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皇帝陛下のお世話係 [Koutei Heika no Osewagakari] (Comic) #5
The Emperor's Caretaker 05
A statesman's daughter finds herself swept into the world of palace intrigue when she's chosen to be a court lady in this richly illustrated period fantasy!
Linhua and company head to Heiyang, the capital of Guangyan, on an official visit. Emperor Zhiyou is captivated by the vibrant city, but Linhua finds herself unprepared for the next stop on their her family home. Linhua’s mother meets Souren, her daughter’s secret fiancé, for the very first time. What will this encounter mean for their clandestine engagement?
Linhua and company head to Heiyang, the capital of Guangyan, on an official visit. Emperor Zhiyou is captivated by the vibrant city, but Linhua finds herself unprepared for the next stop on their her family home. Linhua’s mother meets Souren, her daughter’s secret fiancé, for the very first time. What will this encounter mean for their clandestine engagement?
176 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2024
11 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 15, 2026
Continues to have me hooked. Slower volume but some swoon and some political intrigue!
Recap: Linhua works like usual, city excursion for Zhiyou, they also visit Liu home and find out the Lius adopted another girl. Linhua’s mother is actually caring and we learn about her and the dad. Linhua stays an extra night and the day after she learns Zhiyou and Souren had the head guard come and escort her back. They use a decoy that gets attacked, Linhua panics and passes out. She plays strong but Souren convinces her to open up. Ends with a scene from the Merchants.
Recap: Linhua works like usual, city excursion for Zhiyou, they also visit Liu home and find out the Lius adopted another girl. Linhua’s mother is actually caring and we learn about her and the dad. Linhua stays an extra night and the day after she learns Zhiyou and Souren had the head guard come and escort her back. They use a decoy that gets attacked, Linhua panics and passes out. She plays strong but Souren convinces her to open up. Ends with a scene from the Merchants.
November 13, 2025
This artist, her work is always so beautiful but she needs to draw more adult men cause that head of the guards is so handsome.
We have more political plays here but some seem more okay (the adoption story), visiting her mother (a sweet side quest), and the the events at the end of the book (interesting merchants!) I enjoyed it all so much.
We have more political plays here but some seem more okay (the adoption story), visiting her mother (a sweet side quest), and the the events at the end of the book (interesting merchants!) I enjoyed it all so much.
January 9, 2026
Souren could give Jinshi a run for his money~
November 22, 2025
This is a review of volumes 1-5 of The Emperor's Caretaker, which I read over the course of a few days. The basic setup is that Linhua, the teenaged daughter of a noble family, is called upon to be a marriage candidate for the five-year-old emperor. That idea gets set aside near-immediately, and instead Linhua becomes one of the emperor's caregivers in the palace. The emperor's uncle, Souren, is regent until the emperor comes of age. He has a reputation as a playboy, but it isn't terribly long before that is debunked, and he starts falling in love with an initially-reluctant Linhua.
Yoshimura has gone out of her way to create a lush setting in the emperor's court, and many panels create a suitable sense of intimacy or awe, depending on the needs of the scene. She's also very obviously used computerized assets for backgrounds and ornamentation, and the slightest amount of scrutiny also shows copy-and-pasted character poses on many pages. I wonder, in some cases, if using shortcuts like this limited her ability to use paneling, different viewpoint angles, and so on, for emotional effect.
I don't blame her for using shortcuts. Mangaka working for pro publishing houses are notoriously overworked, and quite possibly are underpaid and unable to hire in assistants to create a stellar product. Regardless of the actual situation there, the art is nice-looking on the surface, but doesn't impress when looked at closely.
Story-wise, I appreciated how the emperor is being made aware he'll have to make difficult, life-changing (or -ending) decisions when he gets older. It's also cool that it's acknowledged he will be a happier person if allowed to socialize with other children, who will end up being his retainers and inner circle as he grows up. In this volume, we see one of Linhua's servants being put in mortal danger as her decoy, causing her a crisis of conscience when the servant's train is attacked.
These intriguing odds and ends aside, the story is predictable, and the setting is the same as any of the dynastic China analogs we've seen many, many times in light novels. Linhua is the major saving grace: an appealing character who doesn't let her sudden inclusion in the highest halls of power get to her head, who is cutely shy around her regal fiance, and who has both strength of character and recognizes her own vulnerability.
I imagine this would be a nice pleasant read in its light novel form, though nothing extraordinary. This manga, and the three-page "short stories" by the light novel's author included with each volume, are just that.
Yoshimura has gone out of her way to create a lush setting in the emperor's court, and many panels create a suitable sense of intimacy or awe, depending on the needs of the scene. She's also very obviously used computerized assets for backgrounds and ornamentation, and the slightest amount of scrutiny also shows copy-and-pasted character poses on many pages. I wonder, in some cases, if using shortcuts like this limited her ability to use paneling, different viewpoint angles, and so on, for emotional effect.
