医師である養父を手伝って薬師として花街で働く少女・猫猫は、薬草採取に出かけた森で人攫いにあって後宮に下女として売られてしまう。年季が明けるまで目立たぬように勤めるつもりだったが、皇子の衰弱事件の謎を解いたことから美形の宦官である壬氏の目に留まり、様々な事件の解決を手伝わされることとなる。
やがて発生した寵姫の失踪事件は、猫猫を巻き込み国家転覆計画に広がっていく。そして、明らかになる壬氏の正体。二人の関係は微妙に変化していく。
Apothecary Maomao was just out collecting herbs when she was kidnapped by procurers for the Imperial harem, an easy way for unscrupulous people to get money by having “relatives” go work in the Rear Palace. Hiding her skills and knowledge, Maomao hopes to just glide by, earning as little as possible for her kidnappers during her term of service, but such is not to be: when royal infants begin dying, Maomao can't resist letting people know the cause. This catches the eye of the far-too-handsome Jinshi, who elevates Maomao from laundry maid to poison taster to the Emperor's favorite concubine. So much for flying under the radar…
