Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 227 The Female Doctor Arranged by the Palace
"It's good for cooling off," Ding Baiying said, trying to cheer Zhang Shirui up. "You're as hot as a burning coal. If I sleep next to you, I can even save on heating the kang. If you don't sweat and the quilt isn't so damp."

"It's a laxative." Zhang Shirui laughed bitterly, her breath fading. "If I take it, you'll be ready to collect my body."

"Is it so serious?" Ding Baiying was shocked, then said, "Then I'll find another doctor for you."

"Goodbye. I do know a little about pharmacology. Let the kitchen cook some lean meat porridge first." Although Zhang Shirui has read many books related to medicine, she has no practical experience in curing diseases and saving lives.

"Change your clothes first. They're so wet as if they've been soaked in water." Ding Baiying sighed.

"Okay." Zhang Shirui tried to stand up, but her hands were really weak.

"Don't force yourself, I'll help you." Ding Baiying supported Zhang Shirui's back with her forearm and helped her up.

Just as Ding Baiying was helping Zhang Shirui change her clothes, the doorman who had welcomed Zhu Changluo into the Zhang residence knocked on the door again and announced, "Miss, a female doctor named Liu is here to visit. Would you like to invite her in?"

"A female doctor named Liu?" Ding Baiying was a little confused.

Ding Baiying met Zhang Shirui's questioning gaze and shook her head, "I've only ever invited a doctor named Huang to my home."

"Since we're here, let her in." Zhang Shirui blinked her sore and dry eyes and said in a low voice.

"Yes." Ding Baiying's hands became more skillful. She changed Zhang Shirui's clothes in a few seconds, like playing with a doll. Then, she gently put Zhang Shirui back on the pillow and walked out.

When Ding Baiying arrived at the lobby, the doorman had already invited the female doctor in.

The female doctor looks very young and her hairstyle shows that she is not married yet.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Ding Baiying did not take her to Zhang Shirui's boudoir immediately.

"My surname is Liu and my given name is 姃." Liu 姃 gestured in the air while speaking.

"What brings you here?" Ding Baiying asked.

"What else does a doctor do on a visit? He's supposed to take a patient's pulse and prescribe medicine," Liu Yun said matter-of-factly. "Excuse me, where is Miss Zhang?" Liu Yun saw the woman before her, with a rosy complexion and a vibrant spirit. Her attire didn't resemble either a lady or a Taoist nun, so she concluded she was most likely not a patient.

"Where did you hear about the Zhang family?" Ding Baiying didn't answer, but asked, "Doctor Huang?"

"I don't know any Doctor Huang." Liu Yun said.

"Then which clinic are you from?" Ding Baiying asked again.

"My family doesn't run a clinic." Liu Ying shook her head.

"So you're a traveling doctor?" Ding Baiying didn't want to continue giving this nerdy-looking girl the same kind of nagging question. So he asked directly, "Just tell me, who are you, and who sent you here?"

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself." Liu Yun raised her head proudly and said, "My grandfather was Liu Heqing, the director of the Imperial Hospital. It was he who sent me here."

"Ah?" Ding Baiying asked in surprise, "Imperial Hospital?"

"Yes." Liu Ying nodded.

"Why?" Ding Baiying asked again.

"Why? My grandfather asked me to come, so I came." Liu Yun said, "Take me to see your young lady." Liu Yun had already regarded Ding Baiying as a close maid of the young lady of the Zhang family.

"Can you do it? You're so young." Ding Baiying was a little skeptical, but Liu Ying had applied for the title of Imperial Hospital after all, so Ding Baiying still took her to Zhang Shirui's room.

"I can't guarantee you anything. I can only try it first." Liu Ying replied.

"Wow!" Ding Baiying was horrified, not knowing what this girl was like.

Liu Yun came to the bedside and saw Zhang Shirui's face and immediately said, "No."

"What's wrong?" Ding Baiying asked.

"The medicine you are cooking now is not good." Liu Ying said.

"Do you know what medicine was prescribed?" Ding Baiying asked.

"You can smell it." Liu Ying hadn't mentioned the medicine before, simply because she didn't know the patient's condition. "Putting everything else aside, you absolutely can't use rhubarb. If I'm not mistaken, you also used Glauber's salt." Glauber's salt can't be smelled because it's not usually used in decoctions. It's only dissolved in the decoction after it's been boiled and taken.

"Yes." Ding Baiying was somewhat convinced.

