Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The daily life of the Imperial Medical Service gradually returned to normal, the skills of the female doctors and nurses were steadily improving, and the management of medicinal materials was also standardized.

Even Zhu Yuan couldn't help but sigh, "Councilor Yang, you've managed our Imperial Hospital so well in recent times! Now those women doctors have become semi-qualified medicinal material appraisers."

I smiled, but I didn't feel relieved.

The internal problems of the Imperial Medical Service were resolved, but the undercurrents in the palace never stopped.

Although the recent controversy surrounding medicinal materials has subsided on the surface, I always feel that things are not that simple.

Especially the eunuch named "Xiao Anzi", I always have a knot in my heart.

Unfortunately, the palace was full of conspiracy and no further clues were found, so the matter could only be kept secret for the time being.

Just when I thought I could relax a little, new troubles came knocking.

One day, I was sorting medical books in the Imperial Hospital when suddenly a young eunuch ran in in a panic.

"Yang Yuanpan, something bad has happened! Concubine Shu has suddenly fainted! Come with me to see her!"

When I heard this, my heart tightened. Concubine Shu?

She is one of the emperor's favorite concubines. If anything happens to her, the entire palace will be shocked.

"Fainted? What are the symptoms? Has she been unwell before?" I asked as I quickly packed up the silver needles and medicine box I carried with me.

The young eunuch shook his head, his face full of panic: "I don't know, your Majesty has been fine all the time, and she hasn't been seriously ill recently. She just fainted suddenly."

I had a bad feeling in my heart.

I am very clear about Concubine Shu's previous physical condition. Although she had minor illnesses occasionally, they were not serious. How could she suddenly faint?

No matter what, I didn't have time to think about it right now. I quickly took Zhu Yuan with me and followed the eunuch to jog to Concubine Shu's bedroom.

When we arrived at Concubine Shu's bedroom, the atmosphere inside was suffocatingly tense.

Concubine Shu was lying on the bed, her face pale, her eyes closed, and her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

Several personal maids were frantically running around. When they saw me come in, they immediately came forward and said, "Yang Yuanpan, please check on the Empress! She's suddenly fainted, and no matter how we call her, she won't wake up!"

I quickly stepped forward to check Concubine Shu's pulse, while Zhu Yuan helped check her breathing and pupil reaction.

When I checked her pulse, my heart sank - Concubine Shu's pulse was weak and there was a hint of coldness.

This situation is definitely not an ordinary fainting.

"President Yang, what happened to the Queen?" a palace maid asked in a tearful tone.

I pondered for a moment, barely suppressing the uneasiness in my heart, and said in a calm tone, "Her Majesty Shufei's Qi and blood are weak, seemingly attacked by a cold. I will give her acupuncture first to regulate her Qi and blood and see if that can alleviate the symptoms."

The palace maids nodded quickly after hearing this and said, "Then we'll leave it to Court Judge Yang!"

I took out the silver needle, quickly found a few key acupuncture points, and inserted the needles steadily.

Shufei's breathing gradually became steady, and the sweat on her forehead became less dense, but she was still unconscious.

While I was giving her acupuncture, I was wondering what had caused her sudden fainting.

Logically speaking, it’s so warm in the palace, how could I catch a cold?

Moreover, her diet and sleep schedule have always been regular, so she shouldn't...

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head: Could it be medicine?

The medicines that Concubine Shu has been taking recently are all conditioning prescriptions that I personally prescribed, so there shouldn't be any problems.

But the medicine warehouse had been tampered with recently. What if someone tampered with her medicine...

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shudder.

Shufei's status is special. If something happens to her, the entire palace will fall into chaos.

The person behind the scenes obviously did not just target the medicinal materials warehouse.

I quickly finished the acupuncture and turned to Zhu Yuan, saying, "Quick, check the herbs that Concubine Shu has been taking recently to see if there are any abnormalities."

Zhu Yuan nodded and ran out immediately.

At the same time, I asked the palace maids to prepare some warm water to wipe Concubine Shu's forehead to cool it down.

