After breaking a "curse" on the imperial heirs, a palace servant with training in herbal medicine is promoted up the ranks to food taster...and right into the thick of palace intrigue in this lushly illustrated historical mystery series! Having been discovered by Shenmei while hiding in the storehouse in the Village of the Foxes, Maomao has been brought to the fortress to be put to work as an apothecary making medicines and tending to wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, back in the capital, Lakan urges Jinshi to rally their troops and take up arms against the insurgent Shishou. With an impending war on the horizon, what will fate have in store for the innocents within the fortress?