Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I followed the young eunuch all the way to the emperor's bedroom, my heart was beating fast and I had a vague sense of foreboding.

It would be fine if the emperor's illness recurred, but now he suddenly fainted?

The issue behind this is definitely not simple.

When we arrived at the bedroom, as expected, there was chaos inside.

Several eunuchs and palace maids were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. The emperor was lying on the bed, his face pale and his forehead covered with cold sweat.

I rushed forward to take the emperor's pulse, my heart already pounding.

"President Yang, how is the emperor?" an elderly eunuch asked nervously, his voice trembling slightly.

I frowned and carefully felt the emperor's pulse - weak, disordered, and severely depleted of qi and blood, exactly the same symptoms as the empress dowager and the concubine.

This is strange. Although the emperor is usually busy, he has always been in good health. How could he suddenly become so weak?

With some guesses in mind, I tried to remain calm: "Your Majesty is fine for now, but he is suffering from a loss of Qi and blood. I will give you acupuncture to stabilize your breathing."

The palace maids quickly prepared the silver needles, and when everything was ready, I began to give the emperor acupuncture.

I was very careful with every shot, fearing for any mistake. After all, the emperor's coma was no small matter. If he couldn't be cured, my life would be buried with him.

After the acupuncture was completed, the emperor's breathing gradually stabilized and his face regained a little of its rosiness.

I breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, and thought that I had finally saved my life for the time being.

"Your Majesty must rest and not overwork these days. I will prescribe a qi-replenishing medicine. If you take it on time, you will surely recover." I warned the eunuch beside me, but I still felt a little uneasy.

The emperor's energy and blood have been severely depleted, it is definitely not simply due to overwork, there must be other reasons.

"President Yang, you saved the emperor's life. Your servants thank you on behalf of the emperor!" The elderly eunuch bowed repeatedly, and finally a look of relief appeared on his face.

I waved my hand. "Thank you, there's no need. Our Imperial Hospital's duty is to treat the Emperor. However, the Emperor's condition needs to be closely monitored. If he feels any discomfort, please notify me immediately."

The eunuchs nodded hurriedly, and I turned and left the bedroom, but my heart became heavier.

The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Concubine Shu have all suffered from blood loss one after another. There must be something wrong behind this.

In addition to the various strange phenomena in the palace recently, who is behind this?

When I returned to the Imperial Hospital, I just sat down to catch my breath when Zhu Yuan came running in again.

"President Yang, I heard that the emperor fainted again?!" He looked terrified, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"You seem quite well-informed. How come the gossip from the Imperial Kitchen isn't enough for you? Now you're focusing on the Emperor's illness?"

Zhu Yuan scratched his head awkwardly: "Isn't this just worrying? Our Imperial Hospital is under close scrutiny right now. Something's happened to the Emperor again, and everyone is afraid of being implicated."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "The Emperor's blood and qi are depleted in a similar manner to the Empress Dowager and Consort Shu. It seems there's something seriously wrong with the palace's diet. We have to find out who's behind this."

Zhu Yuan nodded and suddenly lowered his voice and said, "President Yang, I heard even more explosive news today—a young eunuch in the imperial kitchen was suddenly transferred away. I heard it was Eunuch Li's personal order."

I was stunned for a moment: "What? What did this little eunuch do wrong?"

Zhu Yuan shook his head. "I don't know. Anyway, he left very suddenly. Some say he was often responsible for preparing meals for the Empress Dowager and Consort Shu, but others say he didn't commit any major mistakes and was simply transferred away suddenly."

"This is even more wrong..." My doubts grew deeper.

A young eunuch in charge of meals was suddenly transferred away. Is someone covering up something?

"Zhu Yuan, go and find out what the background of this little eunuch is, or who he has been close to recently." I whispered, already having some guesses in my mind.

Zhu Yuan jumped out like a rabbit, muttering something like "I must keep my mouth shut" and "I will never tell anyone", which made me shake my head.

In the next few days, the emperor's condition finally stabilized slightly, but he still had not fully recovered.

I go to treat the emperor every day. Although his complexion has improved, that vague sense of uneasiness still lingers.

The atmosphere in the palace became increasingly tense, and everyone seemed to be able to sense that a bigger storm was brewing.

That day, as soon as I came out of the emperor's bedroom, Zhu Yuan came running over in a hurry.

"Yang Yuanpan, I found out! The young eunuch who was transferred away turned out to be a distant relative of Eunuch Li. He personally checked every meal delivered to the Empress Dowager and Consort Shu."

I was suddenly shocked. Sure enough, this matter was related to Eunuch Li.

"What else?" I asked, already thinking about what to do next.

Zhu Yuan said mysteriously, "I also heard that the imperial kitchen's recent supply of medicinal herbs was purchased from a small vendor outside. This vendor is said to be an 'old acquaintance' of Eunuch Li."

I sneered inwardly. Eunuch Li was indeed no simple matter. So, if there was something wrong with the Empress Dowager, Consort Shu, or even the Emperor's diet, it was likely due to tampering with the medicinal ingredients.

"Zhu Yuan, you must not make this matter public. We don't have any evidence yet and can't act rashly." I warned him, already having a plan in mind.

Zhu Yuan nodded, clearly frightened by the complex situation. "So what should we do? We can't just stand there and watch, right?"

I pondered for a moment before whispering, "We have to proceed with caution. You continue to monitor the Imperial Kitchen and Eunuch Li to see if you can find any more clues. I will also carefully investigate the diet of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Consort Shu."

Zhu Yuan nodded solemnly, turned around and ran out again.

That night, I read a lot of medical books in the Imperial Hospital, trying to find some clues.

Suddenly, an unpopular medicinal herb emerged in my mind - "Soul-breaking Grass".

This herb is colorless and odorless. If a small amount is added to the diet, it will not be immediately fatal, but it will gradually damage the qi and blood, causing weakness, coma, and even death from poisoning.

Moreover, the symptoms of Soul-Breaking Grass are very similar to those of Qi and blood deficiency and are difficult to detect.

"Could it be... that someone really added soul-breaking grass to the meals in the palace?" I was startled, and the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

This is no small matter! If it really is the Soul-Breaking Grass, then the person behind this is truly ruthless and cruel, daring to do such a cruel thing to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Concubine Shu!

I quickly closed the book and made up my mind that I must take action immediately to ensure the safety of the food.

The next day, I took the opportunity to treat the emperor and secretly brought back some dietary samples.

Back at the Imperial Hospital, Zhu Yuan and I carefully examined the samples together.

Sure enough, I found traces of Soul-Breaking Grass in one of the medicines!

"It's the Soul-Breaking Grass!" I exclaimed, feeling both shocked and angry. The illnesses of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Concubine Shu were clearly caused by someone on purpose!

Zhu Yuan turned pale with fear. "President Yang, what should we do now? This is a serious matter!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "We can't make this public yet. We have to find solid evidence to expose the person behind this."

Zhu Yuan nodded, but his expression was still tense. "Yang Yuanpan, who do you think is behind this?"

I was silent for a moment, the image of Eunuch Li and the young eunuch who was suddenly transferred emerged in my mind. It was obvious that Eunuch Li was a big suspect.

"The person behind this cannot be identified yet, but we must act carefully and not alert the enemy." I whispered with a firm look.

In the next few days, Zhu Yuan and I have been secretly collecting evidence, and the atmosphere in the palace has become increasingly tense.

Although the emperor's condition has improved, he has not yet fully recovered.

The condition of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Shu was also fluctuating, and it was obvious that the illness had not been completely cured.

And I was even more nervous, knowing that the storm was approaching.