Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The next morning, I opened my eyes and my head was buzzing.

Last night, all I could think about was Lord Ma, the disappearance of the Crown Princess, and the Prince's warning. Even in my dreams, I was thinking about palace fighting.

How come I ended up in this mess after traveling through time?

At first, I thought I could only be a "miracle doctor", save people and make some money, but now I am getting deeper and deeper into trouble. It seems that the big pit of the court is opening up under my feet, ready to swallow me up at any time.

"Imperial Physician Yang, did you not sleep well last night?" As soon as the door of the clinic was opened, Xiao Cui was standing at the door early, holding a small food box and smiling sweetly.

"Yeah, a little." I rubbed my temples, took the breakfast she handed me, and felt a little better.

In ancient times, medical clinics were run like emergency rooms, and no one would pay overtime even if you worked yourself to death.

Seeing my tired face, Xiao Cui asked with concern, "Miss Yang, have you been working too hard recently? The master said that you should work less, your health is more important."

After hearing this, I felt a little soft-hearted.

Although Yang Shiqi was extremely busy, he really cared about me, his "very distant relative".

I nodded and replied with a smile: "Thank Master Yang for me, I will pay attention."

Xiao Cui nodded, then suddenly lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "By the way, Miss Yang, did you go to the palace last night?"

I was shocked and alarm bells immediately rang in my heart. How could Xiao Cui be so well-informed?

I quickly pretended to be indifferent and said lightly, "I went to the palace to see a doctor, it's nothing serious."

Xiao Cui's eyes widened, and she moved closer: "I heard that the prince is investigating a case in the palace recently. Miss Yang, please be careful."

I smiled, but I wasn't quite relieved. It seemed the rumors in the palace had spread to the people.

I nodded: "Don't worry, I know my limits."

When Xiao Cui heard me say this, she stopped talking and turned away with the lunch box.

I looked at her back, but a sense of uneasiness welled up in my heart.

It seems that this matter is not as simple as I thought. Even the servants in the Yang Mansion know about it.

Just after finishing breakfast, someone came to the door again.

This time, the person who came in was a small official wearing inconspicuous clothes, but he was panting and looked nervous as soon as he entered the door.

"Imperial Physician Yang, come with me quickly! Lord Ma from the Ministry of Revenue is in trouble again!"

The chopsticks in my hand almost fell to the ground.

Didn't I just rescue Master Ma yesterday? How come he's in trouble again in the blink of an eye?

"What happened again?" I quickly packed up the medicine box, but I felt a little nervous.

Who exactly is this Lord Ma? Why does he always get into trouble?

"Master Ma woke up this morning with a sudden weakness in his limbs and difficulty speaking," the official said as he anxiously urged me to get on the carriage. "The imperial doctors are helpless, so we have no choice but to ask you to go and see him."

After hearing what he said, I became even more confused.

Weakness in your limbs? Slurred speech? This doesn't sound like hypoglycemia. Could it be a stroke?

When we arrived at the Ma Mansion, the situation was indeed not good.

Lord Ma was lying on the bed, his face was blue, the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly, his eyes were dull, and he couldn't even speak clearly.

The imperial doctors beside him were sweating profusely, but they were all helpless.

This... this really looks like the symptoms of a stroke!

I immediately went forward to take his pulse, and sure enough, his pulse was disordered and his qi and blood were not flowing smoothly, which was simply a "stroke" in modern medicine.

"Master Ma's illness came suddenly. I'm afraid it's a disorder of qi and blood." I said as I thought quickly.

In modern times, this situation requires immediate emergency treatment in the hospital, but in ancient times when there was no CT or cerebral angiography, how should I treat it?

"Imperial Physician Yang, the master..." The butler looked at me anxiously, his eyes full of expectation.

I took a deep breath and decided to use ancient acupuncture first to try to clear his meridians and help the circulation of qi and blood.

So, I took out silver needles from the medicine box and inserted them into several key acupuncture points on Mr. Ma's head, hands and feet, and asked someone to prepare warm water and medicinal soup.

