Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

At this point, I really want to laugh but can't - the snow lotus, the secret passage, the eunuchs serving in the outer palace, these puzzles put together are a hundred times more complicated than the "ancient toilets" I encountered when I first traveled to this dynasty.

When I thought about the connection between this batch of medicinal herbs and the secret passage of the cold palace, my heart started beating wildly - this is not an ordinary little fight, the secret passage of the cold palace, the forces of the outer palace, these things are mixed together, and it's a matter of minutes to lose your head!

Moreover, Eunuch Fu just told me to "investigate secretly", which means that the emperor has noticed something but has not yet fully grasped the evidence.

Logically speaking, a palace conspiracy of this level should be investigated by professional Jinyiwei and imperial guards... but look who is running around now?

A minor judge in the Imperial Hospital, he was the first person to use medical knowledge to investigate cases. It must be said that the Emperor really had a good eye for heroes!

Of course, now I just hope that this "hero head" of mine can still stay safely on my neck.

"President Yang, what should we do now? Should we report to the emperor immediately?" Zhu Yuan asked nervously, still clutching the medicinal materials allocation record tightly in his hand, as if it would turn into a tiger that would bite people at any time.

I nodded, pretending to be calm, but my heart was already trembling: Should I report it? If I didn't handle this matter properly, not only would my life be in danger, but the Imperial Hospital might also be affected.

"We definitely have to report it," I said slowly, trying to sound like a wise and strategic person. "But we have to figure out one thing—who is behind all this?"

Zhu Yuan nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You mean... the secret passages in the cold palace, the eunuchs serving in the outer palace, and the whereabouts of these medicinal herbs? There must be a big shot behind the scenes manipulating this?"

I sighed. "It's so obvious, and you're just realizing it now?"

Zhu Yuan scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "So how should we investigate next? Should we just tell the Emperor that these herbs were transferred from the cold palace? Wouldn't that be too obvious? What if the Emperor thinks we're deliberately shirking responsibility..."

I shook my head, staring at the transfer record in my hand, and suddenly an idea flashed in my mind.

"Let's not rush to report it." I quickly closed the record and said in a low voice, "The key to this matter is not the medicinal materials, but the eunuch serving in the outer palace. He is the person we want to investigate!"

Zhu Yuan slapped his thigh, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face: "That's right! Since he is in charge of the allocation of medicinal materials, he must know the origin and destination of these herbs! As long as we find him, we can get the whole clue!"

I nodded. "Yes, he's the key figure. We just need to track him and see who he's in contact with and whether there are other people behind the scenes."

The plan is set, and the next step is execution.

But to be honest, "tracking eunuchs" in the ancient imperial palace was as difficult as catching an international thief in modern times - the palace was full of guards and maids, and you could be discovered if you were not careful.

Zhu Yuan and I discussed it for a long time, and finally decided that I would do it myself. After all, his panicked face was full of "I'm doing something", and he would be easily exposed at a glance.

That night, I started the "tracking operation".

The atmosphere in the palace at night was completely different from that during the day. It was so quiet that even the sound of wind blowing through leaves seemed particularly eerie.

Fortunately, the "detective intuition" I brought from the modern era was quite reliable. I put on a black robe and quietly found the residence of the eunuch serving in the outer palace.

The eunuch's name is Sun Laoliu. You can tell from the name that he is not a "high-profile supporting role", but many major events are often fueled by these "low-profile supporting roles" behind the scenes.

After waiting for about half an hour, I finally saw Sun Laoliu sneaking out of his residence and heading straight for the cold palace.

My heart tightened: Sure enough, the secret passage in the cold palace is the key again!

Following Sun Laoliu all the way, I carefully kept a distance for fear of being discovered.

After he entered the cold palace, he walked straight to the entrance of the secret passage.

While he wasn't paying attention, I quickly hid behind the wall and eavesdropped. I saw him take out a roll of silk from his arms and gently stuff it into the crevice of the secret passage, muttering to himself.

"Everything I was told to do has been completed... This batch of herbs will be delivered in two days. Master, don't worry, no one will find out..."

I was shocked. There really was something wrong! This batch of herbs wasn't meant for the palace at all, but was shipped out through a secret passage!

