The Apothecary Diaries is more than just a historical medical mystery, it is a labyrinthine tale of court politics, long-buried secrets, and royal intrigue. While Maomao, the brilliant apothecary at the heart of the story, captures audiences with her wit and intellect, it is Jinshi, her mysterious partner and superior, who sparks an entirely different kind of curiosity. Presented as a powerful and elegant palace eunuch, Jinshi is anything but ordinary.

As Maomao uncovers the tangled truths hidden in the Imperial Court, the mystery of Jinshi’s real identity slowly unravels. With secrets spanning generations, Jinshi's family tree does not just explain who he is, it reshapes the entire political landscape of the empire. From switched births and cruel empresses to forgotten heirs and bloodlines tainted by abuse, there is a lot that fans need to know about Jinshi and the family history that defines him.

The Illusion of Jinshi the Eunuch

Jinshi Is Not Who He Pretends to Be, Here Is the Truth

At first glance, Jinshi appears to be a high-ranking palace eunuch who is young, beautiful, and very put-together. He manages the Rear Palace, home to the emperor’s consorts and children, and seems more politically savvy than most eunuchs ever could be. With a gentle demeanor and commanding presence, Jinshi manipulates perceptions to his advantage, often leaving even the clever Maomao puzzled by his true intentions. However, it does not take long for her, and the audience, to sense that something does not quite add up.

Maomao begins picking up subtle clues in season 1. Jinshi is often treated with a reverence that other eunuchs are denied. He has private meetings with the emperor, possesses a lavish personal household, and is attended to as if he were nobility. His combat training, physical build, and even his reactions during moments of vulnerability further raise suspicions that he is not a eunuch at all. In one telling moment, Maomao remarks on his well-formed masculine physique, hardly what one would expect of a castrated servant.

Gaoshun, Jinshi’s fiercely loyal attendant, further complicates the picture. He prepares medicinal concoctions that allow Jinshi to suppress certain natural traits to maintain his eunuch disguise. Add to that Jinshi’s skill at strategy, like when he wins a game of go against the emperor himself, and it is clear that Jinshi is not just pretending, he is performing a high-stakes role. The disguise allows him to investigate internal threats and spy for the emperor. But behind the makeup and masks lies a princely bloodline cloaked in centuries of pain and manipulation.

A Royal Swap: How Jinshi Became the Emperor’s "Brother"

The Switch That Changed Everything in The Apothecary Diaries

Jinshi’s most deeply buried secret is also the most tragic, that he was born a prince, not a eunuch. The truth comes to light during an investigation into a poisoning attempt against Consort Lishu. In the process, long-hidden facts about the imperial family emerge. Nearly two decades earlier, Consort Ah-Duo and Empress Dowager Anshi gave birth around the same time. Due to strict palace hierarchies, Ah-Duo was denied medical care while Anshi, being of higher rank, received full attention.

Ah-Duo’s healthy baby survived, but she suffered reproductive damage. Anshi's baby, despite receiving expert care, later died from a tragic medical mistake. Faced with the reality that her baby was conceived from rape by the former emperor, and that she could not bring herself to raise him, Anshi accepted Ah-Duo’s proposal to switch the infants. Thus, Jinshi, Ah-Duo’s biological son, was raised as the imperial brother, while Anshi’s baby died under Ah-Duo’s care, solidifying the cover-up.

By the time Maomao discovers the truth about his past, Jinshi is already showing signs of inner turmoil.

The emotional toll of the switch lingers in Jinshi’s demeanor, even before he learns the truth. Though groomed as a noble, he often appears detached and burdened by invisible weight. His identity, once thought to be noble but clear-cut, becomes a murky tangle of lies. By the time Maomao discovers the truth about his past, Jinshi is already showing signs of inner turmoil. In one emotional scene, he is found weeping after a private meeting with Ah-Duo, who may have finally revealed the truth of his birth.

