The Physician and Chancellor of the Red Chamber

As the saying goes, “The poor in humble white-walled homes face fewer calamities, while the rich behind vermilion gates suffer more illnesses.” In the Red Chamber, countless young women fall ill.

Lin Daiyu is frail from birth, Xue Baochai suffers from toxic heat, Shi Xiangyun gets springtime ringworm, and the eldest girl comes down with smallpox.

Xiangling develops dried-blood disease, while Wang Xifeng suffers a devastating uterine hemorrhage.

Qin Keqing is struck by a severe illness that lingers for years, until she finally meets an untimely end;

Pretty Qingwen catches a chill when she gets up at night. Her illness worsens, and in the end she dies on an earthen bed.

When a medical student specializing in traditional Chinese medicine transmigrates into the body of a distant relative of the Ningguo household, he hurriedly takes a master renowned for treating women’s ailments. By the time he realizes what he has done, it’s too late for regrets.

That alone would be bad enough, but he is already swamped just treating the sick and saving lives. And yet this century-old dynasty is itself gravely ill...

Spoiler version:

“Miss Lin’s illness is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Bian Que’s cun-kou pulse diagnosis is not enough to identify it. We’ll have to try the Three Regions and Nine Indicators method from The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Ying. Please do whatever you must... Ah! W-what are you crouching down for?”

“Miss Lin may not know this, but The Classic of Difficult Issues says that the pulse has three regions, each with nine indicators. In the lower region, the Earth indicator is chiefly assessed at the Chongyang pulse.”

“Then just check my Chongyang pulse! D-don’t touch my shoes!”

“Allow me to explain, Miss Lin: the Chongyang pulse belongs to the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, and is located at the highest point on the instep... There, Miss Lin, please rest your foot here and let me examine it carefully.”