Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The news of the Empress Dowager's summons came suddenly, and I felt somewhat uneasy.

Although as the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, it is common for me to deal with concubines in various palaces on a daily basis, the Empress Dowager has always lived in seclusion and rarely summoned outsiders.

Could her sudden visit to me be related to the strange things happening in the palace recently?

I hurried to the Empress Dowager's chambers, my medicine chest on my back, reminding myself: No matter what she asks, I must respond with caution and never drag the Imperial Hospital into this undercurrent. After all, as a modern time traveler, my greatest advantage is playing dumb.

When we arrived at the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager's bedroom was filled with solemnity.

The Queen Mother sat back on a high chair, her expression normal, but her brows slightly furrowed, and it was obvious that she was not in a relaxed mood.

Beside her stood several palace maids and eunuchs, all with their heads bowed and their hands hanging down. The atmosphere was so depressing that it made people feel uneasy.

I quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling me to excuse myself. "Yang Yuanpan, I've recently heard that many concubines in the palace are unwell. As the Yuanpan of the Imperial Hospital, have you noticed anything unusual?"

As expected, the Queen Mother came straight to the point.

My heart tightened, but I remained calm on the surface. "Your Majesty, several ladies have indeed come to the Imperial Hospital for treatment recently. However, I have carefully examined them and found that most of them are suffering from seasonal changes, physical weakness, or bad moods. They are not seriously ill."

The Queen Mother stared at me with a deep gaze, as if she could see through every thought in my mind: "Are you just in a bad mood? There seems to be something wrong in the palace recently."

I quickly gathered my thoughts and calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I dare not speak rashly, but according to my diagnosis, your health is fine. As for your mood swings, it may be due to the unpredictable spring weather, which can easily cause emotional instability."

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, her fingers gently tapping the armrests of the chair. After a long pause, she slowly spoke, "The changeable weather in spring... well, I've also been feeling uneasy lately, and I can't sleep well at night."

My heart skipped a beat. Is the Empress Dowager also suffering from insomnia?

Could it be that the atmosphere in the palace has become so tense that even the Queen Mother feels uneasy?

"If Your Majesty also suffers from insomnia, I can prescribe a prescription for you to calm your nerves and ensure that you sleep peacefully." I said quickly, trying to bring the topic back to "medical treatment" instead of the invisible and intangible palace fights.

The Queen Mother nodded, seemingly not rejecting my suggestion. "The prescription is secondary. I just feel that these minor incidents in the palace may not really be caused by the weather."

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Have you had any contact with the Queen recently?"

My heart tightened; this question came too suddenly. I do know a lot about the Empress's dreams, but these things can't be spoken casually.

So, I replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Empress has indeed been having a lot of nightmares lately. I've prescribed her a medicine to soothe her mind, and her condition has improved."

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, as if pondering my words. The palace was so quiet that even the sound of the wind blowing through the paper windows could be heard clearly.

She finally sighed, a hint of worry in her tone. "Sometimes dreams aren't illusions, especially for someone with a special status like the Queen. What did you say about her dream... could it be some kind of omen?"

My heart tightened. Could it be that the Empress Dowager had heard of the Empress's dream? Could these dreams really have such a profound influence?

"Your Majesty, dreams often manifest at night as a result of what you think about during the day. Perhaps Your Majesty is simply experiencing stress due to the busy palace duties, which is why you have nightmares. What you see in dreams may not necessarily be a true omen."

I tried my best to sound more relaxed, but I had a vague feeling in my heart that there might be some unsolved mystery behind this dream.

The Queen Mother glanced at me, as if she was not entirely satisfied with my answer, but she did not ask any further questions.

She waved her hand gently. "Never mind. I won't make things difficult for you. Go ahead. Please pay close attention to the Queen. If there are any special circumstances, please report them to me at any time."

"Yes, I obey your command." I quickly retreated, but I felt a little scared.

After leaving the Cining Palace, I ran into Zhu Yuan, who was walking on tiptoe on the palace path. When he saw me, he immediately came over.

"Yang Yuanpan, why does the Empress Dowager want to see you?" Zhu Yuan looked curious, his eyes flickering like a cat seeing a fish.

I glared at him. "Why are you everywhere? The Empress Dowager only asked me to keep an eye on the health of the ladies in the palace. Stop asking about these things."

