Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Ever since the emperor caught a cold, the atmosphere in the palace has become even more tense.

Every day I shuttle between the bedrooms of various concubines. In addition to dealing with various "illnesses", I also have to maintain a "professional face of the Imperial Medical Bureau judge" at all times. On the surface, I appear calm, but in fact, my heart is already exhausted.

The "diseases" of these ladies in the palace seem strange and varied, but in fact they all stem from one word - "favor".

Of course, I can only think about this in my mind and never say it out loud.

After all, in this harem, favor is more precious than any medicine.

That day, I had just returned from the virtuous concubine's palace and was about to take a nap in the Imperial Hospital when Zhu Yuan floated in like a ghost again.

"President Yang, you haven't had lunch today, right? I brought some pastries." He said with a smile, holding a plate of exquisite pastries in his hand.

I glanced at him warily: "What gossip do you want to hear?"

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and chuckled, "You saw through me. But the news I bring this time is not simple. You will definitely be interested after listening to it."

I sighed helplessly, "Alright, sit down and talk. I don't have much of an appetite anyway. I'd like to hear what 'shocking news' you have this time."

Zhu Yuan sat down, leaned close to me, and spoke mysteriously, "Do you remember that nightmare that was circulating in the palace a few days ago? It was about the Empress dreaming of snakes and blood?"

I nodded. "Of course I remember. The Queen even talked to me about it for quite a while. What's going on? Is there a sequel to this dream?"

"Of course." Zhu Yuan lowered his voice and glanced around, as if afraid of being overheard by the walls. "I heard that besides the Empress, another person also dreamed of snakes, and... on the same night."

When I heard this, my brows furrowed. "What? Someone else dreams of snakes? Who?"

Zhu Yuan approached mysteriously: "You will never guess, it is the Concubine Shu!"

I nearly knocked over the teacup in my hand. "Shufei? Did she dream of snakes too?"

Zhu Yuan nodded vigorously, "Yes! I just heard from the Imperial Kitchen that Concubine Shu has been emotionally unstable lately. Not only is it because the Emperor has been ignoring her, but she also dreamed of a giant snake that night. It coiled in her bedroom, spitting its tongue out, and it scared her so much she couldn't sleep well that night."

I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart. This was no simple coincidence.

Dreams are inherently subjective, but it’s quite intriguing when two people dream about the same scene on the same night.

"Hasn't the Concubine Shu said this publicly?" I asked, feeling vaguely that this matter must not be made a big deal.

"Of course not. Concubine Shu was so scared that she didn't dare to say anything. After all, the Queen had already dreamed of snakes. If she also said that she had dreamed of it, it would probably be misunderstood as some kind of ominous sign." Zhu Yuan whispered.

I nodded. This is indeed a tricky matter.

The Queen was already worried because she had dreamed of a snake. If Concubine Shu also came forward and said that she had dreamed of a snake, the rumors in the palace would only intensify, and in the end even the Emperor might be involved.

"You must not tell anyone about this." I warned him, afraid that he would reveal the matter out of anger.

Zhu Yuan quickly waved his hands: "Don't worry, don't you know who I am? Keep your mouth shut and don't let any news leak out!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a tight-lipped person, and you're still keeping it to yourself? Who spread the news that Concubine Xian had a new sachet throughout the Imperial Hospital last time?"

Zhu Yuan looked aggrieved: "That time it really wasn't me! It was... the person next to me who said it, and I just agreed with him!"

I waved my hand helplessly. "Alright, stop arguing. You need to keep your mouth shut about this. Things are tense in the palace right now. If you keep talking too much, our Imperial Hospital will be in trouble."

Zhu Yuan nodded. Although he looked unwilling, he had no choice but to agree: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

In the next few days, the situation in the palace was indeed very tense.

Although the emperor only had a slight cold, the entire harem was already as nervous as clockwork because of this matter.

The concubines in each palace sent people to deliver medicine and soup, fearing that they would be left behind. Even the concubines who usually did not show up much, such as the virtuous concubine and the virtuous concubine, began to show up frequently, hoping to make some presence known by "caring about the emperor".

As for me, in addition to dealing with these "deep palace diseases" every day, I also have to be dragged away from time to time to "treat their bodies and minds."