The Legacy of Abuse and Power in The Apothecary Diaries

Power, Trauma, and the Price of Bloodline

Understanding Jinshi’s origins means reckoning with the deeply broken system that birthed him. His grandfather, the former emperor, was a weak-willed man ruled by his mother, the late empress regnant, a tyrant who forced her will on the court with brutal efficiency. Her cruelty extended to the palace’s men, many of whom she had castrated, including Maomao’s adoptive father, Luomen. Under her rule, fear and silence reigned, and the traumas she inflicted left generational scars that still impact the court.

Jinshi’s biological father, the current emperor, is a man molded in opposition to his own father. He strives to lead with justice and comion, making deliberate efforts to avoid the toxic legacy of his lineage. When he was crown prince, he declared Ah-Duo his only consort, a rare act of devotion in The Apothecary Diaries' world where power often trumped affection. Yet, after Ah-Duo’s traumatic childbirth, and the death of what he believed to be his first child, he was forced to take on more consorts to secure the succession line.

Anshi, Jinshi’s grandmother and the empress dowager, is perhaps the most complex figure in this story. As a young girl, she was pushed into the imperial court by her family and manipulated her way into the emperor’s favor. Later, consumed by regret and unable to love the child she conceived in anger, she saw the child-swap as both a mercy and a burden. Though she raised Jinshi as her own, it was never clear whether her affection was sincere or an attempt to rewrite a painful past.

The Women Who Shaped Jinshi’s Life

Jinshi’s Family of Fearless Women in The Apothecary Diaries

Beyond the palace walls and poisonous court intrigue, Jinshi’s identity is shaped most powerfully by the women who raised, nurtured, and protected him. Ah-Duo, his biological mother, may have relinquished him, but she did so out of love and fear for his safety. Anshi, for all her faults, raised him as a prince, shielding him from the darkest truths of his origin, at least until he was old enough to learn them.

Then there is Suiren, Ah-Duo’s mother and Jinshi’s grandmother, who served loyally as a lady-in-waiting before becoming the head of Jinshi’s household. Suiren’s loyalty to the imperial family runs deep, but her devotion to Jinshi is personal. She helped shape him into the man capable of navigating treacherous palace politics while hiding the very nature of who he is. Despite her gentle demeanor, she is fiercely protective and commands respect even from Maomao.

Maomao may be the first person Jinshi encounters who sees past his layers and past the eunuch disguise, the royal facade, and the emotional burdens to the man he truly is.

Jinshi’s interactions with Maomao also mark a turning point in his life. Her intelligence, irreverence, and refusal to be swayed by status challenge him constantly. More than just a trusted partner, Maomao may be the first person Jinshi encounters who sees past his layers and past the eunuch disguise, the royal facade, and the emotional burdens to the man he truly is. It is through her eyes that audiences slowly come to understand not only Jinshi’s story, but his humanity.

Where Jinshi’s Story Is Headed

What is Going to Happen to Jinshi in The Apothecary Diaries?

The full scope of Jinshi’s future remains unclear, even as the anime continues to peel back the layers of his identity. Now that his true parentage has been revealed to the audience, the question becomes what he will do with that knowledge. Will he take his rightful place as heir to the empire, or will he continue to live in disguise, operating from the shadows to protect the court from within?

There are hints that Jinshi does not want power. He has already rejected the position of crown prince once, preferring the freedom and anonymity that comes with his eunuch role. But his lineage and upbringing make it nearly impossible for him to avoid being a political pawn. As tensions rise within the palace and external threats to the empire loom, Jinshi may be forced to confront not just his past, but the expectations of his bloodline.

Until then, Jinshi’s story serves as a poignant reflection of the themes at the heart of The Apothecary Diaries, which are identity, sacrifice, and the invisible wounds left by power. Through him, the series critiques the cruelty of imperial rule while highlighting the resilience of those forced to live under it. Jinshi may be the imperial son, a hidden prince, or a false eunuch, but above all, he is a product of a system that tried to erase his humanity, and a man slowly reclaiming it on his own .