Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

For the past few days, Zhu Yuan and I have been sneaking around in the shadows of the palace like two mice, looking for the last clue.

The actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not disappoint me. Their search of the imperial kitchen did reveal some clues, but they have not made them public yet.

But I know that time is running out and the truth will soon come to light. As for me, I just want to quickly escape from the vortex of palace fighting and save my life.

That evening, I was about to sneak out of the Imperial Hospital to inquire about the news when Zhu Yuan rushed in panting, his face flushed, like a primary school student in a hurry to hand in his homework.

"President Yang! I have great news!" As soon as he came in, he slapped his thigh excitedly and almost knocked over the medicine bottle on my desk.

I quickly pulled him aside and lowered my voice: "Can you please keep your voice down? Do you think the Jinyiwei's ears are not long enough?"

Zhu Yuan nodded, lowering his voice, his eyes bright as if they were two lightbulbs. "I just heard from the people in the imperial kitchen that there's something wrong with the batch of herbs they found! Not only is there Soul-Breaking Grass, but there's also a poison called 'Needle in Cotton' mixed in!"

"Needle in cotton?" I almost dropped the teacup in my hand when I heard it.

I have heard of this poison. It's not extremely toxic, but it will gradually make people weak and cause poor blood circulation. When combined with the Soul-Breaking Grass, it is a perfect and sinister combination. It can not only cover up the illness, but also make people gradually lose their vitality.

The person behind the scenes is not only cruel and ruthless, but also extremely cunning!

"Yes, the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen were all very scared. They said that the medicinal materials were shipped in from outside, and Eunuch Li was indeed involved in it." Zhu Yuan continued, his expression becoming more and more nervous.

I frowned, thinking quickly in my mind.

Eunuch Li was indeed involved, but he was just an "executor" - no matter how powerful a eunuch was, it was impossible for him to plan such a big conspiracy alone.

The real mastermind behind this must be some heavyweight in the palace.

"President Yang, can we go see the emperor now?" Zhu Yuan's voice was filled with excitement and fear. He obviously wanted to end this turmoil as soon as possible, but he was also worried that we would be dragged into it.

I shook my head. "Not yet. The Emperor will only be suspicious based on these medicinal herbs, but he won't easily convict. We need to find more direct evidence to prove who gave the order."

Zhu Yuan sighed, clearly dissatisfied with my "caution." "But how can we find this kind of evidence? Do we have to go and steal that person's secret order ourselves?"

I patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "That's not the case, but... we can start with the imperial kitchen's account books. The source and purpose of every batch of medicinal herbs are recorded in detail. As long as we can find the records of the Soul-Breaking Grass and the Cotton Needle and see who approved them, we can naturally uncover the true identity of the mastermind behind this."

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Yes! Account books! Why didn't I think of that! The imperial kitchen must have records!"

"But you have to be careful. The Jinyiwei are watching closely. Don't let them find out that you are checking the accounts." I reminded him, and I had already started planning the next course of action in my mind.

Zhu Yuan nodded and jumped out like a little monkey, leaving me alone in the Imperial Hospital. My mind was racing: Who is controlling all this behind the scenes?

The next morning, Zhu Yuan did not disappoint me.

He rushed in with a few wrinkled account books, his face full of pride: "President Yang, look at what this is!"

I took the account book and looked through it carefully.

Sure enough, the records of Soul-Breaking Grass and Cotton Needle were prominently listed in the recent purchase of medicinal materials by the imperial kitchen, and the one who approved all of this was none other than - Concubine Shu!

"Shufei?" I almost threw the account book away.

Concubine Shu was so sick that she could hardly stand. How could she possibly order herself to be poisoned?

It was obvious that someone was impersonating her.

Zhu Yuan was nervous. "Yang Yuanpan, what should we do now? The Concubine Shu is clearly a victim too. Someone must be taking advantage of her!"

I nodded, already having some guesses in my mind.

The name of Concubine Shu was used impersonally, and the person behind it obviously knew her situation very well. The person who could do this must be someone with great power in the harem.

"Keep investigating and see who has been handling palace affairs for Concubine Shu during this period." I said in a deep voice, feeling vaguely in my heart that the truth was right in front of me.

