A young girl who was abducted by human traffickers and ended up working as a maid in the imperial harem. She is seventeen years old by traditional reckoning and serves as the narrator.
Gao Shun and Shui Lian call her “Little Cat (Xiao Mao).” This term roughly conveys the nuance of “Cat-chan” (where “Xiao” corresponds to the Japanese honorific “-chan,” much like how Consort Yuanye refers to Princess Lingli as “Little Ling [Xiao Lin]”). In reality, it’s quite an informal and familiar way of addressing her. Because she’s being addressed by two older, kind-hearted figures, the tone remains free of any snideness or excessive familiarity—more akin to how neighborhood grandparents affectionately address local children.
She describes herself as having “freckles, a high forehead, and a skinny, lean physique.” Perhaps due to growing up in the harsh environment of the pleasure district, her gaze appears stern, and she stands shorter than her peers, Cui and Akabane.
Far from sexy, her skin bears numerous blemishes from hardships endured since childhood, and freckles dot her face—making her hardly what one would call beautiful.
(However, in other media, perhaps because she’s the protagonist, her appearance may be portrayed more favorably. Note that such features stem from her circumstances; for details, please refer to the spoiler section mentioned later.)
As a result, she generally fails to attract attention from the opposite sex. Yet she pays no mind to this, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to the family business she loves.
Having grown up in the pleasure district, she witnessed romantic entanglements and troubles firsthand—and given her own background there, she can even be considered a victim of such complications. Consequently, she holds no favorable view of romance, viewing it instead as troublesome and irritating, and harbors a strong aversion toward it. Thus, she largely maintains a plain, unassuming demeanor.
While acknowledging that she lacks much feminine charm, she has nonetheless found an unexpected advantage: she rarely gets caught up in love-related drama, which she even regards as a stroke of luck. Of course, she pays little heed to fashion; in the anime, owing to the poor security in the pleasure district, she once walked about disguised as a boy, nearly falling prey to human traffickers.
By nature, she’s rather detached, always wearing a listless, expressionless face. She only pursues matters that genuinely interest her, often muttering, “What a hassle.”
Perhaps due to her upbringing, she also has a rather sharp tongue (though proper education allows her to keep it somewhat under control), and having been repeatedly scolded by the “tough old lady” since childhood, that tone may have rubbed off on her.
A young girl who was abducted by human traffickers and ended up working as a maid in the imperial harem. She is seventeen years old by traditional reckoning and serves as the narrator.
She is affectionately called “Xiao Mao” by Gao Shun and Shui Lian. This nickname roughly carries the nuance of “Little Mao-chan” (where “Xiao” corresponds to the Japanese “-chan,” much like how Consort Yuuye calls Princess Lingli “Xiao Lin”), though in reality it’s quite a familiar, even somewhat overly intimate way of addressing her. Because she is addressed this way by two older, kind-hearted figures, the term avoids any hint of sarcasm or excessive familiarity—more akin to how an elderly neighbor might warmly call a local child.
She describes herself as having “freckles, a steep forehead, and a skinny frame”—a frail, unimpressive physique. Perhaps due to growing up in the harsh environment of the pleasure district, she has a sharp, piercing gaze and stands shorter than her peers, Cui and Akabane.
Far from being sexy, her skin is blotchy from years of hardship since childhood, and her face is dotted with freckles; in terms of beauty, she certainly falls short.
(However, in other media, perhaps because she is the protagonist, her appearance may be portrayed more favorably. Note that such looks are partly due to her circumstances, but for details on this, please refer to the spoiler section below.)
As a result, she generally receives little attention from the opposite sex. Yet she pays no mind to this and remains devoted to her beloved family business.
Having grown up amid the romantic entanglements of the pleasure district, and being born into that world herself, she can rightly be considered a victim of such troubles. Consequently, she holds no favorable view of romance, seeing it instead as troublesome and irritating—and thus actively dislikes it. For this reason, she largely maintains a plain, unassuming demeanor.
Though she recognizes that she lacks conventional feminine charm, she has nonetheless found an unexpected advantage: she rarely gets caught up in love-related complications, even viewing this as a stroke of luck. Of course, she pays no heed to fashion; in the anime, owing to the poor security of the pleasure district, she once walked about disguised as a man, nearly falling prey to human traffickers.
By nature, she is rather detached, always wearing a languid, expressionless face. She only pursues what genuinely interests her and often mutters, “What a hassle.”
Perhaps because of her upbringing, she also has a rather sharp tongue (though she has received a proper education and can manage to keep things polite). Having been repeatedly scolded by the “tough old lady” since childhood, that tone may have rubbed off on her.
Originally, she came from a pharmacy in the pleasure district. Born as the daughter of a courtesan affiliated with one of the district’s most prominent brothels, the Green Azure Pavilion, she was taught the etiquette and manners of life as a woman in the pleasure district by the “Three Princesses”—Bai Ling, Mei Mei, and Nühua, the top courtesans of the Green Azure Pavilion. However, for reasons unknown, she was later taken in as a foster daughter by Han Luomen, a former court physician (and ex‑eunuch), who trained her in medicinal knowledge.
Thanks to her experience living in the pleasure district alongside her adoptive father, Luomen, she has acquired extensive knowledge of medicines, poisons, and illnesses. Although raised in the pleasure district, she could read and write—though at first, within the imperial harem, she concealed this skill out of reluctance to reveal anything that might benefit those who had kidnapped her and brought her into the palace.
On the other hand, despite his willingness to teach her pharmacology, Luomen stubbornly refused to instruct her in medicine.
She tends to avoid trouble whenever possible. Highly vigilant and quick to sense danger, she will even pretend not to notice when she overhears something risky or best left unknown. She is so reluctant to get involved in matters beyond her control that she uses her social standing to evade responsibility. With such talent on display, she shows absolutely no political ambition to rise among the high officials of the court or the imperial harem. Still, whether by chance or through her own actions, her personality and unfortunate luck (or perhaps fortunate misfortune?) often land her in various predicaments.
