Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Ever since the Queen told me that she dreamed of the fire, I have always felt an indescribable uneasiness in my heart.

The atmosphere in the palace became increasingly strange. Every day seemed like the calm before the storm. Everyone moved around cautiously, as if they were afraid of accidentally stepping on a fuse.

As for me, I thought I could hide away in the Imperial Hospital, focus on treating patients, and avoid getting involved in these complicated palace struggles. But now it seems that things are far more complicated than I imagined.

That day, I had just finished lunch and was about to take a short nap when Zhu Yuan came over to me again with a mysterious look on his face.

"President Yang, there's something I think you need to know." He looked so serious that I was a little uncomfortable with him.

My heart sank. Every time Zhu Yuan showed this expression lately, it was always bad news. "What's going on? Could it be that something strange is happening in the palace again?"

Zhu Yuan looked around and lowered his voice, "Do you still remember the fire that the Queen dreamt of? I just heard from the Imperial Kitchen that a small fire suddenly broke out near the main hall last night!"

I nearly spit out my tea. "What? There's a real fire?!"

"Shh—keep your voice down!" Zhu Yuan quickly made a hushed gesture. "This incident hasn't spread yet. The guard in charge said that the candle flame accidentally touched the curtain. The fire was not big and was quickly put out. No major incident."

I frowned, feeling something was wrong.

The Queen had just finished talking about the fire she dreamt of, and soon after, a fire really broke out in the palace?

This is too much of a coincidence.

"Do you think there's something fishy about this?" I asked tentatively, already starting to think about it.

Zhu Yuan shrugged. "I don't dare to say anything, but you know, there have been too many things going on in the palace recently. Who knows if someone did it on purpose?"

I was silent for a moment, countless possibilities running through my mind.

Although the fire in the palace sounds like a small matter, at this sensitive moment, any disturbance may lead to bigger problems.

"You'd better not say any more about this. If someone hears it, our Imperial Hospital will have a hard time." I warned him, fearing that Zhu Yuan's mouth would cause trouble again.

Zhu Yuan nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, I'm keeping my mouth shut and I won't say anything nonsense."

I rolled my eyes helplessly. "Are you tight-lipped? Last time, when Concubine Xian changed her jewelry, the whole palace knew about it in less than half a day."

Zhu Yuan looked aggrieved: "It really wasn't me that time! It was... it was the person next to me who said it. I just mentioned it casually..."

"Alright, alright," I waved my hands helplessly. "Anyway, you have to keep your mouth shut this time. Things are very tense in the palace lately, so we should be careful."

Just as Zhu Yuan and I were whispering, someone suddenly rushed in.

"Yang Yuanpan, something bad has happened! Concubine Shu has suddenly fainted!"

My heart suddenly tightened. Sure enough, troubles came one after another!

"Let's go!" I grabbed the medicine box and ran towards Concubine Shu's bedroom with Zhu Yuan.

When we arrived at Concubine Shu's bedroom, the atmosphere was exactly the same as when the Empress Dowager was in a coma - a panic.

Concubine Shu was lying on the bed, her face pale and her eyes closed.

Several palace maids knelt beside the bed, their faces turning blue with fear, obviously terrified by this sudden change.

"President Yang, you are finally here!" A palace maid almost cried when she saw me.

I hurried forward to take Concubine Shu's pulse. Her pulse was weak and her qi and blood were severely depleted, which was very similar to the symptoms of the Empress Dowager.

My heart sank. Could this be another kind of "coincidence"?

The Empress Dowager is suffering from a deficiency of Qi and blood, and now Concubine Shu is experiencing the same symptoms?

"Is there anything unusual about Concubine Shu recently?" I asked the palace maid beside me while treating her.

The maids looked at each other in bewilderment. The last one, a slightly older one, spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty has been feeling tired lately, especially at night. She always sleeps restlessly and feels weak in the mornings. She just took a tranquilizing decoction yesterday, but she suddenly fainted today..."

"A decoction to soothe the nerves?" I frowned. "Who prescribed it?"

"It's Doctor Li from the Imperial Hospital..." the palace maid replied quickly, with a hint of uneasiness in her words.

Although I was a little confused, I didn't say much.

Doctor Li is one of the most experienced doctors in the palace, and his prescription for calming the nerves cannot be wrong.

But the symptoms of Concubine Shu are so similar to those of the Empress Dowager that one cannot help but wonder if there is some other hidden story behind it.

I calmly gave Concubine Shu acupuncture to help her stabilize her qi and blood. At the same time, I prescribed a prescription for replenishing qi and blood and instructed the palace maids to decoct the medicine on time.

