Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

It was another eerily quiet night.

I was just about to turn off the lights and rest when I suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Before I could react, Zhu Yuan rushed in with a panicked look on his face and almost knocked over the teapot on the corner of the table.

"Yang Yuanpan! This is bad! The Emperor has suddenly summoned you and wants you to go to the Imperial Study now!"

I was stunned and my heart beat faster instantly - it was the middle of the night and the emperor was in a hurry to summon me. Could there be some new situation?

"Calm down, calm down." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and grabbed the cloak on the table and put it on.

But I couldn't stop thinking: Could it be that my stalking of Sun Laoliu had been exposed? No, I was obviously very careful, there was no reason for me to be discovered so quickly.

But no matter what, I had no choice but to get on this "night bus".

The lights were on at the door of the imperial study, and the atmosphere was more tense than usual.

Eunuch Fu was standing at the door. When he saw me, he immediately waved and said, "President Yang, you're finally here. The Emperor is getting a little impatient waiting."

My heart skipped a beat and I quickly walked into the imperial study.

In the imperial study, the atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed as if the air had frozen.

The emperor stood with his back to me in front of the huge painting of mountains and rivers, his hands behind his back, as if in deep thought.

There were several pieces of letter paper piled on the table, which looked like urgent reports from various places.

I knelt cautiously and saluted: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, is greeted by your servant Yang Qing."

The Emperor slowly turned around and spoke in a low voice, "President Yang, I summoned you tonight for an extremely urgent matter. I have received further information regarding the clues you found regarding the secret passages that carry medicinal herbs."

My heart tightened, and I quickly looked up: "Your Majesty, have you made any new discoveries?"

The Emperor nodded and handed me a secret letter: "This is the news my spies just delivered - Lord Zhao has begun mobilizing forces outside the palace and is preparing to take action within the palace."

I took the secret letter and took a closer look. Sure enough, it mentioned the secret connection between Lord Zhao and Concubine De, and how they transported medicinal materials through secret passages in an attempt to secretly poison the palace and disrupt the court.

This information coincides with my previous speculation, but now, things have developed to a more dangerous stage.

"I suspect that Lord Zhao and Consort Defei aren't just trying to control the Third Prince; they have a bigger agenda." The Emperor's voice deepened, a murderous glint in his eyes. "They may have already begun planning a coup."

A coup? I was shocked and quickly bowed my head: "Your Majesty, I am stupid and did not expect them to be so bold."

The emperor sneered, "President Yang, the situation in the palace has reached a critical juncture. Any small change could trigger a huge upheaval. I summoned you because I need your help in doing something."

My heart was shaken, and I quickly knelt even lower: "Your Majesty, please give me your orders. I will do my best."

The Emperor stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "I want you to continue your secret investigation and find out what Lord Zhao and Concubine De are planning. At the same time, I will send people to monitor their every move, but I need you to help me get a handle on them at the critical moment."

I nodded vigorously: "I understand. I will definitely live up to the emperor's trust."

The emperor looked at me deeply, then waved his hand and said, "You may withdraw. Remember, this is a matter of great importance. You must not act rashly."

I quickly bowed and retreated, but a huge wave was already rising in my heart.

After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I fell on the bed with my mind in a mess.

Lord Zhao is going to launch a palace coup?

This is no joke!

I am just a small judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but I was involved in such an earth-shaking event.

To be honest, I just want to be a quiet "doctor" now, diagnose illnesses, prescribe medicine, stroll around in the imperial garden, and enjoy the leisurely life in the palace.

But now, all this has become a luxury.

"President Yang, are you okay?" Zhu Yuan stood at the door with a worried look on his face, holding a bunch of medicinal herbs in his hands. It was obvious that he had just rushed back in a hurry and didn't even put his things down.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "It's okay. Things are getting more and more complicated. There's a storm brewing in the palace. We have to be more careful."

Zhu Yuan's face turned even paler after hearing this. "Then... can we not get involved in this? I don't want to lose my life just like that."

I sighed, "I don't want to get involved, but we're already in a difficult situation. We can only move forward step by step."

