Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The palace has been exceptionally quiet these past few days. Concubine De has stopped causing trouble for the Third Prince, and I've been able to breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.

However, the silence was eerie, and it always made me feel that the calm before the storm was even more disturbing.

Yuanbao had been enjoying a leisurely time these past few days, jumping around in the yard every day, grabbing a few candies in his hands, eating and laughing: "Master Yang, look, is Concubine De completely afraid of us now? There has been no movement these past few days!"

I smiled and shook my head, but I didn't dare to let my guard down. "Yuanbao, don't be too happy too soon. Things in the palace are never that simple. Concubine De is only holding her troops temporarily. We must be vigilant at all times."

Yuanbao agreed vaguely with candy in his mouth, and seemed not to care about my words of "preparing for a rainy day".

Just as I was about to continue reminding him, a young eunuch suddenly rushed in and reported breathlessly: "Master Yang, the maidservant beside the Queen Mother said that the Queen Mother wants you over!"

I frowned, my mind instantly alert. The Queen Mother summoned me again? What was it about this time?

"Let's go and see what the Empress Dowager has ordered this time." I said to Yuanbao, then I straightened my clothes and followed the eunuch to the Empress Dowager's bedroom.

Arriving at the Empress Dowager's bedroom, I bowed respectfully as before: "Your Highness Yang An pays homage to the Empress Dowager."

The Queen Mother waved her hand gently, indicating that I didn't need to bow. She still had a kind smile on her face, but I vaguely sensed a hint of something unusual in her eyes.

"Sir Yang, I recently heard that the third prince has recovered well. This is all thanks to you." The Queen Mother said in a gentle voice with some appreciation in her tone.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I have only done my best. It was the Third Prince who took good care of himself." I replied modestly.

The Queen Mother nodded slightly, then changed her tone, "However, I have heard recently that the Third Prince has been getting too close to you, and has even stopped listening to Concubine De's teachings."

I was startled, knowing that this was the real reason why the Queen Mother summoned me.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, please understand. The Third Prince has always been filial. He is just young and sometimes likes to play. I have no intention of instigating him to disobey Your Majesty." I hurriedly explained, with a hint of respect and helplessness in my tone.

The Queen Mother pondered for a moment, her eyes becoming somewhat profound. "I naturally know that you are loyal, but, after all, Consort De is the biological mother of the Third Prince, and the bond between mother and son cannot be ignored."

After hearing this, I already understood what the Queen Mother meant.

The Queen Mother was not really biased towards Concubine De, but wanted to maintain a balance in the complex palace relations.

She didn't want the conflict between me and Concubine De to continue to escalate, because it would affect the future status of the Third Prince.

"I will keep the Empress Dowager's words in mind and will do my best to coordinate the relationship between the Third Prince and Empress Defei." I responded in a low voice, secretly wondering how to deal with it next.

The Queen Mother smiled slightly, seeming pleased with my attitude, and then changed the subject, "By the way, I have also hired a new teacher for the Third Prince to teach him etiquette and poetry. Sir Yang, you can communicate with this teacher more often in the future and learn from each other."

I was shocked: "New Mr."

The Queen Mother nodded, then clapped her hands, and a middle-aged man in Confucian robes slowly walked out from behind the screen.

"This is Mr. Sun, a famous scholar in the court. I specially invited him to teach the third prince." The empress dowager introduced with a smile.

Mr. Sun bowed slightly and said humbly, "Sir Yang, I have long heard of your great name. I look forward to your guidance."

I quickly returned the gift, but alarm bells were already ringing in my heart.

The Queen Mother suddenly arranged for such a "teacher", obviously wanting to interfere with the education of the third prince.

"Mr. Sun, you are too polite. I am just a medical officer in the Imperial Hospital. How dare I ask for your guidance?" I was humble on the surface, but I was thinking quickly in my heart, who is this Mr. Sun?

On the way back from the Empress Dowager's bedroom, Yuanbao asked me with a puzzled look on his face, "Master Yang, the Empress Dowager suddenly brought in Mr. Sun. Should we be careful?"

I nodded, feeling equally puzzled. "Mr. Sun's arrival was so sudden. The Queen Mother's arrangement must be complex."

