The Inner Hall of Peace and Joy was not a good place.
The other female officials, upon hearing this, visibly relaxed and became more polite toward her. “You’ve just arrived. If there’s anything you lack, just tell us.”
Cheng Danruo was equally polite. “I lack nothing. Thank you for your kindness.”
The palace’s benefits were quite good. Uniforms were issued by season, and there was a quota for fabric. If it was insufficient, one could pay the Bureau of Works to have things made. Upon first entering the palace, everything – toothbrushes, tooth powder, washbasins, bedding, mosquito nets – was provided uniformly.
Female officials were not palace maids, so there was not much skimming off the top. Cheng Danruo received everything in full, even hair ties. She guessed this was due to Palace Matron Hong.
This was quite good. She did not need extra care; as long as nothing was shortchanged, that was enough.
After sleeping one night in the new dormitory, the next day, Cheng Danruo took her medicine box, put on her ebony tablet, and prepared to go to work.
The ebony tablet was extremely important in the palace. It was round, five centimeter in diameter, with “Female Official of the Bureau of Food” carved on one side, and the four characters “Pass In and Out” written on the other. Along the edge was a string of numbers.
This was the palace’s identity tablet and pass. If lost, it had to be reported immediately, and there would be punishment. When walking within the palace, one had to wear the waist tablet, otherwise it was a serious matter.
According to palace rules, when palace personnel went out and walked about, there had to be at least two people. Generally, a senior palace maid led palace servants, or two junior palace servants went together. In any case, no one was allowed to walk around alone – of course, rules were rules, and with so many illicit pairings in the palace, there were always people who did not comply.
Cheng Danruo had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the layout, so the Dispensary Office specially assigned her a palace maid named Ji Qiu, who was both an attendant and a guide.
With Ji Qiu leading the way, they left the Ganxi Office and went directly around the back of Yinghua Hall to the western corridor, and soon arrived at the Inner Hall of Peace and Joy.
The courtyard was built inside a narrow alley, so its gate was not wide at all – just a narrow single room.
Pushing the door open, she immediately heard a stout old woman say, “Bah, with just this little bit of silver, you still want medicine?”
A palace maid with a pale, bluish complexion begged, “Have mercy, I… I…” Whether from anxiety or not, she could barely catch her breath.
Ji Qiu cleared her throat.
The old woman immediately changed her expression. “Why have you come, Auntie?”
“Auntie” was an honorific for female officials with standing in the palace. Although Ji Qiu was not a female official, she was studying. As long as she passed the examination, she could become a female scholar, leave the ranks of palace maids, and become a preparatory female official.
Calling her this was clearly an overfamiliar attempt to flatter.
“This is Female Official Cheng,” Ji Qiu said with a stern face. “The Director of Food has given the order that from now on, she will manage the Hall of Peace and Joy.”
The old woman quickly bowed. “Auntie Cheng.”
Ji Qiu introduced her. “This is Matron Le.”
Cheng Danruo glanced over the arrangement of the Hall of Peace and Joy, then looked at the steward matron’s clothing, and knew that this place was poor and hard, but the palace maids all had their own savings. If one skimmed a little, there was still profit to be had.
Cheng Danruo held out her hand.
Matron Le hesitated for a moment, then handed over the silver in her hand.
Cheng Danruo tossed the piece of silver in her hand. It was two taels of silver at most. She could not help asking, “How is medicine used here?”
Matron Le said, “We go to the Dispensary Office to fetch it.”
“Does it cost money?” she asked.
Matron Le laughed. “Without spending silver, how can you get medicine to take?”
Cheng Danruo nodded inwardly: no medical insurance.
She tossed the silver back to the sick palace maid.
But the palace maid did not dare catch it, and said between rapid gasps, “Please, please, save my life.”
“Go back to your room. I will come to take your pulse in a while.” Cheng Danruo was in no hurry to see the patient, and first sorted out the internal affairs. “How many people are there in the Hall of Peace and Joy in total?”
Ji Qiu leaned close to her ear and introduced them in a low voice.
It turned out that according to the established quota, there were twenty people: ten palace maids and ten eunuchs. But now there was only Matron Le as steward, four palace maids, and two rough-work eunuchs.
“Call them here. We will meet before anything else.”
Matron Le hurried off to summon them.
The six subordinates quickly arrived.
Cheng Danruo set down a small five taels of silver ingot. “A new official taking office. Let me treat you all to a meal and some tea.”
