The light novel is licensed digitally in North America by J-Novel Club and in print by Square Enix.

Set in a fictional country based on Imperial China during the Tang dynasty,[4] and often referencing knowledge closer to the late Ming dynasty, the series follows Maomao, a young girl working as an apothecary in a red-light district, who was kidnapped and sold to the Imperial Palace as an indentured servant.

Originally, the series was only published by Natsu Hyūga [ja] on the user-generated web novel site Shōsetsuka ni Narō in October 2011.

This time, it was published as a light novel in their Hero Bunko imprint, which is mostly made of acquired Shōsetsuka ni Narō titles.

[21] A manga adaptation by Itsuki Nanao and illustrated by Nekokurage began in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan on May 25, 2017.

[24][25] In November 2019, Square Enix announced the English language release of the manga in North America and began publishing it in December 2020.

[26] An alternative manga adaptation, titled The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao's Notes from the Inner Palace (薬屋のひとりごと～猫猫の後宮謎解き手帳～, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Mao Mao no Kōkyū Nazotoki Techō), illustrated by Minoji Kurata, began in Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X on August 19, 2017.

'Splendid Bounty') performed by Lilas Ikuta,[11] while the first ending theme song is "Shiawase no Recipe" (幸せのレシピ, lit.

[47] By November 2023, the franchise (including the light novel and its two manga adaptations) had over 27 million copies in circulation.

[50] In her review of the first novel for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman gave it an overall grade of B, writing: "It's an enjoyable read, one that gets better as it goes on, and if its pacing is a little too fast, it makes up for it in the way the characters interact and the story unfolds", though she criticized it for lacking in mystery elements despite being of the mystery genre.

[51] Silverman also gave the second novel a B grade, describing it as being "still an engaging read" and writing: "Maomao is a wonderful, if at times abrasive, heroine who takes no garbage from anyone, and watching her become more and more involved in the life of the court is interesting.

"[52] In his review of the first volume of the manga adaptation for Anime News Network, Theron Martin gave it an overall grade of B+.

[57] In 2024, the light novel and manga adaptation by Nekokurage won the Piccoma Award in their respective categories.