Lishu
Lishu is the youngest of the emperor's high consorts in The Apothecary Diaries, a timid girl placed in the rear palace as a political pawn. She is voiced by Hina Kino in Japanese and Reshel Mae in English.
About Lishu
Lishu is the youngest of the emperor's high consorts, a timid girl placed in the rear palace as a political pawn by her family for the second time in her short life. Bullied by her own attendants and terrified of doing wrong, she finds in Maomao one of the few people who treats her as a person rather than a piece in someone else's game.
Appearance
Lishu is a small, delicate girl who looks even younger than she is, with long light hair worn in the elaborate styles of a high consort that seem to weigh her down. Her large, anxious eyes and habit of shrinking into herself make her stand out among the rear palace's polished women, she always looks like someone apologising for taking up space.
Personality
Lishu is gentle, frightened and painfully eager to do the right thing. Bullied by her own attendants and terrified of scandal, she has learned to expect blame for everything. She is not stupid, she is a child who has been used by adults twice over, and her slow discovery that some people will treat her as a person, not a piece, is one of the story's tender threads.
Background & Story
Lishu was sent into the rear palace as a young girl by her family for political advantage, remarkably, for the second time, having been placed there once before in a previous reign's arrangements. As the Virtuous Consort she holds high rank with no real power: her attendants bully her, her food is a battleground of palace politics, and a simple allergy becomes a matter of court intrigue. Maomao's involvement in her case is one of the first times anyone in the palace looks at Lishu's problems from Lishu's side.
Key Relationships
- Maomao: One of the few people in the palace who treats Lishu as a person rather than a pawn, and who takes her small troubles seriously.
- Ah-Duo: The former consort whose place in the rear palace Lishu was, in a sense, sent to fill, a connection the court never lets her forget.
- Jinshi: The official overseeing the rear palace, whose administration decides how protected, or exposed, a pawn like Lishu really is.
Quick Answers
How old is Lishu in The Apothecary Diaries?
Lishu is a young teenager, the youngest of the emperor's high consorts, placed in the rear palace by her family as a political pawn.
Who voices Lishu?
Lishu is voiced by Hina Kino in Japanese and by Reshel Mae in the English dub.
Why was Lishu sent to the rear palace twice?
Lishu's family placed her in the rear palace for political advantage, and remarkably did so across two arrangements in her short life. She holds the rank of Virtuous Consort as a political piece, with almost no power of her own.
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