"When word of her accomplishments falls on the ears of His Imperial Majesty, Maomao finds herself tasked with a direct request from the throne. Turning down the emperor is out of the question for the former apothecary - if she wants to keep her head! But while acquiescing to the emberor is expected of all subjects, Maomao is about to discover that ladies-in-waiting have still more taxing duties to which to attend, as preparations for the garden banquet...

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...

Maomao helps Jinshi disguise himself as a commoner in order to leave the palace, but somehow Maomao ends up roped into joining him for the trip.

"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! In a stupor from drinking "poison" as punishment for his loss, Lakan dreams of a long-lost past, his affair with a beautiful courtesan, and meeting her daughter for the very first time. Upon waking, he finds himself at Verdigris, where he is pressed to buy the freedom of a girl of his choosing...

"When two beautiful foreign envoys with designs on the Emporer come calling, they spin a fantastical tale about a courtesan who once captured the imagination of their family patriarch. Now it falls to Maomao to concoct a theatrical scheme to give the ladies a whopper of a story to take home! And when the hubbub from their visit dies down, Maomao goes back to sniffing around the Inner Court for the perfume oils and spices sold by the caravan that could...