Ah-Duo leans on Lishu as a substitute for the child she lost, while Lishu leans on Ah-Duo for the maternal love she was denied at home.

Lishu herself adores Ah-Duo and regards her as the person she trusts most in the inner palace.

When Ah-Duo leaves the harem, Lishu chases her at full speed, desperate and tearful, underscoring how much she depends on her.

With the Emperor (Current)

The current Emperor is Lishu’s present husband in name, but he treats her more as a ward than as a spouse.

He was once the Crown Prince during her childhood, the “bearded uncle” she liked to sit with.

Because he and Ah-Duo were both childhood friends of Lishu’s late mother, they view Lishu as a kind of legacy of that friend.

He has no romantic or sexual interest in Lishu and wants her to have a peaceful, happy future.

From a legal standpoint, their relationship has gone through the strange path of Lishu once having been the Former Emperor’s consort, making her technically the “stepmother” of the current Emperor, and later becoming his consort.

This unusual chain of connections is one reason why some in the palace see her as morally tainted, even though she is innocent.

With the Former Emperor

The Former Emperor was a notorious lover of very young girls and took Lishu as a bride when she was only nine by traditional counting.

He is her first official husband in name.

However, he died before ever touching her.

Lishu thus survived with her bodily innocence intact, but was left as a child widow, which carried heavy stigma.

The political and emotional fallout of that brief marriage continues to affect her life long after his death.

Her status as his former consort becomes an excuse for both family and palace factions to use or vilify her.

With Basen

Basen is the son of Gaoshun, who in turn was a childhood acquaintance of Lishu’s late mother.

During a major incident, Basen risks his life to protect Lishu, deeply impressing her.

Lishu is drawn to his straightforward, honest personality and the way he repeatedly puts himself in harm’s way for her sake.

Over time, she comes to harbor romantic feelings for him, though she is shy and hesitant.

Basen, despite knowing she is an imperial consort, also grows fond of her.

He is fiercely protective, sometimes picking fights with anyone who badmouths her.

Maomao eventually stops jokingly recommending Lishu as a bride for Jinshi and instead quietly starts supporting the budding connection between Lishu and Basen.

This potential relationship represents one of Lishu’s few genuine opportunities for happiness.

With Maomao

Lishu and Maomao first significantly interact at a garden party, where Maomao identifies Lishu’s severe food allergies.

Because of Maomao’s warning, Lishu learns that being forced to eat certain foods could literally be life-threatening.

At first, Lishu tries to put on a high-handed front when Maomao visits as a servant from another palace.

But once she recognizes Maomao as her prior benefactor, her attitude softens immediately, showing that she is capable of gratitude and trust.

As the story progresses, Lishu unwittingly hurts Maomao’s feelings a bit by continuing to act nervously around her despite relying on her.

Maomao, however, genuinely sympathizes with Lishu’s misfortunes and feels an instinctive urge to help her whenever she is in danger.

In one especially critical incident, Maomao is the one who detects that something is psychologically wrong with Lishu and orchestrates the emergency rescue that saves her from a suicide attempt.

Their relationship is not warm in an obvious, chatty way, but Maomao’s repeated interventions are a major pillar keeping Lishu alive.

With Jinshi

Lishu initially idolizes Jinshi, captivated by his beauty and by the kindness he shows to her timid self.

To her, he feels like a distant, shining figure, almost a heavenly being.

However, at one point she happens to see Jinshi with a more casual, unguarded smile—one that he uses freely around others.

This moment makes her realize that she is not uniquely special to him, and that he is not the pure, unreachable “angel” she imagined.

Later, Lishu is even nominated as one of Jinshi’s potential brides.

She modestly withdraws, saying that he is too good for her and that she is unworthy.

Maomao once suggested Lishu as a bride for Jinshi and was sharply scolded for it.

Afterward, Maomao stops pushing that idea and instead focuses on encouraging Lishu’s bond with Basen.

With Fengming

Fengming is the chief maid serving Ah-Duo.

She is usually known as a constantly smiling, gentle person.

