Chapter 3: Taking Action! Queen Ma Must Not Die!

Old Zhu left.

Zhu Gaochi was stunned.

Was I really supposed to walk back to the palace alone?

Since he had nothing better to do, Zhu Gaochi casually struck up a conversation with Dai Sigong.

“Doctor Dai, what kind of ailment does the Empress Dowager have?”

It wasn’t that he was bored or meddling out of idle curiosity; he genuinely had nothing else to occupy his time and wanted to gather information.

After all, this was Empress Ma, the sole sword sheath of Zhu Chongba!

If Empress Ma really passed away, there would be no one left in the entire Ming dynasty capable of balancing Zhu Yuanzhang— not even Crown Prince Biao!

The Ming dynasty would truly face their… benevolent father!

The thought sent a chill down Zhu Gaochi’s spine.

The darkened Hongwu Emperor was merciless and bloodthirsty.

Then came the slaughter of meritorious officials and nobles, leaving Zhu Yunwen with no generals to rely on, which inadvertently benefited Zhu Laosi.

Realizing this, Zhu Gaochi’s mind began to scheme. Saving Empress Ma was a crucial step.

Dai Sigong glanced at Zhu Gaochi indifferently, clearly unwilling to engage.

Being an imperial court physician was no easy task; discretion was paramount.

Moreover, this was the Empress herself—daring to gossip about her behind her back was courting death.

Zhu Gaochi wasn’t offended but instead studied Dai Sigong from head to toe.

“Doctor Dai…”

“Just call me doctor. The title ‘miracle doctor’ is undeserved,” Dai Sigong replied flatly, but Zhu Gaochi sensed an unusual tone beneath his words.

He thought for a moment and immediately understood the situation.

“Looks like your position at the Imperial Hospital isn’t so favorable, eh?”

Upon hearing this, Dai Sigong suddenly turned, his gaze sharp as he stared at Zhu Gaochi.

But soon, he laughed bitterly and withdrew his eyes.

He was just a youth—what could he understand?

“Hmm… let me guess.”

“Doctor Dai, you come from a prestigious lineage, your medical skills renowned across Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Since entering the palace, you’ve resolved many difficult cases and gained the emperor’s favor. Naturally, petty jealousies have led to your being ostracized, right?”

Workplace bullying—nothing could be more ordinary. Especially for a newcomer who had already outshone his superiors, how would his immediate boss feel?

Dai Sigong’s expression shifted; for the first time, he showed interest in the conversation.

“On what do you base this?”

“It’s obvious!” Zhu Gaochi scoffed. “The Empress Dowager is gravely ill; all the court physicians attend the emperor except you, Doctor Dai, who’s left alone to guard the hospital. Isn’t that a clear sign of exclusion?”

Hearing this, Dai Sigong finally turned fully toward Zhu Gaochi, his eyes filled with admiration.

“You truly are clever, young prince.”

“But I cannot disclose anything about the Empress’s delicate constitution.”

Damn it! After all I said, you come back with that? What a pain!

Zhu Gaochi grew anxious and stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“It’s just you and me here—no one else will overhear.”

“I’m concerned for the Empress’s condition, which is why I want to ask. Besides, I’m just a child; what do you fear?”

Seeing his earnest expression, Dai Sigong recalled his own grandmother who raised him. When she passed, he was just as heartbroken.

Thinking of this, he sighed softly and murmured three words.

“Perineal abscess.”

Zhu Gaochi blinked in confusion.

What? What does that have to do with riding a horse?

Seeing his bewildered face, Dai Sigong explained with some exasperation.

“A perineal abscess, also called a ‘sea bottom abscess,’ forms in the perineum, often caused by emotional repression, depletion of the three yin energies, and accumulation of damp heat. The tissue there is loose and prone to infection, making healing difficult and leading to chronic sores…”

Zhu Gaochi was dumbfounded, speechless for a long moment.

“The Empress’s illness isn’t difficult to treat; the problem is… it’s located in her lower body!”

He stopped abruptly.

Zhu Gaochi finally understood.

A perineal abscess isn’t exactly a mysterious illness, but when it affects Empress Ma, it’s a different matter.

The ancients observed strict rules about physical contact between men and women. Even noblewomen were examined using ‘suspended silk pulse diagnosis’ to avoid direct contact. And here, the patient was the Empress Mother of the realm, suffering from an ailment “below the belt”!

Thus, the imperial physicians treated her with extreme caution, afraid to offend or make a misstep, never able to diagnose the true condition. They resorted to guesswork and gynecological remedies, which prolonged her suffering without improvement.

Feudal etiquette is truly a killer.

“Are you certain it’s really this perineal abscess?”

Zhu Gaochi looked at Dai Sigong earnestly, his eyes gleaming.

Dai Sigong nodded without hesitation, clearly confident in his medical skill.

“The symptoms match perfectly; there’s no mistake.”

“Think carefully: the Empress’s illness began shortly after the Hu Weiyong case. Song Shen, the grandson of great scholar Song Lian, was implicated. Both Song Shen and Song Lian’s second son, Song Sui, were executed. The emperor even wanted to punish Song Lian himself, but thanks to the Empress and Crown Prince’s efforts, Song Lian was spared and exiled to Maozhou in Sichuan.”

“But Song Lian was already in his seventies and couldn’t endure the hardship of the journey, so he died soon after. Upon hearing the tragic news, the Empress fell ill… emotional repression, depletion of the three yin energies—everything aligns.”

After hearing Dai Sigong’s thorough analysis, even Zhu Gaochi had to admit this man was truly skilled. No wonder he was hailed as a miracle doctor of early Ming.

“In that case, do you want to earn merit? Do you want to save the Mother of the Ming nation?”

Zhu Gaochi leaned close and whispered into Dai Sigong’s ear.

Dai Sigong shuddered, disbelief in his eyes.

“Young prince… do you have a plan?”

“I do,” Zhu Gaochi glanced around cautiously before replying. “But it’s a method so shocking and unconventional, it depends on whether you dare to take it on.”

Dai Sigong pondered for a long moment, then nodded resolutely.

“The Empress is known for her kindness and compassion.”

“In recent years, many major cases have rocked the realm. Without her tireless mediation, countless innocents would have perished!”

“If you truly have a brilliant plan, tell me honestly. Setting aside merit, even if it means sacrificing my official position, I will save Her Majesty’s life.”

Hearing such passionate words, Zhu Gaochi rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Damn it, just say you want to earn merit straight away—why the pretense?

You’ve already said all the right things!

But those words struck a chord with Zhu Gaochi.

Empress Ma was indeed a virtuous woman—frugal, leading by example. She set up a loom in the harem, weaving silk and satin herself, then distributing them to elderly widows under the guise of imperial charity.

She also often pleaded on behalf of the common people, persuading the emperor to pardon them and spare innocent lives. Calling her the emperor’s sword sheath was no exaggeration.

For both public and private reasons, Zhu Gaochi was determined to save Empress Ma.

After all, if the emperor’s sword lost its sheath, it would spill rivers of blood and roll heads like stones.

Waving his chubby hands, Zhu Gaochi beckoned Dai Sigong closer and whispered his plan.

Dai Sigong listened, amazed beyond belief, staring at the little rotund prince.

“Young prince, can this really work?”

Zhu Gaochi pounded his chest emphatically.

“Rest assured, if your medical skills are truly superb, it will be a sure success!”

Dai Sigong’s eyes blazed with urgency.

“You may doubt me, but not my medicine!”

“Then let’s go pay our respects to His Majesty immediately!”

“Who’s afraid of whom!”