Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The next day, before dawn, Zhu Yuan ran excitedly to my door and knocked so loudly that even the neighbor's dog barked.

"Imperial Physician Yang, get up quickly! The Miraculous Healer Conference is about to begin!"

I wrapped myself in the quilt and drowsily tried to bury my head in the pillow.

How come this guy is more accurate than an alarm clock? I only slept for a few hours last night!

"Mr. Zhu, I am tired even if you are not! The Miracle Doctor Conference is not a life-threatening conference. Can you let me sleep a little longer?" I responded weakly.

"Hey, why are you sleeping! If you miss this opportunity, you will never have the chance to see the 'unique skills' of various miracle doctors in the future!" Zhu Yuan's voice was full of temptation, as if an earth-shaking performance was waiting for me.

I turned over, struggled in my heart for a few seconds, and finally sighed and got up resignedly.

I've already promised them, there's nothing I can do, it's because I'm too soft-hearted...

By the time I finished packing, Zhu Yuan was already waiting impatiently at the door, like a monkey with ADHD.

"Come on, come on! Imperial Physician Yang, you will definitely be the focus of the whole audience today!" Zhu Yuan looked at me with anticipation, as if I was already the champion of the Miracle Doctor Conference.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just going to watch the fun. Don't expect me to play."

Zhu Yuan chuckled, "Who knows! You're such a good doctor, you might not be able to resist showing off your skills later."

Show off my skills? I'm afraid I'll be attacked if I do.

But looking at Zhu Yuan's excited little look, I was too lazy to discourage him and just let him be happy.

We rode all the way out of the city and soon arrived at the Miracle Healer Conference.

This so-called "miracle doctor conference" is actually just a stage set up on a large lawn outside the city, surrounded by stalls. It feels like an ancient version of a "medical skills fair."

I stood at the entrance, looked around, and nearly burst out laughing. This wasn't some miracle healer conference; it was simply a gathering of charlatans!

Each stall was filled with all kinds of strange and bizarre things: there were herbal soups claiming to "cure all diseases", mysterious pills that "guaranteed to cure all diseases", and even an old Taoist priest selling "ghost-chasing talismans", claiming that they could "drive away evil spirits and cure diseases; with one talisman in hand, all diseases are eliminated".

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he excitedly dragged me around. "Doctor Yang, look! Isn't this one of those 'miracle remedies' you always talk about?"

I shook my head helplessly. "You call these folk remedies? This is ridiculously outlandish! Look at that 'ghost-chasing talisman'. If you use it to treat illnesses, you'll either scare people to death or die of laughter."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and smiled, seemingly understanding, "It's lively anyway, so there's no harm in watching."

As we were talking, there was a commotion ahead.

I saw an old man wearing a wide Taoist robe standing on the stage, his hands behind his back, looking very confident.

"My fellow villagers, today I want to demonstrate to you a long-lost secret technique—'Acupoint Therapy'! With just one finger, you can cure a hundred ailments!"

I nearly choked on my own saliva. Acupressure therapy? How dare this guy brag!

The audience in the audience was instantly attracted. They stared at the old Taoist priest with wide eyes, expectantly, as if there really was some magical performance going on.

The old Taoist priest randomly pulled a strong man from the crowd onto the stage and asked mysteriously, "My dear, do you have shoulder pain?"

The burly man was visibly taken aback, then nodded: "A little bit, I've been moving a lot of things lately."

The old Taoist priest smiled complacently, raised his finger, and gently tapped the strong man's shoulder: "Okay, I have relieved your pain. How do you feel?"

The strong man moved his shoulders and exclaimed, "Oh, it really doesn't hurt anymore!"

The audience immediately burst into applause, and they all said, "He is indeed a miracle doctor!"

I stood aside and sneered. It was obvious that his shoulders were just a little sore, and the pain would go away if he moved them around. What did it have to do with his acupressure?

Zhu Yuan was watching with great interest, and couldn't help but lean over to whisper in my ear, "Yang Imperial Physician, what do you think of this Taoist priest's technique?"

I suppressed my laughter. "Well? I think his method can only cure 'psychological illness' at best, and it can just coax those who believe it."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head, looking a little puzzled: "So his 'acupressure therapy' doesn't work?"

