Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

"She actually invited the great master of Qixia Temple?"

After hearing Yuanbao's report, I almost threw away the bowl of medicine in my hand.

This time, Concubine De made a big deal out of it and directly invited out the great master of Qixia Temple - these were mysterious figures who were specifically responsible for praying and offering sacrifices for the royal family, and they rarely showed up in public.

I frowned, feeling nervous: Asking a Taoist priest to perform a ritual is no joke.

If that wizard took the opportunity to spread the word in front of the emperor that the third prince was "possessed by evil spirits", all efforts would be in vain.

Zhu Yuan stamped his feet anxiously. "Yang Yuanpan, what should we do? The Virtuous Concubine has mobilized such a large force. Can our old man Li still withstand it?"

I pinched my brows, secretly complaining: Old Li was just acting, how could he compare to a real mage? If we go head-to-head this time, I'm afraid we'll be exposed!

Yuan Bao was also terrified. "Yang Yuanpan, you have to find a way! I heard that the wizard is very powerful and everyone in the palace treats him with great respect. If he tells the emperor that the third prince is really possessed by an evil spirit, we'll all be finished!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

Empress Defei is making a last-ditch effort and wants to use the imperial wizard to accuse the third prince of being an evil spirit.

But who am I, Yang Qing? I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily.

"Don't worry, we have solutions." My eyes rolled and I already had an idea in my mind.

Zhu Yuan and Yuan Bao looked at me expectantly: "President Yang, do you have an idea?"

I smiled slightly: "Since she invited a magician, let's do something big."

The next day, news spread in the palace: Empress Defei invited a monk from Qixia Temple to exorcise evil spirits and pray for the third prince.

As soon as the news came out, everyone in the palace was in an uproar.

The great wizard is a sacred existence in almost everyone's heart. He is usually not seen. Now that he has come out in person, everyone feels that the matter is very serious.

As for me, I had long anticipated that Consort De would make a big fuss about this ritual, and deliberately arranged a "clash".

On the day of the ritual, the monk from Qixia Temple arrived as scheduled.

The monk was dressed in a gorgeous cassock, with white beard and eyebrows, and a solemn expression. He walked with an air of immortality, as if he had really floated down from the sky.

When the palace maids and eunuchs saw him, they all bowed their heads in respect, their faces full of reverence.

I stood outside the Third Prince's bedroom, watching the "Mage" slowly approaching from afar, and thought to myself: This old man looks quite impressive.

The mage entered the Third Prince's bedroom, and was personally greeted by Concubine De, with a smug smile on her face.

"Master, the Third Prince's condition has not improved. I am extremely worried. I specially ask you to pray for the Third Prince and exorcise the evil spirits." The tone of Concubine De couldn't hide the pride of her conspiracy succeeding.

The master nodded slightly, his expression serious: "I will definitely live up to your trust, Madam."

I stood aside and watched the show coldly.

It seems that Concubine De has high hopes for this ritual, but she probably doesn't know that today's "duel" is far from as simple as she thought.

The master began to perform the ritual.

He took out a string of Buddhist beads, muttered something, and waved it from time to time. His movements were very professional, as if he was really driving away "evil spirits".

The atmosphere in the bedroom suddenly became extremely solemn, and even the air seemed to freeze.

I stood by, thinking about my next move.

Since Concubine De intends to use the wizard's name, I have to make this drama bigger and not let her succeed easily.

Just as the mage was halfway through his ritual, I suddenly stepped forward and smiled, "Master, you've worked hard. But I'm afraid the Third Prince's illness isn't just caused by evil spirits, right?"

The mage raised his eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied with my sudden interruption: "Yang Yuanpan, what do you mean by that?"

I pretended to be inscrutable and shook my head gently. "The Third Prince's condition is complicated. Although I'm not a cultivator, I do have some knowledge of medicine. In my opinion, this isn't just due to evil spirits, there might be other human factors involved."

Upon hearing this, the mage immediately revealed a hint of displeasure: "Yang Yuanpan, I have been traveling the world for many years, so such a small evil spirit is no problem for me."

Empress Defei sneered, "Yang Yuanpan, since the mage has already taken action personally, why are you doing this? Are you doubting the mage's ability?"