Liu Yi reached out to touch Zhang Shirui's forehead, twisted the wet clothes hanging on the rack, then leaned over and pressed his face against Zhang Shirui's hand before quietly feeling her pulse. "They're all for reducing fever, but rhubarb and Glauber's salt are extremely cold and strong. She can't handle such strong medicines. She'll die if she takes them." The bookish air on Liu Yi's face completely vanished, replaced by the solemn expression of a doctor: "Where did you find this crappy doctor? Report him to the authorities and have them arrested."

There were very few female doctors these days, and the few that did have were generally unskillful. They were considered good enough if they could just look at the symptoms and prescribe a fixed prescription.

Li Dongyang, a Grand Secretary who served during the reigns of Hongzhi and Zhengde, wrote in his article "Notes on Female Doctors": "There are female doctors in the capital who treat women and children's illnesses. They are illiterate, unable to distinguish between prescriptions and pulse diagnosis, unable to name drugs, and unaccustomed to the use of medicines, cooking, and refining."

This mediocre female doctor treated patients by simply buying pills and powders from the imperial physician and giving them to them at random. If she succeeded, she would receive a generous reward; if she failed, she would simply claim it was fate. Yet, even this charlatan's reputation spread far and wide, reaching the capital, where even the gentry sought her treatment.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but in reality, it's quite normal.

Under the iron rule of strict sexual separation, male doctors could not treat women, as it would be a violation of their chastity and a death worse than death. Medical skills, like other medical skills, were generally passed down from man to man, not from woman to woman. Therefore, the few female doctors who did exist became treasures, even if they were mediocre.

"Then what medicine should be prescribed?" Ding Baiying asked.

"If she's even weaker, we can only use Bupleurum, Cimicifuga, and Menthol to stop the boil and clear away heat. For her condition, we can go a little further and use Ephedra, Cinnamon Twig, and Notopterygium to reduce the fever. However, whether Notopterygium can be used depends on her spleen and stomach. If her spleen and stomach are too weak, then Notopterygium cannot be used." Liu Yi pointed at Zhang Shirui's lips. "Come, pry her mouth open. I need to see her tongue."

"No need to pry, I can do it myself." Zhang Shirui was originally in a light sleep due to drowsiness, and she woke up when Liu Ying touched her head.

"Then stick out your tongue." Liu Ying said, as if coaxing a child, "Come on, open your mouth wide and follow my example, ah!"

Zhang Shirui stuck out her tongue obediently, but made no sound.

"The tongue is pale red, with a thin white coating. Qi and blood are quite vigorous. There's nothing wrong with the spleen and stomach." Liu Ying nodded. Then she said, "Use ephedra, cinnamon twig, and notopterygium root. As for the dosage, paper and pen." "Oh. Okay." Ding Baiying was completely convinced. She hurried out to find paper and pen for the female doctor.

"It's a good thing I came. Otherwise you would have been killed by the quack doctor." Liu Ying said to Zhang Shirui lying on the sickbed.

Zhang Shirui didn't say much, but asked, "Excuse me, why did you come to the Zhang Mansion?"

"I am the granddaughter of Liu Heqing, the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau." This time, Liu He said everything she needed to say in one breath.

"How did Envoy Liu know about me?" Zhang Shirui asked softly.

"I'm not sure what the specific situation is, maybe someone came from the palace." Liu Heng answered honestly.

"In the palace?" Zhang Shirui's scalp tingled, and her spirits inexplicably improved.

"The old man is very stubborn. He won't easily treat outsiders, nor will he easily let us treat outsiders. Only those in the palace can be manipulated." Liu Yan's mouth is not guarded. "The old man went to treat Minister Li a few days ago with the emperor's permission."

"Before giving your lady medicine, it's best to feed her something first. Medicine is three-quarters poison, so you have to restore her strength first." Liu Ying said to her when she saw Ding Baiying coming back.

"I know. It's lean meat porridge." Ding Baiying said.

"Don't eat the meat yet." Liu Yi shook her head. "Cook sweet porridge with rice, goji berries, and jujubes. Don't make it too thin or too thick. Eat it while it's hot. The sweetness stimulates salivation, and the heat promotes sweating. Don't make it too hot without burning your mouth. Remember not to let it cool before eating. Otherwise, the effect will be reversed."

"Would you like some sugar?" Ding Baiying put the pen and paper on the table and made a gesture of invitation.

"No. A handful of wolfberries and ten red dates are enough." Liu Ying added, "You can use this as a medicinal food."

"I understand." After Liu Ying finished writing the prescription, Ding Baiying asked again, "How much is the consultation fee?"