"Of course it doesn't work," I said seriously. "If pressing an acupoint could cure an illness, why would I learn medicine? I could just poke people every day."

Zhu Yuan suddenly understood and laughed out loud: "Then you really worked too hard!"

As he was speaking, a middle-aged man in a gorgeous robe suddenly walked onto the stage and said to the old Taoist priest in a menacing tone, "I'd like to try your 'acupressure therapy' too, but my ailment isn't just a simple shoulder pain. I've had back pain for years. If you can cure it, I'll trust you!"

The audience erupted in an uproar, and everyone's attention was focused on the stage. This was going to be a good show.

The old Taoist frowned slightly, clearly feeling a little guilty, but he still managed to say, "Back pain? This... this isn't difficult. I'll press the acupoints for you."

He stretched out his finger, hesitated for a moment, and finally tapped the middle-aged man's waist lightly, muttering, "Okay!"

The middle-aged man stood there, slowly moved his waist, and suddenly shouted: "Ouch, it hurts even more!"

The old Taoist priest's face suddenly changed, and the audience in the audience began to whisper.

The middle-aged man clutched his waist and angrily said, "You liar! Not only did you fail to cure my illness, but it made it even more painful!"

The old Taoist priest was sweating profusely as he faltered in explanation: "This... this may be because the evil energy in your body is too strong. You need to do it a few more times..."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. This wasn't a miracle doctor conference at all, it was simply a "charlatan show"!

Zhu Yuan couldn't hold back his laughter and slapped his thigh. "Hahaha, Imperial Physician Yang, you're right. This Taoist priest is a liar!"

I shook my head. "It's a shame so many people still believe him. It seems everyone's understanding of medicine is still stuck in the 'metaphysical' stage."

Just as we were about to leave, we suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Imperial Physician Yang! Imperial Physician Yang!"

I looked back and saw that it was the man in black who had treated the prince that day.

He strode over, looking a little anxious.

"Imperial Physician Yang, His Highness is feeling unwell again. I would like to ask you to come again." The man in black said in a low voice.

I frowned, feeling a little uneasy. Crown Prince Zhu Biao's condition had clearly stabilized yesterday, so why did he have problems again?

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

The man in black shook his head. "I don't know the details. His Highness just said that his chest felt a little tight and he wanted you to go take another look."

I felt something was wrong, but I nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."

Seeing me suddenly leaving, Zhu Yuan quickly asked, "Imperial Physician Yang, where are you going?"

I turned to him and said, "There's something urgent going on with the prince, and I have to go check it out. You can have fun here by yourself, and don't be fooled by those charlatans again."

Zhu Yuan curled his lips: "I won't be fooled!" But seeing how eager he looked, I felt that he might still be "fooled" and stunned.

As I followed the man in black back to the prince's residence, I still had some doubts in my heart.

Zhu Biao's condition shouldn't be recurring like this. Could it be that he really has some hidden illness?

When I entered the house, Zhu Biao was lying on the bed. His face was a little pale, but his expression was relatively calm.

"Your Highness, how do you feel?" I walked to the bedside and began to feel his pulse.

Zhu Biao sighed softly: "My chest is still a little stuffy. I've been feeling restless and having trouble sleeping lately."

I checked carefully and found that his pulse was still weak, but there was nothing serious. This is not right...

"Your Highness, have you had any troubles recently?" I asked tentatively.

Zhu Biao smiled slightly, a trace of fatigue in his eyes: "The palace has been busy lately, and the emperor is dissatisfied with many things. Naturally, I am also anxious."

My heart sank. It seemed that this was not just a physical illness, but more of a psychological pressure.

"Your Highness, the root of your illness may not be in your body, but in your heart," I said slowly. "If you can temporarily put aside your worries and focus on recuperating your body and mind, your condition will naturally improve."

Zhu Biao nodded: "I understand, Imperial Physician Yang, don't worry, I will have a good rest."

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, reminded him of some precautions for taking care of his health, and then said goodbye and left.

On the way back, I couldn't help but sigh. In the early Ming Dynasty, even the crown prince could not escape the fate of being crushed by pressure.

At this moment, I suddenly thought of Zhu Yuan. I didn’t know what kind of joke he would make at the Miracle Doctor Conference.