The seven people’s eyes immediately lit up, and they readily kowtowed. “Greetings, ma’am.”
“I am not short of money, and I know this place is poor and hard,” Cheng Danruo said unhurriedly. “But from now on, how money is collected and how much is taken – you know whose orders you should follow, right?”
Who among the eunuchs and palace maids who could be banished to a waiting-to-die hall would have backing? They usually paid respects to Matron Le; now it would change to paying respects to the female official. It was all the same, so they honestly said, “We know.”
Only Matron Le was somewhat unwilling. “May I inform you, Auntie, that we usually suffer greatly. A whole courtyard of patients…”
Cheng Danruo cleared her throat and glanced at Ji Qiu.
This palace maid was very clever and immediately said, “What right do you have to talk about hardship? Female Official Cheng is a relative of Palace Matron Hong, and she has not spoken of hardship.”
Matron Le immediately shut up. She did have some connections, but they were not strong enough, and she could not stand up to a relative of the Palace Matron.
“I know everyone works hard.” Cheng Danruo had not expected Ji Qiu to be so clever, which saved her a lot of trouble. She smiled slightly. “Looking after patients is a bitter task, but living in this world, who does not suffer?”
Matron Le smiled apologetically. “You are right.”
“Then we have reached a consensus,” she said. “Follow my orders and do your work. Do it well, and there will be benefits for you. Do it poorly… alas, I cannot think of a worse place to be sent than this.”
Everyone was silent, but their expressions differed.
“There is no point in me throwing my weight around to show off authority either,” Cheng Danruo said gently. “Do not hinder me in doing things, and you will naturally have your benefits.”
The quickest-witted palace maid immediately kowtowed. “I understand. I will certainly do my utmost in my duties.”
Cheng Danruo asked, “How many patients are there now?”
“Six.”
“Do you know where they all came from?”
She answered quickly, “I know.”
“What is your name?”
“Huifang.”
Cheng Danruo said, “Alright. You and Ji Qiu will come with me to see the patients.”
The first patient was the palace maid who had just tried to use money.
Before entering the room, Cheng Danruo first asked Huifang, “What symptoms does that person have?”
Huifang did not understand medical principles, and only said, “She is panting severely.”
Cheng Danruo pondered for a moment, opened the medicine box, and handed her and Ji Qiu a homemade face mask. “Whenever seeing patients, it is best to face them with your face covered, to avoid contagion.”
The two hurriedly put them on.
Cheng Danruo pushed the door open and went in. She looked over the situation inside, but there was only the patient alone.
When the palace maid saw her come in, she struggled to get up, but Cheng Danruo stopped her with a shout. “Do not move.” She then directed the others, “Move the small table over. You sit upright and put your hand on the pulse pillow.”
Huifang eagerly did as told.
A faint hope rose in the palace maid’s heart, and she placed her wrist properly.
Cheng Danruo sat down, took the pulse, and observed the other person.
The patient was panting severely, with her mouth open and shoulders raised.
“Can you lie flat?” she asked.
The patient shook her head. “Lie… cough, I cannot lie down.”
Sure enough, it was not shortness of breath but a panting syndrome. Examining her breathing more carefully, the breaths were deep and long, exhalation faster than inhalation, with a phlegmy sound in her throat, and occasional coughs – a typical excess panting pattern.
She asked again, “When did it start?”
The patient answered, “After the New Year’s Day cleaning, I had a slight cough. After some days it got a little better, but then I began panting severely.”
“Let me see your tongue.”
She opened her mouth; the coating was thin and white.
“When is the panting worst?”
The patient said, “If I do not work, it is still all right. When I work, the panting becomes severe. Also, Doctor, my chest hurts terribly, I am always thirsty, and my body is covered in cold sweat.”
She poured out her symptoms all at once, her eyes eager: she was only twenty-three and did not want to die.
Cheng Danruo nodded, touched her forehead, and found her body somewhat feverish. She could not help hesitating. This patient was a typical case of exterior cold and interior heat. In the terms of Chinese medicine, “the exterior cold has not been resolved, while internally it has already transformed into heat; the heat is depressed in the lungs, and lung qi rebels upward.” At the same time, there were also symptoms of kidney deficiency.
