Moxun was overjoyed as she moved into the grand courtyard of the Women's Medical Bureau and began compiling medical texts. She planned to dedicate her life's knowledge to creating a medical textbook that would serve as a learning guide for female physicians.
Zhang Miaoyu sighed deeply and plopped onto a soft cushion. "With menstrual irregularities, pregnancy care, and acupuncture treatments, male imperial physicians can't attend to women due to palace protocols and etiquette. Having female physicians in the palace is truly much more convenient."
Shen Wei nodded in agreement. "That makes perfect sense."
In the Great Qing Kingdom, there were many highly skilled female physicians. Unfortunately, restricted by their gender, they could only perform menial tasks in clinics, unable to fully utilize their talents. The establishment of the Women's Medical Bureau provided them a platform to realize their ambitions.
The Women's Medical Bureau of the Imperial Hospital exclusively treated the wives of officials and imperial consorts.
Shen Wei also planned for Ye Qiushuang to open several large clinics in the most prosperous cities of the Qing Kingdom. These clinics would have separate treatment areas for men and women, ensuring female patients had private spaces for medical care.
...
...
Yanjing City.
The Weiyan Pastry Shop was bustling with customers. In the inner courtyard, the shop's proprietress, Ye Qiushuang, opened a letter delivered from the palace.
Having served as a manager for years and expanded Shen Wei's commercial empire, Ye Qiushuang had now become a formidable business magnate, her sharp gaze reflecting her authority.
Reading the letter, she murmured to herself, "Establish clinics with separate sections for men and women..."
After a moment, Ye Qiushuang smiled faintly. "Very well. If the boss orders it, I shall comply."
She trusted Shen Wei's decisions. Over the years, Shen Wei's envisioned business empire had steadily come to fruition, and most of her strategies had proven correct.
Ye Qiushuang worked with remarkable efficiency. Within three days, the storefront for the women's clinic was ready.
...
Yanjing City.
The Jimin Clinic in the eastern district was bustling with activity. As winter arrived, the bitter cold brought waves of patients suffering from chills and fevers.
A long queue stretched outside the clinic.
Inside, there was only one irritable middle-aged physician in his forties, wearing a simple cap as he sat behind the consultation desk.
"Doctor, my daughter has been vomiting everything she eats and has a fever," pleaded a woman in a blue robe, clutching her child as tears welled in her eyes.
Without even glancing at the child or asking about symptoms, the physician snapped, "Go pay at the counter and get three packets of cold medicine. Twenty coins."
The woman panicked. "But my daughter is only two! Can she take such strong medicine?"
The physician waved her off impatiently. "Next!"
With winter bringing an influx of patients, the clinic prioritized speed—more patients meant more profit. Since most symptoms seemed similar, they treated everything as common colds.
Helpless, the woman had no choice. This was the only affordable clinic nearby; others were too expensive for her. Reluctantly, she carried her sick child to the counter to pay for the medicine.
Behind the counter, a female assistant in her late twenties was preparing prescriptions. Glancing at the child, she frowned and spoke softly, "May I take a look?"
The woman lifted the cloth covering her daughter's face.
The assistant examined the child carefully, then checked her pulse. "This isn't a cold—it's a stomach ailment."
The woman gasped. "But... the doctor said it was a cold!"
The assistant's brow furrowed, but before she could explain, the clinic owner stormed over, berating her. "What nonsense are you spouting? Just pack the medicine! Don’t you see the line? If you don’t like it, get out! Plenty of others can do your job!"
The assistant spoke cautiously, "Sir, this child clearly has a stomach issue. Cold medicine is too harsh for her."
The owner scoffed. "What do you, a woman, know? Just because you’ve packed herbs for years, you think you’re a physician now?"
The assistant lowered her head, swallowing her frustration.
Still, out of conscience, she whispered to the woman, "Don’t give her the cold medicine. It’s not the right treatment."
The woman hesitated but, unwilling to risk her child’s life, quickly left the clinic.
Enraged at losing a paying customer, the owner jabbed a finger at the assistant. "Get out! You’re fired! And don’t even think about this month’s wages!"
The assistant was thrown out of the clinic.
Shivering in the winter wind, she tightened her coat and turned to leave. After a few steps, a voice called out behind her. "Miss, wait!"
She turned to see the woman with her child.
The woman pleaded, "You said my daughter isn’t sick with a cold. Could you prescribe something? To be honest, my neighbor once came here for medicine and never recovered... If I had the money, I wouldn’t have come to this clinic."
Nodding, the assistant took out paper and a brush from her sleeve and wrote a prescription for stomach medicine. "Follow this. It should help."
The woman thanked her profusely before hurrying off.
The assistant sighed deeply. She had worked in clinics since she was ten, packing herbs and studying medical texts. When physicians were too lazy, they sometimes let her diagnose patients.
Over the years, she had become quite skilled.
Yet, even knowing her abilities, the owner had only ever let her pack herbs.
She stared at her hands, wondering where to go now that she’d lost her livelihood.
As she walked, she noticed a crowd gathered around a notice. Pushing forward, she saw it was an announcement from the Imperial Hospital—the palace was establishing a Women’s Medical Bureau and recruiting female physicians.
She froze, staring at the notice as if the bleak winter clouds had parted, letting through a single ray of sunlight.
...
...
Changxin Palace.
Lu Xuan had been confined to her quarters for half a month, her days filled with melancholy and nightmares. She kept dreaming of the Lu family’s execution—her father and younger sister lying lifeless in the wilderness.
When the Tantai and Xie families had fallen, she had gloated. Now she realized the Lu family would meet the same fate.
The Emperor had never intended to spare them. He had elevated the Lu family only to suppress the Tantai and Xie clans. Now that those two were gone, the Lu family had outlived their usefulness.
If the Lu family continued amassing wealth and power without restraint, imperial wrath would descend, and the entire clan would be doomed.
"My lady, please have some bird’s nest soup to warm yourself," a palace maid offered.
Though under house arrest, her living conditions hadn’t worsened—thanks to the child in her womb.
Lu Xuan pushed the bowl away. "I have no appetite..."
Even if she bore a prince, the Emperor would never spare the Lu family. Anxiety gnawed at her as she desperately sought a way to survive this crisis.
Then, a eunuch’s voice echoed outside—
"Noble Consort Chen has arrived."
