After Ah-Duo's departure, The Apothecary Diaries introduced a new Pure Consort. But exactly what happened to Loulan in The Apothecary Diaries? Her story is intriguing!
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for The Apothecary Diaries' manga and light novel, so proceed with caution.
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Who Is Loulan? Meet the New Pure Consort
Loulan is a 17-year-old concubine who arrives at the Inner Palace to replace Ah-Duo as Pure Consort when the latter is deemed too old.
The new concubine appears cold and aloof. Among the four main consorts, she's the only one who doesn't care for Maomao's help.
She's known for her eccentricity and is often seen with different makeup, hairstyles, and clothes.
As the light novel and manga later reveal, Loulan is the most similar to Maomao; she's smart and pragmatic with a keen interest in herbs, poisons, and insects.
Her cold demeanor is simply a mask that hides her true motivations. As it turns out, the reason behind Loulan's constant style changes is her double life.
She and her lady-in-waiting, Renpu, who are similar in size and stature, often change places with Loulan posing as a maid named Shishui.
This allows her freedom of movement for her plans. Her perpetually different hair and makeup make it hard for people to tell that another person hides under the concubine's guise.
What Happened to Loulan in The Apothecary Diaries?
After the truth about her schemes is revealed, Loulan disappears from the palace, with only Maomao occasionally wondering what became of her.
While Loulan's actions and cold demeanor might make her appear like a villain, she was a good person all along.
Loulan's outward behavior does not betray her feelings, but she deeply cares about her father and sister.
Her true goal was to stop the machinations of her overbearing mother and the corrupt Shi clan.
After everything is revealed, Loulan fakes her death, flees the country, and goes west, to a country called Tamamo, presumably The Apothecary Diaries' version of Japan.
Unfortunately, her whereabouts after that have not been revealed, and since the story follows Maomao, we might never know exactly what happened to her.
However, Loulan is crafty and smart with the ability to adapt to change. She's truly a survivor, so her fans hope that she made it, wherever she might be.
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