Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The atmosphere in the Empress Dowager's bedroom was so solemn that it was suffocating.

Several imperial doctors were shuttling back and forth, the palace maids were busy and at a loss, while the third prince stood aside with an anxious look on his face, as if he was ready to rush in to visit his grandmother at any time.

"Sir Yang, is the Empress Dowager in trouble?" The Third Prince looked at me nervously, with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

I was even more unsure than he was, but I couldn't show any panic in front of others. I could only try to remain calm. "Don't worry, Third Prince. The Empress Dowager has always been in good health. Perhaps she's just overworked. Let's wait for the imperial physician's diagnosis and don't jump to conclusions."

As he was speaking, an imperial physician finally came out from the inner hall, followed by several palace maids.

He had a complicated expression on his face, as if he was considering how to start speaking.

"Imperial Physician, how is the Empress Dowager?" The Third Prince came forward hurriedly, his voice filled with anxiety.

The imperial physician sighed deeply and whispered, "Reporting to the Third Prince, the Empress Dowager's condition is... somewhat complicated. She suddenly fell unconscious, seemingly from some slow-acting poison, but we haven't been able to determine the source yet."

poison? !

These two words were like a bolt from the blue, and both the Third Prince and I were stunned in an instant.

"The Empress Dowager has been poisoned?!" The Third Prince widened his eyes and his face turned pale. He obviously didn't expect things to be so serious.

I was also shocked. I didn't expect things to become more complicated.

How dare someone in the palace poison the Queen Mother? This is simply treason!

"Imperial Physician, is the Empress Dowager's life... in danger?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but my heart was already in a mess.

The imperial physician shook his head, his brow furrowed. "The Empress Dowager's pulse is currently stable, but the toxicity is unknown. We need time to identify the source. Furthermore, this poison has clearly accumulated over a long period of time, not been administered in a short period of time."

When I heard this, my heart suddenly sank.

This shows that the person who poisoned the Queen Mother had planned it long ago and had been acting in secret.

How many invisible undercurrents are hidden in this palace?

Just as we were discussing the Empress Dowager's illness, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

Assassins, secret passages, the Queen Mother's poisoning...are these things interconnected?

"Lord Yang, what are you thinking about?" The third prince asked softly when he saw my serious expression.

I came back to my senses and whispered, "Third Prince, do you think there's a certain coincidence in what's happened these past few days? The assassin, the secret passage, the Queen Mother's poisoning—all of these seem like isolated incidents, but there might be some connection behind them."

After hearing this, the Third Prince's eyes widened, as if he began to realize the seriousness of the matter. "You mean... someone is behind all this?"

I nodded. "We can't rule that out. There are always undercurrents in the palace, and any disturbance could be a sign of a power struggle. We must respond with caution."

The Third Prince took a deep breath, his expression finally becoming somewhat calmer. "Lord Yang, you are right. This matter cannot be taken lightly. We must find out who is trying to harm my grandmother."

The next morning, news spread from the palace that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill.

When the emperor learned of this, he immediately summoned all ministers and members of the royal family to the main hall to discuss the matter. The atmosphere was extremely depressing.

Everyone knows that the Queen Mother's position is extremely important. If anything happens to her, the entire palace will fall into turmoil.

When I followed the Third Prince into the hall, I saw that Concubine De had also arrived.

Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were gleaming with worry. She was obviously very concerned about the Empress Dowager's illness.

"Mother, don't worry, the imperial doctors will do their best to treat the Empress Dowager." The third prince stepped forward and comforted Concubine De softly.

Concubine De nodded and sighed softly, "I hope so. Your Imperial Grandmother has always loved you dearly. If anything happened to her, I really don't know what to do."

As we were talking, the emperor came out from the back hall.

His face was gloomy, and he was obviously very worried about the Empress Dowager's illness.

As soon as the emperor sat down, he glanced coldly at everyone present, then said in a deep voice, "You all know about the Empress Dowager's condition. The imperial physician has long diagnosed her with poisoning, but the source is still unknown. I want to know, who in this palace is so audacious as to dare to poison the Empress Dowager?"

The entire hall fell into deathly silence in an instant, and no one dared to speak.

This is a major palace case, and no one wants to get involved in it easily.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, Mr. Sun stepped forward, his face calm, and he saluted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that may resolve this crisis."

The emperor's eyes fixed on the subject, and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you think, Mr. Sun?"

Mr. Sun smiled slightly and said slowly, "The Empress Dowager's illness came on suddenly, clearly a long-planned operation. A thorough investigation of the source of the poison will naturally take time. However, to calm the people and prevent further chaos, I suggest temporarily suppressing the news to prevent the outside world from learning about this and causing unnecessary panic."

The emperor's brow relaxed slightly after hearing this, and he nodded, saying, "Mr. Sun is right. If this matter were to become known, it would inevitably arouse suspicion and anxiety within and outside the palace. Therefore, we should follow Mr. Sun's advice and temporarily suppress the news."

Mr. Sun continued, "As for the source of the poison, I have secretly sent people to investigate. It will take some time, but I believe that we will soon have some clues. I hope Your Majesty will remain calm."

The emperor nodded, seeming to have great confidence in Mr. Sun's ability: "Okay, I will wait for your news."

After the matter came to a temporary end, the Third Prince and I returned to Concubine De's bedroom together.

Empress Defei was obviously still worried about the Empress Dowager's illness, and her brows were always furrowed.

"Third Prince, Lord Yang, I have something to say to you alone." Empress Defei waved away the palace maids and eunuchs around her, her tone a little solemn.

The Third Prince and I exchanged a glance, and I felt that things were not simple.

After everyone had left, Concubine De whispered, "I know that the situation in the palace has been turbulent over the years. I'm afraid your grandmother's poisoning isn't just a simple palace intrigue, but involves a larger power struggle."

I was a little surprised. I didn't expect that Concubine De knew so much about the situation in the palace.

The Third Prince asked nervously, "Mother, do you know who is behind this?"

Consort De shook her head, a worried look on her face. "I dare not jump to conclusions, but you must be careful. Especially the Third Prince. You are the future crown prince, and you shoulder too much responsibility. If the palace struggle involves you, the consequences will be disastrous."

After hearing this, the Third Prince nodded solemnly: "Mother, I understand. I will be more careful."

After returning to his own bedroom, the Third Prince had a serious expression on his face, as if he was still worried about the Queen Mother.

Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but jokingly say, "Third Prince, please stop looking so gloomy. If you keep this up, your handsome face will wrinkle like a bun."

The Third Prince finally couldn't help but burst out laughing after hearing what I said. "Master Yang, you really know how to joke! But seriously, I was really scared by what happened today. The waters in the palace are very complicated. I now understand that Mother and you are right. I need to be more careful."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Third Prince. You still have time. Now you just need to focus on your studies. One day in the future, you will be able to handle these storms."

The Third Prince nodded, with a hint of gratitude in his eyes: "Master Yang, I feel much more at ease with you by my side."

Hearing this, a warm feeling suddenly welled up in my heart.

Although the Third Prince is naughty, he truly trusts me.