Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

After dealing with Li Wan'er's matter, I thought I could finally take a breather.

As a result, the next morning, when I had just gotten up and was worrying about my messy hair that "did not conform to ancient aesthetics", the carriage from the Imperial Medical Bureau came again.

The person who came this time was not Xiao Li, but Lao Liu, the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Old Liu, with a face full of bitterness and hatred, as if the sky had fallen, ran in breathlessly: "Imperial Physician Yang, something bad has happened. The palace has ordered you to come in immediately!"

When I heard this, my heart skipped a beat. An imperial decree from the palace? Doesn't this mean the emperor has something important to do?

Zhu Yuanzhang's majestic face instantly emerged in my mind, followed by the scene of him raising his sword and chopping people...

"Old Liu, please tell me more clearly, who is sick in the palace?" I asked tremblingly.

Old Liu waved his hand, his expression becoming even more bitter: "Yes...it's the Queen."

I nearly spit out my tea. Not the emperor? The empress?

That’s okay... No, how can this be okay?

Zhu Yuanzhang protects his wife as if she were his life. If I can't cure the queen, won't I lose my head?

I quickly packed up my medicine box and secretly warned myself that I must be careful this time. If the queen gets some "spice disease" like Li Wan'er did before, I will be in big trouble.

When I arrived at the palace, I was led into the queen's bedroom.

There was a faint medicinal fragrance in the bedroom. The atmosphere was not tense, but the palace maids all had an uneasy look on their faces.

As I entered the room, I saw the queen, Queen Ma, sitting beside the bed.

Although she was over forty years old, her temperament was still dignified and generous, and her eyes revealed an approachable gentleness, which was completely different from Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous and decisive aura.

"Imperial Physician Yang, you are here." Empress Ma's voice was very soft, with a hint of fatigue, but there was no sense of weakness that came from being terminally ill.

I quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Empress, what's wrong with you?"

She shook her head gently. "Nothing serious, but I've been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath lately, and having trouble sleeping at night. The doctors said it was due to excessive heart fire, but the prescriptions they prescribed didn't seem to help much."

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that and thought, fortunately, it’s not an acute illness.

However, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and poor sleep sound a bit like modern "anxiety disorder" or "stress syndrome", which is not difficult to treat.

After taking Empress Ma's pulse, I confirmed that her pulse was stable, just a little weak, which was indeed caused by long-term mental stress.

"My queen, have you been worrying about too many things lately?" I asked cautiously.

Empress Ma sighed, a hint of worry crossing her face. "The Emperor has been busy with state affairs lately. Although I don't interfere in government affairs, seeing him toiling away every day makes me worried. Furthermore, the palace is full of trivial matters, making it difficult for me to calm down."

I nodded. Sure enough, the queen's "illness" was actually stress and insomnia.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with your body. You just need to rest well and recuperate your mind. I can prescribe you some tranquilizing prescriptions, but the most important thing is to relax yourself." I tried to explain in a gentle tone.

Empress Ma smiled slightly: "Imperial Physician Yang is indeed young and promising, with superb medical skills."

I quickly waved my hand modestly, but I was thinking in my heart, what's so great about it? In modern times, isn't this just the level of prescribing a sleeping pill?

However, in ancient times, this was considered a "miracle cure".

After prescribing the prescription for Empress Ma, I was about to leave. As soon as I walked out of the bedroom, I ran into a familiar face - Zhu Yuan!

When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he trotted over to me, his face full of excitement: "Imperial Physician Yang! You are in the palace too?"

I was stunned, wondering why this young man was everywhere: "Mr. Zhu, why are you here?"

Zhu Yuan smiled like a carefree teenager. "My father has some errands at the palace lately, so I came in to see the world. Hey, Imperial Physician Yang, I heard you just took the Queen's pulse? How was it? Is she okay?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "You're quite nosy. The Queen is fine, she's just a little angry."

Zhu Yuan slapped his thigh and said, "That's good, that's good! You really have saved countless lives!"

I couldn't help but laugh: "I'm not as magical as you say. I'm just prescribing medicine for people."

Zhu Yuan's eyes rolled, and he suddenly leaned close to me and said mysteriously, "Imperial Physician Yang, do you know that there's a strange rumor circulating in the palace recently?"

When I heard this, I immediately became alert: "What rumor?"

He lowered his voice and said, "I heard there's a 'longevity recipe' in the palace recently. It's said that if you take it, you can live longer, or even achieve immortality!"

Immortality? I almost laughed out loud.

Zhu Yuan is really a child who hasn't grown up. Why is he telling me this fantasy story in broad daylight?

I couldn't help but grumble, "Did you listen to some charlatan's nonsense? Immortality? He might as well have said he could fly!"

Zhu Yuan was stunned by my retort, then chuckled, "I also think it's impossible, but I heard that this recipe seems to have been created by an alchemist under the emperor. What do you think, if Zhu Yuanzhang really believed this..."

My heart tightened, thinking that this might not be nonsense.

Zhu Yuanzhang has always been superstitious. If someone really tricked him with a "prescription for immortality", he might actually believe it.

"Mr. Zhu, is your information reliable?" I took it more seriously.

Zhu Yuan scratched his head: "I heard it from others, I don't know the details. Anyway, you are in the palace, if there is a chance, you might as well keep an eye on it."

I nodded, feeling a little nervous.

The idea of ​​immortality sounds absurd, but in ancient times, superstition among emperors was nothing new.

If someone is really causing trouble, we have to be on guard.

After returning to the clinic, I kept thinking about the "longevity recipe" that Zhu Yuan mentioned.

If this thing really spreads in the palace, what would I do if Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly wants me to develop an "elixir of life"?

But I also know that this kind of thing is not something that a mere imperial physician like me can influence, so I can only take it one step at a time.

Just as I was thinking about it, Xiao Li's voice came from the door again: "Girl, there is a strange person looking for you!"

I raised my eyebrows. Another "strange person"?

How come my clinic is busier than a grocery store all day long?

"What strange person? What does he look like?" I asked.

Xiao Li winked and lowered his voice, saying, "He's dressed in black, with his face covered. He looks like someone from the underworld, sneaking around."

I immediately became interested. These days, even the most mediocre of people come to me for treatment?

I walked to the door and saw a man in black with his face covered standing there.

When he saw me come out, he immediately bowed and said, "Imperial Physician Yang."

I looked at him with a smile: "My friend, you are dressed very uniquely. Do you have a disease that needs treatment, or a life that needs saving?"

The man in black hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Imperial Physician Yang, I've heard you're a skilled doctor, so I came to ask for your help."

I narrowed my eyes and understood.

It's obvious that this person is not an ordinary patient. I'm afraid there is some hidden secret.

"What disease do you have?" I asked.

The man in black glanced around and lowered his voice, "It's not me, but my... master. He's been suffering from a strange illness lately. He often wakes up in the middle of the night, shivering all over, and his limbs are weak. The imperial doctors are helpless."

My heart skipped a beat. These symptoms didn't sound right. Could it be that some powerful person had contracted some strange disease?

"Who is the master?" I asked tentatively.

The man in black shook his head and said, "I can't say anything about this for now. If Imperial Physician Yang is willing to help, I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future."

I narrowed my eyes, thought for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, I can do it, but I have to see the patient first."

The man in black nodded: "Then I will come to pick you up tomorrow."

The man in black left after saying this. This man's origins were unknown, and the people involved must be complicated.

I'm afraid tomorrow's consultation won't be easy...