Zhu Yuan nodded. Although he was very nervous, he had no choice but to follow me.

The next morning, I decided to go and see what Lord Zhao was doing in person.

After all, the situation is tense now, and any disturbance may trigger a huge chain reaction.

I can't just sit and wait for news anymore, but have to take the initiative and see if I can find some clues.

Outside Lord Zhao's residence, the atmosphere was more solemn than usual.

I stood not far away, pretending to be passing by, secretly observing the comings and goings of the Zhao Mansion.

Sure enough, the number of guards coming in and out of Lord Zhao's mansion increased significantly, and many of them were unfamiliar faces, obviously from the outer palace.

"Sure enough, they have been secretly mobilizing manpower." I was secretly alert in my heart. It seemed that Lord Zhao and Concubine De's plan had entered the final stage.

Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly saw a figure quietly walking out from the back door of the Zhao Mansion.

The man was wearing ordinary clothes, but I recognized him as Sun Laoliu at a glance!

The opportunity has come! I was delighted. This Sun Laoliu must have an important mission. Following him will definitely reveal more clues.

I followed Sun Laoliu quietly, trying to keep my distance.

Sun Laoliu walked and stopped along the way, went into several inconspicuous small shops, and finally came to an inconspicuous teahouse.

To be honest, these small shops look very ordinary and don't seem like any secret bases at all.

"Did I guess wrong?" I was a little confused and was about to give up when I suddenly saw Sun Laoliu walk into the backyard of the teahouse and whispered to a man in black.

I quickly hid in the corner and pricked up my ears to eavesdrop.

"This batch of medicinal materials is ready. The master asked you to deliver them to the palace as soon as possible." Sun Laoliu's voice was very low, but every word was clearly heard in my ears.

The man in black nodded. "Don't worry, I'll make the arrangements right away. But you have to be careful. Things are going very tense in the palace lately. Don't let anyone get hold of us."

Sun Laoliu chuckled and said, "Don't worry, the master's arrangements are perfect and nothing will go wrong."

Hearing this, I was shocked - as expected, they were still using the secret passage to transport medicinal materials and were preparing to cause trouble in the palace!

It seems that this batch of medicinal materials is definitely not some ordinary herbs, but a key link in their palace coup plan!

After confirming this, I didn't dare to stay any longer and hurried back to the Imperial Hospital.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhu Yuan came forward and said, "President Yang, have you discovered anything?"

I nodded, my expression solemn. "Lord Zhao and the outer palace forces have already begun to act. They are using secret passages to transport things into the palace. They are likely preparing for a palace coup."

Zhu Yuan turned pale with fear: "Then... then what should we do? Should we report to the emperor immediately?"

I shook my head. "We can't act rashly now. We have to wait until they reveal a bigger flaw before we can take them down in one fell swoop."

Zhu Yuan looked at me with a worried look on his face: "If we wait until they coup, won't it be too late for us?"

I sighed and said, "Don't worry, the emperor has already secretly arranged a line of defense. As long as we can provide sufficient evidence at the critical moment, the emperor will naturally have a countermeasure."

In the next few days, the atmosphere in the palace became increasingly tense.

While I continued to investigate Lord Zhao's movements, I also paid close attention to the Third Prince's condition.

The Empress Shufei has become more and more trusting of me, and the Third Prince's condition has improved slightly, but I know that this is just the calm before the storm.

As for Concubine De, although everything seemed calm on the surface, the looks she cast at me from time to time always made me feel a chill - she knew that I was secretly investigating her, but she did not take any action. This kind of "peace and tranquility" made me even more uneasy.

Finally, on a dark and windy night, things came to a climax.

I was just about to take a break when there was a hurried knock on the door outside the Imperial Hospital.

"President Yang! Come out quickly! Something happened in the palace!"

I was shocked and quickly put on my clothes and rushed out.

Standing outside the door was a trusted guard of the Emperor, his face solemn: "The Emperor has ordered you to enter the palace immediately. This is a matter of great importance!"

My heart beat faster, knowing that this moment had finally arrived - this palace storm was unavoidable.