Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The virtuous concubine fainted?

When I heard the news, I almost dropped the teacup in my hand.

I was just thinking that today's work had finally come to an end, but I didn't expect a sudden "night shift" to come up again.

Zhu Yuan, already breathless from running, rushed in and shouted, "Your Excellency, the Concubine Xian has collapsed! It happened so suddenly! Come with me to see her!"

Although I was nervous inside, I remained calm on the surface. After all, as the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Service, I had to keep the situation stable when something happened.

Moreover, the concubines in this palace always have some "emergencies", sometimes they may be emotional problems, and sometimes they want to use illness to win favor.

In either case, I have to handle it with care.

"How did the virtuous concubine fall ill? Are there any other symptoms?" I asked casually while packing the medicine box.

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and thought for a moment, "Uh... the maids said she first felt a tightness in her chest, then suddenly turned pale, and collapsed before she could even finish her words. Luckily, a maid was there to support her, otherwise she would have fallen pretty hard."

I nodded, but I had a feeling it wasn't that simple. Chest tightness, pale face, sudden fainting?

This does sound like a physical problem, but it could also be a sudden fainting caused by excessive inner stress.

"Okay, let's go. I have to go and see how Concubine Xian is doing in person." I carried the medicine box and followed Zhu Yuan quickly to Concubine Xian's bedroom.

The atmosphere in Concubine Xian's bedroom was tense and somewhat depressing.

When I arrived, Concubine Xian was lying on the bed, her face pale and her eyes closed. The palace maids around her were gathered in a circle, all of them looked panicked and frantically fanning her and handing her water. It was obvious that they were completely at a loss.

"President Yang is here! Make way and let the judge take a look!" Zhu Yuan squeezed out a path in the crowd. I hurried to the bedside of Concubine Xian and began to take her pulse.

Her pulse was a little weak, but nothing serious. It seemed more like a brief fainting spell caused by emotional fluctuations. I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this was not an acute illness, but a brief fainting caused by excessive internal pressure.

"The Empress just fainted due to a momentary emotional fluctuation. It's nothing serious." I said to the palace maids while giving Concubine Xian acupuncture to stabilize her breathing. "Don't panic. When she wakes up later, she will just need to drink some warm water and rest for a while."

The maids nodded in relief, "Thank you, Court Judge Yang! Your Majesty has been under a lot of pressure lately and often sleeps restlessly at night. We were terrified that she would suddenly faint today."

I put the last needle in and sighed softly.

It seems that the recent undercurrent in the palace has not only kept the Empress awake at night, but has also had a significant impact on Concubine Xian.

Sure enough, after a while, the virtuous concubine slowly woke up.

She opened her eyes and looked at the palace maids surrounding her, looking a little confused: "What's wrong with me?"

I quickly stepped forward to comfort her: "My Lady, you just had an emotional upheaval that caused you to faint, but it's nothing serious. You'll be fine after a little rest."

The virtuous concubine smiled weakly. "Thanks to Yang Yuanpan... I've been feeling anxious lately. It seems I've just scared myself."

Looking at her expression, I knew she must be worried, but I couldn't ask any more questions, so I smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will prescribe some medicine to regulate your qi and blood, and calm your mind. If you take it on time, you should feel better soon."

The virtuous concubine nodded and reluctantly sat up: "Lately, things in the palace...ah, it's really annoying."

As soon as she said this, the palace maids' faces became a little subtle. It was obvious that they all felt the undercurrent in the palace.

I also know in my heart that this is not just a physical problem, but a storm brewing in the palace.

"Your Majesty, I dare not speculate about what's happening in the palace, but your health is the most important thing. If you feel unwell, please summon me at any time. You don't have to endure it." I said softly, trying my best to show concern.

The virtuous concubine nodded and said, "Thank you, Courtier Yang, for your advice... I have indeed been feeling uneasy lately. I will take the medicine you prescribed on time."

After leaving the virtuous concubine's bedroom, Zhu Yuan immediately came over with a gossipy expression on his face.

"Yang Yuanpan, what happened to the virtuous concubine? Could it be—" He deliberately lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "Is the pressure of palace fighting too great?"

I glared at him and said, "Your head is full of these messed up thoughts all day long! The virtuous concubine is just weak, don't make blind guesses."

Zhu Yuan curled his lips. "I'm just worried. There's been a lot of unrest in the palace lately. Who knows which concubine might suddenly collapse? Think about it, the Empress has been having nightmares, and Concubine Xian has suddenly fainted. Is there really something big going to happen?"

I took a deep breath and felt that this matter was not that simple.

As the Empress and the Consort Xian ran into trouble one after another, the atmosphere in the palace became increasingly weird, as if an invisible hand was pushing something in secret.

"Okay, these things are not what our Imperial Hospital should worry about. Our mission is to cure diseases and save lives, so don't worry too much about other things." I tapped Zhu Yuan's head to remind him not to be too curious.

Zhu Yuan covered his head with his hands, looking aggrieved: "I know that too! But these recent events are really making me feel uneasy."

After a few days, Concubine Xian's physical condition gradually improved.

She took the medicine I prescribed on time and her complexion looked much better than before.

However, during this period, the "illnesses" of other concubines in the palace continued to occur frequently.

The clinic of the Imperial Hospital almost became their "gathering place". Every day someone came to see me for medical treatment. Some had headaches, some had insomnia, and some even said they were "dizzy and their legs and feet were weak."

Every time I made the diagnosis and prescribed the medicine step by step, I felt more and more that something was wrong.

"President Yang, have you noticed that the illnesses of these concubines are so similar recently?" Zhu Yuan muttered softly while sorting the medicinal herbs.

I nodded. "Yes, they are all seemingly minor problems, but they keep appearing one after another. Do you think... could this be an excuse they deliberately made up to get some information from the Imperial Hospital?"

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it, it's really possible! How could these concubines normally come to the Imperial Hospital so frequently? Now, one after another, they all seem to be seriously ill."

I frowned, feeling that there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this.

The palace seems calm on the surface, but undercurrents are actually surging. Could it be that these concubines are secretly forming an alliance and trying to challenge the queen's position?

Or has some power struggle in the palace already begun?

Just as I was thinking about it, a eunuch suddenly came hurriedly to report the news.

"Yang Yuanpan, the Empress Dowager summons you!"

My heart tightened. The Empress Dowager's sudden summons was probably not a good sign.

Could it be that she also noticed the unusual movements in the palace?

"Yang Yuanpan, why do you think the Empress Dowager wants to see you?" Zhu Yuan asked in a low voice behind me.

I took a deep breath. "No matter what, the Empress Dowager summoned me, so I have to go and see her. No matter what her problem is, our duty as the Imperial Hospital is to ensure the health of everyone in the palace."

Zhu Yuan nodded: "Then be careful, there have been a lot of strange things happening in the palace recently, don't let the Imperial Hospital get involved."

I patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, our Imperial Hospital emphasizes benevolence and compassion, and we don't get involved in those messy things."

Even though I said this in my heart, I still felt that the Queen Mother's summons this time might not be that simple...