Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I sat at the table, staring at the medicinal herbs on the table, my mind racing.

Concubine De wanted to embarrass me by using the Third Prince's "illness" to make a fuss again, but I just wanted her to shoot herself in the foot.

Yuanbao was still busy on the side. Although he had no idea what I was going to do, he didn't dare to ask too much. He just silently prepared the herbs I needed one by one.

"President Yang, what kind of medicine are you planning to make? Why do some of the herbs look strange?" Yuanbao tilted his head and asked curiously.

I glanced at him and smiled mysteriously: "This is not medicine to cure people, but to 'drug' some people."

"Drug?" Yuan Bao was so frightened that he almost dropped the medicine jar in his hand. "Sir, are you trying to harm me?"

I rolled my eyes helplessly and patted his head. "What's going on in your head? I don't mean to hurt anyone. I just want some people to suffer the consequences."

Seeing that I didn't intend to explain in detail, Yuanbao didn't dare to ask any more questions and had to continue helping me obediently.

Just as I was concentrating on preparing medicinal herbs, I suddenly received a message from the palace: The Queen Mother wants to see you!

My heart tightened. The Empress Dowager always summoned me for a special reason. Could it be that she had heard something? Or had Concubine De already started to take action?

"Yuanbao, put these herbs away first. I'm going to see the Queen Mother." I ordered, secretly praying that things wouldn't be too complicated.

When I arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom, as soon as I entered the door, I saw the Empress Dowager sitting on the couch with a cup of hot tea in front of her, with a half-smile on her face.

"Your servant Yang An pays his respects to the Empress Dowager." I bowed respectfully, but in my mind I was quickly thinking about the purpose of her summoning me.

"Sir Yang, there has been a lot of talk about you in the palace recently." The Queen Mother smiled faintly, with a hint of joking in her tone.

I thought to myself, oh no, could she have heard some rumors about riding a donkey?

I smiled awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I have only done my bit. How dare I bear the rumors spread in the palace?"

The Queen Mother waved her hand, her smile deepening. "That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm saying is that recently people have been saying that you and the Third Prince are too close. Some are even saying that you're interfering with the Prince's health."

My heart sank. As expected, Concubine De had already started spreading rumors.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I have absolutely no such intention. I am just a doctor. Saving the dying and healing the wounded is my duty. I would never dare to overstep the boundaries of the rules." I immediately responded seriously, fearing that the Queen Mother would be suspicious.

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then gave me a penetrating look and nodded slightly. "I trust you. However, Concubine De has indeed been making some moves recently. Sir Yang, you must be careful."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reminder. I will certainly act with caution." I bowed, but I already had a new idea in my mind.

Coming out of the Empress Dowager's chambers, I had a clue. Consort De was clearly trying to control the Third Prince through his illness, and even the Empress Dowager had noticed her movements.

Sure enough, within a few days, news came from the palace: Concubine De had invited the "miracle doctor" to treat the third prince again.

"Sir Yang, this time Concubine De is coming with such force, I'm afraid she's going to do something serious!" Zi Yu hurried over to report, her face full of worry.

"I know." I nodded, but I was not panicked at all.

This so-called "miracle doctor" tried to put me down with a false diagnosis last time, but I saw through his plan. He dared to come again this time, so he must be well prepared.

However, I had long expected that he would make a comeback and was already prepared to deal with it.

"Yuanbao, it's time for us to take action." I instructed Yuanbao, with a cunning gleam in my eyes.

In the Third Prince's bedroom, Concubine De was sitting beside him with a smug look on her face, while the "miracle doctor" was taking the Third Prince's pulse with a very serious expression.

I stood aside, saying nothing, but I was already secretly calculating in my heart.

After a while, the "miracle doctor" finally let go of the Third Prince's wrist, sighed deeply, and said with a worried look on his face, "The Third Prince's condition is more serious than last time. If he is not treated in time, I'm afraid his life will be in danger."

Upon hearing this, Concubine De immediately feigned anxiety and said to me coldly, "Master Yang, you've been treating the Third Prince for so long, but why is his condition getting worse?"

I smiled slightly, but sneered in my heart: It's finally here.

