Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

After receiving the letter from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I felt very nervous.

The prince wrote to me? Didn't he just get better?

Could there be some new problem? I quickly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

The letter contained only a few lines, written by the prince himself:

"Imperial Physician Yang, I've been troubled by something lately. I can't speak openly about it, so I hope you can come to the palace to discuss it soon.

——Zhu Biao"

Is there something bothering you? Can't you tell me? That's a really mysterious thing to say!

Countless possibilities raced through my mind: Was someone else in the palace ill? Or was the Crown Prince himself facing some difficult situation? Or—did he want me to help him with some "psychological issues"?

Whatever it is, I have no choice but to go and see it.

So he quickly packed up his medicine box and hurried into the palace with Xiao Cui.

When I arrived at the Eastern Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was already waiting for me in a side hall. As soon as he saw me come in, he waved his hand and dismissed the palace maids.

My heart tightened. What kind of mysterious thing was going on?

"Imperial Physician Yang, you are finally here." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked a little complicated, with a slightly frown on his face, obviously worried about something.

I bowed and smiled, "Your Highness, if you have any concerns, please let me know. I will do my best to help you."

The prince looked at me for a moment, as if considering how to start. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "Imperial Physician Yang, do you still remember that crane?"

I was stunned, my heart skipping a beat. That crane? Of course I remember it!

Because of that old crane, I was forced to give it acupuncture! What happened to the crane again?

"Your Highness, could it be that... the crane is sick again?" I asked cautiously.

The prince waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "It's not that the crane is sick, but it... is gone."

"Huh? Gone?" I almost didn't react. The prince's little crane was actually lost?

The Crown Prince looked helpless. "Yesterday, the palace released a crane for exercise, but it flew too high and never returned. This is my father's favorite crane. If he knew, he would be furious."

When I heard that, I immediately had a bad feeling.

So, what does this have to do with me?

Does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince want me to go find this crane?

As expected, the prince took a deep breath and said, "Imperial Physician Yang, I know that you are an excellent doctor and have extensive knowledge. I believe you will find a way to find this crane."

The corners of my mouth twitched slightly, and I was speechless.

Your Highness, don't you overestimate me?

It's true that I know medical skills, but I'm not a zoo manager!

I'm not good at finding cranes!

But then again, the Crown Prince had spoken himself, and I couldn't refuse outright, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Your Highness, do you know where the crane finally flew to?"

"It's said to be flying south of the city," the prince sighed. "I've already sent people to look for it, but to no avail. You're a skilled doctor, and you've had experience with this crane before. Perhaps you can find some clues from its habits."

Habits? I know nothing about the habits of cranes!

However, since the prince trusts me so much, I have no choice but to take on this "weird task".

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will do my best to find the crane." I gritted my teeth and encouraged myself.

When I came out of the East Palace, all I could think about was “finding the crane”.

South of the city? It's not an ordinary place. It's a mixed bag of people. Finding a crane is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

"Miss, do we really have to go to the south of the city to find the crane?" Xiao Cui asked worriedly.

I nodded helplessly: "What else can we do? The prince has spoken, we can only try."

Xiao Cui frowned: "Miss, the south of the city is not very safe. It's not appropriate for a girl like you to go there, right?"

I sighed, thinking: This isn't good, but I can't not go! I can't let His Royal Highness down, can I? Besides, I'm the Imperial Physician after all, so no one should dare mess with me, right?

"Don't worry, let's keep a low profile, go early and come back early, everything should be fine." I tried to comfort myself.

When I arrived in the south of the city, I found that it was just as the rumors said. The streets were dilapidated, the stalls were messy, and there was a bit of cunning in the eyes of the passers-by.

It's completely different from the prosperity of the capital.

"Miss, where should we look for him?" Xiao Cui looked around nervously.

I wasn't sure, but I still said, "Let's just wander around and see if there are any clues."

We wandered around the streets in the south of the city and asked several passers-by, but when they heard me ask "Have you seen a crane?", they all looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Crane? Are you kidding me? Who would raise cranes in this place in the south of the city?" An uncle selling wontons said disdainfully, shaking his spoon.

