Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I just got back to the Imperial Hospital and before I could even sit down, my head started to hurt.

In the past few days, the Empress, the Virtuous Consort, and the Shu Consort have taken turns to take charge, and the "illnesses" of the concubines in the palace have occurred one after another, making our Imperial Hospital almost a "temporary rest room for the concubines."

I thought to myself: If this continues, shouldn't the Imperial Hospital issue a membership card with a package like "three medicine deliveries a month, one free pulse diagnosis"?

I was just about to take a break when I heard footsteps at the door.

Zhu Yuan floated in like a ghost again, holding a bunch of medicinal herbs in his hands, and smiling like a cat that stole bacon.

"President Yang, guess what? There's new news coming out of the palace!"

I leaned back in my chair, not wanting to bother with him. "What's going on? Did another one of the ladies suddenly fall ill? If there's one more, I'd start to wonder if they're competing to see who falls first."

Zhu Yuan looked mysterious. He leaned close to me and whispered, "Isn't that right? But this time the situation is a little different. I heard that... the emperor is ill!"

When I heard this, I almost jumped out of my chair: "Your Majesty? Sick? When did it happen?"

Zhu Yuan nodded. "I just heard from someone at the Imperial Pharmacy that the Emperor has been coughing badly at night lately and had a low-grade fever last night. They sent for Doctor Li from the Imperial Hospital to come over early this morning."

My heart skipped a beat. The Emperor is ill? This is no small matter.

You know, if the emperor has a headache or fever in the palace, the entire Imperial Hospital will be held accountable, for fear that any medical officer will fail to cure the emperor's illness and cause the fortune of the entire palace to decline.

Last time, the emperor was just allergic to seafood, and several old doctors in the Imperial Hospital were so scared that they almost knelt for a whole day.

"Dr. Li went? What did he say?" I asked, trying to appear calm.

Zhu Yuan scratched his head. "I heard the Emperor just had a slight cold. Imperial Physician Li prescribed some medicine and said it's nothing serious. But you know, no matter how small the Emperor's problem is, it's still a big deal. The palace is extremely nervous right now."

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. A cold was not a big problem, but the emperor's illness would definitely make the palace even more nervous.

Especially the concubines, they might take this opportunity to cause more trouble.

"The Emperor has Imperial Physician Li watching over him, so we don't have to worry too much." I waved my hand. "But you're right. Once the Emperor falls ill, the concubines in the palace will probably start to 'care' about him. I guess our Imperial Hospital will be busy again."

As expected, as soon as I finished speaking, a young eunuch came running in breathlessly: "Yang Yuanpan, the Queen Mother wants you to come over. She said she has something important to discuss!"

My heart tightened. The Empress's call on me at this time was definitely not just about something important. She was probably talking to the Emperor about his illness, and I felt a surge of anxiety.

"Okay, I'll be there right away." I carried the medicine box, told Zhu Yuan to take care of the Imperial Hospital, and hurried to the Queen's bedroom.

When we arrived at the Queen's bedroom, the atmosphere was indeed more tense than before.

The Queen sat in an armchair, her face looking a little haggard, obviously she had not fully recovered from the last nightmare.

Several palace maids stood beside her, looking a little nervous, obviously frightened by the emperor's illness.

"President Yang, you're here." The Queen looked up at me, a hint of anxiety in her tone.

"Your Majesty, why did you call me? Are you feeling unwell?" I hurried forward to pay my respects, but I had a vague guess in my heart that she was not asking about my illness.

The Queen sighed softly, "I'm fine, but the Emperor suddenly caught a cold last night, and this has left me feeling very uneasy. Court Judge Yang, have you heard about the Emperor's condition?"

I nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Imperial Physician Li has already examined the Emperor. He only has a slight cold and should be fine."

The Empress frowned slightly, clearly unsure. "It's just a minor cold... but the Emperor has been so busy lately. If treatment is delayed, it could become a serious illness. Do you think Doctor Li's prescription is safe?"

I was speechless. Who is Doctor Li?

He is a veteran doctor in the Imperial Medical Bureau and has much more experience than me, so there will naturally be no problems with the prescriptions he prescribes.

But the Queen Mother was obviously anxious about the Emperor's illness and wanted to confirm it again.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Doctor Li's prescription is very safe. The Emperor only needs to take the medicine on time and get more rest, and he will recover soon." I tried to make my tone sound more relaxed, hoping to soothe her anxiety.

The Empress was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting my words. After a moment, she finally nodded. "I hope so... Yang Yuanpan, I've been feeling uneasy lately, feeling like something's about to happen in the palace. Do you think the Emperor's illness is some kind of ominous omen?"

I sighed inwardly. Sure enough, she had linked the emperor's illness with her own dream.

As a modern person, I certainly understand that a cold is just an ordinary minor illness and has nothing to do with any "omen", but in this era, dreams and omens are often regarded as mysterious hints, especially in a place like the harem that is full of power struggles.

"Your Majesty, I dare to say that the emperor's cold is only due to the changeable weather in recent days. You don't have to worry too much. As for dreams, most of them are what you think about during the day and dream at night, which may not be related to reality." I explained softly, trying to reassure her.

The Queen sighed, her expression still filled with worry. "You have a point... but lately, I've been feeling uneasy, as if something big is about to happen in the palace."

"Your Majesty, you worry too much. Everything is normal in the palace. You just need to have a good rest and take care of yourself." I comforted her again, but I had a vague feeling in my heart that the Queen's premonition this time might not be entirely unreasonable.

Coming out of the Queen's bedroom, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as I was on the way back to the Imperial Hospital, Zhu Yuan jumped out from the corner, as if he was guarding me specifically.

"What's going on? Is the Queen worried about the Emperor's condition again?" he asked with a gossipy look on his face.

I glanced at him. "You have quite a keen ear. It's true that the Empress is a little worried, but Imperial Physician Li has already prescribed some medicine. The Emperor just needs to rest, and he shouldn't be seriously ill."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head. "But I heard that the emperor was coughing badly this morning, and everyone in the palace was very nervous."

"Coughing is a normal symptom of a cold. As long as you treat it in time, there will be no problem." I patted his shoulder and tried to stop him from thinking too much.

Zhu Yuan curled his lips. "You say that easily, but these things in the palace lately have been making me feel strange. The concubines have been 'falling ill' one after another, the Empress has had that weird nightmare again, and now even the Emperor has caught a cold... Don't you think this is a bit too coincidental?"

I also had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but I tried to reassure him, "Don't let your imagination run wild. The duty of our Imperial Hospital is to cure illnesses and save lives. We shouldn't get involved in other matters."

Zhu Yuan nodded, and although he looked unwilling, he didn't say anything more.

Back at the Imperial Hospital, I finally had time to sit down and take a break.

The atmosphere in the palace has become increasingly tense recently. The Empress' nightmares, the concubines' "illness", the Emperor's cold... these seemingly unrelated little things seem to have some connection behind them, as if a storm is quietly brewing.

As the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Service, although I tried my best to avoid being involved in these palace struggles, it seemed that I had no choice.

"President Yang, tell me, are all the recent events in the palace really just coincidences?" Zhu Yuan suddenly came over with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

I took a deep breath. Although I remained calm on the surface, I had a vague feeling in my heart that Zhu Yuan was right - something big was probably going to happen in this palace.

As the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Service, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to stay out of it.