And from the tone of voice, there seems to be a so-called "master" behind this. Who is this person?

Could he be the backer of Concubine De?

Just as I was about to move closer, a voice suddenly came from behind me: "President Yang? Why are you here?"

I was so scared that I almost jumped up. I quickly turned around and found that it was Concubine De!

Suddenly, my mind went beep – it’s over, I can’t explain this!

Empress Defei stood at the door of the cold palace with a faint smile on her face.

"Yang Yuanpan, what are you doing in the cold palace so late at night? Are you... lost?"

When I heard her say that, I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Although the smile on her face seemed gentle, I always felt that there was a sharp knife hidden behind it.

"Uh... Your Majesty, I... I just came to take a look at the environment in the cold palace. I heard that it is cold here all year round and I am worried that it will affect the health of the people in the palace..." I stuttered to explain, my mind was racing, trying to find a reliable excuse to fool people.

Concubine De smiled softly, took a few steps closer, glanced in the direction where Sun Laoliu had left, and whispered, "President Yang, there's no need to be nervous. I know you've been investigating some things recently, but some things—knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing."

I was shocked. What did Defei mean by this? Did she know that I was investigating her a long time ago?

"Your Majesty, I...I am only following the Emperor's orders..." Before I could finish, Concubine De suddenly interrupted me.

"Yang Yuanpan, I'm not threatening you." Her tone remained gentle, but every word seemed to carry a chilling chill. "I just want to remind you that sometimes, going with the flow is much easier than swimming against it."

My heart skipped a beat. Going with the flow? Was she hinting at me not to investigate further, or was she reminding me that I was in the same boat as her?

At this moment, I have no idea what Concubine De's intentions are.

Was she trying to get me to help her, or was she trying to intimidate me? Regardless, the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, and I could sense I was being drawn into a larger conspiracy.

"Your Majesty...understand." I answered in a low voice, but I had already started to think about the next countermeasures in my mind.

Concubine De smiled slightly, turned around and left, leaving behind a meaningful sentence: "Yang Yuanpan, no matter what happens next, I hope you can take good care of yourself."

After Concubine De left, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This woman's aura was so strong that I almost couldn't breathe.

It seems that Concubine De not only knows about this batch of medicinal materials, but also has a bigger plan behind it.

The only thing I can do now is to report these clues to the emperor as soon as possible.

But at this moment, I suddenly remembered the scroll of silk that Sun Laoliu hid in the crevice of the secret passage - there must be important clues on it!

"We can't wait any longer, we have to get it now!" I made up my mind and while there was no one around, I quickly walked to the entrance of the secret passage and carefully took out the scroll of silk.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I carefully examined the scroll of silk by candlelight.

As expected, it was covered in dense handwriting, all of which contained details about the allocation of medicinal materials, as well as some coded instructions. What surprised me even more was that the silk cloth mentioned a name - Lord Zhao!

Lord Zhao?

I am not unfamiliar with this name. He is one of the most powerful ministers in the court and is very close to Concubine De.

Could it be that... he is the person behind Concubine De?

Thinking of this, I was even more shocked.

If Lord Zhao is really involved in this, then this conspiracy is not just a fight in the palace, but also involves a power struggle in the court!

The next morning, I immediately went to the palace to meet the emperor.

After listening to my report, the emperor's face became terribly gloomy, and it was obvious that he had realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Yang Yuanpan, you have done a great job," the emperor said in a deep voice. "I will personally investigate this matter. You continue to investigate secretly and be sure not to alert anyone."

I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly saluted: "I obey your command."

After leaving the imperial study, I let out a long breath.

Things are finally showing some signs of improvement, but I know that this storm is far from over.

Concubine De, Lord Zhao, the secret passages in the cold palace, the forces in the outer palace... every clue makes me feel like I am walking on a tightrope. If I am not careful, I will be doomed.

"President Yang, when do you think this matter will be over?" Zhu Yuan asked cautiously behind me.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "It's probably too early to finish talking now. From now on, I'm afraid the turmoil in the palace will only get worse."

Zhu Yuan sighed: "Ah, I just hope that our Imperial Hospital can be safe and sound and not be dragged into this."

I patted his shoulder, but my heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Peace? In such a storm, how could it be easy?