Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

After coming out of the Empress Dowager's palace, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that I am safe for the time being. At least the Queen Mother is on my side.

However, I also know in my heart that Concubine De will never give up, and there will definitely be more troubles waiting for me.

Just as I was walking back to the bedroom, Yuanbao came running towards me with an excited look on his face.

"Yang Yuanpan, you've truly shown your prowess! Word has just spread throughout the palace that you cured the Third Prince, and the Empress Dowager has specially rewarded you with a ton of goodies! You've truly been given a lot of pride this time!"

"Ah? Rewards?" I was stunned. I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to be so quick.

"That's right! You should go back and take a look. I guess our bedroom is almost full!" Yuanbao said as he danced excitedly, as if these rewards were all for him.

I smiled helplessly, thinking that this kid was happier than me, but I was also a little curious about what rare things the Queen Mother had rewarded me with.

When I returned to the bedroom, as expected, the whole room was filled to the brim.

There are all kinds of precious silks, jewelry, calligraphy and paintings. Even someone like me who is not very interested in antiques can't help but be amazed.

"This... is too much..." I looked at the things piled up like a mountain in front of me and couldn't help feeling dazed.

"Yang Yuanpan, these are all specially awarded to you by the Empress Dowager. You are so blessed!" A young eunuch said with a smile, placing the Empress Dowager's rewards on the table as he spoke. His movements were so skillful as if he did this kind of work often.

I scratched my head in embarrassment, thinking that the Empress Dowager was too kind to me. Could it be that she was impressed by my medical skills?

But on second thought, if I could get close to the empress dowager, at least I wouldn't have to live in fear every day.

Just as I was digesting these rewards, Yuanbao suddenly rushed in from outside, shouting excitedly: "Yang Yuanpan, the Queen Mother has additional rewards!"

"Huh? More?" I was already feeling dizzy and felt like I was about to be overwhelmed by these rewards.

"Take a look!" Yuanbao pulled out something from behind him mysteriously and showed it to me excitedly.

When I saw it, I almost laughed out loud - it was actually a little donkey?

"This... is this a reward given to me by the Queen Mother?" I widened my eyes, somewhat unable to believe it.

"Yes! The Queen Mother specifically said that since you have been working hard recently, she would like to reward you with a 'good horse for transportation' so that you can move around the palace more conveniently in the future!" Yuanbao explained seriously.

"'Good horse'?" I looked at the little donkey with dull eyes, feeling both amused and speechless.

Your Majesty, your 'good horse' is really down-to-earth, isn't it?

But then I thought, even though this donkey looks a bit silly, at least it's less tiring than walking, right? Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile, thinking that this was also an unexpected surprise.

"President Yang, do you want to try riding it?" Yuanbao suggested excitedly, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Ride? Now?" I was a little hesitant. After all, riding a donkey in the palace seemed a bit too...down-to-earth, right?

"Yes! I have tried it in the yard just now. Although this donkey doesn't look very good, it walks very steadily!" Yuanbao said as he couldn't wait to lead the donkey in front of me.

I looked at the little donkey with dull eyes, then looked at Yuanbao with excitement, and sighed inwardly: Forget it, it’s a reward from the Queen Mother, so I might as well ride it, at most I’ll lose some face.

So, under Yuanbao's strong suggestion, I finally plucked up the courage and got on this "good horse for transportation".

I have to say, the feeling of riding a donkey is really... quite wonderful.

Although this donkey looks silly, it walks very steadily and slowly, without the bumpy feeling of a horse.

"President Yang, look! Isn't it quite comfortable to ride?" Yuanbao clapped his hands excitedly, as if he was the one riding the donkey.

"Hmm... not bad." I forced a smile, but I couldn't help but complain in my heart: Who rides a donkey in this palace? If someone saw me, they would think I was from the countryside...

Just as I was trying to keep my balance, I suddenly heard a clear laugh.

"Master Yang, are you... practicing horse riding?"

When I heard that, I froze immediately.

This voice...could it be her?

I slowly turned my head, and sure enough, standing at the gate of the courtyard was the third prince's wet nurse, Li Ma. She was standing there with her hands covering her mouth, laughing so hard that her body was shaking.

"Mammy, when did you come?" I smiled awkwardly, wishing I could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

"Sir Yang, your riding skills are truly...unique!" Nanny Li laughed so hard that tears were almost coming out, and even the palace maids next to her couldn't help laughing out loud.

I felt helpless. This was great. The whole palace would probably know that I, Yang Yuanpan, was riding a donkey around the palace...

Just when everyone was laughing uncontrollably, the originally obedient little donkey suddenly jumped up and started running around recklessly!

"Ouch! What's wrong with this donkey?!" I almost fell off the donkey's back. I quickly grabbed the donkey saddle tightly, and my whole body was shaking.

"President Yang, be careful!" Yuanbao shouted in fear and hurriedly ran after the donkey.

The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs also cried out in surprise, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.

"This donkey is crazy! Stop it!" I shouted while trying to keep my balance, and in my heart I was complaining furiously: Queen Mother, did you give me a 'good horse for transportation' or a 'troublemaker'?!

The donkey was running faster and faster, and was about to hit the wall in front. I got anxious and quickly pulled the reins hard. As a result, the donkey suddenly braked, and I was thrown out and fell heavily to the ground.

"Ouch!" I cried out in pain, feeling like all the bones in my body were about to fall apart.

"President Yang! Are you okay?!" Yuanbao hurried over to support me, his face full of worry.

"No...it's okay, it's just...my butt hurts a little." I covered my sore butt and tried to force a smile, but I secretly swore in my heart: I will never ride this donkey again!

Just as I was getting up from the ground in a mess, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps.

When I looked up, I saw that it was the Third Prince and the Queen Mother walking towards me.

"Sir Yang, are you... practicing horse riding?" The Empress Dowager looked at me with a kind smile on her face.

I was so embarrassed I wanted to find a hole to crawl into, so I quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was just... uh, trying out the 'good horse' you gifted me."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The donkey I gave you as a reward is indeed unique. Sir Yang, you have worked hard. I can see that you care deeply about this donkey."

"Uh... yes, I... tried my best." I spoke vaguely, having completely accepted my fate in my heart. It seemed that I could not avoid today's embarrassment.

But what I didn't expect was that the Third Prince actually walked up to me, smiled slightly, and said softly, "Master Yang, you saved me, I'm very grateful. No matter what, please take care of yourself."

I was stunned for a moment. I didn't expect that the third prince would come and care about me.

Although this little guy is young, he is very thoughtful and is indeed the future royal star.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Prince. I have only done my duty. I will be relieved if you can recover." I said respectfully, feeling a little touched.

The Empress Dowager also nodded slightly, her eyes showing some relief: "Master Yang, I have great confidence in your medical skills and will need to rely on you in the future."

I saluted quickly and said, "I will do my best."

Although this donkey incident made me very embarrassed, it also made me realize that the interpersonal relationships in the palace are far more complicated than I imagined.

The Queen Mother and the Third Prince were friendly to me, but Concubine De's conspiracy was far from over.

"President Yang, what should we do next?" Yuanbao asked in a low voice, obviously realizing that the situation was not optimistic.

"What else can I do? Just take it one step at a time." I sighed, mentally prepared for more trouble.