It is called conditioning, but in fact it is just listening to their complaints, prescribing some "peace of mind soup" and the like for them, and giving them some psychological comfort.

This made me, the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, become the "psychologist" of the palace.

That day, I had just finished taking the pulse of the virtuous concubine and was about to go back to the Imperial Hospital to rest when a young eunuch suddenly came running in.

"Yang Yuanpan, the Queen Mother suddenly feels dizzy, please come over quickly!"

I was shocked. The Empress Dowager has always been in good health, so why did she suddenly feel dizzy?

This is no small matter. The empress dowager's health affects the stability of the entire harem. If anything goes wrong, the palace will be in chaos.

"Okay, I'll be there right away." I quickly picked up the medicine box and followed the eunuch all the way to the Cining Palace.

When they arrived at the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager's face looked a little strange.

She sat on a high chair, fanning herself gently with a fan in her hand, looking a little tired.

Several palace maids were serving behind her, all of them looking nervous, fearing that if the Empress Dowager was unhappy, they would be in trouble.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May I know what is wrong with you?" I hurried forward to pay my respects.

The Queen Mother looked up at me, her voice a little tired. "Yang Yuanpan, I've been feeling dizzy and restless these past few days, and I haven't been able to sleep well at night. Can you take a look at me and see if there's anything wrong with me?"

I hurried forward to take her pulse. It was stable, but a little weak. It seemed that she had been worrying too much recently, resulting in insufficient qi and blood.

"Empress Dowager, have you been overworked recently? I diagnose that you feel dizzy because of insufficient Qi and blood, coupled with restlessness. I will prescribe a prescription for you to replenish Qi and blood. If you take it on time, you will definitely feel better soon." I explained softly.

"Insufficient Qi and blood?" The Queen Mother frowned slightly, clearly not entirely satisfied with this explanation. "But I've always been in good health. How could I suddenly be deficient in Qi and blood?"

I sighed inwardly. There have been too many things going on in the palace recently, and even the empress dowager is worried.

But of course I couldn't say it directly, so I could only gently counsel her: "Your Majesty, the palace has been very busy lately, and you've been working day and night, so it's inevitable that you're exhausted. Just take good care of yourself and you'll be fine."

The Queen Mother nodded. Although she still had some doubts, she did not ask any more questions. "Then I will prescribe the medicine as you say."

I quickly wrote out the prescription and told the palace maid to boil the medicine on time, but I felt a little uneasy.

The Queen Mother's recent condition is probably not just a lack of energy and blood.

As the mistress of the harem, she is in charge of all the palace affairs. Recently, the emperor has been ill and the concubines are vying for favor. The palace is in a state of panic, and all the pressure is concentrated on her. No wonder she is so tired.

When I returned to the Imperial Hospital and was about to take a breath, Zhu Yuan came over to me again with a mysterious look on his face.

"President Yang, I heard another big news!" he said excitedly.

I looked at him helplessly and said, "What's wrong with your ears? You can hear so many things going on in the palace?"

Zhu Yuan chuckled, "Of course. Our Imperial Hospital is famous for being well-informed. Guess what? I just heard that the Empress Dowager has also started having nightmares recently!"

I was stunned: "The Queen Mother also had a nightmare?"

Zhu Yuan nodded, his expression quite serious: "Yes, and I heard that what she dreamed about was also related to snakes."

I just felt a chill on my back.

Why the snake again? The Empress, Consort Shu, and now even the Queen Mother have dreamed of snakes. This is definitely not a coincidence.

Is there really some kind of crisis lurking in this palace?

"Don't tell anyone about this." I warned Zhu Yuan seriously, and I had already started thinking about the seriousness of the matter.

Zhu Yuan nodded quickly: "Don't worry, I will keep my mouth shut this time and won't say a single word!"

I sighed. Although I told him to stop talking, I knew in my heart that things were probably getting more and more complicated.

The three most noble women in the palace all dreamed of snakes, which was definitely not caused by simple psychological pressure.

Just as I was thinking, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door again.

"President Yang, the Emperor has suddenly run a high fever. Please come over immediately!"

My heart tightened. It seemed that the storm was really coming.