Yun Jiao stood up and asked, "May I ask, Eunuch, why has His Majesty summoned me?"

The young eunuch whispered, "His Majesty got a fish bone stuck in his throat. Several Imperial Physicians have been over, tried for a while, but it’s still not resolved. His Majesty has summoned you."

Yun Jiao was somewhat surprised, "Isn’t there a dining eunuch who picks out the fish bones? How could this happen?"

The young eunuch lowered his voice, "Today, the fish was caught from Crescent Lake. His Majesty saw how fresh and tender it was, so he ate a few more bites. Who would have thought, today the dining eunuch, Eunuch Qin, got distracted and missed a bone."

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiao didn’t take a medical kit, just a bottle of medicine. She asked Yang Ying to mind the house and followed the young eunuch out, "What happened to Eunuch Qin?"

The young eunuch shook his head, "He was flogged thirty times and has been dragged away."

Apart from sighing, Yun Jiao could only sigh again.

She followed the young eunuch in the direction of the mountain.

Sicui Palace, where His Majesty resides, is elevated, cooler than below; the residences of the Empress Dowager and consorts are also up there.

We officials cannot ascend without a summons; that side is essentially the inner palace.

Even the Imperial Guard can only patrol below.

The path up the mountain is a series of steps.

Sicui Palace isn’t very high; after about a few dozen stairs, they arrived.

The young eunuch ushered Yun Jiao into His Majesty’s bedchamber; Yun Jiao saw Jiang Youzhi there along with several Imperial Physicians.

Yun Jiao first paid her respects; His Majesty waved his hand and then looked at Jiang Youzhi.

Jiang Youzhi spoke, "His Majesty got a fish bone stuck in his throat, tried swallowing rice and buns in one go, but it didn’t go down."

"Drinking water didn’t help."

"The Imperial Physicians had him drink vinegar, that didn’t help either."

"Then they tried using tweezers to extract the fish bone, but it was lodged so deep they couldn’t see it."

"Then they induced vomiting; His Majesty vomited for a long time, but the fish bone is still in the throat and still painful!"

"Now the Imperial Physicians suggest drinking Bone Dissolving Tea for two or three days until the fish bone softens."

The Imperial Physicians looked awkward, keeping their heads down in silence.

Jiang Youzhi cleared his throat, "Oh, and besides all this, the Empress Dowager sent someone over with a small folk remedy, but it didn’t work either."

"That’s why you were called."

Yun Jiao showed a troubled expression, "My methods are quite similar to those of the Imperial Physicians."

The Imperial Physicians exchanged glances, visibly relieved at her words.

Yun Jiao thought for a moment, "There’s another method: cut orange peel into pieces—" she shook her head herself, "That’s not feasible; there are no oranges this season."

She thought again carefully, "Right, I read about a method in an ancient book once, but I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know if it’ll work."

His Majesty waved his hand, and Jiang Youzhi translated, "His Majesty says no matter what method it is, it should be tried; perhaps it will work."

"Bone Dissolving Tea takes two or three days, which is too long."

His Majesty nodded appreciatively; Lord Chief Minister indeed translated his thoughts accurately.

Yun Jiao said, "Then let’s give it a try, but I can’t guarantee it will work." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

She looked towards Eunuch Yu, "Is the fish that His Majesty ate still there?"

Eunuch Yu hesitated for a moment, "It’s still outside; amidst the chaos earlier, the dishes haven’t been cleared away."

Yun Jiao nodded, "That’s good; take the fish bones from the fish just eaten by His Majesty, and make sure it’s that exact one, burn the bones to ash over high heat, and bring the ash here."

Eunuch Yu agreed instantly and hurried out.