Although Shufei's situation was temporarily stabilized, the doubts in her heart grew.

When I returned to the Imperial Hospital, I sat down on a chair, my heart in a mess.

The Empress Dowager is suffering from a deficiency of Qi and blood, and Concubine Shu has the same symptoms. Is this just a coincidence?

Things that have happened in the palace recently have happened one after another. Each one seems like an independent incident, but when they are put together, it is chilling.

"Yang Yuanpan," Zhu Yuan approached cautiously, "Do you think the Shufei incident will be the same as the Empress Dowager's?"

I nodded, already forming a suspicion. "Yes, Concubine Shu and the Empress Dowager's symptoms are very similar. Their Qi and blood are severely depleted, which doesn't seem like ordinary weakness. It's very likely that there's something wrong with their diet."

Zhu Yuan's eyes widened. "You mean... someone tampered with their meals?"

"I'm not sure, but the conditions of the Empress Dowager and the Concubine are almost the same. If they both took the same medicinal herbs, the problem would be complicated." I sighed, feeling that there must be a bigger conspiracy behind this.

Zhu Yuan scratched his head. "What should we do then? We can't just go and question the imperial kitchen. That would be a serious crime!"

I shook my head helplessly. "We can't act rashly right now. We can only investigate secretly. We are only imperial physicians and cannot interfere in palace affairs."

Zhu Yuan nodded, clearly worried. "Yang Yuanpan, are these recent events in the palace related to the fire the Queen dreamed of?"

My heart shuddered. Zhu Yuan's words might sound absurd, but if I thought about it carefully, all the clues seemed to point to a greater crisis.

The Queen's dream, the fire, the loss of Qi and blood of the Queen Mother and Concubine Shu, behind all this, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand controlling it.

"Maybe... there really is a connection." I murmured to myself, feeling increasingly uneasy.

In the next few days, the atmosphere in the palace became even more tense.

Although the Queen Mother gradually recovered, she still looked very weak.

The condition of Concubine Shu did not improve, and even worsened.

Imperial doctors came in and out of her palace every day, but there was no cure.

In addition to being busy treating the Emperor, the Empress Dowager and Concubine Shu every day, I also have to deal with the minor illnesses and pains of other concubines from time to time. I feel like I am almost suffocating because of the chaos in this palace.

That night, just as I was about to go to bed early, a young eunuch suddenly came running over.

"Yang Yuanpan, the emperor ordered you to go over immediately. Something happened in the imperial study!"

I was shocked and quickly grabbed the medicine box and followed the eunuch to the imperial study.

Along the way, my mind raced with possibilities: Was the Emperor's condition getting worse? Or was there something new happening in the palace?

When we arrived at the imperial study, the atmosphere was indeed not right.

Several guards and eunuchs stood at the door, looking nervous, afraid that anything might go wrong.

A low voice could be heard faintly from inside, as if the emperor was scolding someone.

I took a deep breath and walked into the imperial study. I saw that the emperor's face was ashen and there were several ministers standing around him, all with their heads down and not daring to speak.

There were also several memorials on the table, which were obviously related to government affairs.

"Your Majesty," I hurried forward to pay my respects, but my heart was pounding. The emperor's expression didn't bode well.

The emperor waved his hand, his tone revealing a hint of fatigue: "Yang Yuanpan, I have been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath these past few days, and I can't sleep well at night. Can you take a look at what's going on for me?"

I went forward to take his pulse. It was still weak, although better than before, but obviously not fully recovered.

I sighed inwardly. The emperor has been very busy with government affairs recently, and his illness has not yet fully recovered. On top of that, he hasn't had a good rest. How can he not get sick?

"Your Majesty, you've been overworked lately. I suggest you put aside your duties for now and rest." I suggested cautiously, knowing full well that my words would be meaningless. It would be a wonder the Emperor would listen.

As expected, the emperor snorted coldly, "If I could rest, I would have done it long ago! You people in the Imperial Hospital only speak empty words. My heart disease cannot be cured by simple medicine!"

My heart sank. The emperor's words were more than just anger.

As expected, he continued, "There are more and more things happening in the palace. I worry about them every day. Who can give me peace of mind?"

I didn't dare to respond and could only stand there silently with my head down. However, I knew in my heart that the emperor's words were probably hinting that someone in the palace was making him uneasy.

After leaving the imperial study, I felt even more depressed.

The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Consort Shu, the Empress, the entire palace seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud, and as an imperial physician, although I was only curing illnesses and saving lives on the surface, I could no longer stay out of it.

"The storm is really coming." I murmured to myself, my heart filled with anxiety.