Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

"Imperial Physician Yang, help!"

When I heard this familiar line, I almost spit out the tea in my mouth.

Did the ancients have some misunderstanding? This is a clinic, not an emergency room!

A young man with a red face rushed in from outside the door, panting as if he had run all the way here.

He ran and shouted, "Yang Imperial Physician, hurry, follow me! The master is dying!"

I nearly choked before I could even swallow a mouthful of tea. "Master? Which master?"

Why do you ancient people always like to start your sentences with such scary words?

"Don't be impatient, speak slowly, which master?" I waved my hand to let the servant take a breath first.

The servant wiped his sweat and said, "It's...it's Master Ma. Master Ma suddenly fainted this morning and won't wake up no matter how hard we try. The doctors are helpless. Please go over and take a look!"

Lord Ma? He sounded like an important figure, perhaps even a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

I felt a little uneasy. After all, if this kind of person couldn't be cured, there might be big trouble.

"Okay, I'll go right away." I prayed silently while packing my medicine box.

I hope it’s not one of those ancient diseases that is so complicated that it’s incurable, otherwise I, a modern doctor, will be exposed.

After getting on the carriage, the servant told me the whole story on the way.

It turned out that this "Mr. Ma" was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue, only in his early forties and usually in good health. His sudden collapse was truly puzzling. Even more alarming was the fact that this Mr. Ma was a relative of the Empress and held a high position.

The Minister of Revenue, the Queen's relatives...this time they are really jumping into the fire pit.

While silently wailing in my heart, I began to recall the modern medical knowledge I had read.

In ancient times, there were no physical examinations or ultrasounds, so these sudden illnesses were very difficult to diagnose.

Arriving at the Ma residence, the scene was exactly as I'd expected: chaos. Everyone in the residence gathered outside the main hall, crying and shouting, as if Master Ma truly had no hope of recovery.

As soon as I stepped into the main hall, I saw several imperial doctors gathered around the bed, scratching their heads and ears, obviously at a loss.

Lord Ma was lying on the bed, his face pale, his breathing weak, and he looked like he was about to be taken away at any time.

"Imperial Physician Yang!" As soon as the housekeeper saw me, he seemed to have grasped the last straw and hurriedly pushed me forward, "Please take a look, what happened to the master?"

I went forward to take his pulse. It was weak but not disordered. I looked at Lord Ma's face. Although pale, he showed no signs of poisoning or internal damage.

This...why does it feel like an acute hypoglycemia attack?

"Master Ma, have you not been eating well recently?" I asked as I took out the sugar water I brought with me, feeling a little amused and helpless.

If it really was hypoglycemia, then this scene was way too exaggerated, right? They were just short of burning paper money for him.

The housekeeper was stunned for a moment, then nodded rapidly, "Yes, yes, yes! The master has been busy dealing with the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue lately, and has hardly eaten anything. He barely eats a single grain of water every day."

As expected, I shook my head helplessly. The work pressure of officials in ancient times was not small. They almost starved themselves to death.

I asked someone to feed the sugar water to Lord Ma. Not long after, his complexion gradually recovered and his breathing became more stable.

The imperial doctors standing nearby were all stunned, as if they had witnessed some miracle.

"Is...it's cured now?" an imperial physician asked in disbelief.

"Well, he just fainted from hunger, nothing serious." I explained lightly, but in my heart I was thinking, if this were in modern times, it could be solved with just a piece of candy, but in ancient times it could be turned into a drama of life and death.

Master Ma woke up slowly and saw a room full of people surrounding him. He asked dazedly, "What's wrong with me?"

"Master, you are fainting from hunger!" The butler hurried forward with a hint of complaint in his tone.

When Lord Ma heard this, he looked a little embarrassed and turned to look at me: "Imperial Physician Yang, thank you very much."

"Mr. Ma, you are too polite. You must eat on time next time and stop wasting yourself like this." I said earnestly, but in my heart I was thinking, this lord is really a workaholic and doesn't even have time to eat.

When I returned to the clinic, I had just sat down and had no time to breathe a sigh of relief when someone else came to the door.

