Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The news that "The Emperor's high fever won't go away" woke me up from my thoughts like a bolt from the blue.

I stood up suddenly, my heart skipping a beat.

Although the emperor had only caught a slight cold before, if the high fever persists, it will not be a minor illness.

Once something happens in the palace, the first ones to be held accountable are our Imperial Hospital. It's possible that a small judge like me will have to take the blame.

Before I could think about it, Zhu Yuan had already dragged me out, muttering, "Hurry, hurry! Judge Yang, the emperor can't get into trouble!"

I sighed secretly, knowing that today's treatment would probably be the most difficult one.

When we arrived at the emperor's bedroom, the atmosphere was indeed terribly tense.

Outside the bedroom stood eunuchs and palace maids, all of them looking nervous and breathing carefully for fear of making any sound.

Several imperial physicians were already busy inside, and Imperial Physician Li was sweating profusely, obviously having been busy by the emperor's bedside for a while.

I took a deep breath and tried to appear calm. After all, as the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital, I had to act professionally.

When I walked to the bedside, I saw that the emperor's face was flushed and his forehead was covered with sweat. It was obvious that he had a severe fever.

"Yang Yuanpan, you're here!" Imperial Physician Li breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing me. He quickly pulled me aside and said in a low voice, "The Emperor's cold has suddenly worsened for some reason. He was coughing violently just now, and now he has a high fever that won't go away. We used antipyretics, but they haven't been very effective."

I immediately felt nervous. Doctor Li was a veteran expert at the Imperial Hospital, and if even he found this difficult, it meant the situation was truly dire.

I hurried forward to take the emperor's pulse. The pulse was rapid and weak, which clearly indicated that wind and cold had entered his body, causing internal heat to persist.

The most frightening thing is not the high fever, the most frightening thing is that it will turn into lung heat and affect the emperor's breathing and blood circulation.

"Has the emperor been overworked recently or has he not rested in time after catching a cold?" I asked, trying to find the cause of the illness.

Imperial Physician Li frowned, "The Emperor has been very busy these past few days. Especially yesterday, the memorials from the ministers piled up like a mountain, and the Emperor barely had any rest."

I cursed in my heart: This emperor is too much. He is obviously sick but still insists on handling government affairs. Isn’t he a typical "workaholic"!

Unfortunately, I am an imperial physician and cannot simply advise the emperor to "work less overtime and drink more water". I can only worry for him in my heart.

"President Yang, what do you think..." Imperial Physician Li looked at me anxiously, obviously hoping that I would make a decision quickly.

I thought about it and decided to change my approach: "Since ordinary fever-reducing medicine is not effective, we can try a prescription for clearing heat and detoxifying, and apply some external ointment to help dissipate heat. The emperor's current symptoms are mainly due to internal heat accumulation, and the key is to help him dissipate heat."

Doctor Li nodded: "Okay, I'll go prepare the herbs right away."

I quickly wrote out some medicine and told the maid to prepare some wet towels to cool her down.

As for myself, I could only stand aside, keeping an eye on the emperor's situation and praying silently in my heart - please don't let anything go wrong.

After about an hour, the emperor's fever finally subsided and his breathing became stable.

Seeing the emperor's complexion gradually return to normal, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Imperial Physician Li quickly stepped forward to check the Emperor's pulse again. After confirming that his condition had improved, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. "Counselor Yang, thanks to your prescription, the Emperor's condition has finally stabilized."

I forced a smile. "I don't deserve it. Doctor Li, you are the one with the most experience. Working together is the key."

Doctor Li smiled and patted my shoulder: "You are young and promising. You are indeed a pillar of the Imperial Hospital."

Before I could brag about myself, the emperor on the bed suddenly let out a low groan and slowly opened his eyes.

"The emperor has woken up!" The eunuchs beside him suddenly became excited and rushed forward.

The emperor raised his hand slightly, looking a little weak, but obviously awake.

