Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

It was late at night and the Imperial Hospital was completely quiet. Even Yuanbao had already fallen into a deep sleep.

But I couldn't sleep.

The jade pendant that the Empress Dowager gave me has always lingered in my mind, like a sword hanging over my head, as if it will fall at any time.

Logically speaking, the Queen Mother would not give me such an important thing for no reason.

This jade pendant must be related to some palace secrets, and may even be related to the future struggle for the throne.

Although I have traveled to this ancient time, I am still a modern person at heart and have little interest in the power struggles in the deep palace.

But the problem is, the Empress Dowager has already thrown this hot potato to me, and I can't just refuse it.

After thinking about it over and over again, I finally decided to study this jade pendant again.

Maybe we can find some clues.

Just as I was about to take a closer look at the jade pendant, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Lord Yang, are you asleep?" It was Yuanbao's voice, with a hint of mystery and nervousness.

"It's so late, why are you looking for me instead of sleeping?" I opened the door a little helplessly.

Yuan Bao sneaked in cautiously, looked around, and made sure no one was following him before he lowered his voice and said, "Master Yang, the Third Prince sent someone to see you. He said there's something urgent and asked you to go to his bedroom immediately."

I was stunned. It was so late, and the Third Prince was still awake? What was he up to?

"What happened to him again?" I asked reluctantly, with a bad feeling in my heart.

Yuan Bao scratched his head, looking a little hesitant: "This... the Third Prince didn't say it, but he seemed quite anxious."

Urgent? My heart sank. It seemed like this wasn't just a minor incident.

Helplessly, I could only put on my coat and hurried to the third prince's bedroom with Yuanbao.

When I arrived at the Third Prince's bedroom, I found that the lights were still on, and the palace maids and guards who were guarding the door seemed to have been sent away.

The atmosphere is a little weird.

"Lord Yang, you are finally here!" As soon as he entered the door, the third prince immediately came to greet him with a mixed expression of excitement and nervousness on his face.

"Why are you not sleeping so late at night and calling me here? What's the matter?" I lowered my voice, afraid of being heard by people outside.

The third prince pulled me to his desk in a mysterious manner, and then took out a neatly folded paper roll from under the table.

"Master Yang, please take a look at this!"

I took the paper, feeling puzzled. When I opened it, I discovered that it was actually a palace map with many strange symbols and routes marked on it.

"What... is this?" I was a little confused and had no idea what the Third Prince was doing.

The Third Prince lowered his voice and explained with pride, "This is a map of secret passages I drew myself! Look, these are the secret passages in the palace that I secretly discovered, leading to various important places. As long as you master these secret passages, you can reach any place in the palace quickly, even without being discovered by anyone!"

I was stunned. This kid was actually secretly drawing a secret passage map in the palace?

This is too bold!

"Wait, Third Prince, why did you draw these secret passages? If people find out, it will cause a big mess!" I hurriedly advised, already starting to worry about his safety.

The Third Prince waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Lord Yang. I didn't draw this to do anything bad. I just thought these secret passages were interesting, and they could be useful in an emergency in the future."

I was speechless for a moment. This kid's train of thought is really unique.

He had no idea how serious the consequences would be if this thing fell into the wrong hands.

"Forget it, no matter what your purpose is, you have to put this thing away quickly and don't let others find it." I said helplessly, "Also, don't draw things like this casually in the future."

The third prince nodded, as if he had heard what I said, and quickly stuffed the map back under the desk.

"By the way, Third Prince, you called me here so late, you wouldn't just want to show me this map, right?" I suddenly realized that although this matter was outrageous enough, it was not enough for the Third Prince to call me over in the middle of the night.

The Third Prince scratched his head, his expression suddenly becoming unnatural: "Actually... I have something else to ask."

I raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to continue.

The Third Prince hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and whispered, "Mother has been asking me to learn a lot lately, saying that I'll become the Crown Prince in the future and shoulder the responsibilities of the royal family. I know she's doing this for my own good, but... Sir Yang, sometimes I really feel so tired."

When I heard this, my heart ached.

Although the third prince usually looks naughty, he is still a child after all.

The pressure and expectations in the palace had already made him breathless.

I patted his shoulder and said gently, "Third Prince, you are the future crown prince and indeed shoulder many responsibilities, but don't be too anxious. You are still a teenager now, so you should enjoy life more. I believe that when you grow up and shoulder your responsibilities, you will have enough wisdom and ability to handle everything."

The Third Prince raised his head and looked at me, his eyes a little confused. "But sometimes I really don't know if I can do it well...if I can satisfy Mother and the Queen Mother."

I sighed inwardly, thinking that at this age, the Third Prince was still filled with fear and uncertainty about the future.

I whispered, "Third Prince, everyone has moments of confusion. You don't have to shoulder everything on your own now. As long as you work hard to learn and grow, you will surely have your own glorious moments in the future."

After hearing what I said, the Third Prince seemed to relax a little, forcing a smile: "Lord Yang, you are always so persuasive. I understand, and I will continue to work hard."

Just when I thought that tonight's "secret talk" could be over, Yuanbao suddenly ran in hurriedly, looking nervous.

"Master Yang, Third Prince, please take a look at this!"

My heart sank. What happened again?

Yuanbao handed me a piece of paper with a few lines of scribbled words on it. The content made my eyes widen instantly:

"The secret passage has been discovered, respond quickly."

The Third Prince and I exchanged glances, our expressions becoming serious.

The secret passage in the palace has been discovered? This is definitely no small matter!

The Third Prince immediately asked nervously, "Master Yang, what should we do? Has the map I drew been discovered?"

I shook my head. Although I was a little panicked inside, I remained calm on the surface. "Not necessarily. Perhaps there's a problem with another secret passage. Let's not panic for now. We need to find out who discovered the secret passage and who sent us this message."

The Third Prince took a deep breath and nodded: "Okay, Lord Yang, I will listen to you."

The night grew darker, and the tranquility of the palace now made people feel depressed.

The news of this secret passage was like a fuse, foreshadowing more trouble to come.

The jade pendant given to me by the Empress Dowager, the map of the "secret passage" of the Third Prince, all of these seemed to be slowly connecting together, forming a huge network.

And I am standing in the center of this web, unable to escape.