Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Back at the clinic, I slumped in my chair, feeling like a squeezed-out rag.

The drama of today has been overwhelming.

Save people? I'm risking my life!

I closed my eyes, thinking about Li Wan'er's condition, and my mind started to race again.

What the hell was that bowl of medicinal food? Who would be so bold as to poison the young lady of the Shangshu Mansion? And use such a covert method, it's simply too professional!

I was just about to think about the whole situation when my stomach suddenly growled in protest.

"Oh my God, I've been busy all day and haven't eaten yet!" I covered my stomach, lamented my miserable life, and got up to go to the kitchen to find some leftovers.

Just as I was eating the cold steamed bun, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Imperial Physician Yang, Imperial Physician Yang! Are you there?!"

Again?! I almost choked, quickly took a sip of water, fixed my hair, and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a young servant in ordinary clothes, looking at me breathlessly: "Imperial Physician Yang, I am a servant of the Li Mansion. My wife asked me to tell you that we just found out that the person who delivered the medicine has disappeared!"

"What?!" I almost spit out my steamed bun.

The servant nodded hurriedly, "Yes! That man said before that he was an old servant of the Li Mansion, but he hasn't appeared since Miss Wan'er fell ill. We only discovered today that he has disappeared!"

This made things even more complicated. My heart skipped a beat. It seemed that this medicinal food incident was not accidental, but was probably deliberately planned by someone.

"Apart from this, are there any other clues?" I asked quickly.

The servant shook his head: "Not yet. Madam asked me to ask you to go over and check on the young lady."

I sighed. Today I’m going to have a fight with the Li family!

There was no choice but to pack up the medicine box and follow the servant to Li's house again.

When I arrived at the Li Mansion, Mrs. Li was already waiting at the door. When she saw me, her eyes were almost filled with tears.

"Imperial Physician Yang, Wan'er seemed to have had another attack just now. Although she recovered quickly, I'm afraid her condition may have worsened."

I was secretly nervous and hurried into Li Wan'er's room.

Although Li Wan'er's complexion on the bed looked better than before, she still looked very weak.

Her fingers trembled slightly, as if she had just experienced some pain.

I felt a little relieved after taking her pulse. Although her condition did not worsen, her pulse was still disordered and her qi and blood were not flowing smoothly.

I could only temporarily stabilize her condition and continue with the acupuncture.

After the acupuncture was completed, I turned to Mrs. Li and said, "Miss Li's condition has stabilized for the time being, but the toxins in her body have not been completely eliminated. She must continue to take the detoxification prescription."

Madam Li nodded repeatedly, her face full of gratitude. "Imperial Physician Yang, if it weren't for you, my Wan'er would have died long ago. But... where did this poison come from? We still haven't figured it out."

I thought about it and decided to test it out: "Madam Li, have you offended anyone recently? Or are there any unusual movements in the mansion?"

Madam Li was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. "We in the Li Mansion have always been cautious and have no grudges against anyone. As for the anomaly... except for the disappearance of the old servant who delivered the medicinal food, there's nothing else that stands out."

"Where does the medicinal food come from? Does anyone recommend it?" I continued to ask.

"That medicinal food... I bought it from a pharmacy, but I didn't check who recommended it." Madam Li was obviously puzzled, her brows furrowed. "But, that pharmacy is quite famous in Yingtian Prefecture. They wouldn't sell anything poisonous, right?"

I immediately became alert and thought I had to go to the pharmacy to find out the source of this medicinal food.

The next morning, I followed Mrs. Li's instructions and found the pharmacy.

The pharmacy is located on a busy street in Yingtian Prefecture. It doesn’t have a big storefront, but it has many customers coming and going.

I pretended to be an ordinary customer, walked into the store and looked around.

Behind the medicine cabinet stood a middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper, busy greeting customers.

"Miss, what can I do for you?" he asked me with a smile.

