Hot flashes

Shen Ji was taken away from his study by the Imperial Guards at Chenshi (7-9 AM).

The Imperial Guard captain stood at the door, holding a warrant from the Ministry of War. It listed Shen Ji's name, official position, place of origin, and the words "Involved in a treason case, to be detained immediately."

Shen Ji took the arrest warrant, glanced at it, returned it to the captain, then turned around, took the Diamond Sutra from the bookshelf, and put it in his pocket.

The captain glanced at it but said nothing.

Then Shen Ji followed the Imperial Guards out of the Shen residence.

Shen Duan and Shen Yu were standing in the courtyard, being escorted by two other squads of imperial guards, and were being led out the door.

Shen Duan's face was ashen, his hair disheveled, and he looked as if he had aged ten years overnight. The string of sandalwood prayer beads that he had been holding for countless years was nowhere to be found, and his fingers were still unconsciously fiddling with them in his sleeve.

Shen Yu was much calmer than Shen Duan. He was dressed in a neat official robe, his hair was combed meticulously, and the jade belt around his waist was tied properly, just like when he went to court.

He saw Shen Ji walking from the direction of the study, his gaze lingered on him for a moment, his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.

The Imperial Guards separated the three men. Shen Duan was put into the first prison cart, Shen Yu into the second, and Shen Ji into the third.

The prison cart departed from the gate of the Shen residence and slowly drove along the snow-covered street, amidst the pointing and whispering of the people on both sides, towards the Ministry of Justice prison.

Shen Ji sat in the prison cart, leaning against the cold wooden bars, with his eyes closed.

As the door to the Ministry of Justice prison closed behind him, a dull echo reverberated through the dark passageway for a long time, like a struck bronze bell, its lingering sound bouncing back and forth between the brick walls before gradually dissipating into the depths of darkness.

Shen Ji was taken to a small solitary cell with three brick walls and one iron bar. The floor was covered with a layer of dry straw, and a chamber pot was placed in the corner. There was a small window at the top, through which a sliver of gray light shone in.

He went inside, sat down on the hay, took out the Diamond Sutra from his pocket, opened it, found the page he had seen before, and continued reading by the light coming in through the window.

The scriptures were still the same scriptures, the words were still the same words, exactly the same as what he had seen every day for so many years.

He was locked in that small solitary cell, day and night, relying on a copy of the Diamond Sutra and a pot of cold water, quietly waiting for the outcome he already knew.

He remained calm and composed, as if this prison cell was no different from the outside world, as if this outcome was exactly what he had expected, as if there had never been a second option in his life.

On the ground of the Ministry of Justice prison, the sun rose on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The sky after the snow was almost transparently blue, and the sunlight shone on the glazed tiles, reflecting a dazzling golden light.

People in the capital put on new clothes, visited relatives and friends, exchanged New Year's greetings, and said auspicious words such as "Happy New Year" and "May all your wishes come true".

Children set off firecrackers in the snow, the crackling sounds coming from every alley, mixed with laughter and barking dogs, making the city, which had just experienced a bloody storm, lively and cheerful.

Behind the heavy iron gate of the Ministry of Justice prison, Shen Ji turned a page of the Diamond Sutra. The sutra read: "All forms are illusory. If one sees all forms as non-forms, then one sees the Tathagata."

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the tiny window, falling on his lap, on the closed pages of his book, and on his eyes, which were always calm and almost empty, revealing no emotion.

He sat in that ray of light, like a stone statue forgotten for thousands of years, breathing lightly, his heart beating slowly, just like everyone else in this prison awaiting trial, yet different from all of them.