Zhu Yuan nodded immediately, turned around and ran out. Although I was anxious, I also knew not to be too impatient.

At this time, any negligence may lead to a fatal blow.

That night, Zhu Yuan brought back the last clue.

"Counselor Yang, I found out that recently the palace affairs of Concubine Shu have been handled by Concubine Qian." Zhu Yuan said in a low voice, with a strong sense of uneasiness in his tone.

"Empress Qian?" I was shocked. It was indeed her!

Concubine Qian has always been favored and in charge of the harem power, and can easily control Concubine Shu's affairs.

Moreover, she has the greatest motivation to do so - the Empress Dowager is old and the Concubine Shu is frail. If she can make the Emperor critically ill as well, she can take the opportunity to gain more power and even have the chance to become the Empress!

"President Yang, we have evidence now! Should we go to the emperor?" Zhu Yuan looked excited and obviously couldn't wait to expose this matter.

I shook my head: "Not yet."

Zhu Yuan was stunned: "It's still not enough? Don't we already have evidence?"

I raised my head, my eyes firm. "Noble Concubine Qian is powerful. The Emperor might not immediately believe these account books and the records in the name of Concubine Shu. We still need a key witness."

"Witness?" Zhu Yuan looked at me puzzledly.

"Yes, Eunuch Li," I said slowly, already having a plan in mind. "He's the executor of this conspiracy and is currently being held by the Imperial Guards. As long as we can get him to talk, the matter will be settled."

Zhu Yuan slapped his head and said, "That's right! Eunuch Li must know the truth! But...how do we get him to talk?"

I smiled faintly. "The Imperial Guards haven't tortured him yet, which means they don't have conclusive evidence. As long as we can contact Eunuch Li and put a little pressure on him, he'll tell the truth."

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up: "Then I'll look for a way! I'm sure I can find a way!"

The next day, the Jinyiwei's movements did change.

Zhu Yuan heard through his "insiders" that Eunuch Li was under house arrest in the imperial torture chamber, but had not been tortured yet.

It seems that the Jinyiwei are also waiting for more conclusive evidence.

I know the opportunity has come.

That night, I took Zhu Yuan and sneaked into the imperial torture chamber.

This was something I never dreamed of, traveling back in time to ancient times and actually having to do this kind of "spy" work. In the costume dramas I used to watch, the chivalrous warriors who roamed the rivers and lakes were all very agile, but for me, even the dead leaves on the ground would make a "crunching" sound when I stepped on them.

Zhu Yuan led the way, carefully avoiding the patrolling guards, and took me all the way to the outside of Eunuch Li's cell.

"President Yang, we can't mess it up this time!" Zhu Yuan was so nervous that he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead.

I nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door of the cell.

Eunuch Li was locked in his cell, his face pale and his eyes lifeless. He was startled when he saw us come in, but then a look of vigilance appeared on his face: "You...what are you doing here?"

I stepped forward and lowered my voice, saying, "Eunuch Li, you should know that the truth has been revealed. Now, the only way to save you is to tell us the truth."

Eunuch Li's body trembled, but he still clenched his teeth: "I... don't know what you are talking about."

I sneered, "The Soul-Breaking Grass, the Needle in the Cotton, and those account records all point to you. Do you really think Concubine Qian can protect you?"

Eunuch Li's face turned paler in an instant, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead.

He obviously knew that Concubine Qian was in a difficult situation at the moment and it was impossible for her to support him.

"Eunuch Li, if you just tell us the truth, we can save your life." I continued, my tone neither hurried nor slow. "Otherwise, if the Jinyiwei start to attack, it will be too late for you to say anything."

Eunuch Li's eyes flickered, and he was obviously making his last struggle.

After a long while, he finally sighed and whispered, "I'll tell you... I'll tell you everything..."

On the way back to the Imperial Hospital, Zhu Yuan was so excited that he almost jumped up.

"President Yang, we've accomplished a great feat this time! With Eunuch Li's confession, Concubine Qian won't be able to escape this time!"

I smiled tiredly, "Yeah, it's finally over."

The matter has finally come to an end and the truth has been revealed. Eunuch Li's confession will be the final nail in the coffin to expose this conspiracy.

With Eunuch Li's confession, Concubine Qian's ambition is destined to be completely shattered.