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.
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.
