Suirei

Suirei is a tall woman with rather androgynous features, being able to easily pass as a young adult man. Maomao observed that Suirei used makeup to downplay her natural beauty.

Suirei is an introvert and does not have much energy to talk to others. She seems to have a somewhat strict personality, as she admonished Maomao for nearly trespassing on the palace's military quarters. She acts as a maternal figure to her little half-sister, Loulan, whom she loves deeply, and enjoys studying medicinal herbs, having learned the craft from her adoptive grandfather. She can also be ruthless at times, as shown by her being behind several incidents leading up to the attempted assassination of Jinshi, but when it is later revealed she did these things on behalf of her stepmother Shenmei, who'd been abusing her over the course of her entire life out of hatred for her very existence, it becomes clear she only did these things because she was forced to, lest she suffer further abuse. This is further supported by her making a noticeable effort to keep both Maomao and Kyou-u safe from incurring Shenmei's wrath and being punished by her after kidnapping the former and bringing her to the Northern Province, despite their previously somewhat antagonistic relationship.

Suirei has a severe fear of snakes, due to being subject to the taibon (a two-foot-deep hole filled with various snakes, frogs, and bugs).

Herbal medicine: Trained by a former court physician, Suirei is very skilled in dealing with herbal medicines. She was permitted to plant herbs in the medicinal garden of the Outer Court, which she used to prepare the "Resurrection Medicine" which temporarily mimics the appearance of death.

Intelligence: Suirei is one of the few people to have successfully outwitted Maomao, who is excited at the possibility of matching wits with her.

Shisui, the first child of Prime Minister Shishou and the Banished Princess (an illegitimate daughter of the Former Emperor and Taihou), was raised in medicine by her adoptive grandfather after her mother’s death. She suffered abuse from her stepmother Shenmei but was protected by her younger half‑sister Loulan, who was raised by Suirei.

Suirei went to the Outer Court as a court lady, plotting to kill the Imperial Brother: she poisoned officials, sabotaged ritual implements, and replaced them with faulty ones. Her plan was foiled by Maomao. To avoid arrest, Suirei took a resurrection drug, faking death. Her body was sent to the morgue, but she later woke up (with a paralyzed left arm) and was smuggled out.

She entered the Inner Court disguised as Tian, among former slaves employed as eunuchs. Working with Loulan (in her Shisui guise) and Shenlü, Suirei forced Maomao to come with her by pretending to hold Shisui hostage. They went to a village in the Northern Province, then moved to a fortress further north. There, Suirei was abused by Shenmei but rescued by Loulan. When Jinshi arrived, Loulan revealed Suirei’s origins and secured a promise: Jinshi would use Suirei’s resurrection drug on their relatives for protection, in exchange for locust plague information.

Due to her ancestry — an illegitimate granddaughter of the Former Emperor — Suirei was too valuable to execute, as the Imperial line was severely reduced. She was sent to live with Ah‑Duo at the Southern Imperial Villa, where she grieved for her missing half‑sister and continued medical studies under Ah‑Duo’s protection. Maomao sometimes visited the villa to ask Suirei for help — for example, about Loulan’s missing insect encyclopedia.

Suirei's looks are a subtle sign of her royal origins; many descendants of the Imperial Family possesses a distinct look of being incredibly beautiful, but have subtle androgynous, non-gender conforming qualities.