Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Ever since I found out that someone was following me that night, my life has been completely on high alert.

I dare not open the window at night, and I always look at the rearview mirror when I go out - oh no, I look at the people behind me. I even have to smell the water before drinking it to see if it is poisonous.

But what gives me even more headache is that I still have to continue seeing patients!

Early that morning, just as I was about to go out to the East Palace to give acupuncture to the Crown Princess, Little Leo hurried into the clinic with a panicked look on his face.

"Imperial Physician Yang, the Crown Princess... She, she's gone!"

"What?!" I nearly choked on my tea. Why did the progress bar of this palace drama suddenly speed up?

"The Crown Princess was fine last night, but when I woke up this morning, I found she was missing! The East Palace is in chaos. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked me to come and invite you over!" Little Leo looked anxious, and it seemed that something really big had happened.

As I hurried towards the East Palace, all sorts of random guesses started popping up in my mind.

Did the Imperial Concubine take action? Or did the Crown Princess escape on her own?

But then again, if the Crown Princess ran away on her own, why didn’t she say hello to me first?

After all, I am also responsible for her "health management"!

When we arrived at the East Palace, as expected, it was in chaos.

The prince stood in the courtyard with a sullen face, and everyone around him dared not breathe.

Seeing me coming, he immediately stepped forward, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Imperial Physician Yang, didn't you say yesterday that the Crown Princess's condition had stabilized? Then why did she suddenly disappear?"

"Your Highness, I did check yesterday and the poison in the Crown Princess has been basically cleared. There is no possibility of a relapse." I hurriedly explained, but my heart was beating fast.

This matter doesn't seem right no matter how you look at it. Logically speaking, there should be no reason for the Crown Princess to disappear at this critical juncture, right?

"Could it be that he was kidnapped?" I cautiously raised a possibility.

The Crown Prince was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed. "The Eastern Palace is heavily guarded. If someone had kidnapped the Crown Princess, there would be no sign of anything happening. However, I have already ordered a thorough search of the entire Eastern Palace, but we haven't found even a single clue."

This was even more bizarre. My mind raced, could it be that the Crown Princess had left on her own?

But how could a weak woman like her disappear without being noticed in such a tightly guarded palace?

I was just thinking about this when suddenly, a guard from the East Palace ran in, looking panicked: "Your Highness, we found it! We found the Crown Princess's clothes behind the rockery in the back garden!"

"Clothes?" The prince and I asked in unison.

"Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Princess's coat and shoes are left there, but she is gone."

Oh my god, this plot twist is better than mine!

I quickly followed the prince to the back garden to take a look.

When they got behind the rockery, they found the Crown Princess's clothes neatly placed on the ground, with a pair of embroidered shoes next to them.

But there seemed to be no signs of a fight, and no bloodstains.

I squatted down and took a closer look, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Crown Princess's clothes were so neatly arranged, indicating that she was not abducted by force. However, if she took them off herself, why did she suddenly disappear?

As I was pondering this, I suddenly heard the guards beside me whispering, "Could it be that... the Crown Princess encountered something unclean here?"

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!" Another guard quickly interrupted him, but the words had already reached my ears.

Unclean things? The ancient people were really superstitious. If the Crown Princess was captured by some ghost, then I would have no more worries.

However, if you think about it carefully, could it be some kind of sleight of hand?

I have seen many "escape room" movies in modern times. Maybe the Crown Princess also used some ancient "mechanical techniques"?

I stood up and looked around. The terrain around the rockery was not complicated, but it was hidden enough.

If there really is a secret passage, it is not impossible.

"Your Highness, I dare to guess that the Crown Princess may not have disappeared out of thin air, but left through some hidden passage." I tentatively put forward my idea.

The prince frowned. "A hidden passage? You mean... there's a secret passage here?"

"It's just a guess. After all, the Crown Princess's clothes were left here. It doesn't seem like they were taken away forcibly." I tried to make my tone sound more reliable, but I was thinking in my heart, there are so many conspiracies in this palace anyway, so it's not surprising to have a secret passage.