I smiled faintly and said, "Boss, I heard that your medicinal food here is very famous, especially the medicinal food for patients to regulate their bodies. Could you introduce it to me?"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Young lady, you've found the right place! Our medicinal food here is the best in Yingtian Prefecture. Many dignitaries come here to buy medicinal food to take home for health care!"

I nodded and continued to ask, "Really? I heard that the Shangshu Mansion recently bought some of your medicinal food to treat Miss Li. I wonder what kind of food it is?"

The shopkeeper showed a hint of pride on his face: "Of course, the Li Mansion's medicinal food is specially prepared. It contains a variety of precious medicinal herbs, specifically used to help patients with insufficient qi and blood recover their vitality."

"Oh? What are the medicinal herbs?" I asked with pretended curiosity.

The shopkeeper talked incessantly about the ingredients of the medicinal food, such as ginseng, angelica, astragalus, etc. It sounded fine, as they were all common tonics.

But I felt something was wrong. Real poison is often not so obvious. The problem may be with some uncommon medicinal ingredients.

"Apart from these, are there any other special herbs?" I asked casually.

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, seeming a little cautious: "Well... our medicinal food also has a special medicinal ingredient called 'Green Vine Seed'. It helps to regulate Qi and blood, and the effect is very good."

Qingtengzi? Why does this name sound so familiar?

I was shocked and suddenly remembered a book I had read when I was studying modern medicine. It mentioned a plant called "Qingtengzi". Although it has a tonic effect in small doses, if it is used improperly, it will cause qi and blood disorders, and in severe cases it may even cause poisoning reactions!

This is the crux of the matter! Li Wan'er's poisoning symptoms are most likely caused by an overdose of Qingtengzi!

I instantly felt relieved, but on the surface I remained calm and nodded with a smile: "I see, Qingtengzi is indeed a good thing. Thank you, shopkeeper. I will come back another day."

When I came out of the pharmacy, my mood became complicated.

If it was really Qingtengzi's problem, was it an unintentional mistake on the part of this pharmacy, or was it done on purpose?

This matter still needs to be investigated further. After all, Li Wan'er's illness involves too many things, and the problem of medicinal food is just the tip of the iceberg.

Is there someone behind the scenes deliberately doing something, or is she even related to the disappearance of the Crown Princess?

I was thinking about how to continue the investigation when suddenly a familiar figure came towards me.

"Miss Yang? What a coincidence!"

I looked up and saw that it was Zhou Yuan, the head guard of the palace.

He walked towards me with a smile, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Brother Zhou?" I was a little surprised. "Why are you here?"

"I happened to be working nearby and didn't expect to run into you." Zhou Yuan smiled. "By the way, the prince asked me to tell you that if you find anything new about the Crown Princess, please report it to the palace at any time."

I nodded. "Okay, I'm just checking for some clues."

Zhou Yuan looked at the medicine box in my hand and suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Miss Yang, things have been very unsettled in Yingtian Prefecture recently, especially with the situation at the Li Mansion. You must be careful."

My heart trembled. What did Zhou Yuan mean by this? Did he also know that something was wrong with the Li Mansion?

"Brother Zhou, are you talking about... the matter of the Li Mansion?" I asked tentatively.

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression solemn. "There are too many things involved in the Li Mansion. We are still investigating, but one thing is certain: Li Wan'er's illness is definitely not a simple poisoning."

My heart sank. Sure enough, this matter was more complicated than I had imagined.

"The prince asked me to remind you that there is no need to rush to find out everything. Protect yourself first." Zhou Yuan patted my shoulder, with rare concern in his tone.

I nodded: "Thank you, Brother Zhou, for the reminder. I will be careful."

Back at the clinic, I sat at the table, staring at the prescription in my hand, with a lot of thoughts in my mind.

Li Wan'er's illness, the disappearance of the Crown Princess, and that bowl of medicinal food... What conspiracy is hidden behind these seemingly unrelated things?

I sighed. It seems that I will have to continue swimming in this muddy water for the next few days.

However, as a "little doctor" who traveled through time, I am not someone who is easily frightened.

Now that you're already involved in this power struggle, you can only respond to it as it comes.