So that was probably her mother. Who attempted to kill her when she was younger, partly out of rage for 'ruining' her and partly from the syphilis literally eating at her brain. :-(
I theorise that's why MaoMao first became interested in poisons - looking for a cure. (If I was going full Freudian I could make some hay out of her self-mutilation [*German accent* ahh, she wishes to take on the burdens of her mother] and masochistic self-poisoning [yess, yess, you believe you deserve to be punished for living].) Might also be how she became so... flat; don't react, and she won't get mad.
They guy with the glasses is the father, and yes the syphilite woman is the mother.
The Eunuch is actually her grand uncle, but has raised her so she considers him her dad.
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I believe is her real Father... which is why she avoids him. She was raised by the Eunuch Doctor - the gray haired guy, she considers him her real "Dad" - and I now think this woman is possibly her Mother, as she is hoarding shogi(?) pieces in her bed as I believe her father plays it a lot. Her real Dad is some sort of annoying genius and tries to get opportunities to hang around when she is working at the palace- she overhears that the "man with glasses" has come so she's sticking it out, hiding from him... I think something tragic misunderstanding or betrayal went down between the Mother & Father which is why she was raised by the eunuch - but I'll leave that for later
damn so her dad got her mom pregnant to lower the price but she either caught syphilis before or after. I wonder if her dad knows since it seems like he might not know that she's in that room?the mom remembers the smell of the incense and not in a negative way either.
I thought her mother died while he was away or something like that, guess I misremember, or it was the other version since someone mentioned two versions of the novel.
Uh... This chapter is a bit unsettling, and sad. This is currently my favorite Manga, and i'm sorry for the dark way is going to, especially for the MC. Anyway, superb quality.
Ooof this is heavy.... I have a feeling that this might be her mother and the glasses man is possibly her real dad. Her current dad seems a bit too old to be her dad and being a Eunuch I doubt he truly fathered her before the snip.