Lahan

Lahan is a supporting character in The Apothecary Diaries, introduced more prominently in its third season. He is the nephew of Lakan, the eccentric, powerful military strategist who is also the birth father of the story's heroine, Maomao, which makes Lahan her cousin by blood.

Because Lakan has no other children he openly claims in the family register, he has named Lahan as his chosen successor, a decision that puts real responsibility on Lahan's shoulders despite his relatively young age. Lahan shares some of his uncle's sharper qualities: he is shrewd, carefully observant, and willing to plan several steps ahead, traits that make him a far more capable operator than his sometimes awkward manner might suggest at first glance. He also has an almost obsessive fondness for counting and calculation, a habit that shows up constantly in how he manages the family's practical affairs.

Lahan's position connects him to the wider circle of people around Maomao and Lakan's household, including retainers like Gaoshun. As Maomao's cousin and his uncle's chosen heir, Lahan represents the more grounded, practical side of a powerful family that otherwise tends toward strange or larger-than-life personalities, and his growing role in the story reflects the quiet weight of being groomed to inherit real power and expectation.