Although acupuncture temporarily relieved her symptoms, it was only a temporary solution and not a cure for the disease.

The real cause of the disease has not been found yet, and I am still very nervous.

Not long after, Zhu Yuan hurried back, his face solemn. "Yang Yuanpan, we've found out! The Qi and blood-tonifying medicine that Concubine Shu has been taking lately has an ingredient that shouldn't be there—Amomum villosum."

"Amomum villosum?" I frowned.

This medicinal material itself is not very toxic, but it is cold in nature and is often used to treat fever.

Shufei's constitution is originally cold. If she takes cold medicines for a long time, it will definitely cause damage to her qi and blood, and even cause fainting.

"Who is responsible for prescribing medicine for Concubine Shu?!" I asked sternly.

Zhu Yuan shook his head: "The one in charge of decocting the medicine is a female doctor, but she said that these herbs were taken from the warehouse, and there is no problem with the prescription."

My heart sank. It seemed that the culprit behind this incident was not just a simple problem with the medicinal materials, but someone deliberately wanted to cause trouble for Concubine Shu.

At this moment, Concubine Shu suddenly hummed softly and opened her eyes slightly.

"The Queen is awake!" The palace maids surrounded her excitedly.

I hurried forward to check on her. Concubine Shu's face was still pale, but her breathing had gradually become stable.

She glanced at me weakly and said in a faint voice, "President Yang...what's going on? Why did I suddenly..."

I whispered, "Don't worry, Madam. You've been struck by a cold. I've already treated you with acupuncture. You only need to rest for a few days and you'll recover."

Concubine Shu nodded, her eyes showing a bit of fatigue: "I have indeed felt a little unwell recently, but I thought it was just a minor problem. I didn't expect to faint."

I comforted her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will take care of your body during this period. You just need to take your medicine on time and rest."

Concubine Shu nodded gently, but a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes: "Yang Yuanpan, you have always taken care of my health, and I haven't been seriously ill recently. How could I suddenly catch a cold?"

My heart tightened, knowing that she had begun to suspect, but the situation was complicated at the moment and I couldn't reveal too much easily.

"Your Majesty, the climate in the palace is changeable, and it is possible that you caught a cold accidentally. I will strengthen the inspection of medicinal materials to ensure that similar incidents will not happen again." I tried to speak in a calm tone.

Shufei seemed to want to say something, but she was too weak and could only close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

After leaving the bedroom, Zhu Yuan and I walked side by side on the way back to the Imperial Hospital. The atmosphere was a bit heavy.

"President Yang, I'm afraid this matter is not that simple, right?" Zhu Yuan said in a low voice.

I nodded, my eyes solemn. "Yes, it's obvious that someone is tampering with the herbs and trying to harm Concubine Shu. If we hadn't discovered it in time, Concubine Shu would have been in danger of her life."

"Then what should we do next? Should we report it to the emperor?" Zhu Yuan asked with some concern.

I pondered for a moment and shook my head. "Not right now. We don't have solid evidence, and reporting it rashly will only cause more trouble. Let's investigate secretly first and see if we can find more clues."

Zhu Yuan nodded: "I understand. We still have to be careful."

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I summoned the female doctors and nurses and gave them stern instructions again.

"From today on, every medicinal ingredient must be checked twice to ensure there are no abnormalities. Especially the prescriptions taken by the nobles, they must be strictly followed, and there must be no mistakes!"

The doctors nodded one after another, and the atmosphere became more tense than before.

After all, although the news of Concubine Shu's accident was not made public, everyone vaguely felt an unusual pressure.

"President Yang, don't worry, we will be extra careful." A young female doctor said firmly.

I nodded, feeling mixed emotions.

When things developed to this point, the Imperial Medical Service not only had to deal with medical problems, but also had to get involved in the complex power struggle in the harem.

However, one thing is clear to me: only by keeping the Imperial Medical Service strong and stable can we protect ourselves in this undercurrent of palace struggle.