The imperial doctors standing by all held their breath and stared at me without blinking, as if I were some kind of god who had descended to earth.

This ancient medical environment is really stressful. If I just move the needle a little, they will think I am about to drive away the god of death.

I laughed secretly in my heart, but I didn't dare to slow down my hands.

This is a stroke, and if not handled properly it will leave sequelae. In this era without rehabilitation treatment, sequelae are almost equivalent to disability.

After about an incense stick of time, Lord Ma's face gradually regained some color, and the twitching corners of his mouth slowly calmed down.

Seeing this, several imperial doctors breathed a sigh of relief, and some even quietly wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

I asked Master Ma to take the medicine and rest for a while, then turned to the housekeeper and said, "Master Ma is fine for now, but he needs to be well taken care of after this illness. Remember not to overwork yourself, and pay special attention to your diet and daily life."

The housekeeper nodded repeatedly, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes: "Imperial Physician Yang, you have saved our entire Ma Mansion!"

I smiled, but thought to myself, I wasn't saving your Ma family, I was saving myself.

If something really happened to Lord Ma, I would probably be dragged into bigger trouble.

Back at the clinic, I sat at the table, but I still felt uneasy.

Why is Mr. Ma’s condition so abnormal?

I originally thought it was just hypoglycemia, but now I have suddenly had a stroke. The symptoms came so quickly and the recovery was also fast, it doesn’t seem like a real stroke at all.

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into my mind - could it be that Lord Ma was poisoned?

When this thought came to my mind, I was shocked myself.

Poisoning? But his symptoms don't look like poisoning, and his pulse doesn't indicate poisoning either...

But on second thought, there were all kinds of poisons in ancient times. Some of them had symptoms similar to diseases when they took effect. What if they were chronic poisons?

Today's stroke symptoms may just be a reaction to toxins accumulating to a certain level.

My heartbeat quickened at the thought. If Lord Ma was indeed poisoned, who had put the poison there? Was it connected to the Crown Princess's disappearance?

Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

My heart tightened. Could something have happened to Lord Ma again?

Unexpectedly, the person who came in was the mysterious man from the palace.

He looked solemn, and as soon as he entered the room he said bluntly, "Imperial Physician Yang, the prince asked me to tell you that Master Ma's matter may be more complicated than you imagined."

My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly asked, "Are you saying... Master Ma is really poisoned?"

The man nodded, his eyes full of meaning. "Your Highness suspects that someone is poisoning the court, and Lord Ma may be just one of them. The disappearance of the Crown Princess and these poisoning incidents are related to powerful forces."

My scalp suddenly went numb. Sure enough, Master Ma was poisoned!

And he's not the only one involved. How big is the power behind this?

"Imperial Physician Yang, you might be dragged into a deeper vortex." The man's voice was low and warning. "The prince hopes you will proceed with caution, but he also hopes you will continue to help uncover the truth."

My heart is in turmoil. How can I, a doctor, check this?

I'm here to cure diseases and save lives, not to solve cases!

But I know that at this point, I have no way out.

If even a high-ranking official like Lord Ma was poisoned, the power struggle in the court would only become more and more intense.

And I have been involved.

"I understand." I nodded, but sighed inwardly. The water in ancient times was indeed very deep.

After sending the man away, I sat in the clinic, unable to calm down for a long time.

Poisoning, power struggles, the disappearance of the Crown Princess... these things are closely linked, and there must be a bigger conspiracy behind them.

And I, a young doctor who traveled through time, inexplicably became one of the key figures in this power struggle.

I shook my head helplessly. Life in ancient times was much more complicated than I had imagined.

But now that it has come to this, I can only respond to it as it comes.

But then again, I should be able to have some peace and quiet today, right?

Just as I was thinking this, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door again.

"Imperial Physician Yang, help!"

I held my forehead helplessly and sighed silently in my heart: It seems that the quiet days are still far away from me.