He glanced around the bedroom, finally landing on Doctor Li and me. He said in a hoarse voice, "I...what's wrong? I was fine last night, why do I suddenly feel so weak?"

Imperial Physician Li quickly stepped forward and saluted, "Your Majesty, you have caught a cold, and your condition worsened last night, resulting in a persistent high fever. However, Court Judge Yang has taken care of you, and you are now fine."

The emperor nodded slightly. Although he still looked tired, he was obviously relieved. "Thank you for your hard work. I just feel a little dizzy, but otherwise it's fine."

"Your Majesty just needs to rest more and take medicine on time, and he will recover soon." I quickly added, trying to make my tone sound more relaxed.

The emperor nodded, leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes, as if he had no intention of saying anything more.

After leaving the bedroom, Doctor Li and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"President Yang, it's all thanks to you," said Doctor Li with emotion. "The Emperor's condition nearly worsened, but fortunately you treated him in time."

I smiled and said, "Thanks to Doctor Li for his kindness, but this is also thanks to our good cooperation."

Imperial Physician Li nodded with satisfaction: "You are so young and have such advanced medical skills. You have a bright future in the Imperial Hospital."

I quickly declined a few words, but in my heart I was thinking: What a promising future! As long as nothing goes wrong, I'll be thankful.

How can things in this palace be handled just by relying on medical skills?

Human relationships, power struggles, these are things that are more complicated than prescriptions.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, Zhu Yuan rarely jumped out to inquire about gossip. Instead, he sat quietly aside and flipped through the medical books.

I was a little surprised and walked over to pat him on the shoulder. "What happened to you today? Didn't you hear any 'big news from the palace'? That's not like you."

Zhu Yuan raised his head, a look of worry on his face. "Yang Yuanpan, what happened in the palace these days... don't you think it's a little strange?"

I was stunned for a moment, and felt vaguely that what he said was right.

The Emperor suddenly had a high fever, the Empress and Consort Shu had nightmares one after another, and even the Empress Dowager was not feeling well recently. The entire palace was filled with an inexplicable strange atmosphere.

Zhu Yuan continued, "I always feel like there's something going on in this palace that we don't know about. Look, the concubines' conditions are getting weirder and weirder, and the emperor suddenly fell ill... Is this really just a coincidence?"

I was silent for a while, feeling a little uneasy.

Too many things have happened recently, like a pile of coincidences, but it seems as if there is an invisible thread that involves everyone.

"Zhu Yuan, do you think... there is any connection between these dreams and the emperor's illness?" I asked tentatively.

Zhu Yuan frowned. "I don't dare to say anything, but think about it. The Queen and Consort Shu both dreamed of snakes, and the Queen Mother seemed to have had a similar dream. What does this snake symbolize? Is it some kind of ominous omen?"

I shuddered in my heart.

The snake is indeed a very sensitive symbol in the ancient court, often associated with power, danger and even death.

Especially in women's dreams, snakes are more like a symbol of potential crisis.

"Do you think...something will happen in the palace?" I asked tentatively, lowering my voice.

Zhu Yuan didn't answer directly, but just sighed: "I don't know either, Yang Yuanpan. But as people in the Imperial Hospital, we must always be vigilant. If something really happens, we must not get involved."

I nodded and became secretly alert.

The wind direction in the palace is indeed becoming more and more strange.

That night, I returned to the courtyard to rest, tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The snake in the Queen’s dream, Concubine Shu’s fear, the Empress Dowager’s dizziness, the Emperor’s high fever kept flashing through my mind... All the clues were like puzzle pieces, vaguely appearing in front of me, but I could never connect them.

"What on earth is going on?" I muttered to myself, my heart full of doubts.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside, followed by the voice of a young eunuch: "Yang Yuanpan! The Empress Dowager has suddenly fainted! Please come over quickly!"

I sat up suddenly in bed, my heart beating violently.

The storm is really coming.