I smiled awkwardly, thanked him, and continued walking. I couldn't help but complain to myself: I don't want to look for cranes in a place like this!

Just when I was at a loss, I suddenly heard a burst of applause from a distance, followed by cheers.

Xiao Cui and I looked at each other and walked towards the direction of the sound.

I saw a large group of people gathered in front, seemingly watching something exciting.

I stood on tiptoe and took a closer look, and I almost laughed out loud - there was a crane standing in the middle of the stage!

This...could this be the one that belongs to the prince? !

I quickly squeezed into the crowd and took a closer look, and it was indeed the crane!

It was standing there leisurely, and an old man next to it was holding a bamboo pole, as if directing it to perform some acrobatics.

"Old man, where did you get this crane?" I couldn't help but ask.

The old man glanced at me, his face full of pride: "This is a treasure I picked up! It flew here by itself yesterday. I saw that this crane is very smart, so I taught it a few tricks."

Okay, you really flew here.

"Old sir, this crane is actually the Crown Prince's pet. Do you think it can be brought back to the palace?" I asked cautiously.

The old man's eyes widened when he heard this: "Your Highness? Are you kidding? I picked up this crane!"

I felt helpless, it seemed that the old man didn't quite believe me.

I pulled out my badge and showed it to him: "Old sir, I am the imperial physician of the palace. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is indeed looking for this crane. If you are willing to return it, I will tell the Crown Prince that His Royal Highness will reward you handsomely."

The old man took the badge and looked at it with a skeptical look, his expression softening slightly. "So you really are from the palace... But, I've been teaching this crane for several days, so I have some feelings for it."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Aren't you building feelings too quickly?

But I couldn't anger him, so I could only persuade him kindly: "Old sir, don't worry, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely not treat you unfairly. If you are willing to return it, I can ask the Crown Prince to reward you with some silver, enough for you to raise a large flock of cranes."

The old man's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Of course! His Royal Highness is kind and you have helped him a lot, so it is only natural for him to reward you with some silver."

The old man finally nodded and said, "Alright, for the Crown Prince's sake, I'll return the crane. But remember, don't forget to ask the Crown Prince to reward me!"

I quickly agreed: "Don't worry, I will never forget."

After dealing with the old man, I took the crane back to the palace to report.

When the Crown Prince saw He return, the gloom on his face instantly disappeared, revealing a rare smile: "Imperial Physician Yang, you really lived up to my expectations!"

I felt helpless. This is really not my area. Prince, please don't assign me this kind of task next time, okay?

But she still said respectfully, "Your Highness, I am too kind. I was just lucky."

The prince smiled and waved his hand. "No matter what, you've helped me a lot this time, and I won't let your efforts go in vain. Come, reward Imperial Physician Yang with ten ounces of gold."

I almost fell down. This... Is it possible to have such a good thing by finding a crane?

"Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward." I saluted quickly, but I was thinking in my heart: It seems that I can go find He when I have nothing to do in the future, and maybe I can make some money.

After returning home, I was still thinking about the strange experience of the day, when Zhu Yuan came again for the first time.

"Imperial Physician Yang! I have something important to discuss with you!" He was panting and his face was full of anxiety as he entered the room.

I was confused. "What's wrong? Are you trying to pretend to be sick again?"

Zhu Yuan shook his head, a look of horror on his face: "No! It's Gu Qingge! She...she seems really angry!"

I almost dropped the teacup in my hand: "What good things have you done?"

Zhu Yuan looked aggrieved: "I just... accidentally sneezed in front of her today, and then she said she would prescribe medicine for me and said she would 'completely cure' me!"

I couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Isn't this just perfect for you? She wants to treat you, which shows that she still cares about you!"

Zhu Yuan looked desperate. "But she's being too serious. I'm afraid she'll really use me as a test subject and give me acupuncture!"

I patted his shoulder and laughed so hard I fell backwards. "You really are asking for trouble! You should have stopped messing around!"

Zhu Yuan's mouth twitched, his face full of resentment: "Imperial Physician Yang, you have to save me!"

I laughed and shook my head: "I can't help you this time, just accept your failure!"