I don't blame her for using shortcuts. Mangaka working for pro publishing houses are notoriously overworked, and quite possibly are underpaid and unable to hire in assistants to create a stellar product. Regardless of the actual situation there, the art is nice-looking on the surface, but doesn't impress when looked at closely.
Story-wise, I appreciated how the emperor is being made aware he'll have to make difficult, life-changing (or -ending) decisions when he gets older. It's also cool that it's acknowledged he will be a happier person if allowed to socialize with other children, who will end up being his retainers and inner circle as he grows up. In this volume, we see one of Linhua's servants being put in mortal danger as her decoy, causing her a crisis of conscience when the servant's train is attacked.
These intriguing odds and ends aside, the story is predictable, and the setting is the same as any of the dynastic China analogs we've seen many, many times in light novels. Linhua is the major saving grace: an appealing character who doesn't let her sudden inclusion in the highest halls of power get to her head, who is cutely shy around her regal fiance, and who has both strength of character and recognizes her own vulnerability.
I imagine this would be a nice pleasant read in its light novel form, though nothing extraordinary. This manga, and the three-page "short stories" by the light novel's author included with each volume, are just that.
December 23, 2025
This is what I like to read when waiting for new Apothecary Diaries or Happy Marriage. But. I made the mistake of starting right after finishing the AD light novel volume 7, which meant the faster pacing and the lack of depth stood way out. Also but. I like that about this series. It was just an unexpected juxtaposition to go straight from one to the other, and if you read these for the same reason, I would recommend leaving some time for the AD addiction to percolate before engaging in this to take the edge off. (◠‿・)—☆
I absolutely love the scenes near the end between Souren and Linhua. We don't see enough of these types of scenes and I wish we could get this spelled out to Maomao in AD.
Overall, another solid volume. It hits the itch, but I'm enjoying it on its own, too. The pacing and adults being adults against a generally sweet and good nature background is all very refreshing. The plotting takes a back seat for me, which is also a nice change from AD, where the political intricacies are heavy with intrigue and danger.
(I wish I had something for Skip Beat withdrawal. Tamon kind of works, but not really.)
I absolutely love the scenes near the end between Souren and Linhua. We don't see enough of these types of scenes and I wish we could get this spelled out to Maomao in AD.
Overall, another solid volume. It hits the itch, but I'm enjoying it on its own, too. The pacing and adults being adults against a generally sweet and good nature background is all very refreshing. The plotting takes a back seat for me, which is also a nice change from AD, where the political intricacies are heavy with intrigue and danger.
(I wish I had something for Skip Beat withdrawal. Tamon kind of works, but not really.)
February 3, 2026
Review to be adjusted once series is complete
Seventeen year old Liu Linhua gets drawn into court politics when her father decides that she should participate in a ceremony which is to determine the next empress. The main issue being that the emperor is only five years old and the other contestants are also mere children. Having no interest in becoming empress, Linhua instead focuses on looking after the little children as they navigate the adults in court.
The art is gorgeous and I found Linhua to be a fantastic character; she is a little feisty but she also knows how to play the politics games - she'll wear her mask when she needs to but she'll definitely also show her less ladylike sides when she's in a more comfortable space. Her way with children was beautiful and it gave the story a very sweet touch. That being said, there are already hints that there's more scheming in the background - I am very curious to see where this goes.
Seventeen year old Liu Linhua gets drawn into court politics when her father decides that she should participate in a ceremony which is to determine the next empress. The main issue being that the emperor is only five years old and the other contestants are also mere children. Having no interest in becoming empress, Linhua instead focuses on looking after the little children as they navigate the adults in court.
The art is gorgeous and I found Linhua to be a fantastic character; she is a little feisty but she also knows how to play the politics games - she'll wear her mask when she needs to but she'll definitely also show her less ladylike sides when she's in a more comfortable space. Her way with children was beautiful and it gave the story a very sweet touch. That being said, there are already hints that there's more scheming in the background - I am very curious to see where this goes.
November 20, 2025
3.75 stars
January 5, 2026
Actually love them so much.
February 8, 2026
4.5 rounded up
November 4, 2025
Zhiyou has his first inspection in the city, but he's planned an extra special surprise for Linhua. Curious who's idea exactly it was, but it does turn out rather advantageous for Souren. It's also hilarious to see Zhiyou interact with Linhua's younger siblings. Even though it seems everything was planned in advance, Zhiyou doesn't seem too pleased by Linhua staying home rather than being in the palace. Souren seems to be of the same mindset, though being older and more used to playing roles expected of him, manages not to appear as overtly concerned. Perhaps it's warranted though given the events on the way home and Souren's understandable panic. Linhua gets to meet another of the women who serve Souren under special circumstances. It's interesting how each of the people close to him that Linhua meets end up taking a liking to her. Just who exactly is this mysterious puppet master behind the scenes though, and will the link to the Mo family be uncovered?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2025
ugh so good once again. i’ll take 10 thanks 💳💥💥💥
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews