Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I had just breathed a sigh of relief, but when I heard the young eunuch say "several corpses", I almost spit out the tea I had just drunk.

"Corpse?!" I widened my eyes and gasped.

The discovery of a corpse in the secret passage of the cold palace was even more horrifying than any rumors in the palace.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuan was so frightened that the medicine bowl in his hand shook and almost spilled the medicine on the ground. "Yang Yuanpan, what's going on? Why is there... why is there a body in the palace?"

I sighed heavily, already having a bad feeling in my heart.

"Let's go and take a look!" I said to Zhu Yuan as I hurriedly packed my medicine box. "I'm afraid this matter is not that simple."

Zhu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed up: "Hey, Judge Yang, don't we imperial physicians treat living people? How can we take care of this corpse?"

"What else can we do now? If you don't go, what if the emperor comes to trouble us?" I explained helplessly as I hurried out. "Besides, this corpse is not an ordinary corpse. It involves the secret passage of the cold palace. We can't hide."

When I arrived at the cold palace, the scene was even more chaotic than I had imagined.

Several guards had already surrounded the entrance to the secret passage, and several palace maids and eunuchs were trembling with fear outside.

There was a depressing atmosphere in the air, as if the entire cold palace was shrouded in haze.

"President Yang, you're here!" The leading guard saw me and immediately came up to me with a bad look on his face.

I nodded, trying to remain calm: "Where is the body?"

The guard pointed to the secret passage and said, "It's deep inside. We've sealed off the area. You should go in and take a look yourself."

My heart skipped a beat and I took a deep breath: "Take me there."

Zhu Yuan followed closely behind me, his face turning pale. "Yang Yuanpan, what's going on with this... this corpse? Could this be Concubine De's conspiracy?"

"Don't talk nonsense." I frowned. Although I was unsure, I couldn't put all the blame on Concubine De. After all, no matter how powerful she was, she wouldn't hide the body in the secret passage.

As we went deeper into the secret passage of the cold palace, the air around us became colder and colder.

The walls on both sides of the secret passage were mottled, the stones were covered with moss, and the air was filled with a damp and moldy smell.

Halfway through the walk, my hand subconsciously touched the medicine box, and I felt a little scared.

"President Yang, the place ahead is where the body was found." The guard leading the way whispered, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

I took a deep breath, walked forward a few steps, and sure enough, I saw the bodies at the end of the secret passage.

The three bodies were in tattered clothes, obviously refugees from outside the palace.

I squatted down and carefully examined the condition of the body.

The bodies had begun to rot, and it was obvious that they had been dead for some time, but strangely, the postures of the three bodies were very strange, as if they had experienced great fear before death.

"President Yang, how did these people... die?" Zhu Yuan asked in a low voice beside me, his face pale.

I frowned, feeling somewhat uncertain. "On the surface, the cause of their death is unclear, but one thing is certain: these people were definitely not from the palace."

Zhu Yuan nodded. "Judging from their clothing, they do look like impoverished people from outside the palace. But the question is, how could refugees from outside the palace appear in the secret passage of the cold palace?"

I shook my head, my heart filled with doubts: "This is the problem. The secret passage leads to the outside of the palace. Could it be that these people sneaked into the palace through the secret passage?"

"But why did they die here? Were they murdered, or was there something else going on?" Zhu Yuan continued to ask, obviously confused.

"I'm not sure either." I stood up, feeling vaguely that this matter was far from simple. "But what is certain is that these bodies are closely related to Concubine De's disappearance. Perhaps the secret passage itself was her tool to communicate with the outside world."

Just as I was still thinking, there was a commotion outside.

"Yang Yuanpan!" A young eunuch ran in breathlessly, his face as pale as paper. "The Emperor, the Emperor has suddenly arrived at the Cold Palace and wants to personally inspect the secret passage!"

My heart tightened: "The emperor is coming?!"

This is really troublesome!

The fact that the emperor came here in person shows that he attaches extraordinary importance to this matter.

If these corpses were to involve forces outside the palace, the consequences would be disastrous!

"Hurry, let's go out and welcome the emperor!" I immediately said to Zhu Yuan, but I began to think of countermeasures quickly in my mind.

As expected, the emperor rushed to the cold palace in a rage.

He was dressed in a dragon robe and had a gloomy face. He was obviously extremely angry about the secret passage and the corpse.

Eunuch Fu followed behind him, his expression as calm as ever, but in my opinion, there was a dangerous aura behind this calmness.

"President Yang." As soon as the emperor entered the secret passage, he stared straight at me and said in a low and authoritative voice, "What do you think about this corpse?"

I immediately knelt and saluted, quickly organizing my words in my mind: "Your Majesty, I have carefully examined the bodies. These people were not from the palace, but likely refugees who sneaked in from outside the palace through secret passages. However, the specific cause of death requires further investigation, and I cannot give a definitive conclusion at this time."

The emperor frowned, obviously not satisfied with the answer.

He glanced at the corpse in the secret passage, a cold glint in his eyes: "How could there be a secret passage in the palace leading to the outside world? When was this secret passage built? Could it be that the people in the palace are completely unaware of this?"

I quickly lowered my head and said, "Your Majesty, I know nothing about this matter. However, since the secret passage has been discovered, I'm afraid there's a significant conspiracy behind it. I dare to speculate that this secret passage may be a channel used by certain forces within the palace to collude with the outside world."

After hearing what I said, the emperor's face became even gloomier.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said coldly, "Eunuch Fu, immediately investigate the origins of this secret passage. I want to know who is behind all this."

Eunuch Fu bowed slightly and said, "I obey your order."

With the emperor's departure, the atmosphere in the cold palace became more tense.

Zhu Yuan muttered beside me, "President Yang, this is a big deal. Secret passages, corpses, outside forces... We at the Imperial Hospital must not be implicated!"

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "This matter has already reached the Emperor. It's hard for us to avoid getting involved. From now on, we must proceed with caution, especially in investigating the secret passages and medicinal herbs. We can't make any mistakes."

Zhu Yuan's face was filled with worry. "What about Concubine De? She's definitely involved!"

I sighed. "The Empress Defei is indeed a serious suspect, but the question is, who is behind her? Without outside support, there is no way that Empress Defei could have accomplished this."

Just as we were about to evacuate the cold palace, unexpected news came.

"President Yang, Empress Defei... Empress Defei is back!" A palace maid ran in in a panic, her face pale.

"What?!" I widened my eyes. "The Defei is back?"

The maid nodded. "Yes, Consort De suddenly appeared in her own chamber, as if nothing had happened! And she...she also said she had something important to discuss with the Emperor!"

My heart skipped a beat. Concubine De was indeed no simple person.

She just disappeared from the secret passage, and suddenly came back in a swagger, wanting to see the emperor. There must be a shocking conspiracy behind this!

"Let's go to Concubine De's bedroom!" I immediately took Zhu Yuan to Concubine De's bedroom. I already had a vague feeling in my heart that the big thing that was about to happen was definitely not just a simple palace fight.

When I arrived at Concubine De's bedroom, she had indeed returned.

She sat on a chair in her bedroom, looking in great spirits, not at all like someone who had just experienced a "great escape".

There was a faint smile on her face, as if everything was under her control.

"Yang Yuanpan." When Concubine De saw me come in, she smiled slightly, a meaningful glint in her eyes, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

My heart tightened, and I quickly bowed: "Empress Defei, you...why did you come back so suddenly?"

De Fei gently raised her hand, indicating that I didn't need to be polite. "I just went out for a walk to see the scenery outside. Now that I've seen enough, I'll naturally come back."

"Scenery?" I secretly groaned in my heart. Defei's words sounded understated, but I knew that the "scenery" she mentioned was definitely not an ordinary scenery.

"President Yang, I know you have many questions in your mind," Concubine De smiled slightly. "But you will know the answers soon."

I suddenly felt an ominous premonition in my heart: "My lady, what do you mean by this?"

Concubine De stood up, her eyes deep and calm. "Yang Yuanpan, there are some things you don't need to know yet. However, you only need to remember one thing - the situation in the palace is far more complicated than you imagine."

Just as Defei finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside.

"President Yang! The emperor has ordered you to come to the palace immediately to discuss important matters urgently!" The young eunuch ran in breathlessly, with a look of panic on his face.

My heart sank. It seemed that things had really reached the most critical moment.

I bowed to Concubine De and was about to leave when she suddenly said, "Yang Yuanpan, remember what I said. From now on, the situation in the palace will change, and you must deal with it carefully."

I was full of doubts, but I didn't dare to ask more questions. I could only nod, turn around and leave in a hurry.

On the way back to the palace, I was filled with anxiety.

Defei's words were like a huge rock pressing on my chest, making it hard for me to breathe.

What does she know? What kind of conspiracy is hidden behind her?

And how can I protect myself in this changing situation?

"President Yang, what do you think Concubine De meant?" Zhu Yuan asked in a low voice beside me, obviously sensing the seriousness of the matter.

I took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "There's an invisible force behind Consort De. From now on, no matter what happens, we must remain calm and try not to get involved."

"But... we're already involved!" Zhu Yuan muttered softly, his face full of worry.

I smiled bitterly: "Yeah, it's hard for us not to get involved. But the only thing we can do now is to try not to stand on the wrong side."

When he arrived at the imperial study, the emperor's expression was even gloomier than before.

"President Yang, I have just received news that the secret passage in the cold palace not only leads to outside the palace, but also involves the collusion of some important figures in the palace. What do you think?" The emperor asked coldly, obviously having decided to investigate the matter thoroughly.

My heart trembled, and I immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, I believe this matter is of great importance, with many implications. I am willing to continue investigating the secret passage and the clues to the medicinal herbs, and assist Your Majesty in uncovering the truth."

The emperor nodded, his eyes filled with deep thought. "President Yang, I trust you. However, the storm that's coming may be even more severe than you imagine."

My heart tightened, knowing that the situation would become more complicated.

But no matter what, I must find a way to protect myself and the Imperial Hospital in this palace turmoil.