A palace servant trained in herbal medicine finds herself at the heart of imperial intrigue in this enthralling period mystery!

Maomao finally returns to the capital with Jinshi's party to discover that life went on while they were away: Lahan's nose is glued to his abacus, Maamei ponders the future of both the Ma clan and her little brother Basen, and Yao and En’en pursue their dreams (to become a doctor and to geek out over Yao, respectively). Maomao had hoped that things would quiet down without locust swarms and succession crises to occupy her. Unfortunately, life winds up more hectic than ever as the apothecary reconnects with people and places she hasn’t seen in almost a year. Meanwhile, the seeds of a new mystery begin to take root.