The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 ‒ Episode 54
Because the locusts haven't arrived yet, it's easy to forget they're already having an impact. Or maybe it's not – after all, figuring out that they're coming is important to ensuring that their destruction is minimized. But talking about it is one thing and seeing the implemented policies in action is another, and that's what this episode is about. Guen, better known as the quack doctor in the rear palace, comes from a papermaking family in a rural region of the country. That means that farming is another major industry, which in turn opens the doors to a first-hand view of what the preventative measures mean for everyday people. It's one thing for the imperial government to preemptively raise taxes in order to have enough money to feed those who will be hurt by the incoming locusts; it's quite another to see what that does to people who have little to no real understanding of why their taxes have suddenly gone up.
Guen's family grows rice and barley in addition to making paper, with the fields ably supporting both crops in alternating seasons. As Maomao notes, their relative wealth would seem to indicate that the additional taxes wouldn't be unduly burdensome – and if that was all there was to their lives, she'd likely be correct. But nothing is ever that simple, and you can't ever assume that it is. Guen's family has called him home because the raised taxes have complicated a situation with their landlord, who sees them as a detriment to his bottom line…or a way to leverage that idea into getting what he really wants, which is the family paper mill. He has a history of doing such things, to hear Guen's sister and brother-in-law tell it; when the papermaking business wasn't doing well, he also tried to challenge the agreement the family made with his father. It seems likely that what's really sticking in his craw is that his late dad made a deal to sell the land Guen's family lives and works on over a period of twenty years, and now, with only five years remaining, he sees a chance to take over the land and the successful work of his tenants. I'd call it shortsighted if he knew about the impending locusts, but as it is, he just seems plain old greedy and mean.
This has put the family in an untenable position. They can't immediately pay off the money owed because of the issues with the paper in an earlier season and the raised taxes on grains. But they also can't afford to give in and lose their home and livelihood…and possibly the eldest son's beloved, as the closing moments of the episode show. They plan to ask Guen to intercede on their behalf with the emperor, but that's predicated on what Guen told them about delivering Gyokuyo's and Lihua's babies, which we know Luomen actually did. It's a terrible situation all around.
Presumably that's why Jinshi has joined the party. (And, much to their chagrin, Maomao and Basen.) Jinshi's been quiet the entire time due to him playing the role of Basen's servant (Basen is not pleased), but it feels possible that he's already aware of the situation, although he could just want to survey a rural area and see what the raised taxes have done, at his brother's behest, of course. Guen's family's situation may well be a microcosm of the rest of the country as they attempt to head off a crisis most people don't know is coming, and unless the emperor wants a rebellion, it behooves him to keep his ear to the ground. But it's also a chance for the government to ensure that the lower classes aren't being taken advantage of by unscrupulous nobles or robber barons. Running a country is about more than just its richest inhabitants, and if the emperor loses the farmers and manufacturers, he'll be in a very precarious position.
As the Sazen section that opens the episode shows, no one is just one thing, and people have hidden depths and skills. While discovering that Sazen has apothecarial knowledge is important to making sure Maomao can go off with Jinshi, it's also a reminder that dovetails nicely with the fact that Guen's family are both farmers and papermakers. You can't slot people into just one hole. This has worked in Maomao's favor, and the preview indicates that it will again next week, while Jinshi's servant disguise is doing the same for him. (Provided he can hold it together; Basen is not good at this.) We'll see how it pans out and if politics and actual people can find a happy medium next week, but at least we've learned one thing for sure: if you meet someone named Maomao, keep a close eye on your fish.
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The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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