"Prepare the dragon carriage! To the Heaven Prison!" The moment His Majesty issued those six words, a soft boom sounded. Behind the palace, eight Dragon Horses soared into the sky, drawing the Sky-Patrolling Imperial Carriage. It landed outside the hall, and His Majesty strode toward it with the prime minister and the Left Grandee. Beside the Dragon Horses, eight guards bowed in unison. "Your Majesty, please board!"
His Majesty boarded the dragon carriage with a dark expression and stood at its highest point.
The prime minister and the Left Grandee boarded as well, taking their places below him.
The dragon carriage blazed with dazzling light in the night sky, swept over half the city, and descended upon the Heaven Prison.
At the sight of the dragon carriage overhead, Sun Chong, warden of the Heaven Prison, hurried out to receive it. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Sun Chong, warden of the Heaven Prison, leads all officials of the Fourth Rank and above in respectfully welcoming Your Majesty!"
Thud!
Every official knelt.
Swish!
Every soldier raised his spear in salute.
His Majesty descended from the dragon carriage step by step and stood before Sun Chong.
Excitement surged through Sun Chong's heart. "Your Majesty, your humble servant has completed his investigation. The evidence of Song Lifu's prisoner swap stands as solid as a mountain. Would Your Majesty care to see it firsthand?"
His Majesty slowly raised his gaze and stared down the passage into the Heaven Prison.
Not a sound came from the assembled crowd.
Footsteps rose in the quiet night-the marching tread of the Imperial Guard.
Before long, a large contingent arrived before His Majesty, escorting two men.
Song Lifu, minister of justice, looked utterly bewildered.
The seventh prince, Hong Yun, was equally confused.
"Your humble servant pays his