“You were invaded by external pathogenic factors, and the exterior cold transformed into heat. ‘Pathogenic qi is congested above, while kidney qi is deficient below.'” Cheng Danruo considered and said, “First resolve the exterior and clear the interior, diffuse the lungs and calm the panting. Once you are better, then tonify the kidney and grasp qi.”
The palace maid had not expected her to truly be able to treat illness, and was moved to tears of gratitude. “Thank you, Auntie.”
“First take Maxing Shigan Decoction. For tonifying the kidney, use Jinkui Shenqi Pill. As for the latter, once you are out of here, find a way to get it then.” Cheng Danruo said, “Ji Qiu, give me paper and brush.”
Ji Qiu hurriedly laid out the paper.
Cheng Danruo did not use an inkstone now, but a traveling brush case, a box containing both a writing brush and an ink box, which could be opened and used at any time without having to grind ink each time. It was very convenient. It had been a traveling writing item of Yan Hongzhi, and he had given it to her.
“Name.”
The palace maid was stunned for a moment, then said, “Li Xiaoping.”
“Age.”
“Twenty-three.”
“Where did you originally serve?”
“Yinghua Hall. I did sweeping and cleaning.”
Cheng Danruo recorded each item one by one and began writing the case record. When finished, she took a new sheet and wrote the prescription, then asked again, “Can you read it?”
Li Xiaoping shook her head.
“Never mind, I will keep it for my records.” Cheng Danruo said, “In a while I will go back to fetch the medicine. I will collect the money tomorrow. You may find someone to decoct the medicine for you and pay her a little.”
Li Xiaoping was quite clever and immediately looked at Huifang. “I will ask this sister to help me.” As she spoke, she slipped a piece of broken silver over to her.
Huifang, however, looked at Cheng Danruo.
She said, “Once you take the money, you must do the work well. A human life is at stake.”
“Yes, yes.” Huifang accepted the money and said to Li Xiaoping, “Sister, my name is Huifang. If you need anything, call me at any time.”
Li Xiaoping was also polite. “Thank you for looking after me. Cough, cough.”
Cheng Danruo told her to rest well, and went to see the next one.
The second patient was much more frightening. The person lay on the bed, abdomen swollen and distended, face dark and swarthy, quite terrifying to look at.
Huifang said quietly, “The matron says she is pregnant with a ghost fetus, that she encountered a ghost at night.”
Cheng Danruo was just about to refute this when the patient sobbed, “I am not, I did not…, in all my years in the palace, I have never once seen a real man.”
Huifang dared to say, “That is exactly why it is called a ghost fetus.”
“Do not talk nonsense.” Cheng Danruo sat down and likewise took the pulse.
In the end, she determined it was tympanites, with blood stasis in the liver and spleen -that is, stagnant blood obstructing the liver and spleen, with water qi gathering internally.
She prescribed Tiaoying Decoction.
The third patient had hidden papules, with white wheals all over the body, the symptoms the same as urticaria. It was said that she had originally served in the palace of a minor consort. Her appearance was unsightly and nearly frightened the minor consort, so she was immediately ordered sent away. She had been at the Hall of Peace and Joy for almost half a month, and had not been seen going out or showing herself.
Cheng Danruo prescribed Jingfang Baidu Powder for her.
The fourth had arthritis, called impediment syndrome in Chinese medicine. This palace maid was advanced in years. Although her illness was not considered severe, she could no longer do work, so she was sent to the Hall of Peace and Joy to do odd jobs. In fact, this counted as one of the established posts.
This illness could be treated with Yiyiren Decoction.
The fifth… she could not identify.
This patient was vomiting blood. Cheng Danruo could not determine whether it was a digestive tract problem, and for the moment did not dare give her medicine.
The sixth could not be saved.
She was the illicit partner of a senior eunuch. It was unknown how she had been tormented, but her lower body was ulcerated and bleeding without stopping.
Cheng Danruo immediately inserted needles, but could not stop the bleeding.
“Auntie, let it be.” The palace maid was not old, but she was already like withered wood. “I do not want to live either.”
Cheng Danruo was silent.
Even if she could save her life, the other party would find it hard to live normally. Add to that wound infection, and there was truly no way.
In the afternoon, the other patients drank the medicine suited to their conditions, and rare as it was, slept peacefully.
This palace maid breathed her last.
Matron Le called the eunuchs from the Hall of Pure Joy to carry the corpse away for cremation. She had left no name. Her ashes would be placed in the pagoda of the Hall of Pure Joy, and afterward, be forgotten.
