Kusuriya no Hitorigoto Novel

In a major empire of the central plains, the imperial court conceals a remarkable secret. Maomao, a pharmacist from the pleasure district, now serves as a maidservant in the inner palace. Unremarkable in appearance, she keeps her head down and counts the days until her contract expires, confident the emperor will never summon her. However, her mundane existence is disrupted when she discovers a troubling pattern: the emperor's children are dying young. Learning that the two surviving imperial children have fallen critically ill, Maomao launches a covert investigation to uncover the cause behind these mysterious deaths. Set in a medieval East Asian realm, this tale follows Maomao, the enigmatic food taster, as she navigates the treacherous politics of the imperial court, solving one puzzling case after another while searching for the truth hidden within its walls.