Gyokuyou

* Anime
* Manga
* Light Novel
* Novel

* Main
* Notebook

## Relationships

* Emperor (Husband)
* Lingli (Eldest Daughter)
* Crown Prince (Youngest Son)
* Former Emperor (Father-in-Law; Deceased)
* Anshi (Mother-in-Law)
* Empress Regnant (Grandmother-in-Law; Deceased)
* Jinshi (Brother-in-Law / Step-Son)
* Gyokuen (Father)
* Gyoku-ou (Older Half-Brother)

**Gyokuyou** (玉葉 (ギョクヨウ) , *Gyokuyou*) is a recurring character in the *The Apothecary Diaries* series.

The holder of the title of "Precious Consort" ("Honored Consort" in Square Enix translation) and was resident in the Jade Pavilion, Gyokuyou is one of the Emperor of Li's favored High Consorts, and is the mother of First Princess Lingli.

After giving birth to the First Prince, she was taken in as the Empress by the Emperor and relocated to the Royal Palace.

## Appearance

Gyokuyou has jade green eyes and long red hair that is tied back, save for a thick strand framing the right side of her face. Although she is not as voluptuous as her rivals in the Imperial Harem, her foreign heritage gives her an exotic appeal.

Fitting of her red hair, Gyokuyou's elemental motif among the High Consorts is fire, and thus she is generally seen in red attire.

## Personality

Gyokuyou has a kind and majestic personality worthy of an Empress. She is both kind and capable, so much so that the Emperor favors her above all of his other consorts. She has also been described as wise and cautious, aware of the politics of the rear palace and able to navigate them deftly. However, she sometimes shows hints of a mischievous side and can be somewhat of a troublemaker and drama seeker; she often teases her attendants about their love lives and hired Maomao despite the girl's reluctance for trouble.

## Abilities

**Knowledgable**: Being raised in a merchant household, Gyokuyou is well informed of many aspects outside of common knowledge especially within finances and trade.

**Wealth**: As the Emperor's chosen Empress, she holds a level of wealth which allows her to get what she wants.

**Influence**: As the Empress, she holds immense power within the inner and outer court.

## Background

She was chosen by Jinshi to become a consort of the Emperor. As the Precious Consort, she not only serves her role in the inner palace but also sends information about the country's situation back home to her father and brother.

Because her family background wasn't as prominent as the other high consorts, she only hired servants she greatly trusted; as a result, until Maomao joined her, her only four attendants were the head maid, Hongniang, and attendants Yinghua, Guien, and Airan. When the Crown Prince was born, three more maids from Gyokuyou's hometown joined her: Haki'u, Seki'u, and Koku'u.

Her daughter Lingli was born shortly before the start of the series, and, like the other children of the Imperial Harem, was affected by the poisonous face powder worn by the consorts. However, both mother and daughter survived thanks to a note from Maomao informing them about the poison. When Jinshi discovered that Maomao was the one who wrote the note, Gyokuyou invited her to become one of her personal attendants as a poison tester.

She attended the garden party along with the rest of the high consorts, and was given poison intended for Lishu when Riishu's maid switched their dishes as a prank. However, Maomao, who was her food tester, caught the poison in time.

She fell pregnant a second time with the Crown Prince; both Maomao and Luomen were brought back into the Inner Palace for her pregnancy. Though she struggled with a breech birth in the light novel, the Crown Prince was born safely. Already the Emperor's favorite consort, she also became the first consort to give birth to a healthy heir in official eyes, and therefore became Empress and moved into the Empress's palace.

## Trivia

* Her name is likely a reference to "金枝玉葉" (Golden branch and Jade Leaves), referring to someone with very high (most likely royal) pedigree, which is quite odd considering she did not come from a well-connected family.
* Another theory is that since her and her father's surname was "楊", she should formally be referred as "楊貴妃", similar to one of the four beauties in China, and was historically known to be one of the cause of the downfall of Tang China. Considering the name of the real-life 楊貴妃 was "玉環" (Jade circlet), and the fact that some other character also referred to the 8th century Tang Dynasty, this seems highly likely. Furthermore, in the novel, Maomao once mentioned that "the beauties who were rumored to destroy a country, is it really true that they are all bad women?".

## References

1. ↑ The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel：Volume 1
2. ↑ The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel：Volume 4 - Epilogue
3. ↑ The Apothecary Diaries Light Novel：Volume 5

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**Characters**