Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

When I returned to the clinic, my head was full of Li Mansion’s “calming incense”.

There must be a connection between the fragrance, the dream, and the recurrence of the disease.

But I can’t figure out what the ingredients of this spice are at the moment, so I can only put it aside for now.

Just as I was thinking about how to find out the source of this incense, Xiao Li suddenly ran in from the outside again, shouting as he ran: "Miss! Miss! There's a message from the Imperial Medical Bureau, saying that they want you to come over right away!"

I was stunned and thought to myself, wasn't "visiting the doctor" too frequent in ancient times?

I just got back and hadn't even had time to rest when I was called back again.

"What's the hurry?" I asked.

Xiao Li panted and explained, "It seems that an important person in the palace is unwell. The situation is unknown, so I specially asked you to go over and take a look!"

When I heard it was about the palace, I suddenly perked up.

This is Zhu Yuanzhang's territory. Although I don't often go to the palace, I can't neglect it.

If it is true that some royal relative is ill, I dare not delay.

When I arrived at the Imperial Medical Bureau, I saw that several imperial doctors were already waiting for me there. As soon as they saw me come in, they all showed expressions of relief.

"Imperial Physician Yang, you're finally here!" One of the older doctors quickly pulled me over. "This is urgent. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you, the 'miracle doctor', to help!"

I was speechless. I just know some tricks of modern medicine, so why am I hailed as a 'miracle doctor'?

People in ancient times were really easy to satisfy.

"Who is the patient? What are the symptoms?" I asked.

Another imperial physician frowned and said, "It's from the palace... uh, you'd better go in and take a look for yourself." He spoke hesitantly, looking like he was having trouble explaining.

Tsk, so mysterious, could it be the emperor himself? That's impossible, right? I'm not mentally prepared to diagnose Zhu Yuanzhang!

Although I was nervous, as a doctor, I still followed them into the palace.

When I arrived at the ward, I saw the patient lying on the bed at a glance.

Wait, isn't this Zhu Yuan's dad?!

Mr. Zhu was lying on the bed in agony, sweating profusely. When he saw me come in, he excitedly waved his hand: "Imperial Physician Yang! Save me quickly!"

I almost laughed out loud. This Zhu family is really incompatible with me. We just had the "woman in white" incident in their family, and now Mr. Zhu is sick again.

"Mr. Zhu, what's wrong with you?" I walked to the bedside, suppressed my smile, and began to take his pulse carefully.

After a series of examinations, I found that he did not have any serious illness. His pulse was stable and his breathing was normal. The only abnormality was that his whole body was hot and his forehead was burning, as if he had suddenly developed a high fever.

"I've been feeling dizzy and having a fever these past two days. I even had a nightmare last night where I dreamed I fell into a big fire pit. After I woke up, I felt unwell all over." Mr. Zhu held my hand tightly with a pleading look on his face.

My heart skipped a beat. Nightmare? Fever?

The symptoms are a bit like heatstroke, but the weather is cold now, so it's impossible.

"Have you eaten anything unusual or smelled anything strange recently?" I asked tentatively.

Master Zhu scratched his head. "Strange smell? Yes, it does... A few days ago, a merchant came to the mansion and gave me some precious spices. I even ordered some to try..."

My heart suddenly shuddered. Spices?!

No way, isn't this the same as Li Wan'er's situation? Is there something wrong with this spice?

I quickly asked, "Is the spice still there? Can you show it to me?"

Master Zhu nodded and signaled the servant to fetch it. Not long after, the servant brought a small bag of spices.

As soon as the bag is opened, a rich aroma immediately hits you.

I frowned and leaned in to smell it. Although the fragrance was pleasant, there was an indescribable strange feeling that made people dizzy.

This is no ordinary spice!

"Master Zhu, you can't use these spices anymore." I quickly tied the spice bag tightly. "Your illness is probably caused by these spices."

Master Zhu's eyes widened in surprise: "Spices? These are rare treasures from the Western Regions!"

I curled my lips. From the Western Regions?

A treasure? This treasure nearly cost you your life!

"This spice may contain something it shouldn't contain. If you smell it too much, it will cause hallucinations and illness. The high fever and nightmares you've had these days may be due to it," I explained.

After hearing this, Master Zhu turned pale with fear and quickly ordered his servants, "Quick! Get rid of all these spices! Don't use them again!"

After curing Mr. Zhu’s “spice disease”, I felt much clearer in my heart.

It seems that there is indeed something wrong with this spice, and Li Wan'er's condition is probably also affected by this spice.

After returning to the clinic, I immediately took out the bag of spices and examined it carefully several times.

Although I am not a chemistry expert, with modern common sense, I can still speculate that this spice may contain some hallucinogenic ingredients - perhaps similar to some ancient hallucinogenic herbs.

Now that the problem has been found, the next step is to find the right solution.

The next morning, I came to Li's house again.

When the old nanny saw me, her expression suddenly became a little unnatural: "Imperial Physician Yang, why are you here again?"

I smiled slightly and said, "Mammy, I'm here to deliver medicine to Miss Li."

She was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting me to be so direct.

"Haven't you already prescribed tranquilizers for Miss Li?" Her tone was a little nervous.

I smiled and said, "Yes, but I found that Miss Li's condition is not just due to physical weakness. I am afraid it is related to the spices she usually smells."

The old lady's face instantly turned pale, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes: "Spices? How could there be a problem with spices?"

"Mammy, I have checked this spice and it is indeed not right. Miss Li will naturally have hallucinations and nightmares if she smells it every day, which will cause her illness to recur." I deliberately emphasized the word "hallucinations" to see her reaction.

Sure enough, the old lady's fingers trembled slightly, and she could hardly maintain the calmness on her face.

"Imperial Physician Yang, are you sure it's the spices that are the problem?" Her voice trembled a little.

I nodded, staring at her. "Yes, the master of the Zhu Mansion also fell ill because of this spice."

The old nanny's expression changed completely. She seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, she suddenly whispered, "Imperial Physician Yang, could you please not tell anyone about this?"

I was stunned, and alarm bells immediately went off. Sure enough, there was something wrong with this old lady!

"Mammy, what's going on with this spice?" I deliberately showed a puzzled expression.

The old nanny's eyes flickered a few times before she finally sighed and whispered, "This spice... is a relic left by Miss Li's mother. I originally wanted her to smell it to calm her, but I didn't expect it to cause such a problem."

I immediately understood what was going on.

So that's how it is. The old nanny didn't mean to harm Li Wan'er, she just had good intentions, but she didn't know that the spice had already gone bad.

"Mammy, you don't have to blame yourself too much about this. You are doing this for Miss Li's own good. As long as you get rid of these spices, Miss Li's condition will get better soon." I comforted her in a gentle voice.

The old nanny sighed deeply and nodded: "Thank you, Imperial Physician Yang, you are indeed a miracle worker."

After leaving Li's house, I finally felt a lot more relaxed.

Finally got the matter sorted out.