I smiled, eyes narrowed slightly. "I wouldn't dare. It's just that the Third Prince's condition is of grave importance. Since the mage has personally taken action, we mortals naturally can't neglect it. I also happen to have invited an 'expert' here, so why don't we take a look together to avoid any mistakes?"

"Master?" The expressions of Concubine De and the mage changed at the same time.

I glanced at them smugly, laughing inwardly: You have mages, but I also have gods! Today I'll show you what a "fight between gods" is like!

Just then, Old Li appeared.

He was dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a peach wood sword, and staggered into the bedroom with an expression of a "sage from other worlds" on his face. He kept muttering some incomprehensible spells.

When I saw Old Li, I almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

He looked like a charlatan no matter how you looked at him, but in situations like this, the more outrageous his pretense, the more he could fool people.

As expected, the maids and eunuchs in the bedroom were immediately filled with awe when they saw Old Li, whispering to each other, "Is this the 'expert'? He truly has the air of an immortal!"

Even the wizard was stunned, obviously not expecting such a "master" to suddenly interrupt.

Old Li narrowed his eyes, glanced at the Third Prince, then glanced at the mage. Suddenly, he snorted heavily, "Hmph! A mere evil spirit, not worth mentioning!"

The mage's face darkened, clearly dissatisfied with Old Li's tone. "My fellow Daoist, the Third Prince's illness is extremely serious. I've already cast a spell to exorcise the evil spirit. Why are you doing this?"

Old Li snorted coldly and said slowly, "With your limited skills, you dare to show off in front of me? How can a mortal like you understand the Third Prince's illness?"

I almost couldn't hold back my laughter: Old Li's tone really shows that he is not even afraid of fake things!

The mage's face became increasingly ugly, and he was obviously feeling a little discouraged by Old Li's aura.

Seeing this, Empress Defei quickly interrupted, "Yang Yuanpan, what credentials does this 'expert' have? The mage was personally appointed by the Emperor. How could he be inferior to someone you just picked up?"

I smiled and said calmly, "A master naturally has his own way. Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Why don't you have them both cast a spell together to see what kind of evil has befallen the Third Prince?"

The face of Consort De changed, obviously not expecting such a "competition" request from me. She was at a loss for words and could only nod in agreement.

Thus, a "magic duel" began in the third prince's bedroom.

The imperial priest chanted an incantation and waved his rosary beads, his movements still solemn and powerful; while Old Li stood beside him, pretending to chant "Heaven and earth, may the spirits come to you" while waving his peach wood sword and occasionally shouting into the air "Back off, evil spirit!"

The palace maids and eunuchs who were watching were stunned, their faces full of admiration and amazement.

They had no idea whether these "spells" were real or fake. They just felt that the two "masters" in front of them were both extremely powerful and had their own strengths.

I stood by, my heart overflowing with joy: the bigger the drama, the less tenable the rumors about Concubine De would become. After all, why would a true exorcism ritual need to be so elaborate?

Finally, the ritual ended.

The Imperial Master tossed his Buddhist beads and said solemnly, "I have done my best. The Third Prince's evil spirit has been dispelled. All he needs to do now is rest and he will be safe."

Old Li, unwilling to be outdone, snorted coldly, "Hmph! If it weren't for me, how could this evil spirit be completely eradicated? The Third Prince's condition is already complicated. Without me, I'm afraid it would have taken even longer!"

The wizard looked grim, but was speechless.

Although Concubine De was annoyed, she could not find any reason to refute and could only laugh dryly.

I smiled and nodded: "Thank you both for your help, the Third Prince is saved."

The matter has come to an end for now.

After the ceremony, Concubine De left with a gloomy face, obviously extremely dissatisfied with the outcome of the confrontation.

But I know in my heart that this ritual has refuted her rumors. It may not be so easy for her to use the "evil spirit" theory to harm the third prince again.

Old Li walked up to me and said with a smile, "President Yang, how was my performance this time, didn't I?"

I suppressed my laughter and patted his shoulder: "Lao Li, your acting is simply first-rate. I'll have to ask for a good vacation for you later!"