Yet whenever Lishu comes to visit Ah-Duo at the Pomegranate Palace, Fengming’s expression turns cold.

She treats Lishu harshly and tries to turn her away.

This hostility underscores the complicated emotional dynamics around Ah-Duo and Lishu.

While Ah-Duo sees Lishu as a daughter, others close to Ah-Duo may see Lishu as a rival for affection or as a reminder of painful history.

With Her Own Maids

Most of Lishu’s maids in Jingang Palace lack loyalty to her.

Maomao quickly identifies that they are disrespectful and manipulative.

The maids bully Lishu, take advantage of her weakness, and constantly undermine her dignity.

They push embarrassing clothing choices on her, sabotage her during important events, and even endanger her life.

Eventually, their abuse goes so far that a major scandal erupts.

The original chief maid is replaced by another maid named Henan as the official maid leader.

Later, the majority of Lishu’s maids (except Henan) are found to have taken part in bullying and framing her.

They are expelled from the inner palace, and word spreads that they once tormented a high-ranking consort, making it hard for them to find suitable husbands.

With Her Paternal Family

Uryu (Father)

Lishu’s father, Uryu, comes from a branch of the Rabbit clan and married into the main family as a son-in-law.

He appears successful as a merchant, but it is later revealed that much of this success was actually due to his overworked mistress.

Before his marriage, he kept that mistress and had two children with her.

After Lishu’s mother died, he quickly elevated the mistress to official wife and began to openly favor her children over Lishu.

As clan head, Uryu gathers around himself only people who never oppose him.

He abuses his authority and coldly sidelines Lishu.

After a series of incidents involving his children endangering Lishu, Uryu loses his position as head of the Rabbit clan.

The previous clan head—Lishu’s maternal grandfather—resumes leadership and designates a young relative as the next heir, stripping Uryu of the privileged “Rabbit (U)” name.

Lishu’s heartfelt plea to her grandfather allows Uryu to remain inside the broader clan structure for a time.

However, it is eventually revealed that his business sense was overestimated and his arrogance is resented by his son.

When his son Ujun later allies with a powerful fixer named Sparrow, Uryu and his favored daughter are finally expelled from the clan altogether.

They lose the right to use the Rabbit name and must start over without their former status.

Half-Sister (Uryu’s Younger Child by the Mistress)

Lishu’s half-sister is Uryu’s second child with the former mistress.

Brought into the main house at a young age, she is thoroughly spoiled by their father.

Surrounded by attendants loyal to Uryu, she grows arrogant and bullies Lishu.

She delights in using her favored position to make Lishu’s life miserable.

Later, it is revealed that she publicly put Lishu—then an imperial consort—in danger at a major event.

This scandal contributes to Uryu’s removal as clan head and the stripping of their Rabbit surname.

Her own brother, who despises her arrogance, arranges for her to be expelled from the clan along with their father.

She is thus removed from the only privileged environment she has ever known.

Ujun (Half-Brother)

Ujun is Uryu’s eldest child by the mistress and Lishu’s older half-brother.

He works as a civil official in the capital.

He describes himself as a very “weak” person and often presents as harmless and convenient.

In truth, he is highly skilled at subtly manipulating others and steering situations from the background.

Ujun deeply resents arrogant strong types and self-satisfied weaklings.

He loathes his father, who drove his hardworking mother to death by overextending their business, and despises his pampered sister for her cruelty.

Unlike them, he does not hate Lishu, precisely because she recognizes her own weakness and does not try to dominate others.

He never helps her directly due to fear of crossing his father, but he quietly refrains from joining in the bullying.

Eventually, a shrewd power player known as Sparrow recognizes Ujun’s talent for indirect influence.

Ujun agrees to become Sparrow’s successor on the condition that Lishu be granted a chance for happiness and that his father and sister be fully expelled from the Rabbit clan.

Bullying and Isolation

Despite being a high-ranking consort, Lishu is treated as an easy target by her own staff.

They mock her behind her back, disregard her authority, and emotionally isolate her.

