Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The incident involving Concubine Shu has been weighing on my heart like a heavy stone.

Although she is out of danger for now, I know that this storm is far from over.

Someone is secretly manipulating things behind the scenes, tampering with medicinal materials, trying to cause greater turmoil in the palace.

This time, the Imperial Medical Office almost became an "accomplice" of this conspiracy.

Whenever I think of this, I feel very uncomfortable.

As the "leader" of the Imperial Medical Service, although I don't want to get involved in the power struggle in the palace, the situation is pressing and I have to proceed step by step and respond cautiously.

That afternoon, I was reading medical books in the small pavilion in the backyard of the Imperial Hospital.

"President Yang!" Zhu Yuan hurried over, a hint of excitement on his face. "There's news!"

My heart moved and I closed the book: "What news?"

Zhu Yuan took a breath and lowered his voice, "I've finally found some clues about Xiao Anzi, the person you asked me to investigate. He's indeed very close to a noble in the palace. I heard it's from... Concubine De's side!"

I frowned. Concubine De?

The name flashed through my mind.

Although Concubine De was not the most favored in the palace, she was always known for her steadiness and kindness, and did not have much fighting spirit.

How did he get involved in these conspiracies?

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling a little confused.

Zhu Yuan nodded. "It's certain. Xiao Anzi has been in and out of Concubine De's palace several times recently, and he took medicine from the storehouse for Concubine De's daily care."

I pondered for a moment, and things seemed to be getting more and more complicated.

Although there is no direct conflict between Concubine De and Concubine Shu, the forces within the palace are complicated and no one can say for sure whether there is a bigger game behind this.

Could it be that... someone wants to use this to stir up disputes in the harem?

"No matter what," I whispered, "we must proceed with caution and not alert the enemy for now. We must continue to observe secretly."

Zhu Yuan nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something: "Oh, Judge Yang, there's one more thing - recently, several young ladies in the palace have started complaining, saying that they always feel dizzy and nauseous after taking their medicine."

"What?!" I sat up suddenly, my scalp tingling. I had just dealt with the Concubine Shu's matter, and now someone else had a problem?

Zhu Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "It's been a very turbulent time for our Imperial Hospital lately."

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart - the troubles in this palace are like cutting leeks, one after another, with no end in sight.

But it’s probably not a coincidence that the young master got into trouble this time.

"Let's go and take a look!" I stood up, grabbed the medicine box, and rushed to the residences of those young masters with Zhu Yuan.

When we arrived at the young master's bedroom, as expected, several young palace maids were surrounding the bed. The young masters were pale, and some even frowned, holding their stomachs and groaning.

"President Yang, please come and take a look! They all say they have stomachaches and are very dizzy. We really have no idea what we can do." A little palace maid was so anxious that her eyes were filled with tears. When she saw me, she felt like she saw a savior.

I immediately went forward to take the pulse of one of the young masters. His pulse was slightly irregular, but there were no signs of serious illness, more like a mild drug poisoning.

"What medicine have they taken recently?" I asked.

"Reporting to Court Judge Yang, the young masters have been taking qi-replenishing prescriptions recently. They were all sent by the Imperial Hospital, and no other medicinal ingredients have been used." The palace maid replied hurriedly.

My frown deepened.

It’s another Qi-tonifying medicine, exactly the same as Concubine Shu’s prescription.

It seems that the problem this time is still related to medicinal materials - someone is using the same method on these innocent young masters behind the scenes.

"Zhu Yuan, check the source of these herbs to see if they are the same as the batch of herbs given to Concubine Shu." I ordered.

Zhu Yuan immediately took the order and left, while I began to temporarily adjust the prescription and prescribed several doses of mild antidotes for the young masters to temporarily alleviate their symptoms.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I quickly gathered several female doctors and medical assistants.

"Everyone, recently there have been reports of nobles and young masters in the palace feeling unwell after taking medicine. Our Imperial Hospital's management of medicinal materials must be improved. From now on, each batch of medicinal materials must not only be inspected, but also tested one by one."