This time, the person who came in was an old man with wrinkles all over his face. He walked unsteadily, leaning on a cane, and looked shaky.

"Doctor Yang, help me, my legs hurt so much." The old man said as he sat down, the painful expression on his face was heartbreaking.

I quickly went over to check and felt his knee joint. Sure enough, it was swollen like a dumpling. This must be rheumatoid arthritis.

"Old man, the problem with your legs is caused by rheumatism. The weather has turned cooler recently, and the humidity is high, which has triggered the outbreak." As I explained, I prescribed him a prescription for removing dampness, thinking to myself that if it were in modern times, any plaster would be more effective than these herbal remedies.

The old man nodded repeatedly, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes: "Imperial Physician Yang is truly a miracle doctor! I've been treating this disease for years, and you saw it right away!"

I smiled awkwardly, but in my heart I was sighing that the medical level in ancient times was too low, even rheumatism became an incurable disease.

On that day, my clinic was like a faucet that had been opened, with patients pouring in one after another.

From children's colds, to adults' stomach problems, to the elderly's arthritis, I feel like I'm becoming an ancient version of a "general practitioner."

I was busy until dark, and finally closed the door of the clinic, sat down and took a long breath.

The business of being a doctor in ancient times was really good. It was a bit tiring, but fortunately I could still handle it.

Just as I was about to go back to the house to rest, there was another gentle knock on the door.

"Doctor Yang, are you there?"

As soon as I heard the voice, I felt a little nervous. This voice belonged to the mysterious man sent by the prince!

I quickly got up and opened the door, and sure enough, it was him standing outside.

He was still wearing a black robe, with no expression on his face, but there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

"Imperial Physician Yang, the prince asks you to come over to discuss an important matter." He said in a low voice, with a tone that seemed to refrain from refusal.

My heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, the matter was not over yet.

Along the way, I followed him to the palace, feeling very nervous.

What's going on this time? Is there new progress in the Crown Princess's case?

When they arrived at the study in the prince's mansion, the prince was sitting at his desk with a frown on his face, looking like he was worried about something.

"Imperial Physician Yang is here." He looked up at me and said in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, I wonder what you want to talk to me about today?" I asked tentatively, trying my best to appear calm, but I was secretly speculating in my heart.

The prince did not answer immediately, but handed me a letter and motioned me to open it.

I took the letter, unfolded it, and was stunned.

The content of the letter was simple and clear: the disappearance of the Crown Princess was related to a minister in the court, and this minister had recently secretly contacted Lord Ma.

Lord Ma? Is that the Lord from the Ministry of Revenue whom I saved today? I was startled and immediately thought of Lord Ma's sudden fainting today. Could there be some hidden secret behind this?

"Imperial Physician Yang, this matter is of no small importance." The prince's voice interrupted my thoughts, his eyes sharpening. "You saved Master Ma today. Do you know what kind of conspiracy he might be hiding?"

My heart was pounding and my mind was racing.

Could it be that Lord Ma's fainting wasn't just due to hunger? Was there something else going on?

"Your Highness, are you saying...there might be another reason for Lord Ma's fainting?" I asked cautiously.

The prince nodded and said in a low voice, "Master Ma may be involved in the disappearance of the Crown Princess, and may even be one of the masterminds behind it. If you save him today, perhaps more clues will surface."

My heart tightened. This matter was indeed much more complicated than I had imagined.

"Imperial Physician Yang, you must be more careful from now on." The prince looked at me meaningfully, "This struggle is no longer as simple as the disappearance of the Crown Princess."

When I came out of the palace, my mind was still in a mess.

Lord Ma, the Crown Princess, important court officials... How deep is the conspiracy behind this?

I took a deep breath and told myself silently: Now that I'm involved in this storm, I can only deal with it one move at a time and see what happens.

It was already late at night when I returned to the clinic. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking over everything that had happened that day.

After traveling to this ancient time, I thought I only needed to cure diseases and save lives, but I didn't expect to be involved in so many complicated power struggles.

However, since I have knowledge of modern medicine, I will definitely be able to find a way to deal with any complex situation.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile.

No matter what, save your life first, and take care of the rest later.