Chapter 55 - 53 Variables
Li Ang raised his eyebrows in surprise. Song Shaoyuan and the others also frowned, looking displeased in the direction the voice had come from.
In the adjacent private room of the tavern, Qiu Jing, a Medical Officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau, a Taiji Palace waist token hanging by his side, couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile. He looked at his friend across the table, who was dressed as a Confucian Scholar, his face etched with indignation.
𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
It was no wonder the middle-aged man opposite Qiu Jing wore a displeased expression. Laid out on the table between them was a vast paper map of Chang’an City, meticulously detailing its workshops, canals, wells, farmlands, streets, bridges, and even the Imperial Palace.
A map of Chang’an—or maps in general—ordinary citizens were not qualified to possess privately, or even handle, due to suspicions of treasonous intent.
But the Confucian Scholar in green harbored no such concerns. He was Tantai Leshan, one of the Masters in the Academic Palace who taught talismanic magic and engineering.
This map was a redesign blueprint for Chang’an City, conceived by Tantai Leshan and his students at the invitation of the Ministry of Industry, part of the Ministry of Supervision.
"Brother Leshan..."
Qiu Jing coughed lightly. He knew very well how much effort Tantai Leshan had poured into the redesign plans for Chang’an City recently. The plan had to account for the traffic, housing, drinking water, transportation, and city defenses for three million people. To maximize convenience for the city’s common people, Tantai Leshan and his students had surveyed every corner of Chang’an City. They repeatedly discussed, deliberated, experimented, and refined solutions for all identified issues.
This map was the culmination of Tantai Leshan’s tireless work for over a year. He found it hard to tolerate unwarranted criticism of it, especially concerning his proudest achievement: the planned water channel system intended to cover all of Chang’an.
However, those seated in the adjacent room were clearly scholars who had traveled from afar to participate in this year’s Academic Palace entrance examination. As a Medical Officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau and an Academic Palace Director respectively, they had inadvertently overheard the students’ conversation. This was already somewhat improper; confronting the students directly would be even more awkward.