Maomao's approach to life is very practical, focused on learning to survive and thrive in whatever way her environment demands her to. She is rarely tricked or charmed by others: she is one of the few to be unaffected by the beauty and charm of Jinshi. Her mindset has helped her come to terms with matters that many would find scarring; for example, she considers her near-rape and her kidnapping as enraging situations, but also as inevitabilities of living in the red-light district. She is simply a pragmatic individual who is well aware of her position in the world as someone with no status who can be considered expendable at a moment's notice if it means to protect a noble. She often follows direct commands without outward protest and forces herself to not acknowledge (and even withhold) significant events she had witnessed in the Imperial Palace as a form of preservation to herself and others, such as the fact that Jinshi is not the Emperor's brother but his son by Ah-Duo. In part because of her own self-preserving attitude, she finds people who will help others to their own detriment painful to watch.

On the outside, Gaoshun appears calm, aloof, and capable. He will sometimes show his angry side towards his young master and his sons when they fail to do their jobs properly. On the inside, he has a fear of women due to his overly bossy wife and daughter. Despite being a high-ranking official, he will humble down to do peasant work if the command comes from a woman. When Gaoshun was 16 (15 in the manga), he married his older childhood sweetheart, Taomei. Their three children were born back to back starting one year after their marriage. She gave birth to Basen (second son and youngest child) around the same time as Jinshi was born, and therefore became Jinshi's wet nurse. Thus, Gaoshun played a large role in raising Jinshi, becoming something of a surrogate father. In terms of career, Gaoshun originally served as the Emperor's attendant. However, after Jinshi decided to act as an eunuch, Gaoshun was asked to be his attendant and discard his Ma Clan name.[2] After Jinshi took the role of the Imperial Brother, Gaoshun was transferred back to the Emperor's side.