Yuanbao bit his lower lip. "Should we check Mr. Sun's background? Could he be Empress Defei's man?"

I pondered for a moment and shook my head. "Not likely. If it was Consort De's man, the Queen Mother wouldn't have introduced him to me with such fanfare. Mr. Sun must have been chosen by the Queen Mother herself, perhaps to give the Third Prince some new influence."

Yuan Bao frowned: "What should we do then? If he does something bad to the Third Prince, don't we have to think of a solution quickly?"

I smiled and patted Yuanbao on the shoulder: "Don't worry, let's observe first. No matter who Mr. Sun belongs to, we can't alert the enemy."

A few days later, Mr. Sun officially began teaching the third prince.

I deliberately stayed outside the Third Prince's bedroom, wanting to see who this new Mr. Sun was.

Not long after, Mr. Sun came in with a book, smiling and looking very elegant.

"Third Prince, today we will learn some classic passages from the Analects of Confucius." Mr. Sun calmly unfolded the book, his tone gentle and steady.

The Third Prince sat obediently at his desk, listening attentively to Mr. Sun's explanation. As I watched Mr. Sun's behavior and conversation, I couldn't help but nod inwardly: This man does have some real talent and knowledge, at least in etiquette and poetry.

However, the next words made me alert instantly.

"Now the Third Prince is almost at the age to learn etiquette. He should get closer to Concubine De. The relationship between mother and son is crucial." Mr. Sun said earnestly, glancing at me subtly.

I was shocked. As expected, Mr. Sun’s task was not just to teach. He also had the mission of reshaping the relationship between the Third Prince and Empress Defei.

After hearing what Mr. Sun said, the Third Prince frowned slightly and looked at me with some embarrassment, as if waiting for my reaction.

I smiled slightly and stood aside without interrupting.

At a time like this, I cannot confront Mr. Sun head-on. Instead, I have to let the Third Prince make his own judgment.

Seeing that I remained silent, Mr. Sun smiled faintly and continued, "Third Prince, as a prince, you naturally understand your mother's painstaking efforts. The bond between mother and son is the foundation of your future position in the court."

The Third Prince nodded, seeming to understand, and replied, "Mr. Sun is right. Mother has been very kind to me, and I, as a subject, will naturally remember that."

I stood aside, feeling secretly relieved.

Although the Third Prince is still young, he already knows how to respond to these polite remarks on the surface. It seems that my teachings have not been in vain.

After class, Mr. Sun walked out of the bedroom. Seeing that I was still waiting, he smiled slightly, bowed, and said, "Master Yang is indeed a loyal man. The Third Prince is very lucky to have someone like you as his guard."

I smiled and bowed in return, "Mr. Sun, you are too kind. I am simply doing my duty. The Third Prince is now increasingly knowledgeable and needs your guidance."

Mr. Sun narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone carrying some depth: "Lord Yang is modest. The Third Prince is indeed talented, but the situation in the palace is ever-changing, so we must be more careful."

My heart tightened, knowing there was something else behind his words, so I calmly replied, "Mr. Sun is absolutely right. We must be more careful about matters in the palace."

The two smiled at each other, seemingly harmonious on the surface, but actually there were undercurrents.

After returning to the bedroom, Yuanbao immediately came over and asked nervously, "Master Yang, this Mr. Sun looks quite powerful. Is he trying to steal your position?"

I smiled softly and shook my head. "What status do I have with him? I'm just a doctor, but he will become a new rival for us. From now on, we must keep an eye on his movements and not let him easily influence the Third Prince."

Yuan Bao scratched his head. "Then how should we deal with him? He seems to be quite good at talking. He's not as easy to deal with as Consort De."

I patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Mr. Sun, no matter how eloquent he is, he can't change the Third Prince's nature. We just need to hold our ground and counter his moves. We'll eventually find his weaknesses."

Yuan Bao nodded, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes: "Sir, you are really smart, but there are so many things to do in the palace, aren't you tired?"

I was slightly startled, looked up at his eyes full of concern, and suddenly felt warm in my heart.

"I'm definitely tired, but with a good helper like you, I can still hold on." I said with a smile, with a bit of lightness in my tone.

Yuan Bao blushed and scratched his head quickly: "Master Yang, please don't joke with me. I can't be of much help..."