Faced with the dazzling light of lanterns and torches outside, Lu Haixian sighed in resignation even as fear gripped him.
A civil official past seventy, he had neither the courage nor the ability to resist the Imperial Guards. Naturally, he let them take him away.
In truth, ever since the Four Seas and Mountains Record had appeared, Lu Haixian, an old courtier of little consequence, had repeatedly received the emperor's favor and rewards, and his unease had grown by the day.
Every summons to the Imperial Study left Lu Haixian tense for a while, and he answered with the utmost care each time.
Now that he had been arrested, Lu Haixian was afraid, but it was hard to deny that he also felt a faint trace of relief.
Lu Haixian was escorted to the Heavenly Prison within the palace and locked alone in a spacious cell. It was relatively clean inside, and even the bed had bedding.
Hearing the cell door being locked, Lu Haixian watched the jailers and Imperial Guards leave, then slumped onto the bed, his heart like dead ashes.
As the crowd's footsteps faded into the distance, Lu Haixian slowly closed his eyes.
Near the outer section of the Heavenly Prison, the head jailer accompanied the leader of the Imperial Guards toward the entrance. He could guess without being told that there would be further instructions.
Sure enough, once they were near the entrance, the commandant leading the Imperial Guards looked at the head jailer and the few jailers beside him, then glanced into the depths of the Heavenly Prison before speaking.
"Take good care of Lord Lu in there. No harm whatsoever must come to him. This is His Majesty's command, and there must be no mistakes!"
"Yes, yes! We'll make certain he is well looked