"Test the medicine?" The female doctors and the other nurses looked at each other, obviously shocked by the suggestion.

"President Yang, this... this is too risky, right?" an elderly doctor asked fearfully.

I sighed. "I know this is dangerous, but there's no other way. Someone in the palace is secretly plotting something, even tampering with medicinal herbs. Only by inspecting them ourselves can we preserve the reputation of the Imperial Hospital and everyone's lives."

The faces of the female doctors and nurses were still hesitant, but they also knew that if they did not take action in this situation, the Imperial Medical Service would sooner or later become a scapegoat.

"President Yang, you are right. We are willing to try the medicine!" A young female doctor took the lead in expressing her opinion.

I nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. "Okay, I will personally supervise everyone's drug testing to ensure safety. You don't have to worry too much."

In the next few days, the Imperial Medical Service entered an unprecedented state of tension.

After each batch of medicinal materials was delivered to the Imperial Medical Service, it had to undergo strict inspection by the doctors and nurses, and the drug testing was carried out by several experienced doctors in turn.

Although everyone was a little nervous, they also knew that this was the most effective way at the moment.

At the same time, Zhu Yuan and I continued to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Xiao Anzi's whereabouts became more and more strange. Not only did he frequently go in and out of Concubine De's bedroom, but he also came into contact with some unidentified palace servants from time to time.

This made me even more convinced that the conspiracy in the palace was far more complicated than it appeared.

One evening, Zhu Yuan suddenly came running over mysteriously, "President Yang, I've found an important clue."

"What clue?" I immediately put down the medical book in my hand and turned to look at him.

Zhu Yuan lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Anzi has been getting very close to a trusted maidservant of Concubine De recently. And that maidservant actually had contact with... Concubine Shu's personal maidservant!"

"What?!" I was shocked. I didn't expect that the matter would involve people around Concubine Shu.

"Yes, I saw them meeting secretly in the side hall with my own eyes. It seemed like they were exchanging something." Zhu Yuan said.

A deeper suspicion loomed in my mind: Could this conspiracy not only target Concubine Shu, but also involve Concubine De? Or perhaps… there's something deeper going on between Concubine De and Concubine Shu? Regardless, this matter has far surpassed the scope of the medicinal herbs themselves.

"Zhu Yuan, keep a close eye on them and don't alert them." I said in a deep voice.

Zhu Yuan nodded: "Don't worry, Judge Yang, I will act carefully."

Late at night, I sat alone in the study of the Imperial Hospital, with various clues swirling in my mind.

The problem with medicinal herbs, Concubine Shu's fainting, the young master's poisoning, and the secret connection between Concubine De and Concubine Shu... These seemingly unrelated events seem to be secretly connected by an invisible clue.

Who is the man behind this and what is his purpose?

"It seems that the Imperial Hospital can't escape this time." I murmured to myself, feeling a little uneasy in my heart.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"President Yang, haven't you rested yet?"

I looked up and saw that it was the young female doctor. She was holding a bowl of hot medicine in her hand and had a look of concern on her face.

"It's so late, why haven't you gone back to rest yet?" I smiled and tried to look more relaxed.

The doctor put down the medicine and smiled slightly: "You have worked so hard, Judge Yang, how can we leave first? This is the medicine I just made, you can drink a bowl to refresh yourself."

My heart warmed and I nodded: "Okay, thank you for your hard work."

After drinking the bowl of medicine, I felt a little more relaxed, but the doubts in my heart were still not resolved.

The next morning, Zhu Yuan brought another shocking news.

"President Yang, Xiao Anzi died last night!"

"What?!" I stood up suddenly, my heart shaking violently.

"The cause of death is still unclear. Some say it was an acute illness, but I suspect..." Zhu Yuan lowered his voice, "He might have been silenced."

Things are getting more complicated.

Xiao Anzi's sudden death means that the conspiracy has entered a more dangerous stage.

And we seem to be getting closer and closer to the truth.