Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Just when everyone was still immersed in the "food and health trend", a tense news suddenly came from the palace - the emperor was seriously ill.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire palace became extremely depressing, as if the sky, which had been sunny just a moment ago, was instantly shrouded in dark clouds.

As soon as I returned from the Imperial Garden, Zhu Yuan rushed over to me, shouting in an exaggerated manner, "Miss Yang! It's over! This is terrible!"

I looked up at him, thinking: This guy usually makes a fuss, what's he up to today? But seeing that he seemed a little serious this time, I couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Which lady ate too much again?"

Zhu Yuan shook his head solemnly, "It's not the Empress! It's the Emperor! I heard he's seriously ill, and the imperial doctors are helpless!"

"Your Majesty?" I was taken aback, and my heart began to tense. Although I didn't usually have the opportunity to interact directly with the Emperor, he was the core of the country after all. If anything happened to the Emperor, it would be a huge disaster.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Zhu Yuan nodded rapidly, his tone hurried, "It's absolutely true! I just heard from the imperial physician that the emperor suddenly has a high fever that won't go away. The imperial physicians have tried all kinds of medicine, but nothing works!"

I frowned, thinking to myself: A high fever that won't go away? This sounds like some acute infection.

But the problem is that in this era, medical conditions are limited, and infectious diseases can easily become a serious and troublesome matter.

"Quick, take me to see him." I quickly grabbed the medicine box and walked towards the emperor's bedroom, already thinking about possible treatment plans in my mind.

When we arrived at the bedroom, the atmosphere was indeed extremely tense.

Several imperial doctors were gathered around the bed, all with worried faces, as if they were troubled by the emperor's illness.

The emperor lying on the bed was pale, with cold sweat on his forehead and rapid breathing. It was obvious that he was seriously ill.

The Queen was sitting beside the bed, looking anxious. When she saw me come in, she immediately stood up and said, "Doctor Yang, please check on the Emperor's condition!"

I hurried forward and took the emperor's pulse, and quickly analyzed it in my mind: the pulse is weak, the breathing is rapid, and the body temperature is high... These are obviously symptoms of acute fever, and in all likelihood they are caused by infection.

"Doctor Yang, what exactly is wrong with the emperor?" the queen asked anxiously.

I pondered for a moment, then tried to explain in a calm tone, "Your Majesty has a persistent high fever, likely caused by some bacterial infection. Most of the medicines the imperial physicians have tried are just fever reducers, but if the underlying cause isn't addressed, simply reducing the fever is useless."

The imperial doctors listened to what I said and nodded one after another. It was obvious that they also realized the seriousness of the problem, but in this era, the knowledge about germs was still very limited, so they were helpless.

"Doctor Yang, what should we do then?" the queen asked anxiously.

I thought about it for a moment and suddenly remembered an ancient prescription for clearing heat and detoxifying. Although this prescription cannot completely cure the infection, it is very effective in reducing fever and relieving symptoms.

"Your Majesty, I have a prescription here that you can try to relieve the emperor's symptoms. Although it cannot guarantee an immediate cure, it can at least lower the emperor's temperature and alleviate his condition." As I said, I took out the medicine box and began to list the prescriptions.

"Hurry, get the medicine according to Doctor Yang's prescription!" The queen immediately ordered the palace maid.

After the medicine was boiled, I personally fed it to the emperor.

Not long after, the emperor's breathing gradually became steady and his complexion regained some of its rosiness.

Seeing this scene, the Queen and several imperial doctors breathed a sigh of relief.

"Doctor Yang, the emperor's condition seems to have improved." The queen said softly with a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

I nodded. "He's feeling better for now, but His Majesty still needs to rest and not overwork. In the next few days, I'll prescribe some more tonic medicine to help His Majesty recover."

The Queen nodded gratefully at me and said, "Thanks to Doctor Yang, I really don't know how to thank you."

I quickly waved my hand: "You're welcome, Madam. This is my duty."

Just when everyone was breathing a sigh of relief, Zhu Yuan suddenly jumped out and whispered in my ear with a smile, "Miss Yang, you are amazing! You even cured the emperor."

I was stunned and quickly glared at him, then lowered my voice and said, "Don't talk nonsense! The emperor is not fully recovered yet."

Zhu Yuan wore his signature smirk and blinked, "Oh, there's no need to be so modest. You're becoming more and more powerful in the palace. You even hold the Emperor's life in your hands!"

I was so frightened by his words that my hands almost shook. I quickly warned him in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense here! If you keep saying these nonsense, be careful or someone will hear you and arrest you!"

Zhu Yuan shrugged innocently: "I'm just helping you improve your prestige. Don't worry, no one will arrest me."

I smiled helplessly: This guy never forgets to be funny.

In the next few days, the emperor's condition gradually improved and the atmosphere in the palace gradually returned to calm.

However, this incident made everyone nervous for several days, and even the ladies began to pay more attention to their health.

Therefore, in addition to the continued popularity of "health-preserving food", there was a new fashion in the palace - health-care exercise.

The ladies began to take walks in the imperial garden every day, and some even suggested practicing relaxing exercises such as Tai Chi.

I thought these sports would be frowned upon, but I was surprised to find they were actually quite popular.

It seems that the trend of health and wellness has taken root in the palace.

One day, as I was about to leave the palace and return home, Zhu Yuan suddenly appeared from behind me mysteriously, with a sly grin on his face. "Miss Yang, I heard that walking and exercising are popular in the palace recently. How about you also prescribe an 'exercise and health plan' for me?"

I couldn't help laughing when he said that. "You? You better not join in the fun. You just talk about it every day. If I really ask you to exercise, I'll be thankful if you can stick to it for even a day."

Zhu Yuan immediately patted his chest, looking confident: "You underestimate me! I, Zhu Yuan, am a man of perseverance. How about we make a bet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Bet? What?"

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "If I can keep exercising every day for a week, you will treat me to a meal at the best restaurant outside the palace."

I burst out laughing: "You want to exercise just to eat, right?"

Zhu Yuan chuckled: "That's none of your business. Anyway, I'll do what I say."

I shook my head helplessly. "Okay, let's make the bet. But if you lose, you have to help me with my medical treatment for three days. Don't be lazy!"

Zhu Yuan showed a look of hesitation when he heard this, but he quickly gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! It's a deal!"

I smiled and nodded, thinking to myself: I must make him suffer this time.

Thus, Zhu Yuan’s “sports and health plan” began.

However, on the first day, I heard from the palace maids that Zhu Yuan almost fell to the ground from exhaustion after running two laps in the imperial garden, and was finally helped back up by the palace maids.

When I heard the news, I couldn't help laughing out loud: This guy is really just a "three-minute enthusiasm" guy.