Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Life in the palace is more "colorful" than I imagined.

I originally thought that after studying modern medicine, I could travel back to ancient times and become an all-round doctor, curing diseases and saving lives with ease.

As a result, I didn't expect that I would have to face all kinds of strange diseases every day, plus a group of people whose minds were more complicated than their diseases.

Having said that, Lady Shen's migraine problem was resolved quite smoothly.

She took the medicine as I instructed, and her expression gradually relaxed. I breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back and rest for a few days, and by the way, study these ancient difficult and complicated diseases again. After all, after traveling through time, I can't just rely on modern knowledge; I also need to integrate ancient pharmacology.

However, things are not that simple...

In the morning, just as the sky was turning pale, I was awakened by a series of rapid knocks on the door before I woke up from my dream.

"Doctor Yang, get up quickly! Something happened in the palace again!"

I groggily opened my eyes, my heart wailing: "Can these people in the palace just quiet down? I've only slept for a few hours!"

I quickly got up, put on my clothes, opened the door and saw that it was the familiar eunuch standing at my door with an anxious look on his face.

"Doctor Yang, something's wrong. Concubine Zhao...she suddenly feels chest tightness and shortness of breath, and can't even sleep well!"

As I put on my shoes, my head hurt. Concubine Zhao? Which other concubine? There were so many women in this palace that I could barely remember them all. They all had problems at the drop of a hat. It was busier than a modern emergency room.

"Okay, I'll go and take a look." I responded weakly, grabbed the medicine box, and followed the eunuch to Concubine Zhao's bedroom.

When they arrived at Concubine Zhao's bedroom, it was just as the eunuch had said. Concubine Zhao was lying on the bed, her face pale, her hands covering her chest, and her expression was extremely painful.

"Doctor Yang, please save me, I can't breathe..." She said weakly, with a bit of panic in her voice.

I hurried forward to feel her pulse, thinking: Could this be another acute illness? But after carefully checking her pulse, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, madam," I consoled her with a smile. "You don't have a serious illness. It's just qi stagnation. The chest tightness and shortness of breath caused by pent-up emotions."

"Qi stagnation?" Concubine Zhao frowned, obviously unfamiliar with the term.

I nodded and tried to explain in ancient language, "Simply put, the Empress has too many worries and hasn't been able to relieve them, which has led to poor blood circulation. Over time, she's experienced chest tightness and shortness of breath. This condition isn't serious; it will be cured by taking care of her body and relaxing her mind."

After hearing this, Concubine Zhao felt a little relieved, but she was still a little confused: "Doctor Yang, is there any way to make me feel better?"

"Of course," I said with a smile, "I'll prescribe some medicine to regulate your qi and blood. Do some relaxing activities like taking a walk or listening to music, and you'll gradually feel better."

Concubine Zhao nodded, seeming relieved. As I wrote the prescription, I reminded her, "Also, Your Majesty, be careful not to bottle things up all day, especially in the palace. A good mood is the most important thing."

Concubine Zhao smiled bitterly and said, "You sound so easy. In this deep palace, there is no chance for me to feel at ease."

I sighed inwardly: The women in the palace are all so preoccupied, vying for favor. Making them happy is probably harder than curing their illness.

I was just about to leave Concubine Zhao's bedroom, but when I turned around, who was standing at the door?

That’s right, Zhu Yuan, the ubiquitous “melon-eating crowd”.

"Miss Yang, which lady is feeling unwell today?" he asked with a grin, an expression of someone who wanted to watch the fun.

I glared at him helplessly. "Could you please stop following me around every day? I'm a doctor, not a screenwriter for a palace drama."

Zhu Yuan shrugged and smiled innocently, "I'm just concerned about you! Besides, I think your daily schedule is more exciting than a palace drama."

"Thank you for the compliment," I said unhappily, "but I really don't need all this 'concern'."

Zhu Yuan smiled even brighter. "By the way, Miss Yang, what prescription did you prescribe for Concubine Zhao this time? It's not some weird medicine again, is it?"

"You're the one who's surprised!" I rolled my eyes. "Empress Zhao is just suffering from Qi stagnation, which is caused by bad emotions and chest tightness and shortness of breath. I prescribed a prescription to regulate Qi and blood, nothing special."

Zhu Yuan listened, nodded, and suddenly approached me with a mysterious look on his face: "Miss Yang, I heard that several ladies in the palace have had similar symptoms recently. Could this also be an 'infectious disease'?"

I almost laughed at his words: "Can chest tightness and shortness of breath be contagious? Have you read too many storybooks?"

Zhu Yuan nodded seriously: "That's hard to say. There are so many strange things happening in the palace. Who knows?"

I smiled and shook my head. "You'd better stop guessing. The ladies in the palace are all worried and scheming against each other all day long. It's normal for them to suffer from depression caused by bad emotions."

Zhu Yuan pretended to be surprised and opened his mouth wide. "So that's how it is! It seems that Miss Yang is not only an excellent doctor, but also can see through the palace intrigues!"

I looked at him speechlessly. "I treat illnesses and save lives, not get involved in those palace intrigues. If you're so interested, go write your own story."

Zhu Yuan smiled innocently: "How could I have that ability? But, Miss Yang, if you write a storybook, I will definitely be the first to support you!"

"Thank you." I replied unhappily and turned to go home.

However, just as I got home and hadn't sat down to drink some hot tea, there was another hurried knock on the door.

"Doctor Yang! Help! Something happened in the palace again!"

My heart trembled three times: Here it comes again! Will there never be peace in this palace?

"Who is it this time?" I asked weakly.

"It's Li Yuchu! His...his feet suddenly became swollen so badly that he can't even walk!"

When I heard this, I almost laughed out loud: Swollen feet? How could such a trivial illness cause such a stir?

However, as a professional female doctor, I naturally could not take it lightly. I immediately picked up the medicine box and followed the eunuch to the imperial kitchen.

When they arrived at the imperial kitchen, Chef Li was sitting on a chair, holding his right foot with a look of pain on his face.

His foot was swollen like a steamed bun, red, swollen, and hot, clearly due to inflammation. I laughed to myself: Isn't this just a modern-day gout attack?

"Chef Li, you have gout. Have you eaten too many high-purine foods recently?" I asked with a smile.

Li Yuchu was confused. "Gout? High purine? Doctor Yang, what are you talking about?"

I cleared my throat and tried to explain in ancient language: "Simply put, you've been eating too well, especially consuming too much meat and alcohol. This has caused your feet to become red, swollen, and painful. This condition is called gout, and it's very painful when it strikes."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuchu's face immediately turned pale: "Doctor Yang, am I going to be useless?!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that serious. You just need to control your diet, especially eat less meat, drink more water, and eat a light diet, so that you can control the disease."

Li Yuchu nodded quickly: "Thank you, Doctor Yang. I will definitely listen to you from now on and never be greedy again!"

I smiled and shook my head. "What you said is exactly the same as what Eunuch Liu said. I hope you can really do it."

Finally, after finishing all this, I can finally go home.