Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

I stood outside the palace gate, feeling extremely panicked.

You know, the emperor is the top VIP of our Ming Dynasty. It doesn’t matter whether the disease is complicated or not. The key is - if it can’t be cured, my life may really be over.

Zhu Yuan said to me nervously, "Miss Yang, you have to be careful this time. The emperor is not an ordinary person. If... uh, you know..."

"Shut up!" I rolled my eyes at him. "Are you cursing me? I'm already so nervous, why are you adding to the chaos?"

I took a deep breath and repeated to myself countless times: "Calm down, calm down. We are the descendants of modern medicine. We can't be cowardly!"

As soon as I entered the palace, I was surrounded by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, as if I was their last straw.

The leading eunuch came up quickly and said, "Miss Yang, hurry up! The Emperor has been ill for several days. The imperial doctors are helpless, and the Empress has been so anxious that she hasn't slept all night. You must take a good look at him!"

I forced a smile and said, "Well, take me to see the emperor first."

Then, I was pushed all the way into the emperor's bedroom.

The atmosphere in the hall was so oppressive that it made one breathless. Several imperial doctors stood by, all with sad faces, as if they were waiting for me, a "miracle soldier", to turn the tide.

Walking to the dragon bed, I glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang cautiously.

Wow, the emperor looks so haggard, with a sallow complexion, rapid breathing, and coughing from time to time while holding his chest. He looks like he is exhausted.

My heart tightened and I immediately started to take his pulse.

As a result, when I felt the pulse, my brows frowned instantly - the pulse was disordered, the qi and blood were not flowing smoothly, which were typical symptoms of angina pectoris!

"What has the emperor eaten these days? Does he have any special diet?" I asked the eunuch beside me.

The eunuch beside him quickly replied, "The emperor has been busy with state affairs these past few days and has had little rest. He has also eaten little, but he has drunk a lot of nourishing soup."

I was thinking a thousand "ah this"s: Were the ancients a bit superstitious about "tonic soups"? They were constantly consuming tonic soups, almost to the point of causing stomach problems without even realizing it.

"Miss Yang, what disease does the emperor have?" The imperial physician beside him finally couldn't help but speak.

I hesitated for two seconds and decided to explain in words they could understand: "Your Majesty is ill from overwork. Long-term fatigue has led to insufficient blood supply to the heart. Coupled with irregular diet, it has caused blood circulation to stagnate, resulting in chest tightness and coughing."

The imperial doctors looked at each other, obviously confused by the concept of "insufficient blood supply to the heart".

I had no choice but to put it more bluntly: "Simply put, the emperor suffers from 'excessive heart fire and stagnant qi and blood.'"

The imperial doctors suddenly understood and nodded in agreement, "So that's how it is! Miss Yang is truly knowledgeable!"

I rolled my eyes silently in my heart: You guys are really knowledgeable...

However, angina pectoris was a real problem in ancient times. After all, there were no quick-acting heart pills or electrocardiograms.

I can only try my best to use acupuncture and massage to help the emperor relieve his symptoms, and then use some herbal medicine to help him regulate his qi and blood.

I had someone prepare silver needles and started to give the emperor acupuncture.

To be honest, this was my first time giving acupuncture to an emperor, and my palms were almost sweating.

If you accidentally pierce the wrong place, you could lose your head!

Fortunately, I can hold the scalpel steadily and acupuncture is also no problem.

After a few injections, the emperor's breathing became noticeably calmer and the pain on his face eased.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the emperor suddenly opened his eyes and looked at me weakly: "You... are Yang Shiqi's daughter?"

I almost shuddered and quickly saluted: "Your Majesty, that's right."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, seeming to feel relieved: "Your medical skills are good... continue to treat."

My heart was pounding: Fortunately, the emperor didn’t lose his temper, otherwise I would probably be dead.

In the next few days, I had to go to the palace every day to give the emperor acupuncture and strictly control his diet and daily routine.

The emperor's illness is actually not complicated. The problem is that he works too hard. Long-term fatigue has caused excessive strain on his heart, coupled with eating disorders, which has led to such serious symptoms.

I prescribed him some heart-toning prescriptions, which, of course, I put together based on modern medical knowledge and ancient medicinal materials.

For example, medicinal herbs such as Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng that promote blood circulation are simply natural substitutes for aspirin and are perfect for regulating cardiovascular health.

After a few days, the emperor's complexion improved significantly and he looked much more energetic.

The imperial doctors admired me so much that they even came to me secretly to "ask for advice" on medical skills.

I chuckled inwardly: "You want me to teach you? This is modern medical knowledge. How do you want me to teach you? Do I even have to explain the pathogenesis of heart disease?"

However, I didn't intend to keep you in suspense, so I just found some theories of ancient medicine to fool you.

Anyway, they didn't understand and were stunned by what I said. Instead, they thought I was unfathomable.

Finally, when I entered the palace for the seventh time, Zhu Yuanzhang's condition was completely stabilized.

He sat on the dragon throne, looking at me with vigor and energy, a rare smile on his face: "Miss Yang, thanks to you, my illness has recovered quickly."

I quickly saluted and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my humble honor to serve you."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and suddenly said, "Yang Shiqi has made many contributions to the court. You are worthy of being his daughter, with such excellent medical skills. I would like to reward you by appointing you as the sixth-rank director of the Imperial Hospital, specifically in charge of the doctors in the palace."

My heart sank: "Court judge? This is not an easy job! The affairs of the palace are very complicated, and I don't want to get involved here every day."

So, I quickly declined, saying, "Your Majesty, I am just a common woman and I dare not take on such an important task. My medical skills are limited. If I delay His Majesty's health, wouldn't that be a sin?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "You are quite cautious, girl. However, I have made up my mind, so you don't have to refuse. Work hard, and I will not treat you unfairly."

I felt helpless: the imperial decree had already been issued, what else could I do? I could only bite the bullet and accept it.

After returning home, I reluctantly reported this "new official position" to my father.

Yang Shiqi was very calm: "Court Judge is not bad either. At least it can give you a status in the palace and make things easier for you."

I curled my lips and said, "Dad, you're talking without any hesitation! You know the palace is very complicated. I, a little girl, don't want to be fighting wits and courage there every day."

Yang Shiqi smiled and patted my shoulder gently: "Don't worry, Dad will protect you. I'm here in the palace, you won't suffer any harm."

Although my father said this, I still felt a little uneasy.

However, now that things have come to this, I'll just be the judge. At least I can have more contact with the patients in the palace, and saving more people is a good thing.

Over the next few days, I returned to my daily medical practice.

Zhu Yuan has been staying with me all this time. Seeing that I am extremely busy, he is happy to have some free time. He runs around all day, listening to gossip and getting information.