"I don't want your money. There are always rewards for tasks assigned in the palace. I only charge one fee for one prescription." Liu Yun put down the prescription, raised a finger and said.

"Thank you very much." Ding Baiying said thank you.

"Two doses a day, preferably one hour after a meal. Remember to keep warm. I'll come back in a few days." Liu Yun stood up and said goodbye without any hesitation.

"I'll take you there." Ding Baiying said.

"No need." Liu Ying waved her hand, as if she was busy going home for dinner. "I know how to get out."

------

While Liu Heng was treating Zhang Shirui, the emperor, who had arranged this treatment with the word "okay", was gradually restoring basic order in the palace in the Southern Study.

Three people sat in the Southern Study: the emperor, seated facing south; to his left, the eunuch Wang An, the official holding the imperial seal; and to his right, the chief eunuch Wei Chao. Kneeling between these three was the eunuch Wang Tiqian, the chief eunuch in charge of the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Household.

"Do you know why you were called here today?" The person who spoke was Wang An.

"I don't know." After the notice from the Imperial Household Department was posted, Wang Tiqian felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He immediately counted all his property and hurriedly handed it over to the Internal Transport Warehouse. He was reluctant to part with it, but saving his life was the most important thing.

"Guess." Although Wang An smiled warmly, it still made Wang Tiquan feel creepy.

"I dare not guess the emperor's intention." The servant kowtowed.

"Just guess when I tell you to." Wei Chao's voice was so cold that it seemed to float up from the bottom of a cliff.

"Yes." Wang Tiqian raised his eyes and noticed that the emperor was still looking down at the table. "Then I will dare to speak."

Wang Tiqian didn't receive a response, and the entire hall was hushed to the point of unnerving silence. So he could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, wants me to hold the seal of the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor."

"Why do you think so?" Zhu Changluo closed the memorial and put it on the "approved" pile. Then he picked up the top one from the "unprocessed" pile.

"Master, be gracious and gracious. Please forgive our past corruption and lawlessness." Wang Tiqian swallowed, carefully choosing his words. "Now, the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor is without a leader, and among the eunuchs who have been spared, I am the most senior. Therefore, I dare to speculate that Master, Your Highness, wants me to take charge of the Imperial Kitchen Supervisor's duties."

"Well. Continue." Zhu Changluo couldn't help but frown as he looked at the memorial in front of him. The red brush in his hand hovered in the air, not falling for a long time.

Wang Tiqian was stunned. He didn't know what the "continue" meant. He rolled his eyes, trying to find some movement or hint, but the three people sitting in the hall seemed to ignore him and continued to deal with their own matters.

Wang Tiqian pondered the emperor's intentions, feeling as if his brain was about to explode. After a long while, he finally asked tentatively, "Master, is your Highness allowing me to stay here because I have no relationship with Du Xun?"

"No hurry, talk after you understand." Zhu Changluo closed the memorial and threw it into the pile for "retention". Then he raised his head and looked at Wang Tiqian.

"It's not a big deal! I did give him some money, but that's all." Wang Tiqian had a lot of seniority, and if you had to be precise, he could be considered Du Xun's elder. But seniority is ultimately no match for official hierarchy. Ultimately, just because someone has seniority means they're an elder, it's meaningless. Du Xun was the head of the government, so Wang Tiqian had to curry favor with him.

"Look up. I don't want to talk to you while looking at your forehead." Zhu Changluo said.

"Yes." Wang Tiqian raised his head tremblingly, looking at the emperor on the dragon throne. He wasn't serving in the palace, so he had little chance to get close to the late emperor's princes, but it wasn't like he had never seen this noble family. However, when he truly looked up at the emperor, he instinctively felt that his face was strangely unfamiliar.

"Before the New Year, you went to the Imperial Household Department to report Guanglu Temple's budget for this year. You reported it twice." Zhu Changluo snorted with contempt.

"I am guilty!" Wang Tiqian's not-so-dry undershirt was once again soaked with sweat.

"Look up." Zhu Changluo tapped the table lightly with his memorial, then asked, "Was the budget you first submitted your own idea or Du Xun's?"

Wang Tiqian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment before saying, "It's my idea to take advantage of the unclear accounts during the transition period between the old and new generations to get more silver."

"Have you thought it through?" A strange smile appeared between Zhu Changluo's eyebrows.

"This is my idea." Wang Tiquan took the risk.

"But Du Xun told Cui Wensheng that this was his idea. Are you trying to protect him?" Zhu Changluo paused, then asked, "Or is he trying to protect you?"

(End of this chapter)