Zhu Yuan looked aggrieved. "I'm just concerned! Besides, so many concubines in the palace have been 'sick' recently. I always feel that it's not that simple. Look, the virtuous concubine just fainted a few days ago, and the empress dowager is starting to get uneasy again."

I sighed in my heart, Zhu Yuan was right.

There has indeed been unrest in the palace recently. On the surface, everything seems to be normal, but in fact, it seems like there is a time bomb buried in everyone's heart that may explode at any time.

"Alright, stop imagining this. The duty of our Imperial Hospital is to cure illnesses and save lives. We should stay out of other matters."

I patted Zhu Yuan on the shoulder and planned to hurry back to the Imperial Hospital to continue dealing with the "illnesses" of the concubines.

Zhu Yuan curled his lips. "I was just saying it casually. But seriously, all these concubines have been coming to the Imperial Hospital lately, with all sorts of strange reasons. I'm starting to wonder if they're up to something."

I smiled. "It's possible, but their plans have nothing to do with us. We only prescribe medicine to treat the disease. As for the rest... you'd better not think too much, so as not to cause trouble."

Zhu Yuan nodded, and although his face was full of reluctance, he didn't say anything more.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I had just sat down for a while when I heard hurried footsteps outside the door again.

"Yang Yuanpan, something happened! Concubine Shu suddenly became angry and is crying in the bedroom. Please go and take a look!" A young eunuch hurried in, his face full of anxiety.

My scalp tingled when I heard that. Another one?

The "emergencies" of the concubines in this palace are really endless. First, the virtuous concubine fainted, and then the virtuous concubine became furious. If this continues, the Imperial Hospital will have to "work overtime".

"Okay, I'll be there right away!" As I packed my medicine box, I complained in my mind: Have all the concubines in this palace agreed to take turns getting into trouble? They always catch me off guard.

When I arrived at Concubine Shu's bedroom, I heard suppressed sobbing coming from inside.

When I entered the room, Concubine Shu was sitting by the bed with red eyes, obviously she had been crying a lot.

The palace maids around her tried to comfort her carefully, but the effect was obviously not good.

"President Yang, you're here! The Queen suddenly lost control of her emotions and cried so hard that we didn't know what to do." The palace maids looked helpless, and were obviously at a loss what to do because of this sudden "emotional storm".

I quickly stepped forward and asked softly, "My Lady, what's wrong with you? What's making you so sad?"

Concubine Shu raised her head, looking at me with tears in her eyes, her voice choked with sobs, "Yang Yuanpan... tell me, am I really useless? I've been feeling left out lately, feeling so frustrated that I can't even sleep well. Just now... I couldn't help it."

I sighed inwardly, the competition for favor in the palace is indeed endless.

It was obvious that Concubine Shu was feeling lost and depressed because the Emperor had not paid much attention to her recently. As a result, her emotions got out of control and she burst into tears.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to blame yourself too much. The weather in spring is changeable and people's emotions are easily fluctuating. You just need to take good care of your body and stay in a good mood, and the emperor will naturally care more about you." I quickly comforted her and tried my best to calm her down.

Concubine Shu sobbed a few times, and seemed to ease a little: "You... do you really think so?"

I nodded quickly. "Your Highness, I dare not speak so rashly. Your Majesty, how could He not be concerned about your beauty and talent? It's just that His Majesty has been so busy lately that it's inevitable that He might lose sight of one thing while focusing on another. You don't have to worry too much."

After hearing this, Concubine Shu's expression finally improved slightly and she nodded: "You are right...I may have scared myself."

I breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that the crisis was temporarily resolved.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I lay back in my chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

I'm completely exhausted after all the hard work today.

The concubines in this palace all appear glamorous and beautiful on the surface, but in fact they have countless worries and pressures in their hearts, and they will have emotional breakdowns if they are not careful.

As the director of the Imperial Medical Service, I am not only responsible for their physical health, but also have to work part-time as a "psychologist" from time to time. It is really tiring.

"President Yang, are you tired? Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?" Zhu Yuan came over with a smile, holding a pot of hot tea in his hand.

I glanced at him and smiled helplessly, "Yeah, I'm very tired. You have nothing better to do than listen to gossip."

Zhu Yuan chuckled, "Isn't this also to help you understand the movements in the palace? But don't worry, no matter how turbulent the palace becomes, our Imperial Hospital is safe and sound."

I sighed. "I hope so."