Maomao just wanted to survive her kidnapping and finish her sentence as a lowly laundry maid, but her obsession with deadly toxins and a razor-sharp mind made laying low impossible. Within the labyrinthine walls of the Rear Palace, where every smile hides a blade and every tea cup holds a potential death sentence, her background as a back-alley apothecary becomes her greatest weapon and her most dangerous secret. When she quietly solves the mystery behind the dying heirs of the Emperor, she catches the eye of the deceptively beautiful Jinshi, the head eunuch who sees right through her ordinary facade. Suddenly, she is plucked from the shadows and thrust into the spotlight, serving as a lady-in-waiting and official poison taster for the Emperor’s most favored consort. Maomao must now navigate a cutthroat world of concubine rivalries and imperial secrets, using her brilliance to dissect the darkness lurking in the palace halls while trying to resist the magnetic pull of the man who discovered her. This is a story of a girl who finds her power in the very poisons meant to kill her, proving that in a court full of flowers, it is the thorn you have to watch out for.

Historical mystery, Court intrigue, Poison taster, Medical drama, Ancient China, Maomao, Jinshi, Mystery manga, Palace politics, Strong female lead