"Your Highness, the Third Prince's condition has indeed been recurring, but I have been keeping an eye on his progress." I spoke calmly, then turned to the "miracle doctor" with a faint smile. "May I ask, miraculous doctor, have you diagnosed the specific cause of the Third Prince's illness?"

The genius doctor puffed out his chest, looking confident. "Of course! The Third Prince has too much cold in his body, which has caused poor blood circulation. If the cold is not dispelled in time, I'm afraid his life will be in danger."

I laughed inwardly; it was indeed the same old diagnosis.

He used the same ambiguous statement last time in an attempt to confuse the public.

"Oh? Too much cold?" I looked at him in surprise. "But... the Third Prince hasn't shown any signs of a cold lately. On the contrary, his pulse is stable. Are you sure it's the cold that's causing it?"

The miracle doctor's face changed, obviously he didn't expect me to question him on the spot.

Consort Defei immediately interrupted, "Master Yang, are you questioning the skills of this miraculous doctor?"

I smiled and said calmly, "I dare not question anyone's medical skills, but since this concerns the Third Prince's life, I must be extremely cautious. Since the genius doctor diagnosed the cold as the culprit, why not let everyone see what symptoms the Third Prince has?"

After saying that, I took out the herbs I had prepared long ago from my sleeve and slowly said, "This is the medicinal powder I specially prepared. If the Third Prince really has cold energy in his body, after taking this medicinal powder, the cold energy will definitely be triggered, and he will show obvious cold poison reactions on his body surface."

Empress Defei's expression changed slightly, obviously she didn't expect me to be so well prepared.

The "miracle doctor" was also a little panicked at this time, and stammered, "Master Yang, how can a doctor use such a folk remedy to diagnose an illness? This, this is too hasty!"

I remained unmoved and said calmly, "Since the genius doctor is so certain that the Third Prince has a severe cold, then I am not afraid to verify it. If the powder doesn't work, then I will naturally admit my mistake. If it does work, then it proves that the Third Prince is indeed suffering from a cold."

"Is Lord Yang forcing the emperor to abdicate?" Empress Defei said coldly, with a hint of cruelty in her eyes.

"I dare not, but just want to do one more step to verify the safety of the third prince." I said in a calm tone, but I was already confident of victory in my heart.

At this time, the Third Prince looked at me and nodded slightly: "Master Yang, since it is for my illness, please do as you wish."

My heart warmed. As expected, the Third Prince trusted me.

The genius doctor was sweating profusely at this time. He knew that if he let the third prince take my medicine powder, it would only expose his lies.

But now he was in a difficult situation, and since Concubine De was present, he did not dare to refute easily.

Finally, Concubine De snorted coldly: "Since the Third Prince has agreed, let's give it a try!"

The medicine powder was quickly brought up and the third prince took it without hesitation.

Time passed minute by minute, and everyone around held their breath, waiting for the reaction of the powder.

However, after the third prince took the powder, he did not have any so-called "cold poison reaction" at all.

He still looked calm and even jokingly said, "Master Yang, this medicine powder tastes pretty good."

I smiled, turned to the "miracle doctor," and bowed slightly. "It seems the Third Prince doesn't have a cold. Does the "miracle doctor" have any new diagnosis?"

The miracle doctor's face turned pale, he hesitated for a long time, and in the end he couldn't utter a word.

Consort Defei's expression was extremely grim. She glared at me fiercely and said coldly, "Master Yang, it seems we have to seek help from someone else."

"My medical skills are limited, please forgive me, Your Majesty." I bowed respectfully, but I was secretly proud in my heart.

This "diagnostic storm" finally allowed me to successfully escape unscathed.

Soon after the incident, rumors began to spread in the palace about the poor medical skills of the "miracle doctor", and Empress Defei seemed to have stopped talking about it for a while.

Although her conspiracy has not succeeded for the time being, I know in my heart that this does not mean that she will give up.

"Counselor Yang, you are so awesome! Now that miracle doctor has left in disgrace, Concubine De must be so angry that she can't sleep in the middle of the night!" Yuanbao said excitedly, his face full of admiration.

I shook my head, but remained alert.

The struggle in this palace has just begun.