Because the Emperor does not visit her bedchamber and she is not seen as a political asset, her position is perceived as hollow.

This emboldens her maids to act without fear of retribution.

Lishu tries to imitate an authoritative manner at a garden party, adopting a haughty tone on her maids’ advice.

However, this act backfires, making her behavior look ridiculous and further undermining her dignity.

Her inability to control her facial expressions and her sincere nature make it impossible for her to maintain a “mask.”

In a court of masks and power plays, this leaves her vulnerable to every passing scheme.

Demotion from High-Ranking Consort

At one point, a serious incident occurs in which Lishu is framed, leading to suspicion of infidelity and betrayal.

Although the truth eventually clears her of wrongdoing, the scandal is too great to ignore.

As a result, Lishu is stripped of her position as a high-ranking consort.

This is officially framed as a consequence of the disturbance itself, not her guilt.

Her maids who bullied and framed her are punished harshly, with most being expelled from the palace.

Still, the damage to Lishu’s status is lasting; once again, she loses a place where she was supposed to belong.

Maomao, who has witnessed this chain of misfortune, finds it impossible not to help Lishu whenever she can.

Even someone as practical as Maomao cannot stay detached in the face of Lishu’s unrelenting bad luck.

Food Allergies and Bee Product Trauma

Lishu cannot eat seafood; it triggers a severe allergic reaction.

Her maids interpret this as mere picky eating and deliberately force seafood on her as a form of harassment.

At a garden party, they secretly swap safe dishes with seafood-laden ones to ensure she eats her allergen.

Within minutes, Lishu develops itchy hives all over her body.

Maomao recognizes this as a dangerous allergy and warns that forcing her to eat such food could be life-threatening.

This becomes a turning point in understanding the seriousness of her condition.

As a baby, Lishu also nearly died after consuming honey, suffering from what is effectively infant botulism.

She has no memory of this, but grew up being warned to avoid honey, leaving her with a deep discomfort around it.

Later, when she casually mentions this near-fatal honey incident to a certain person, that information is twisted and used as a reason to hold a grudge against her.

Even her childhood near-death becomes fuel for someone else’s resentment.

Lactose Intolerance

Trying to develop a more feminine figure, Lishu starts drinking more milk to grow her chest.

Unfortunately, her body reacts poorly: she is essentially lactose intolerant.

Her efforts to become more “womanly” thus literally make her sick.

It’s another small but telling example of how even her attempts at self-improvement backfire.

Below are notable episodes that illustrate just how unlucky and mistreated Lishu is throughout the story.

Early Life Tragedies

As an infant, she eats honey and nearly dies, suffering severe illness.

This experience, though mostly forgotten by her conscious mind, leaves a lasting impact on her upbringing and later becomes a bizarre cause for someone’s hatred.

Her mother dies when Lishu is still very young, leaving her without her main source of protection and affection.

Her father, who disliked his wife, starts suspecting that Lishu might not be his real daughter and grows even colder toward her.

Her half-sister, doted on by their father, begins bullying Lishu.

This establishes a pattern of domestic abuse and emotional neglect that continues until Lishu is sent away in marriage.

Child Bride and Widowhood

At the age of nine (traditional counting), Lishu is married off to the Former Emperor, a man infamous for his predilection for young girls.

She becomes one of his child consorts in a blatantly exploitative political marriage.

Before he lays a hand on her, the Former Emperor dies.

Lishu, still a child, is forced to become a widow and sent to a convent to live as a nun.

Her family quickly tries to use her again, arranging for her to become the concubine of an elderly and lecherous southern governor.

She is treated as a bargaining chip with no consideration for her feelings or dignity.

Return as High-Ranking Consort and Palace Bullying

The current Emperor and Ah-Duo rescue her from that fate and reinstate her as a high-ranking consort.

However, this raises jealousy and invites hostility from those who see her as undeserving of such a position.

Her maids, who should support her, instead bully her.

They pretend to be allies while systematically undermining her in daily life.

