Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I thought I could return to the clinic peacefully this time, wash my hands, boil some medicine, and make myself a cup of chrysanthemum tea to calm my nerves.

After all, walking in the palace, although it seems calm on the surface, in fact, every step is like dancing on the edge of a knife.

However, before he could enjoy a moment of leisure, another eunuch came to the door and breathlessly delivered a message: "Imperial Physician Yang, the Empress requests that you return to the palace immediately."

I was stunned for a moment, secretly complaining in my heart: Why is it so busy today? Don’t these nobles in the palace care about their numbers?

However, I couldn't refuse the Queen's call, so I had to sigh, pack up my things, and step into the palace again with doubts in my heart.

This time when Aunt Zhang saw me, her expression was more serious than last time, even a little anxious.

"Imperial Physician Yang, the Empress asked you to come with me to visit the attendant beside the Crown Prince immediately." Nanny Zhang lowered her voice and looked around, as if she was afraid that others would hear something.

My heart tightened. It seemed that the matter was more complicated than I had imagined. I didn't dare to ask more questions and quickly followed her.

Along the way, Nanny Zhang no longer chatted like last time, but just walked ahead without looking around.

After a while, we arrived at the East Palace, the outskirts of the prince's bedroom.

It was even quieter here than the Queen's bedroom. There were almost no strangers around, only a few guards guarding outside the door.

Nanny Zhang whispered a few words to the guards, who then opened the door and motioned for us to go in.

As soon as I entered the room, I smelled a strong smell of medicine.

The room was dark and damp, the windows were closed and the light was dim.

A haggard young man was lying on the bed, his face pale and his eyes dull.

His breathing was rapid and irregular, and he was mumbling something intermittently.

I frowned. This didn't look like an ordinary illness, more like...

"Imperial Physician Yang, this is the Crown Prince's attendant, his name is Xiao Luzi."

Nanny Zhang introduced quietly, lowering her voice to add, "His behavior has been unusual lately, sometimes frantic, sometimes sluggish. The imperial physicians have examined him several times, but they can't find the cause."

I secretly groaned in my heart. This definitely didn't look like an ordinary illness.

But since I'm here, I have no choice but to go forward and treat the patient.

I walked to the bed and looked carefully at the servant named Xiao Luzi.

His eyes were cloudy and his expression was dazed, as if he was frightened by something.

I reached out to feel his pulse, and it was weak and disordered, surprisingly similar to that of the "mysterious prince" before.

"Xiao Luzi, when did this start?" I asked Aunt Zhang while taking her pulse.

Aunt Zhang frowned and recalled, "About half a month ago. At first, it was just insomnia, but then I started having nightmares. After that, I became more and more abnormal. Now, I am often unconscious."

My heart sank; these symptoms sounded like severe anxiety and a mental breakdown.

But in this era, no one understands what mental illness is, and all symptoms are attributed to "being possessed by evil spirits" or "strange diseases."

I gently released Xiao Luzi's wrist, thought for a moment, and asked, "Has he experienced anything unusual recently? Like a lot of pressure, or was he frightened?"

Nanny Zhang shook her head. "That's not the case. Xiao Luzi has always been clever and intelligent, serving His Royal Highness the Crown Prince without making any mistakes. It's just... His Royal Highness has been busy lately, and the atmosphere in the palace has been a little tense."

I nodded and made a rough judgment in my mind.

It seems this is another classic case of excessive stress.

But the question is, in this day and age, who can understand what it means to be under too much pressure?

Especially in the palace, the servants live under high pressure every day. Once there is any knot in their heart that is not resolved, physical and mental problems will naturally arise.

"Madam Zhang, I think Xiaoluzi's condition is related to his mental illness. He may be under too much psychological pressure, which has led to his mental disorder or even hysteria."

When Aunt Zhang heard this, she immediately frowned, "Heart disease? What should we do? Do we need to exorcise the evil spirit?"

I almost laughed at her and quickly explained, "There's no need to exorcise evil spirits. He's just too overwhelmed. I'll use acupuncture and medicine to regulate his qi and blood, and supplement it with tranquilizers. He should gradually get better."

Nanny Zhang breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll leave it to Imperial Physician Yang."

I nodded and immediately started preparing the needle.

Although Xiaoluzi's symptoms are serious, as long as the right method is used, it should not be an unsolvable problem.

I deftly inserted acupuncture into several of his acupuncture points, mainly those that regulated Qi and blood and calmed the mind.

During the acupuncture process, Xiao Luzi's originally tense expression gradually relaxed and his breathing became much smoother.

"Although acupuncture is effective, it still needs to be combined with medication. I will prescribe a prescription for calming the mind and soul. Madam, please ask them to decoct it and take it on time." I said to Madam Zhang while removing the needles.

Nanny Zhang nodded immediately: "Good, good, Imperial Physician Yang's medical skills are indeed superb."

I felt relieved. Although it was only a temporary relief, at least it wasn't worse.

Next, I wrote out some medicine and told Aunt Zhang how to take care of Xiao Luzi, and told her to let him rest more and not to overwork himself.

The matter came to an end for the time being, and I was about to say goodbye, but I saw Aunt Zhang hesitated for a moment, as if she had something to say.

"Mammy, is there anything else you need?" I asked, suddenly having a bad feeling in my heart.

Sure enough, Nanny Zhang sighed and lowered her voice, "Imperial Physician Yang, the Empress also asked me to remind you that this matter...is best not to be made public easily. You know what goes on in the palace. If one person spreads it, ten people will spread it, and ten people will spread it a hundred times. I'm afraid it will easily cause unnecessary trouble."

When I heard this, alarm bells immediately started ringing in my heart.

Sure enough, some things in this palace seem simple on the surface, but there are countless complex networks of relationships hidden behind them.

"I understand and will keep my mouth shut," I quickly promised.

Nanny Zhang nodded with satisfaction: "That's good, Imperial Physician Yang, thank you for your hard work."

I said goodbye and left the East Palace, thinking about this incident all the way.

On the surface, Xiao Luzi's illness is a mental problem, but the atmosphere in the palace seems a bit tense recently. Is there something hidden that I haven't seen?

In short, this incident made me realize that everything in the palace is far more complicated than it seems.

In this closed place full of power struggles, any small matter may involve more behind-the-scenes entanglements that I cannot imagine.

Back at the clinic, I was deep in thought while boiling the medicine.

Every person in this palace, even a small servant, may have a huge story behind him.

As an outsider, although I have mastered the knowledge of modern medicine, I have never been able to escape the vortex of these ancient power struggles.

But no matter what, saving people is the only thing I can do. For the rest, I can only act according to circumstances and adapt to the situation.

Just as I was thinking about this, I suddenly heard a noisy sound of footsteps outside.

Before I could react, a familiar figure rushed in—it was Eunuch Liu! He stood at the door, panting, with a look of panic on his face.

"Imperial Physician Yang, something bad has happened! Something happened in the East Palace, the Crown Prince suddenly fainted!"