The prince was silent for a moment, then suddenly ordered his guards, "Search! Turn this rockery upside down for me!"

I stood aside, watching the guards busying themselves, but couldn't help sighing in my heart.

This ancient palace is really a big maze, and secrets can be hidden everywhere.

About half an hour later, someone finally found a loose stone slab in a corner of the rockery.

The guards carefully pried open the stone slab, and sure enough, there was a secret passage leading underground.

"Your Highness, there is a secret passage here!" the guard reported excitedly.

The prince's face darkened and he immediately ordered his men to light torches and led the way into the secret passage.

Naturally, I followed him, after all, this matter was related to me.

The secret passage was not very long. After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at another exit.

The guards pushed open the stone door, and outside was a remote corner of the palace wall that almost no one noticed.

"This secret passage leads outside the palace?" The prince obviously did not expect that there was such a secret passage hidden in the East Palace.

"Your Highness, it seems that the Crown Princess left through this secret passage." I said in a low voice.

"But why did she want to leave? Who told her about the existence of this secret passage?" The prince frowned, obviously confused by all this.

I can’t explain it clearly, but one thing is certain, the disappearance of the Crown Princess was definitely not accidental.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince immediately ordered the news to be blocked and sent people to track down the whereabouts of the Crown Princess.

I returned to the clinic, feeling a little uneasy.

There must be a bigger conspiracy behind the disappearance of the Crown Princess, and I seem to be getting deeper and deeper into it.

At night, I was about to rest when I suddenly heard a slight noise coming from outside the window again.

Could it be the person who is following me again?

I quickly turned off the lights and quietly walked to the window, and sure enough, I saw a black shadow flash by again.

This time, I decided not to sit and wait for death, so I went out through the back door to see who this person was.

I crouched down and followed the shadow quietly.

This man was quite agile and climbed over several walls in just a few moves.

I was secretly amazed in my heart. It seems that there are quite a few masters hidden in the palace.

Finally, I saw the black shadow stopped in a remote alley.

I held my breath and approached quietly. Just as I was about to see who he was, a hand suddenly covered my mouth from behind.

"Hush," a deep voice sounded in my ear.

Oh my god! This is really the case of "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind"!

By the time I realized what was happening, I had been taken to a secluded courtyard.

Standing in front of me was a man I had never seen before. He was tall and had a stern look on his face.

"Doctor Yang, don't be nervous," he spoke first, his tone relatively calm, "We mean no harm."

I stared at him, with a thousand questions in my mind.

You've tied me up and you still say you have no ill intentions?

Did you ancient people have any misunderstanding about the word "malice"?

"Who are you? Why are you following me?" I couldn't help but ask. What's going on? I'm a doctor after all. If you have any problems, come to me and talk to me!

The man smiled faintly: "We are the prince's people."

"Prince?" I was stunned for a moment, and then I remembered the prince I visited a few days ago.

"The prince has noticed that there is unrest in the Eastern Palace, especially with the Crown Princess' poisoning case, so he sent us to secretly protect you to prevent anyone from doing anything bad to you." The man explained.

After hearing this, I felt a little relieved. Fortunately, they were not here to murder me.

"Then why don't you just tell me directly? Why do you have to do this mysterious tracking? It's so scary." I couldn't help but complain.

The man smiled and said, "This is to avoid alerting the enemy. The power structure in the palace is complex and intricate. Protecting you openly would only make you a target."

Okay, there are just too many routines in ancient times.

After returning to the clinic, I finally felt a little relieved.

At least now I have the prince's men protecting me in secret, so I don't have to worry about being followed for the time being.

But the problem is that the Crown Princess’ disappearance case has not been solved yet, and no one knows what will happen next.

I lay in bed, but my mind kept thinking about today's secret passage and the mysterious man.

It seems that the water in this palace is deeper than I thought.