At an imperial garden party, they intentionally choose clothes for her that clash with another high-ranking consort’s color scheme, making Lishu look tactless and ignorant of court etiquette.

This subtle humiliation reinforces her reputation as an “airheaded” or inconsiderate girl.

Because food cannot be left untouched at such events, her maids exploit the situation by swapping her safe dishes for ones with seafood—her allergen.

She eats it, develops a rash and intense itchiness, and narrowly avoids a more serious reaction thanks to Maomao’s insight.

A separate group simultaneously poisons the food at the same event.

By sheer coincidence, the dish swap meant for bullying Lishu causes her to avoid consuming the actual poison, saving her life.

Although Lishu is a pure victim in this affair, the aftermath leads to around 80 palace maids being dismissed, showing how chaos and punishment often swirl around her.

Her life is repeatedly endangered or disrupted by events she never initiated.

A former chief maid “confiscates” one of Lishu’s treasured hairpins under the pretense that it was “bestowed” upon her.

There is clear physical evidence of this theft, and Jinshi intervenes with a terrifyingly polite smile, effectively threatening the offender.

Another time, a maid tries to take Lishu’s cherished mirror, a keepsake from her late mother.

This attack on her last tangible connection to her mother deeply wounds her emotionally.

Violence and Life-Threatening Schemes

Lishu is targeted by hired bandits, sent with the intent to harm or kill her.

She survives thanks to others’ intervention, but the experience is traumatizing.

She is exposed to suspicious drugs, used to manipulate her mental state or test her reactions.

This piles psychological stress onto her already fragile condition.

In one dramatic episode, she is nearly killed by a lion.

The scene underscores how even natural forces seem to be against her, not just human schemes.

Accusation of Infidelity and Imprisonment

Lishu is falsely accused of infidelity, a grave crime for an imperial consort.

She is imprisoned while those around her present “evidence” of her supposed misconduct.

The former chief maid, who once bullied her, returns as the one to confront her with the incriminating “proof.”

It is a cruel reversal, with someone who harmed her in the past now posing as a moral accuser.

She is locked in a place adjacent to the real mastermind behind the plot.

She has no idea that the very person listening to her troubles next door is orchestrating her downfall.

The mastermind behaves in an extremely sympathetic and understanding manner.

Gaining Lishu’s trust, they carefully coax out sensitive information and gradually dismantle her self-worth with well-timed, poisonous words.

Lishu, already fragile, falls into mental exhaustion and resignation.

Her sense of self and hope is stripped away until death seems like the only escape.

In this state, she decides to commit suicide by jumping, believing she will finally reach a world where her mother awaits and where she can be accepted.

It is one of the darkest moments in her storyline.

Maomao notices that something is wrong and, together with Basen under her direction, reaches Lishu just in time.

They prevent her death at the last moment, turning the attempt into a near-miss rather than a fatal tragedy.

During the investigation around this affair, Maomao is forced to physically verify Lishu’s virginity to disprove the infidelity accusations.

For Lishu, already humiliated and traumatized, even this necessary examination is deeply distressing.

Consequences and Aftermath

Though Lishu’s innocence is ultimately proven, the scandal forces the court to take visible action.

As a result, she is stripped of her rank as high-ranking consort, outwardly as punishment for the “trouble” caused.

The maids who tormented and framed her are expelled from the palace.

In the outside world, they gain a reputation as women who abused a high-ranking consort, making it very difficult for them to find good marriages.

For Lishu, the pattern is familiar: through no fault of her own, she is once again displaced from a supposed place of security.

Yet she continues to exist at the mercy of others’ decisions, with her own happiness still precarious.

Fandom often describes Lishu as one of the most unfortunate characters in The Apothecary Diaries.

Her combination of cuteness, vulnerability, and relentless bad luck inspires strong protective feelings among readers.

She is frequently referred to as “Consort Lishu” in fan tags and discussions to avoid confusion with similarly named characters from other works.

Her role as a small, timid, but earnest girl in a brutal environment makes her a memorable and emotionally resonant figure in the series.