The Imperial Doctress Episode 41 Recap
> The Imperial Doctress Recap
As a harsh blizzard swept through, Yunxian drifted into unconsciousness, her mind replaying moments of her past with Qiyu. Meanwhile, Zhu Qizhen, also known as Yingzong, bravely ventured out into the icy wilderness to seek help, but he soon vanished without a trace. A compassionate group of Korean merchants discovered the ailing Yunxian. Using her fluency in Joseon (Korean) language, Yunxian claimed her mother was Korean and that the man she was separated from was her husband, Zheng Qi.
She pleaded with them to help find him. Moved by her pleas, the merchants agreed, and after a diligent search, they located Zhu Qizhen, severely frostbitten, in the snow. Yunxian, revealing her medical expertise, immediately began treating his frostbite. She explained to the curious merchants that warm water, not snow, was crucial for frostbite as the skin is fragile, and demonstrated her precise treatment method, starting from the feet.
Impressed, the merchants, who were traveling into a city, then requested Yunxian to diagnose their various ailments, ranging from headaches and fevers to knee pain and digestive issues. After they traveled with the merchants to a nearby city, Yunxian purchased a wide array of medicines, including frostbite cream, chilblain powder, purple gold elixirs, and her own watkins panchrest plaster, offering them as a token of gratitude to the merchant leader.
She then confided in him, asking him to keep their presence a secret, fabricating a story about her and her husband eloping from his disapproving family. The merchant readily agreed. During this time, Zhu Qizhen awoke, and he and Yunxian shared a moment of relief at their survival. He jokingly questioned why she had called him "chagiya," an endearing Korean term for husband, to the merchant.
Yunxian, in turn, bought a horse cart, and they managed to pass through a city gate, where guards were scrutinizing portraits of wanted individuals. Yunxian cleverly disguised Zhu Qizhen and convinced the guards he was a sick husband she was taking to see a doctor outside the city, using soybeans to alter his features and conceal his identity.
Zhu Qizhen noted the presence of Eastern Depot agents among the guards, speculating about their command and who might be behind the pursuit. He and Yunxian decided to continue their journey pretending to be ordinary villagers, though their funds dwindled to less than one tael of silver. Zhu Qizhen, noticing Yunxian's own worsening health, apologized for the harsh words he had spoken in the tree cave during the blizzard, but Yunxian feigned forgetfulness, claiming she was too frozen to remember.
Back in the capital, Empress Dowager Sun sternly confronted Emperor Qiyu, accusing him of attempting to murder his own brother, Zhu Qizhen. She lambasted him for his alleged disregard for fraternal bonds, asserting that he had sent assassins. Qiyu vehemently denied any involvement, shifting the blame entirely to Duke Wang, claiming he was merely managing escaped captives from the Oirat Clan.
The Empress Dowager pressed further, questioning why Qiyu, who once held Duke Wang in little regard, now blindly followed his every command. She cynically asked if he feared Zhu Qizhen's return would lead to him losing his throne, asking pointedly if the ruler of Ming was "Zhu or Wang." Though Qiyu denied her accusations, his words betrayed a growing obsession with power.
The Empress Dowager, citing her failing health, ultimately ordered Qiyu to recall the soldiers and send an escort for Zhu Qizhen, reminding him that she had placed him on the throne and, despite her past dislike for Zhu Qizhen, never wished him dead. Once alone, Qiyu immediately summoned Duke Wang. Duke Wang then met with Empress Wang Meilin, informing her of the Empress Dowager's reprimand.
Wang Meilin, dismissing her father's concern, insisted that Zhu Qizhen "must be killed" to secure Qiyu's position, lamenting the fickle loyalty of old ministers. Duke Wang reported no definite trace of Zhu Qizhen, leading them to speculate about his death in the desolate mountains. Wang Meilin reaffirmed the need to send more men to ensure Zhu Qizhen never returned to the capital.
She also complained about the Empress Dowager's increasingly volatile temper, asserting her own status as the most honorable woman in the world and promising to comfort Qiyu, assuring him of the Wang family's unwavering support. The conversation also revealed Wang Meilin's continued struggle to conceive, anxiously awaiting the effects of a new prescription. As Zhu Qizhen and Yunxian continued their arduous journey, both suffering from severe illness, they arrived not far from the capital.
Yunxian went to acquire medicine and unexpectedly encountered Liu Pingan, her former teacher. Liu Pingan, after his injury, could not return to the Imperial Faculty of Medicine due to Empress Wang Meilin's animosity, which had led her to investigate his supposed "false death." Being a free-spirited person, he had chosen to live a quiet life selling medicinal herbs.
Recognizing Yunxian, he quickly diagnosed her "inadequate Chi and blood" and frostbite, chiding her for neglecting her own health while caring for Zhu Qizhen. He warmly welcomed them into his home and prepared medicines for both. Zhu Qizhen, grateful to see his old acquaintance, inquired about Liu Pingan's knowledge of the capital's situation. Liu Pingan informed him of the Imperial Guards' ongoing search for a man whose portrait closely resembled Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Qizhen, still holding onto hope, believed it was a misunderstanding and that Qiyu would not harm him. He then entrusted Liu Pingan with a crucial letter, instructing him to deliver it personally to his godfather, Yu Dongyang, and others. Shortly after Liu Pingan departed, a village woman desperately called out for "Physician Liu," claiming her brother had been bitten by a snake and needed a specific herb.
Yunxian provided the medicine, but Zhu Qizhen expressed his suspicion about the woman's behavior, questioning why she persisted in yelling when no one answered, instead of seeking help elsewhere. His intuition proved correct when the same woman soon returned, leading a group of Duke Wang's guards to Liu Pingan's home. Just as Yunxian and Zhu Qizhen were cornered, Jingci Shita, an abbess, dramatically appeared with her own retinue of guards, saving them from capture.
Zhu Qizhen explained to Yunxian that Jingci Shita was actually Empress Hu, his father's original Empress, who had been unjustly deposed and forced into nunnery by Chen Shisan. Despite her status as a nun, she still commanded respect among the old court subjects and could exert significant influence over Empress Dowager Sun. Jingci Shita then announced the arrival of Yu Dongyang and Shi Heng, who bowed respectfully to Zhu Qizhen.
Shi Heng attempted to report on rumors of Yunxian's marriage to Yesen, but Zhu Qizhen vehemently cut him off, declaring that Yunxian had risked her life for him and would not tolerate any insults to her character.
